There are baits that blend perfectly with each other, offering the possibility of performing a mixed pasture that can easily attract prey within range of the line, this is the case of maggots alternating with hemp.
It is certainly no secret that the maggot is the bait most used by fishermen, both in terms of triggering and baiting.
Nevertheless, when we go fishing, it is appropriate to recall the fish by helping us with different forms of baiting. Often it is advisable to use flours, pellets or even corn. Depending on the time of year and the type of prey we want to undermine, it is possible to choose one food source rather than another.
Not many fishermen, however, especially in Italy, know the great potential of boiled hemp seeds. This product, much more used as an ingredient of the pasture than as a "subject" for baiting, goes well with a call made up of maggots loose and launched with the slingshot.
The greatest advocates of hemp seed-based pasturage have always been English fishermen. Independently from this, also in the Italian waters it is possible to obtain great results, recalling the cyprinids with an alternate pasturage of hemp and maggots, triggering then the latter to the hook.
The hemp seeds, which in their natural state are hard as stones and floating in water, once boiled, open releasing the oil contained inside, softening considerably and acquiring a good specific weight that allows it to sink in water.
Similar specific weight
Unlike other baits such as pellets or corn, hemp has a specific weight much closer to that of loose maggots. Even if it is heavier than the latter, the difference is really minimal if compared to that of the other baits mentioned above.
This facilitates precision during alternating baiting, allowing the fisherman to alternate slingings of maggots with others of hemp, without having to vary the tension of the elastics of the sling between the throwing of one and the other bait.
Moreover, fishing under running water, once the thrust of the liquid mass has been evaluated, it is possible to throw both maggots and hemp in the same point, since the effect of the current will produce a movement towards the valley identical for both food sources.
All this allows to concentrate the call very easily, avoiding to widen too much the baiting zone, risking to disperse the preys in long and in wide.
Excellent nutritional power
Both hemp and maggots offer an excellent nutritional power for the preys, which makes these baits much sought after by any kind of fish.
If, furthermore, we consider that to the proteic contribution of the larvae the hemp adds an excellent quantity of oils and fats, we can be sure that the nourishing instinct of fish, especially of the heaviest ones, which are always looking for rich foods, will bring to line range a good concentration of preys.
Another very important aspect to consider is that the baiting based on hemp and maggots yields well at any time of year. In fact, whether it is the cold or the hot months, these two baits always have an excellent yield, unlike other sources of pasturage that definitely vary their potential attractiveness depending on the seasons and, consequently, the temperatures of the air and water.
Hemp: from cooking phase to the use
When we buy boiled hemp, it is stored in a sealed tin jar in which the seeds are imprisoned together with the water and oils released by them after boiling.
If the hemp is of the highest quality, the boiling process immediately took place directly in the same jar we are holding, so that all the substances and nutrients of the seeds have remained inside the shell and the product has not lost any of its qualities, indeed, over time the seeds will have had the opportunity to absorb again the substances released during cooking, then increasing the attractiveness in contact with the fish.
Once the jar has been opened and the hemp has been poured into a bowl that will contain it throughout the fishing session, it will be necessary to rinse it abundantly with water, so as to wash it and make it less sticky to the hands and to the sling that will throw it into the water.
Especially in the warmer months of the year, however, once washed, it is a good idea to keep the hemp in the shade, better if sheltered by a damp cloth that allows it to preserve a constant temperature.
This food, in fact, like all those rich in oils and fats, is very delicate and does not stand the heat and high temperatures, drying out and deteriorating in a few minutes when exposed to the sun.
Grinding the hemp
We talked about pasturage based on hemp and maggots taking into consideration the classic one and that is carried out with the sling. In spite of everything, it is possible to throw the baits into the water even with the cup, clearly if the fishing is carried out with the roubaisienne, or add these two baits into a pasture that, then, in a second time, will carry them into the water.
If we consider these two solutions, it is possible to "transform" hemp seeds into a crushed pulp, grinding them with "Bait Crusher". The advantage of grinding hemp seeds is simply to make the food even finer, softening it further and extracting as much oil as possible.
In this way it is possible to increase the attractiveness to fish, speeding up beyond all limits the time in which the aromatic recall must perform its function.
A secret about slingshots
As I mentioned in one of the previous paragraphs, the precision and ease of execution during the pasture has considerable importance. For this reason, if we decide to graze with loose maggots and hemp, using the sling, it is advisable to pay attention to an important aspect.
The bottom of the sling, often overlooked by many, plays a primary role in facilitating a precise pasture and a compact and grouped rosette of baits. Our advice is to use two different slingshots, one for throwing larvae and one for throwing seeds. These slingshots must differ mainly in the bottom.
The one for maggots must have a soft and perforated bottom, to facilitate the launch of dogs that in this way will get less resistance in the air and travel to the water in a more compact way.
The bottom of the hemp sling, on the other hand, must always be made of soft material, but not punctured. This allows to better manage the hemp during the manipulation as it is humid, avoiding that during the throw it gets sticky, as it would happen with a hollow bottom, dispersing in the air.
"Drunk" maggots for the trigger
Another small expedient, this time however, which does not concern the pasture but the trigger, is to choose some of the larger and fresher maggots to treat them with water.
Once you have chosen the larvae, just put them in a bowl with a little water, just enough to wet them, but not to drown them. The secret is to just cover them, but not to submerge them completely. In this way the maggots will drink the liquid assuming the ability to float in water.
At this point, by triggering them on the hook, it will be possible to balance the weight of the trap, obtaining a natural bite that is more suitable for deceiving prey, even the largest and most shrewd ones.
