Bird seed spod mix?

[carp_mad_man]

To whom it may interest,
i have been looking for a cheap, bulk spod mix which wont cost £9 a small pot because its got a carpy name on it! i have looked at many threads and posts and they all say the pigeon/bird food is good but where? and how much? is many of the questions id like awnsered along with what brand name or type?
if anyone can give any details at all it will be taken into great consideration and thankfullnes.

[bigchub]

Get some parti-blend or similar bird seed mix and mix it 50/50 with hemp. I picked up a sack of British Wild Bird mix from my local farm shop and 10kg only cost £12.

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Hi carp man,

Jollies is one of the best places to look, and there you can mix the seed you want to make the mix you want.

Many of the pigeon mixes are OK, but some need seeds taking out, as there is tomuch of one kind, and others need some seed putting in.

I grew up doing my fishing with seeds of all different kinds all year round, my Father used to Race pigeons, ( I dont mean he raced against them himself ). he also started his own company selling pigeon mixes.

One of the best as a basic mix will be called a Young Bird Mix, it doesnt matter about the brand, it's the finished seed that counts.

When you have got the mix you want, remember the most important thing to do is soak it for at least 24 hours, then cook it for around 20 minutes. If you dont sock the seeds long enough they dont cook as they should, and then they can cuase problems to the fish.

If you want to put hemp and tares in the mix, you wont find these with the bird seeds at Jollies, in my local shop they are with the groundbait.

Titmus are another company but not as cheap as Jollies

[MarkTodd]

The one with aniseed in. Sorry can't remember the make.

[Jeff Woodhouse]

There's pigeon conditioner (it's the aniseed one) and one brand is Red Band, but other comapnies do similar mixes. Try get one with not too much wheat in it although wheat on its own stewed can be good.

Try general pet food stores as well as Jollies (as Ray says), look in yellow pages or try a goggle for pigeon feeds in your area.

When you cook seeds you can add other flavours, for more aniseed add some Chinese Five Spice or star annise. Add Chilli if you like, but be careful not to overdue it. A bit of salt works wonders and helps water boil quicker and soften seeds faster and fish love salt.

PS: Oh and when it's cooked and if it's a bit on the dry side, add some Nam Pla, Thai fish sauce.

[carp_mad_man]

thanks everyone for their reply but id be buying online so postage is an issue as well.

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Ok, so you have to pay for delivery, but take this, £6.99. The mix is cheaper than I can buy (mine being £14) and I have to pay for petrol to collect it, about £4. The difference is negligible, I might do this in future, but stack it up - less than £20 for 20kgs - less than £1 per kilo? T'ain't bad.
.

[wish i was fishin]

have you looked at trapings mix its used for rearing pheasants it is based around aniseed with all sorts of small to medium seeds in ,but the best thing about this mix is if you soak it for 24hrs and then heat it to boiling point then leave in an air tight bucket for 12hours the seeds produce a thick slime which sits on the bottom and spreads out leaving loads of attraction for mr carp.

[MarkTodd]

That was it Trapping and conditioner. Whooo hooo!
I used to add Chickpeas, Butterbeans, Blackeyed peas, Sweetcorn and a few other bits I really can't remember. It all went into a bucket so I had a choice of hookbaits too. After it had been in the bucket a few hours the sugars would start to come out to make the most sticky mess imaginable, the Carp loved it.

[jonty 2]

Check out your local agricultural/seed merchants (yellow pages) and see if they deliver. Most of the time they are cheaper delivery/quicker delivery than the internet.

Also be aware that you really want a mix with little or no white sunflower seeds as these have a habit of being very bouyant and will have your fish following them downwind.

Redband (my favourite spod base mix) only needs soaking for 48hrs. Fill a large bucket/tub 1/2 full of seed and then fill to top with water (cold will do fine) place on the lid and wait. After 48hrs the seed will have swelled up to the top of the bucket so try to judge how much you'll be needing at dry mix stage. It freezes down well and if made in large batches, bag into usable amounts.

When spodding I like to include Wheat in the mix (sorry Jeff) as the gluten helps to bind the mix a little and also creates an attractive cloud in the water column.