What Bait

[Geoff Hurst]

Am going to my local comercial next week and need to know what the best bait is to use. Also what are the best baits to use in winter and what is the best method to fish ie pole or method fishing.

 

[Mark Wintle]

If it's cold i.e. under 10 degrees Celsius then maggots on a pole is as good a place as any to start. Over 10 dgrees then soft pellet is much more likely to work. Caster can also work in the cold.

 

[Geoff Hurst]

Thanks for that will give them a try.

 

[Geoff Brown]

Sorry to be thick, water or air temp Mark?

 

[Mark Wintle]

Water.

 

[Geoff Brown]

Thank you.

 

[Phil Lambert]

Geoff, Mark's quite right and for cold conditions I'd opt for a single maggot. I've found on my local lake that dead red maggots, surprisingly perhaps, outfish live ones. Particularly if you impart some small movement in the bait. A slight lift, an inch or two to the right or left etc.

Live maggots will shock and stretch on contact with really cold water which is why deads are best I think.The best way I've found to kill maggots is to riddle them and place in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible and tie off the bag. After 10 minutes or so you will see that the maggots have used the remaining air and stopped moving. THEY ARE NOT YET DEAD. Place them in a freezer overnight, take them out of the bagand then thaw them out IN WATER. They will not be stretched and remain plump and well usable as hookbait. Keep themwet to stop them drying out.Give it a go with few and see if they work for you.

 

[Geoff Brown]

Interesting tip Phil, thanks, I'll certainly give that a try.

 

[Neil Mcmurran]

bread punch will catch anything /forum/smilies/wink_smiley.gif

 

[trev (100M bronze)]

Ill give bread punch a try at the weekend, how big a piece do I need for my size 8 trebles on snap tackle and should I soak itin predator plus first ?/forum/smilies/smile_smiley.gif

 

[Neil Mcmurran]

10mm double punch /forum/smilies/tongue_out_smiley.gif

 

[will spencer]

if ur fishing a commercial where pasty carp are target whynot try a light bomb with a single grain of sweetcorn on the hook?you can explore your swim to a further extent than you can with the pole.i'm not saying don't use your pole,use your pole to catch a few fish from one are of your swim then rest that line and try the bomb for a fish or two.

 

[slime monster]

Phil ,dead maggot .....used to stop them burying in silt ,weed ,or leaf litter in conjunction with a moving bait on the hook ,nit picking mate i know but that is the logic behind the method.

 

[Beaker999]

Corn has never let me down,either enterprise plastic,common or garden tinned or a combination of the two.

 

[Gary Dolman]

Worm