spodding or pva bag or both
- Thread starter shakey1
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Strange question.
All a spod is is a form of getting large amounts of bait out, often particle which you cant get out any other way.
It'd be like asking who throws bait out or uses a catapult.
You talking solid bags, mesh or a stick?
A bit more info would be usefull....
All a spod is is a form of getting large amounts of bait out, often particle which you cant get out any other way.
It'd be like asking who throws bait out or uses a catapult.
You talking solid bags, mesh or a stick?
A bit more info would be usefull....
arthur2sheds
Well-known member
As a rough guide if you turn up at a water you've never fished before, I'd start with PVA bags, mesh or solid it doesn't really matter.... if you are on a water you know well and know fish respond to heavy baiting, then a spod or Spomb could be an approach that will work for you
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When fishing through thick weed on a lake I like a solid bag with all the rig contained in it, the idea being that it will drop through the weed like a stone and reduce the risk of a hooklink hang up on the weed 6 inches over the fishes head.
Solid bags are also useful on silty or muddy bottoms as they cushion the impact of the lead and stop it being dragged under the silt/mud.
On a clean hard bottom mesh is great as it melts cleaner and if hooked on the hook will straighten the hook link on its fall through the water.
There are no hard and fast rules in fishing, the thing which sets the regular catchers apart from the rest of the herd is the ability to assess the conditions and adapt their armoury to suit.
They know that fishing, like cooking, is a 'doing' thing and just as any fool can reheat a microwave meal, which is perfectly acceptable as fuel for the body, it takes years of training and experience to produce the same meal from raw ingredients but the result is fuel for the soul.
All the above are things I used to be fairly good at once upon a time; but these days I'm too lazy to change everything as required and spend more time watching the wildlife and brewing tea than actively fishing.
Solid bags are also useful on silty or muddy bottoms as they cushion the impact of the lead and stop it being dragged under the silt/mud.
On a clean hard bottom mesh is great as it melts cleaner and if hooked on the hook will straighten the hook link on its fall through the water.
There are no hard and fast rules in fishing, the thing which sets the regular catchers apart from the rest of the herd is the ability to assess the conditions and adapt their armoury to suit.
They know that fishing, like cooking, is a 'doing' thing and just as any fool can reheat a microwave meal, which is perfectly acceptable as fuel for the body, it takes years of training and experience to produce the same meal from raw ingredients but the result is fuel for the soul.
All the above are things I used to be fairly good at once upon a time; but these days I'm too lazy to change everything as required and spend more time watching the wildlife and brewing tea than actively fishing.
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Both are worlds apart! A mesh bag wont take enough bait and will melt before sinking through heavy weed.
You can get a large quantity of bait into a solid bag, so they are good for exploring water before loading up a swim. You cant do that with mesh.
Likewise, you wont be able to hook a golf ball size solid bag for a bit of extra attraction over say, a spread of boilies.
Nor will you be able to make a stick from a solid bag.
markhib
Well-known member
This isn't the gudgeon fishing forum.
Ah yes my bad, I only view the 'new posts' link rather than spending time clicking on each forum.
rich4930
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After a long break I'm new to PVA bags and mesh. I guess I've learned the hard way, they won't work for hemp. Or is there a trick?
I tried draining it, then mixing in some sunflower oil but still the bags were splitting before I could even get fastened to the hook.
I tried draining it, then mixing in some sunflower oil but still the bags were splitting before I could even get fastened to the hook.
laguna
Well-known member
There's different grades of pva, some will break down fast others take ages to dissolve and they're all temperature dependant.... those laundry liquid tabs are pva designed to melt in hot water for example. The stuff sold to anglers is thin so that it breaks down much faster in cold water. I find its best to stick with a particular brand each time without having to guess if its made it all the way to the lake bed.
If your bags are splitting (I assume you mean melting?) due to the water content of boiled hemp, I would suggest drying it off a little and mixing in some breadcrumbs or maize flour. Another trick with bags is to coat the inside with oil beforehand to create a barrier, but again, experience using a particular brand of pva will tell you how quickly or slowly it will break down and under what circumstances. I've used some where even after an hour in summer the hook still has a glob on it so it pays to buy from a reputable supplier.
---------- Post added at 04:01 ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 ----------
For other small fish I use a chumbag these days on match lakes to avoid overfeeding. I start off with a little loose feed to get them going and fish over the bag stuffed with groundbait which occupies them for hours.
If your bags are splitting (I assume you mean melting?) due to the water content of boiled hemp, I would suggest drying it off a little and mixing in some breadcrumbs or maize flour. Another trick with bags is to coat the inside with oil beforehand to create a barrier, but again, experience using a particular brand of pva will tell you how quickly or slowly it will break down and under what circumstances. I've used some where even after an hour in summer the hook still has a glob on it so it pays to buy from a reputable supplier.
---------- Post added at 04:01 ---------- Previous post was at 03:59 ----------
Those gudgeon can scoff mate! Mini little versions of barbel I call them and damn good fighters for their size too!
For other small fish I use a chumbag these days on match lakes to avoid overfeeding. I start off with a little loose feed to get them going and fish over the bag stuffed with groundbait which occupies them for hours.
laguna
Well-known member
It's not.
Fish need salt before they spawn. And rock salt (or salt licks) at that.
Go drop a few grains of salt in your fish tank and see what happens.
Why isn't the bait market full of salty products if fish liked it?
laguna
Well-known member
98% of bait produced in the UK are made and sold by amateurs who know very little of fish nutrition only what they are told. Even so, most of them know that salt is a good addition even if they don't exactly know why.
For the record; As an electrolyte, Sodium and Chloride are highly reactive in water and stimulatory to fish. Salt, table and/or mineral salts are minerals, many unrefined salts also contain essential trace nutrients.
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I had a look at the video link and turned it off when the presenter shook a box of sea salt and called it rock salt. Sea salt is produced by trapping seawater in shallow lagoons then evaporating the water away, the residue is sea salt, this is further refined to remove bits of dead fish and bird droppings then boxed and sold.
Rock salt is everything else and is mined from Cheshire. This salt is the residue which was left after prehistoric oceans evaporated, it is also refined to remove bits of prehistoric dead fish and bird droppings then sold in the supermarkets. If you are going to do a talk at least get your props right.
If you want unrefined rock salt B&Q sells tons of it every year to little old ladies who are worried about the postie slipping on their icy paths. Straight from the mines in Winsford to your bait box.
My koi pond gets treated with salt sold for water softeners and on average has about 20lbs a year added to keep the parasite loading down. It always puzzles me why the salinity drops and has to be topped up every year, I have a large organic filter unit with loads of plants so I'm guessing that might have something to do with it. Perhaps someone on here can explain it to me.
Anyway, back to the bait, adding salt to your hemp at the boiling stage is usually enough to stop the pva melting, you can do the same with any wet particle but I don't know why and I'm sure that at the sort of concentrations we are talking about it will make little or no difference to the fishing.
Rock salt is everything else and is mined from Cheshire. This salt is the residue which was left after prehistoric oceans evaporated, it is also refined to remove bits of prehistoric dead fish and bird droppings then sold in the supermarkets. If you are going to do a talk at least get your props right.
If you want unrefined rock salt B&Q sells tons of it every year to little old ladies who are worried about the postie slipping on their icy paths. Straight from the mines in Winsford to your bait box.
My koi pond gets treated with salt sold for water softeners and on average has about 20lbs a year added to keep the parasite loading down. It always puzzles me why the salinity drops and has to be topped up every year, I have a large organic filter unit with loads of plants so I'm guessing that might have something to do with it. Perhaps someone on here can explain it to me.
Anyway, back to the bait, adding salt to your hemp at the boiling stage is usually enough to stop the pva melting, you can do the same with any wet particle but I don't know why and I'm sure that at the sort of concentrations we are talking about it will make little or no difference to the fishing.
That's proven is it?
Like I said, go drop some salt in your pond or fish tank and see what happens.