Go to bait

[jon atkinson]

His Lordship's recent post on worms has got me thinking; faced with a new (to you) venue, & with no real specific target (Predators, big Carp Etc.) what bait do you instinctively opt for to test the water, so to speak? For me, it's pretty much always maggots although I'm becoming increasingly confident in casters too. I'll always aim to have a fair few alternatives with me, but maggots will almost always be the first on the hook.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Definitely I'd take maggot and bread

Also sweet corn and meat

 

[sampras43]

I guess it depends on the venue or time of year but I've always felt naked without maggots or pellets of some description. I've started using casters a little more recently though as they can often bring in the better fish.


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[binka]

Predictably for me... worms!

Might take a whole shed load though as I find heavy feeding with chopped worm can really draw some quality fish of all species in and I've had many a dog roach doing this, I often take and use a kilo.

 

[nogoodboyo]

Bread Bread and Bread
Ugh I'm the Tony Blair of angling.
But don't forget meat and corn along with your maggots.
And worms.
It's not hard to catch a fish.

 

[benh]

I, like i imagine many, take corn and meat everywhere, but my usual pleasure fishing approach on a new water, will be meat on a leger, and float fish maggot and corn. Results will determine whether i take maggots the second time or not.
Worm, maggot and caster are the standard approach on rivers and canals for me.

 

[hunters moon]

for me on a new water, bread and worms.



....I have fished through fishless days that I remember happily without regret.
....Roderick haig-brown.

 

[pidgergj]

Maggot and corn. It's funny but it's only been the past couple of months iv been more confident in Sweetcorn, rarely used it last year.

 

[steve2012]

Worms every time for me

And then Bread, if I only ever used two baits again it would be these two

 

[anglerpaulm]

Maggots and Pellets, although I really rate Casters for the bigger fish.

I always have Meat and Corn in the bag if they fail too. As I'm tight I dislike opening corn, only to waste it, so now I buy big frozen bag and take a hand full, it's a little bit more mushy than the tinned stuff but still great.

Not sure about freezing luncheon meat though. I never seem to use a whole tin, and hate wasting it.

 

[tigger]

Maggot and corn are my bait of choice.

 

[jake182]

Pellets and corn although I always take a selection of plastic baits with me to


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[Tee-Cee]

anglerpaulm.......Freezing luncheon meat is fine and I do it all the time. Open a tin, cut the contents in half, pop into a cheap 'tear-off' freezer bag (available from all s/markets0 and place in the freezer - lasts for ages and only needs removing the night before for nextday use....I do the same with all meats, hot dogs, etc etc and never been a problem.

As to corn, and I hate waste as well, I open a tin, strain off all the liquid, ans split a large tin into 2 or 3 bags as above....I have noticed that corn, once frozen and then thawed will always be a little softer and continues to become softer at each freezing. Personally I like my corn as soft as possible for silver fish...
If it eventually becomes too soft for hooking then I give it a whiz in a mixer and use it in groundbait...gives a nice could effect BUT you don't need to use too much as it's quite strong smelling.

Almost every other bait, such a s wheat, bread, and all the pulses freeze well and with bread I buy sliced medium, give it a shake , and then freeze it, BUt make sure you close the bag each time you remove some otherwise it does tend (not all brands though!) to dry out a little.
I'm using some tomorrow that's been in the freezer for two weeks and it's still excellent for the hook. Again, any leftovers can be whizzed and frozen for use in a groundbait mix...works just fine!!

Nothing like saving a few bob !!

ps I'm sure you know this but hemp freezes well and keeps for yonks.....

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Dependant on venue and time of year, most of the above. The only bait I feel lost without though is bread.

 

[robtherake]

Dependant on venue and time of year, most of the above. The only bait I feel lost without though is bread.

Bread's the one, especially on public waters where duck feeders abound - it can be deadly close in.

 

[Andrew Macfarlane]

Red maggot, worm, caster and maybe a tin of sweetcorn in the bag. Once I've established what's in the water, then I might branch out into prawn, pellet etc.

 

[paul_]

His Lordship's recent post on worms has got me thinking; faced with a new (to you) venue, & with no real specific target (Predators, big Carp Etc.) what bait do you instinctively opt for to test the water, so to speak? For me, it's pretty much always maggots although I'm becoming increasingly confident in casters too. I'll always aim to have a fair few alternatives with me, but maggots will almost always be the first on the hook.

hemp for me

seems to get all fish feeding. I put one on a single hook or multiple on a hair rig for the larger fish.

take a look at Bait-Fix is a revolutionary compound to attach particles of fishing bait to hooks

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Some years ago, I was absolutely delighted to discover that my (at the time) local public park's cricket pitch was a great place for picking up worms on a warm rainy night. Warmer and wetter the better, but you don't want any breeze as that seems to keep them down.

Since then, I would always look to a nice big lob worm (or two if I'm really flush) as the first bait to try. As others have said, that can then give you a good lead on where to go next, e.g. you might just get hammered by little perch with lobs and need to move to something else, or likewise you might start catching jackpike and need a different switch. Chances are though, if you don't get any kind of indication at all, you're probably best off packing up and doing something else instead