Default Chub and baits. Traditional or carp-esque?

[siychrist77]

(sorry for re-post, I put it on general fishing by mistake)

On the subject of chub, I recently read this article about modified carp tactics, the temptation of the 'dark side' in other words. Carp Bait & Carp Baits, Fishing Bait & Fishing Baits, Boilies | CC Moore

Now in the 12 months of my second coming to fishing, using tactics similar to when I used them last over 20 years ago, I've had my fair share of chevs (and the odd bonus bream and roach) exclusively on link legered bread, cheese paste, worms or meat direct to the hook, feeding morsels as and when and moving swims if things go quiet.

But speaking a lot recently to anglers on the Stour and Avon, the concencus by some margin is pellets for feed (loose-fed or via mesh bags) to trigger feeding instincts and keep fish on the scene, and a high protein/amino acid boilie as hookbait. The mere mention of that fact Im using my trad baits can sometimes garner a chuckle of derision.

I suppose I'm just asking, is it inevitable that with the year-round avalanche of pellets and boilies going into the rivers these days, will we get to a point where natural/traditional/seasonal baits become almost redundant? I hope not.

Also, will said pellet/boilie bombardment see a change in river fish's growth rate?

For what its worth, I'd like to avoid such baits for as long as possible. Bread, worms, pastes and meats are my intended baits, perhaps my only contemporary concession being the use of attractor-laden additives. Betaine, worm extract or milk proteins for example.

 

[binka]

(The mere mention of that fact Im using my trad baits can sometimes garner a chuckle of derision.

Let 'em chuckle mate and keep quiet about your success on trad baits, tell 'em you're using spicy prawn boilies

If they all revert to trads they will simply "blow" the bait, stick to something appealing and time proven.

I've little doubt the volume of pellets etc going into the rivers on an almost year round basis is contributing to increased weights, just my opinion though.

 

[theartist]

Traditional baits will always work for chub of that I am sure and in many cases will outfish other baits.

On a river I fish that has a huge head of both chub and barbel the barbel will fight over the pellet so much that they're almost taking it off the surface whereas the chub will often just let it drift by. As soon as a trickle of maggots or hemp starts going in the ol' white lips start picking them off mid water. As for bread the chub will often smash that pretty quickly too.

I'd have pellets as a fourth choice if I was targeting chub so let them chuckle at your traditional baits as he who laughs last laughs loudest

 

[Peter Jacobs]

My choice for Chub baits would be: magggot first followed by cheese pase and then other bread baits, corn and worms etc.

On my local stretches of the Avon you rarely see many using boilies for the Chub, unless it is a "side catch" while targeting the Barbel.

Stick to your "naturals" and to hell with the pellet and boiles . . . . . .

 

[benny samways]

Traditional baits will never become dated or non-effective. Fish don’t follow our bait trends!

I use a mixture of the 2. Bread, meat and HNV-pastes are my go to chub baits.

If we used modern terminology for traditional baits then lots of them would be HNVs anyway! Bread is HNV and has lots of soluble 'free' amino acids in it, not only that, but the free amino acids are ones that fish can actually detect. Meat would be a high protein bait. Sweetcorn is HNV etc etc

 

[chub 79]

Pellets and boilies can be very effective on rivers that contain the dreaded signal crayfish, as it takes longer for the Cray's to break those baits down.Most of my bigger Great Ouse chub have fallen to boilies, so I think they do have a place in the chub anglers armoury, but having said all of that I still prefer to catch them on good old bread and worms!

 

[rob n reel]

People seem to have lost faith in traditional baits. But they still work as good if not better than pellets etc. Its always been wasp grub for me for late summer and Autumn chub, or plenty caster, bread through winter.

 

[binka]

People seem to have lost faith in traditional baits. But they still work as good if not better than pellets etc. Its always been wasp grub for me for late summer and Autumn chub, or plenty caster, bread through winter.

Nice first post mate, welcome to FM

 

[chav professor]

Anything works for Chub... That is not to say they don't have a preference over one thing or another on a given day. Modern pellet baits do engage Chub and get them preoccupied! But I wonder if the same effect can't be exploited using maggots. I would suggest that both baits initiate the same feeding response due the fact they are particles - lots of easy food... got to work harder...

Larger baits? Cheese paste or luncheon meat vs bollies? Boillies on waters have to be seen as much as part of the menu as traditional offerings. I had a lot of success by approaching the traditional cheese paste route - whilst flavouring and using high protein base mixes. I had a goal in mind, to make the paste more soluble. It certainly did no harm - in fact I got an immense amount of confidence in doing something a little different from everyone else. Flavours like banana, cranberry, strawberry - all can give an otherwise traditional bait a bit of life.

Of all the Chub baits? I favour bread over any other!!! Great for hunting them out - sending floating bread down the current in summer.... presenting floating bread, neutral buoyant bread so it plunges under... gets caught under a raft... slow sinking etc... Crumbing bread between your hands and chucking it in can draw fish into your swim and get an aggressive feeding response... its the perfect compromise between the particle vs large bait...

Still, my favourite method is casting live insects to sighted fish in the summer... doesn't get any easier - or more traditional... More Issac Walton than 'insert name of sponsored angler here'....

 

[binka]

Still, my favourite method is casting live insects to sighted fish in the summer... doesn't get any easier - or more traditional... More Issac Walton than 'insert name of sponsored angler here'....

An excellent comment if ever there was one, Chav

 

[Bob Hornegold]

Some interesting thoughts, but what is a traditional bait, Bread, Tinned meat, Sausages, Meat Balls, Cheese Paste with added red dye and dyed maggots ?

As others have said, all these baits have been processed, Pellets are full of additives and a favourite of the Match and Pleasure anglers.

Boilies have been about since the 1970tys and although developed for Carp fishing have been used for other species since that time.

If it's naturals, then it would have to be Worms at the top of my list, followed by Maggots and any other creepy crawly, including Crickets, Grasshoppers, Meal worms etc. etc.

Or is it the way we fish the baits, bolt rigging, I have been doing that since the 1960tys, except it was the Bacon Grill fished down stream and the tip that worked as a self hooking rig.

Don't get confused with modern terminology, many of the so called Modern baits have been around for 50 years.

Bob

 

[flossy]

Have too agree their Bob ,top of my list is lobworms every time ,if its by a river side then slugs and blackberries come a good second ,and bites are instant normally intercepted .

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

The most natural baits would have to be in the river or lake, snails, grubs etc.

Worms, Berries, Slugs and some Seeds that would fall into the water would be next.

 

[flossy]

Hello Bob ,yes its Den did,nt you get my pm.

 

[laguna]

Traditional baits will never become dated or non-effective. Fish don’t follow our bait trends!

I use a mixture of the 2. Bread, meat and HNV-pastes are my go to chub baits.

If we used modern terminology for traditional baits then lots of them would be HNVs anyway! Bread is HNV and has lots of soluble 'free' amino acids in it, not only that, but the free amino acids are ones that fish can actually detect. Meat would be a high protein bait. Sweetcorn is HNV etc etc

The modern terminology may differ amongst some new comers to angling but Bread and corn are not HNV. Not by any stretch of the imagination, certainly not Fred's.