Bait Confidence
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Ray Roberts
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I fished tares and casters over hemp on Good Friday. I was hoping to fish a large reservoir with a huge bream population, it is also reputed to hold some very large roach. I was going to give it a try for the roach with seed as it is a fairly selective bait. Unfortunately the planned trip went tits up and I had to make do with a nearby club water. I had roach and Ide up to about a pound and a half. Sometimes you have to persevere before bites come on seed baits but they were straight on it and I caught shed loads. It helps with confidence if you have done well in the past on a particular bait or they have eventually turned on to it.
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:wh in reality I still fish exactly the same as we did 35years ago ... just catch more smaller fish now and fewer chub.I was playing 'devils advocate' s bit there Alex,pretty well knowing the answer coming back. Where are you living now Alex?
I should add that some of my venues are very varied, so I have to go armed to fish any of the pegs.
For example, my local upper Warks Avon stretch can throw up framin weights with chub, barbel, bream, Roach, dace and perch. It helps to know the pegs.
I’m still living in south east Warwickshire ... have been since 1991
Hauge01, I agree totally. Match the groundbait to the hookbait for the required species. A really cheap neutral homemade groundbait to which you can add your own flavours is liquidised bread and then add previously seived layers mash. The amount of layers mash added is dependant on what effect you want the groundbait to have - more and it breaks down quicker. To the ground bait you can add flavours, sugar (I like Sainsburys dark brown sugar), spices, hemp, wheat, etc, etc. I suggest that you find a copy of Archie Braddock's book Fantastic Feeder Fishing, loads of info in there. 20kg of layers mash is around £7 from Mole Country Stores, use a maggot riddle to seive off the big bits. Good luck.
hague01
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cheers for that. I will give it a try. I get bored just opening a packet of someone else's mix. Its ok for those for whom time is short but with all those good people going to work, paying their taxes, to keep me playing around it seems a waste not to do so! I have ordered some ground carp pellets and some meaty mix. Got everything else I think but liquidized bread is a nice option too.I would like to report in future on my success or otherwise but as i never catch anyway, I can do it in advance!Great fun in the execution but????????. best wishes and keep catching.Alec
hague01
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Been there and got the tee shirts. How many do you need!Seriously though I have just joined a new consortium. Only been twice, weather great, same peg, bait, tackle.You know the rest!I suppose that's why its called fishing not catching. That's the thing that grabs us i suppose!
Let us know how you get on. Another idea worth trying: I use bread a lot, buy a small plastic clippy box, put a piece of clean rag inside and pour onto the rag some of your favourite flavour. I use home made bread punches from sections of old rods or old telescopic radio aerials, push the punch into the bread 2 or 3 times, then squeeze the rag and transfer the flavour to the bread as you put it on the hook - sounds complicated but it is easy. Fish with either a cage feeder or float fish with flavoured ground bait.
mikench
Well-known member
I noticed in a local Decathlon which sells all kinds of bait including live bait, that jars of cooked wheat( barley in my eyes) and Lupin beans which I had never heard of, were popular baits. Anyone used either?
Cooked wheat is an excellent bait for roach and dace... If you've got the confidence to use it. Present and feed it just like hemp or tares.
I put a couple of drops of Scopex flavouring in mine per half pint bag and a couple of drops of yellow food colouring.
The latter is for my benefit, I think.
Good to hear that! I've got some wheat here, and some cooked and in the freezer. It's a great bait - cheap, easy to prepare, smells lovely, looks good, hooks well. If I could just get some fish to eat it! It has failed so far even on the seedy waters where hemp and tares go down a treat. Still, I'll try it again. Maybe I just need a breakthrough.
Kev, If its a water that has not seen wheat before I would overcook it for the first few sessions. Once the wheat splits and the fluffy innards spill out it makes an even better bait. I t helps to prebait a new venue . Try hemp and wheat instead of hemp and tares. Its what we used to do on the Lea until we learned of tares.
Wheat can be a great bait for roach but it is essential to cook properly. Two ways: soak overnight then bring it to the boil and then let it simmer for approx 21/2 hours, when it is ready it will look a bit opaque and be soft, keep your eye on the water because it soaks up a lot. Second way, fill a vacuum flask 1/3 with uncooked wheat, pour in boiling water to 2/3s, screw on top and leave for around 11 hours (depends on vacuum flask). No need to flavour wheat, but it does work best when prebaited and it sorts out the better roach.
Like hemp and tares, it can take quite while for fish to switch onto it. If you persevere and keep the feeding light and regular (5 or six grains a put-in), hopefully you'll get a result.
Today, I was made aware of Black Turtle Beans....
I'm pretty sure there is going to be a chorus of "what rock you been livin' under mate?"
Having never been aware of them or anyone that has used them for bait, I'm mystified as they look like they should be an absolute shoe-in for barbel.
So today, I forked out the princely sum of £1.10 for 500gms of these things and they look amazing....
Hemp on steroids. And seriously black.
I'm going to soak some over night and cook them up tomorrow to see what they're like in various presentations.
Does anyone else use these, have you used them and decided they're totally rubbish, do you have a friend that you really can't stand 'cause he always out-fishes you whilst using them when you can't buy a bite, or have you tried them and just have no confidence in them whatsoever?
The only real advice I've found, admittedly without too much of a deep-dive into the subject, is that they're very nice cooked in soy sauce as a bed for Chinese pork chops. So they're obviously not poisonous if prepared correctly.
I'm pretty sure there is going to be a chorus of "what rock you been livin' under mate?"
Having never been aware of them or anyone that has used them for bait, I'm mystified as they look like they should be an absolute shoe-in for barbel.
So today, I forked out the princely sum of £1.10 for 500gms of these things and they look amazing....
Hemp on steroids. And seriously black.
I'm going to soak some over night and cook them up tomorrow to see what they're like in various presentations.
Does anyone else use these, have you used them and decided they're totally rubbish, do you have a friend that you really can't stand 'cause he always out-fishes you whilst using them when you can't buy a bite, or have you tried them and just have no confidence in them whatsoever?
The only real advice I've found, admittedly without too much of a deep-dive into the subject, is that they're very nice cooked in soy sauce as a bed for Chinese pork chops. So they're obviously not poisonous if prepared correctly.
mikench
Well-known member
Another bait to try! I’m going to try thé lupin beans and wheat!
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I know nothing about lupin beans, apparently our spellcheck didn't either!
Definitely try the wheat though - and give it a good go, it will take a bit of time, if the fish are there they will get on it in my experience.
Jury's definitely out on the Black Turtle Beans. They smell lovely when soaked/cooked, a bit like chocolate.
Unfortunately the kernel 'sprout' doesn't magically appear like it does in hemp - I had a suspicion it wouldn't.
The dye from them is a bit of a nightmare, like blue-black ink. I'm not sure of their potential as a hook bait or loose feed bait yet but I think I'll be giving them a try on the Thames and Kennet this coming season as they look, feel and smell like they should work.
If you do venture to try these out, make sure you cut the bag at the top when opening rather than pull the top apart.... Yep! Split bag, sea of beans all over the kitchen floor and worktops. I'll be finding them for months.
Definitely try the wheat though - and give it a good go, it will take a bit of time, if the fish are there they will get on it in my experience.
Jury's definitely out on the Black Turtle Beans. They smell lovely when soaked/cooked, a bit like chocolate.
Unfortunately the kernel 'sprout' doesn't magically appear like it does in hemp - I had a suspicion it wouldn't.
The dye from them is a bit of a nightmare, like blue-black ink. I'm not sure of their potential as a hook bait or loose feed bait yet but I think I'll be giving them a try on the Thames and Kennet this coming season as they look, feel and smell like they should work.
If you do venture to try these out, make sure you cut the bag at the top when opening rather than pull the top apart.... Yep! Split bag, sea of beans all over the kitchen floor and worktops. I'll be finding them for months.