Pre-baiting in rivers.

guest61 · Jun 1, 2011

With thoughts of the river season coursing through my veins I want to catch a River Carp.

The fish occupy a number of areas one of which is tidal.

My query is essentially around pre-baiting - I've heard that Vitalin is a good cheap ground bait / attractor - My question is, how is this prepared and used? And are there any other reasonable alternatives? NB - I read one article, by a Carp angler of note, where he baited the Thames with 25kg of Boilies - (A bit out of my league)

Thanks in advance

Mark

Dicky (Angling Trust PAC) · Jun 1, 2011

Vitalin is superb stuff and great value. Make sure you buy the original mix (yellow sack) tho because some of their other feeds have a lot of floating stuff in which is obviously counter productive..

15kg of dry vitalin bulks out to maybe two or three times that weight when prepared.

Preparation couldn’t be simpler. Pour boiling water onto the dry mix in a bucket and stir. Allow the bait to sit and fully absorb for a couple of hours (stirring occasionally and adding boiling water as necessary) and you end up with a heavy, sweet and sticky mixture that sinks very quickly, making it perfect for accurately baiting in a deep swim. To the basic mix you can add particles (hemp, pellets etc) and samples of your chosen hookbait.

guest61 · Jun 1, 2011

Thank you.

Mark

Jeff Woodhouse · Jun 1, 2011

And if you want to darken it, add soem of the Dynamite Baits Betaine Green groundbait, it's green and stinks.

It works though

geoffmaynard · Jun 1, 2011

That betaine green really is brilliant stuff.

The bad one · Jun 1, 2011

On the river you're going to use it on

it could be futile, as it would end up in the Irish Sea with a high tide or flood pulse down it. That river move rocks

so no groundbait is going to stay put in the above conditions.

guest61 · Jun 1, 2011

The bad one said:
On the river you're going to use it on it could be futile, as it would end up in the Irish Sea with a high tide or flood pulse down it. That river move rocks so no groundbait is going to stay put in the above conditions.

My guess is that you and I are both Members of the same club......... But given your description its not the one that you have in mind.

Mark

---------- Post added at 07:06 ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 ----------

geoffmaynard said:
That betaine green really is brilliant stuff.

Yes, I use it mixed 50:50 with Dynamite Marine Halibut ground bait to create a very good paste.

Mark

chav professor · Jun 1, 2011

For river carp - you have to think in bulk. Green swim stim is awesome as is any ground bait from the dynamite range - but prohibitively expensive for anything other than introducing the night before. Vitalin is easily prepared by simply pouring boiling water over the top. to this I add prepared pigeon conditioner (available in 12kg bags for around a tenner) and a couple of handfulls of pellets.

You need to put a lot of bait down, perhaps a half a bucket to a bucket in a swim. bream will eat most of it before the carp get to it - but will get there eventually and expect to find some food........

As for bollies - river carp are fairly naive and any good shelf life is good to go. A nice tutti fruity say........ introduce a few handfulls along with the prebait. A friend of mine who fishes exclusively for river carp swears by the chod rig........

The bad one · Jun 1, 2011

m a brooks said:
My guess is that you and I are both Members of the same club......... But given your description its not the one that you have in mind.

Mark

Yes we are Mark! Ah it the other one then! Same rule would apply on the tidal section with the tide running. Less so further up above the weir unless its in flood. Go for something heavy and cheap Layers Mash perhaps? More or less the same ingredients as vitalin but ground up finer

guest61 · Jun 1, 2011

chav professor said:
As for bollies - river carp are fairly naive and any good shelf life is good to go. A nice tutti fruity say........ introduce a few handfulls along with the prebait. A friend of mine who fishes exclusively for river carp swears by the chod rig........

Thanks Prof.

To be honest in the first instance I was going to try for them by stret pegging with a simple bait such as a couple of lob worms or a big piece of bread - one of the stretches is popular with day trippers who feed the ducks and the Carp have a taste for this. If successful I might progress to a chod rig.

On an unrelated point.
You're a pin user of some note on FM - may I ask how one would prevent the reel back winding if the current was sufficient to overcome the ratchet?

---------- Post added at 09:37 ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 ----------

The bad one said:
Yes we are Mark! Ah it the other one then! Same rule would apply on the tidal section with the tide running. Less so further up above the weir unless its in flood. Go for something heavy and cheap Layers Mash perhaps? More or less the same ingredients as vitalin but ground up finer

Where would I get layers mash? Does it have a trade name? I can get Vitalin from an animal feed warehouse - Same place?

Mark

---------- Post added at 09:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:37 ----------

chav professor said:
I add prepared pigeon conditioner (available in 12kg bags for around a tenner) and a couple of handfulls of pellets.

Prepared Pigeon Conditioner? What is pigeon conditioner and what do I do to prepare it?

Mark

chav professor · Jun 1, 2011

Layers mash can be bought from pet shops - it is a supplimentary food pellet given to chickens.

pidgeon conditioner can be bought from animal feed stockists - it has an aniseed smell to it - It is a selection of seeds and pulses - very effective. I boil mine and leave it to ferment over night - it is sticky and sweet.

i mainly use centre pins for trotting - i prefer to use a baitrunner is the current is pushing through. you could try and adjust the 'drag'on the spokes (if your pin has one - the marco cortesi doesn't) - if you tightne this right up and apply a ratchet I should imagine it could overcome a strong current.

good luck!

mol · Jun 1, 2011

m a brooks said:
Thanks Prof.

To be honest in the first instance I was going to try for them by stret pegging with a simple bait such as a couple of lob worms or a big piece of bread - one of the stretches is popular with day trippers who feed the ducks and the Carp have a taste for this. If successful I might progress to a chod rig.

On an unrelated point.
You're a pin user of some note on FM - may I ask how one would prevent the reel back winding if the current was sufficient to overcome the ratchet?

---------- Post added at 09:37 ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 ----------

Where would I get layers mash? Does it have a trade name? I can get Vitalin from an animal feed warehouse - Same place?

Mark

---------- Post added at 09:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:37 ----------

Prepared Pigeon Conditioner? What is pigeon conditioner and what do I do to prepare it?

Mark

Pigeon conditioner is a mix of seeds used to feed pigeons. There are two basic types a fine mix and a chunky mix, I like the Chunky mix. I'd soak both for 24 hours in salted water and then simmer for 20 mins.

Layers mash is a chicken food and should be available at a good animal feed center.

On the biggers rivers I've fished you really do need to think big, you'll be feeding alot more than carp and some bait will be swept down stream. I'd be pre-baiting for around two weeks with around 20kg a day and slowly reducing the amount of prebait by reducing the particle and upping the amount of air dried boilie, if I was going to fish boilie.

guest61 · Jun 1, 2011

Thanks All. If I can't get started with those ideas, I won't get started - Roll on 16th June.

Mark

Pre-baiting in rivers.

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