Baits, a complete reversal.

Derek Gibson · Jul 5, 2017

How things have changed, in my youth it was universally accepted that a very soft bait was the order of the day for most species, paste baits being a classic example.

Much was written on the subject, not least by Peter Stone amongst others. Nowadays it seems as though almost any species can be catered for from the shelves of any tackle shop. I can't help but think that these packeted baits are directly linked in some way to perhaps the Bolt Rig.

It goes without saying that I may be well off target with my opinion. Does anyone else have an opinion on this.

Peter Jacobs · Jul 5, 2017

I pretty much agree with you Derek, particularly where the ubiquitous pellets and the bolt rig are concerned.

In fact I tend to ignore the pellet as I truly believe it makes fishing far too easy, on some venues. To my mind using a "bait" that was used to grow-on the stock fish in the pool is, well too easy

In my regular fishing I tend to lean toward the more "natural" or should I say the more old fashioned baits; maggots, worm, pinkies, caster, bread, corn and luncheon meat.

The only time I'll turn to the pellet these days is for the very occasional match on a commercial pool, but to be honest I even then prefer to use corn.

robcourt82 · Jul 5, 2017

I think that back in the day soft baits were all the rage as fishing was much harder with fewer fish to target. I personally think a soft bait is best 9 times out of 10 however a soft bait is not user friendly and not as selective.
In these days of prolific managed fisheries where there are plenty of fish to be caught a hard bait is often necessary to get through the nuisance fish.

trotter2 · Jul 5, 2017

I thinks its more down to the convenience factor. Buy your pellets of the shelves
And you can keep them very easily for months.
Maggots, worms, caster bread has a shelf life. We have became a nation of pellet anglers.

peterjg · Jul 5, 2017

Roach definately prefer soft baits. However; they love hemp which is a hard bait!? I am still surprised when I catch on hard pellets on rarely fished stretches of the Kennet - even roach take them sometimes.

Peter Jacobs · Jul 5, 2017

peterjg said:
I am still surprised when I catch on hard pellets on rarely fished stretches of the Kennet - even roach take them sometimes.

Not really too surprising when you consider that many of the stocked fish were fed on . . . pellets

Chatting with the lads who run the Avon Roach Project they tell me that they use commercial pellets as feed, so it is hardly surprising that once released into the river that they will take pellet . . . .

binka · Jul 5, 2017

Trotter summed it up for me with convenience.

My regular fishing mate has all but exclusively gone down this route now and linked with bolt rigs it offers him that convenience, in a sense I can't fault him as he works long hours and doesn't get the time for prep and often needs the break when he's on the bank.

I much prefer maggot and worm generally, with a more active way of fishing them but each to their own I guess.

peterjg · Jul 5, 2017

Peter Jacobs: the stretches I referred to have not been stocked for years - I wish that they had been stocked. My point being that fish that have never seen a pellet before can and do take them with no prebaiting.

laguna · Jul 5, 2017

Don't be soft lads!

No do actually and why not?
Hard hook baits stay on for longer, better for bolts and can be cast harder but that's about the only advantages I can think of.

Going soft means the bait leaches flavour a lot faster in the water. That's a given, but I think the main advantage is that the fish are more likely to accept it and quickly - especially if you feed soft too. Feeding hard pellets for example means the fish are having to spend a lot longer chewing and munching down. It might keep them hanging around the area for a bit but the purpose of feeding shouldnt be about occupying them if there's lots of competing fish - a quick snaffle on something soft means they are more likely to get to your hookbait sooner rather than later. Just MHO of course but if you think about it its why ground bait works so well... the question does ground bait work better than loose fed hard pellets in the same situation? Do you feed big pellets or small ones that break down faster?

But what type of fishing and fish are we talking about here? Different tactics for different situations perhaps.

peterjg · Jul 6, 2017

Laguna: good and valid points raised.

Even basic carp type pellets can be so different, although they look the same some break down much slower and others are oily. For roach I feed different sizes, usually 2,4 and 8mm with a 8mm pellet on the hook. The hookbait pellets are prepared at home and are mounted on dental floss where I have drilled a hole in it with a Dremel drill. The best hookbait pellets are those which don't soften too fast.

I fish the Kennet a lot and have found the best method for the roach is upstream legering. I make my own pellet feeders using a 3inch piece of stiff tubing with lead strip wound around it and glued in place with Araldite, a brown button is on one end of the tubing and a swivel on the othe other end which is held in place with power gum threaded through the tube. Pellets are held in place on the feeder with groundbait. When upstream fishing do NOT use a running lead or you have bites which do not register.

The pellets are used in the warmer months do deter the small fish, in the colder months I use a soft bait, usually flavoured bread on a size 10 hook. I repeat, roach definately prefer a soft bait.

Philip · Jul 6, 2017

I think as trotter mentioned convenience plays a part. Its easy to pick up a bag of bait and have it ready and waiting in your car boot or garage without the fear of it going off, but yes I think your right Derrick as bolt rigs have become more popular and hard baits are better suited to putting on a hair then its logical that we would see more hard baits being made available in tackle shops.

I see it as a good thing....more choice for the anglers, more trade for the tackle shops and of course nothing to stop anyone buying a pint of maggots, digging up a worm or buying a loaf of bread to use if they want to either.

theartist · Jul 6, 2017

Not sure Roach prefer soft baits, hemp isn't soft when you eat it (mispent youth prank don't ask) it's actually quite hard and sharp getting through the shell bit. Plus they love pellets as most fish do although they don't work on wild waters at first.

Here's something to upset the traditionalists out there - Pellets are the new hemp

rayner · Jul 6, 2017

The only two baits I have used since changing fisheries have been meat or paste. Luncheon meat is a soft bait, paste can be soft.
Soft paste in particular is something that is favourite with anglers. My own paste ideas are starting to alter. I've gone for a quite stiff mix recently to how I used to mix it. It's working quite well and bites are generally more positive than the troublesome dips and twitches that a softer mix gets. Even then pellets are not fed. I've been feeding minced luncheon meat.
That is a complete reversal to the mix I used to use.
So long as the paste brakes down pretty quick which is not difficult to achieve.
With regard to pellets, me being an out and out commercial fishery angler where pellets are first choice for many I try not to use them. If I'm bomb fishing I don't use pellets as an hook bait, pinging a few pellets to attract fish to the area I fish is as far as I go.

Jim Crosskey 2 · Jul 6, 2017

When fishing on the Wye for barbel, I've found that a combination of things mentioned here has really worked well, i.e. a pellet (hard) wrapped in paste (soft).

I spent a lovely day sat with a mate in a productive swim a couple of weeks ago, both fishing for barbel. To begin with, we were just using plain pellets as hookbait, but we got a call from a mate fishing a few hundred yards down from us to say that he'd been getting bites galore on pellet with a paste wrap.

I thought it rather odd, as that's a tactic I would usually only employ in high coloured water conditions, and it was anything but! However, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, both myself and my mate sat next to me started wrapping our pellet hookbaits in paste and bingo! we started catching.

I think to some extent the paste creates something of a "corridor of uncertainty" for the fish, in so much as its a little less distinct to how big the bait really is - so if the fish wants it, it really has to commit to it, whereas a plain hard pellet can be tested more easily. Anyway, whatever - that combo definitely outscored the plain offering.

sam vimes · Jul 6, 2017

I was a big user of pellets in the past. There's a lot to be said for them when fishing for barbel or on stillwaters where they are used frequently by many people.

However, I don't do a great deal of static barbelling and don't fish busy stillwaters very much. I doubt I've used more than a few pints of pellet in the last five years or so. There's no doubt that they are far more convenient than the gallons of hemp and wheat I've got stewing nicely at the moment. If pellets were known to work well where I'm going, I'd be pleased to be able to use them. As they aren't, I'm happy to give them a miss. I'm not sure whether hemp does particularly well either, but I don't think too many bother with it. I've not heard of anyone trying stewed wheat, but, if nothing else, it bulks out the hemp nicely.

laguna · Jul 6, 2017

theartist said:
Here's something to upset the traditionalists out there - Pellets are the new hemp

Don't know about pellets being the new hemp, but this is mine

---------- Post added at 15:43 ---------- Previous post was at 15:29 ----------

Jim Crosskey 2 said:
I spent a lovely day sat with a mate in a productive swim a couple of weeks ago, both fishing for barbel. To begin with, we were just using plain pellets as hookbait, but we got a call from a mate fishing a few hundred yards down from us to say that he'd been getting bites galore on pellet with a paste wrap.

Pellets wrap? Now that really is the best of both Jim :w

pristex_paste_wrap(krill_n_critta)w.800.jpg

Baits, a complete reversal.

Derek Gibson

Well-known member

Peter Jacobs

Moderator

robcourt82

Well-known member

trotter2

Well-known member

peterjg

Well-known member

Peter Jacobs

Moderator

binka

Guest

peterjg

Well-known member

laguna

Well-known member

peterjg

Well-known member

Philip

Well-known member

theartist

Well-known member

rayner

Well-known member

Jim Crosskey 2

Well-known member

sam vimes

Well-known member

laguna

Well-known member