Which cheese?

Not done any river fishing this season yet so going to have some short sessions in next few weeks , going to have a go with cheese but what has others found the better cheese to use and is it better hair rigged or on the hook ?

Thanks

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I use Supermarket own mature Cheddar but if making a paste i add a blue cheese.

Wasn't going to make paste last time misses wasn't keen on the wiff ! Just buy the cheese and either use it hard or kneed into a softer lump

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Cheese baits only really have their flavour as an attractor, so go for the most smelly one you can handle, or add a really smelly flavour to an ordinary cheddar, (see Laguna's rage)

The problem with most smelly cheeses is that they are rather soft, so be careful and treat them like you would when using meat . . . . . those Babybel cheeses are pretty tough and quite stinky too but will harden in water too.

Personally I prefer to use cheese in paste combined with either breadcrumbs or better still pastry . . . . and the older the better but then I don't have a wife to moan about the stuff in the 'fridge

Cheers , harder cheeses like red Gloucester would be ideal to hair rig but I guess better to mold around a 10/8 hook ?

May have to try Lagunas range and I guess just kneed it in?

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24 month compte would be perfect Matt with a fresh baguette and a glass of Hermitage but far too good for the fish! Sorry Matt in holiday mode!

Like Iain T I use supermarket cheddar, a couple of packs and your ready to go. I never hair rigged it, I push a baiting needle through it and then pull the hook back through the other end, turn it and pull it back into the cheese until its hidden or sometimes stop it with a bit of grass if heavy casting involved. The thing is with hard cheese is to give the fish time once a bite is detected, give a bit of slack line and wait for 10-20 seconds. The fish will pull the cheese into the back of the mouth and break it down with their phrangle teeth, that's the time to strike, thinking more barbel and chub here. Strike too early and you pull it out of their mouth.
The thing I like about straight cheddar is it stays on the hook when casting and a good heavy cheese for free-lining, I have cast a lump 50 yards across the Avon and caught a barbel but that's a bit of an exception.
Dairylea is not bad in the winter, difficult to put a blob on the hook but it goes harder in cold water. Float fished gently good for smaller fish on a 14 hook, but chub love it as well. Or just to smear on a bit of bread.
Nothing wrong with all the concoctions but for a lazy angler like me, straight from the supermarket fits the bill.

Mark, so is the hook buried into the cheese or the hook point to one side ? When you say once the tip moves slacken line and wait , guess you just open bail arm ?

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Soft dairylea triangles on bread

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Use a baitrunner Matt!

Ha ha !

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Occasionally I use cheese when roach fishing. The best cheeses are either Edam which is quite rubbery and stays on well or Red Leicester. Cut it to size before you go and keep it in a small food flask in hot weather. It can be either hooked direct or hair rigged. Watch out for crayfish because they love cheese.

associatedmatt said:

Mark, so is the hook buried into the cheese or the hook point to one side ? When you say once the tip moves slacken line and wait , guess you just open bail arm ?

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---------- Post added at 10:08 ---------- Previous post was at 10:06 ----------

Soft dairylea triangles on bread

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Yep, I bury it completely, as I am giving the fish a chance to mouth the cheese a bit before striking I reckon its best they cannot feel the hook.
When I get a bite I pick the rod up and lower the tip to give some free line and then open the bail arm if necessary and gently pay out more line, depends on what the fish does, how far it moves but essentially its to give the fish a bit of time; everything being smooth and always thinking don't let the fish feel any resistance. I found striking straight away meant missing a lot of bites. Mainly when free-lining or light link lejering. Its just using a bit judgement on the day, per bite; watching the line is best. Sometimes its a bender straight away, rod wrap round but others it's just a flicker of the line, give a bit of slack and watch the line, wait for 10 seconds then strike. Or if its moving, let it go for a while and wait till it stops, then give 5-10 seconds and then strike. Its easier to do than explain it, your instincts will kick in.
I found fish being nicely hooked in the corner of the mouth more often than not, if the fish have the cheese firmly in the back of the mouth the hook will pull free and hook nicely.
With dairylea, its so soft, best to strike earlier, its a bit too soft really but in the winter I would put some on the hook and the dip it into the cold water before casting, it hardens up fairly quickly for castings but gentle lobs best. Lump of hard cheddar you can cast away but I liked dairylea, had some good chub on it.
I think the main thing is, there are probably better cheeses/concoctions and methods but this is easy and convenient. Roaming along with a couple of packs of supermarket cheese couldn't be easier and it catches fish.

Haven't used cheese for quite a while, but I used to rate cheddar for roach, blue for chub.
Edam used to be THE thing, but I got the impression it was for the sake of staying on the hook rather than taste appeal; never had a nibble on it from anything but myself, as far as I can remember.

P.S. pricey though it was, red-packet "Cracker Barrel" seemed to be the best cheddar for bait; it may just be saltier than the usual.

Alan Tyler said:

Haven't used cheese for quite a while, but I used to rate cheddar for roach, blue for chub.
Edam used to be THE thing, but I got the impression it was for the sake of staying on the hook rather than taste appeal; never had a nibble on it from anything but myself, as far as I can remember.

P.S. pricey though it was, red-packet "Cracker Barrel" seemed to be the best cheddar for bait; it may just be saltier than the usual.

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I used to dip cheese in garlic or chilli powder, I suppose some salt wouldn't hurt. I found the garlic and/or chilli flavoured cheese very good on one or two occasions, perhaps a bit of salt could do the same..