Meat as a bait

mikench · Apr 27, 2018

I can't say I have ever been particularly successful with spam/ luncheon meat largely due tokeeping it on the hook! Yesterday I caught 3 of my 5 on a bait tech tin of polony with added betain which had been lurking at the back of the bait/beer fridge for a couple of years.

I used these made by Korum to attach the bait to the hair; they just hook onto the hair and work! Next time out I will see what they are like after a bit of welly?View attachment 4471

I think the colour is known as spam pink!!!

Another Dave · Apr 27, 2018

I take it you screw them into the cube of meat?

nottskev · Apr 27, 2018

I haven't tried the hook-on plastic ones - why does that sound odd? - but I've used these little wire ones. You tie them on and then make your knotless knot, and they really do hold the meat on well. In fact, it can be hard to get it off to re-bait, so you can fish with confidence. If you want, I'll pick you up a packet - they're from a small company whose name I forget and a local shop has them.

More generally, I hadn't used meat much if at all recently, but the bailiff at one of the places I go to kept nagging me to try it, claiming it gets a better stamp of roach. So I've had a couple of goes with spam diced into app 4mm cubes.
It sinks very slowly when fed, and suits fishing a slow drop ie light shotting, and has indeed been the best bait for roach when things have been slow or smaller fish a nuisance. (Obviously, you just fish it straight on the hook) Just a thought for days when you're trying the float close in.

thecrow · Apr 27, 2018

Only ever used the old method of pushing the hook through the meat turning it and pulling it back, never had much of a problem doing that, some times a bit of grass is used to stop the hook pulling back out of the meat.

peter crabtree · Apr 27, 2018

Bream like meat........

103841 · Apr 27, 2018

Before switching to cheesepaste I used spam for the majority of my chub captures on the local river, I mainly use the former now because it stays on the hook well and the fish love it.

Spam by its very nature can be fragile and seperate from your hook when you least want it to, leading to a lack of confidence in the bait. I tried all manner of tips that I've read, one of better ones being, the use of a quick stop. The downside of using a hair is that it cuts through the meat all to easily, this is easily remedied by inserting a small piece of drinking straw in the meat before threading the stop through.

PS if you have a Morrisons or an Asda nearby, they often stock Polony for less than 60p a pop.

wetthrough · Apr 27, 2018

nottskev said:
[...]More generally, I hadn't used meat much if at all recently, but the bailiff at one of the places I go to kept nagging me to try it, claiming it gets a better stamp of roach. So I've had a couple of goes with spam diced into app 4mm cubes.[...]

I've found that on Cicely Mill Pool in the past. Meat generally gets bigger fish. On the other hand I don't even take it to Lymm Dam as they're not interested in it generally. That's not to say you wouldn't catch anything it's just that they seem to prefer other baits, corn, maggots, casters etc.

Just to add, I fry the meat first, 2min each side lowest heat after letting the pan heat up fully first. I only use small pieces on the hook though, about 1/8" thick and tear corners off and don't have a problem with it coming off.

David Rogers 3 · Apr 27, 2018

I use the Enterprise boilie spikes, which work very well on soft meat baits: Enterprise Tackle ET39 Boilie Spike.

rayner · Apr 27, 2018

I have a 3mm tilley meat cutter, the 3mm cubes catch every thing.
If I use meat on the bomb then a 8mm piece of punched meat is all I use, stopped with a short piece of spaghetti.
Spam is my favourite meat with Bait Tech polony second.

S-Kippy · Apr 27, 2018

I know brands vary but I've never had any issues keeping meat on the hook....either straight onto the hook or on a hair.The occasional bit might drop off but who cares ?

I tend to use bog ordinary Spam....I did try a tin of that ridiculously overpriced stuff you can get in tackle shops once but it was unbelievably tough and leathery. I can't imagine that stuff coming off the hook....assuming you could get a hook through it in the first place. It would make pretty decent body armour.

nottskev · Apr 27, 2018

rayner said:
I have a 3mm tilley meat cutter, the 3mm cubes catch every thing.
If I use meat on the bomb then a 8mm piece of punched meat is all I use, stopped with a short piece of spaghetti.
Spam is my favourite meat with Bait Tech polony second.

3mm? That's smaller than any I can find online. Did you buy yours long ago? Only asking, as if I went for one it would be for small cubes. Just by the way, I usually find, when I dice luncheon meat myself, that I chop it small - then find the pieces seem have expanded when the meat has been out of the tin for a while. Am I hallucinating, or does this actually happen?

ian g · Apr 27, 2018

I don't think your hallucinating Kev , must be slightly compressed in the tin . I use the push and twist method for fishing the lead on rivers and just direct on the hook under a float.

john step · Apr 27, 2018

Nottskev, I have used those wire type meat holders in the past but had trouble with them catching in the landing net mesh.
Nowdays I use those Avid corn stops (floating) when using meat on the hair. It gives a broad flat surface to hold the meat.

nottskev · Apr 27, 2018

john step said:
Nottskev, I have used those wire type meat holders in the past but had trouble with them catching in the landing net mesh.

Yes - I think any of these baitstops etc that people use on hair rigs are a bit prone to that. I think commercial regulars buy landing nets with a smaller mesh in the base to try and stop it.

103841 · Apr 27, 2018

I also have a concern about things like the coils remaining in the fish in the event of a break off.

markcw · Apr 27, 2018

wetthrough said:
I've found that on Cicely Mill Pool in the past. Meat generally gets bigger fish. On the other hand I don't even take it to Lymm Dam as they're not interested in it generally. That's not to say you wouldn't catch anything it's just that they seem to prefer other baits, corn, maggots, casters etc.

Just to add, I fry the meat first, 2min each side lowest heat after letting the pan heat up fully first. I only use small pieces on the hook though, about 1/8" thick and tear corners off and don't have a problem with it coming off.

Fish the 1st two pegs from the road on the Baycliffe side with meat, also the first peg on the Church shallows, casting under the tree branches, I use Plumrose from B & M at 99p a tin.

mikench · Apr 27, 2018

Dave: yes they just screw in and they hold the meat well!

Kev: thanks I'll give them a try.

Peter: surprisingly I have never caught bream on meat! I was hoping to avoid them

The esp variety work well too and may be the best for fresh spam in hot weather! The polony I was using is fairly solid in texture and on test it was cold!

I cannot resist trying something new and the Korum ones make switching baits easy when using a hair rig! Thanks to Binka I can now source spam in plastic tubs which are much safer than the tins and I consider them bank safe too! Barbel like meat!!!!

markcw · Apr 27, 2018

nottskev said:
I haven't tried the hook-on plastic ones - why does that sound odd? - but I've used these little wire ones. You tie them on and then make your knotless knot, and they really do hold the meat on well. In fact, it can be hard to get it off to re-bait, so you can fish with confidence. If you want, I'll pick you up a packet - they're from a small company whose name I forget and a local shop has them.

View attachment 4472

More generally, I hadn't used meat much if at all recently, but the bailiff at one of the places I go to kept nagging me to try it, claiming it gets a better stamp of roach. So I've had a couple of goes with spam diced into app 4mm cubes.
It sinks very slowly when fed, and suits fishing a slow drop ie light shotting, and has indeed been the best bait for roach when things have been slow or smaller fish a nuisance. (Obviously, you just fish it straight on the hook) Just a thought for days when you're trying the float close in.

Kev, Middy do hooklengths with those coils already on them.
I have a couple of ready made Middy pole rigs that have them on as well, The coils are also good for putting in a small piece of crust to hold it in place,

markcw · Apr 27, 2018

I use the MAP meat cutter, cubes a tin in seconds so to speak, you can get various sized blades for it,

mikench · Apr 27, 2018

I also use a tip I learned from Nottskev in coating the meat in gb! It's a sensas red variety and I find it enables you to keep the meat much longer!

Meat as a bait

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