Fake bait

steve2 · May 23, 2018

Fake baits by this mean plastic corn, maggots, worms etc. On my last 2 fishing trips all my bites have come on fake baits, I have fished fake red maggot and fake corn. I haven’t baited up the swims with maggot or corn all I have used is a fishmeal based groundbait with a pellets added. I haven’t had a touch on boilies or pellets when used as hook bait even when like the fake baits they are buoyant.
Just wondering why the fish will take fake bait and not what I would consider normal fishing baits.
Anybody else had this to happen to them?
Do you use fake bait?

Being a lure fisher I use fake baits all the time so catching fish on fakes isn't new to me, just catching other fake baits is.

sagalout · May 23, 2018

If the fish has it's head down feeding I think it ain't looking, it's just sucking so I think any think that has a hook attached can/will catch. I have caught on an ssg shot whilst plumbing up, I'v had pike take me method of the surface whilst I've been reeling in.

john step · May 23, 2018

I had a carp last week on fake maggot. I was trying for tench and getting frustrated with the rudd. The rudd were still gobbling down the fake ones as readily as the real ones.

I even put a large artificial red grub on that is considerably larger than a maggot. They still gobbled it down. How they got that and a size 12 in the mouth I don't know.

I have had fish on fake corn. BUT I STILL HAVE AN INBUILT RELUCTANCE TO USE FAKE BAIT as a first option. Silly I know.

flightliner · May 23, 2018

I often use artificial baits and have plenty of confidence in most, I,be had Bream, Tench, Roach carp and Perch in the main, some big fish too.

barbelboi · May 23, 2018

In my experience fake baits can work very well - unflavoured as well as flavoured - night or day. As Saggy mentioned 'If the fish has it's head down feeding I think it ain't looking, it's just sucking so I think any think that has a hook attached can/will catch'.

If you bring carp into the equation once they 'home in' on their target they lose sight of it (eyes at the side of head) before they suck it up and approximately 98% of what it sucks up (gravel, stones, etc.) is ejected through it's gills (or mouth for larger objects) unless, as stated above, there's a hook involved.......

markcw · May 23, 2018

I have some fake corn, maggots and casters in a drawer in my seat box I am always reluctant to use them due to the possibility
of the fish managing somehow to get them off the hook and then have trouble digesting them,

carpinbob · May 24, 2018

Quite often use fake sweet corn , stays on the hook and definitely catches. Well it does for me.

Tee-Cee · May 24, 2018

I have thought long and hard about using fake bread for surface fishing, but like John Step I di have some form of mental block about using it. That said, if it works and saves the laborious job of mounting crust on a large hook almost every cast thenperhaps I should give it a go...

I notice nobody mentions fake bread so maybe it is not a really workable solution??

Any help/guidance appreciated!

barbelboi · May 24, 2018

Tee-Cee said:
I notice nobody mentions fake bread so maybe it is not a really workable solution??

Tony, fake bread certainly works as a surface bait for carp.

Keith M · May 24, 2018

Tee-Cee said:
I notice nobody mentions fake bread so maybe it is not a really workable solution??

I used it for the first time last Sunday and found that the Carp took a wide berth around it until I squeezed it in some flavouring (some really old bun spice flavouring); it then started working and I had two smallish Carp on it.

I was fishing opposite another angler (we were fishing on opposite sides of a small island) and he was getting more takes than me on normal floating crust.

Keith

barbelboi · May 24, 2018

Must be your presentation Keith....................:wink:

108831 · May 24, 2018

You can catch carp on a lump of cork or balsa when they are surface feeding,so why shouldn't they eat take bread,a white muddler minnow works too.

john step · May 25, 2018

Keith M said:
I used it for the first time last Sunday and found that the Carp took a wide berth around it until I squeezed it in some flavouring (some really old bun spice flavouring); it then started working and I had two smallish Carp on it.

I was fishing opposite another angler (we were fishing on opposite sides of a small island) and he was getting more takes than me on normal floating crust.

Keith

Keith, have you noticed how they sometimes sheer off before getting to the surface bait. I am sure they can see the hook as well as the line.
Try taking a bottle of white correcting fluid to colour the hook white. Can make a lot of difference.

Tee-Cee · May 25, 2018

John...Are you talking of the fake bread? (You say 'surface bread' above)

Is this the Enterprise stuff or one of the others??

(apologies for cutting across your posts)

Specihunter · May 26, 2018

I've caught a carp on foam. My 2 best fish both fell to fake corn. And used a fake caster on the hook with real caster so when the real got chewed off, they would go for the fake caster.

john step · May 26, 2018

Tee-Cee said:
John...Are you talking of the fake bread? (You say 'surface bread' above)

Is this the Enterprise stuff or one of the others??

(apologies for cutting across your posts)

I use real bread. They will peck away at it at times and mostly avoid the hook until the bread disintegrates and they gobble the remainder minus the hook. I found that a white hook can give the edge at times.

A ruse I have seen done and tried a couple of times with success is the stale baguette trick. The stick of baguette is cut into lumps about 3 inches thick. The large hook is pulled through on a needle and line is wound round two or three times and then hooked back into the lump of baguette.

Its a weighty bait to cast out. When they are really on the freebies they will continually attack the bait which seems to set up competition for it.
Sooner or later one will catch the hook and you get a screaming run.

A bit crude and I have only done it a couple of times.
Incidentally I have seen Spanish sea anglers do the same for harbour mullet.

Fake bait

steve2

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sagalout

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john step

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flightliner

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barbelboi

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markcw

Exiled Northerner

carpinbob

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Tee-Cee

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barbelboi

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Keith M

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barbelboi

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108831

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john step

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Tee-Cee

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Specihunter

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john step

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