A
alan whittington
Guest
Mark,i believe your recipe has been swallowed up on the barbel section,where there are few threads now,do you use normal fishmeal or the low temperature stuff.:wh
I don't know about you guys but I've been struggling on the barbel recently...
Loads of chub last weekend to groundbait and worm but not a whiskers in sight.
What's going to be your bait/ approach of choice over the next week with temperatures rising gradually?
Supplier of coarse fishing baits, boilies, pellets, groundbait, mixes in North West of england near Warrington - www.aabaits.co.uk
I use the LT94 from here, also the predigested from the same place.
The recipe is as follows (sorry it's in ounces but I'm OLD)
4 oz floured Vitalin
4oz Semolina
3oz LT94
1oz predigested.
2.5oz Mashed catmeat (I use Whiskas super meat with Rabbit) to 1 large egg. This will make a thick gravy. Add 1 teaspoon of hot chiili powder and stir it up.
Add the base mix til you have a soft (ish) paste, Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for at least half an hour. This cooling gets rid of the stickyness.
If you intend boiling then you want a firm paste (add more base mix if required and bash it about a bit). Roll into shapes and put into boiling water for max 60 seconds.
Please be aware the paste will get stiffer as it cools, you can always add more base mix but, you can't take it out.
I find if I'm fishing paste a 2 egg mix is more than enough for a days Barbel fishing.
There is no way this could ever be made on a commercial basis because it aint nice to roll, but in small (1 or 2 kilo batches it's fine)
Do not be tempted to add any oil, I've tried and it won't take it.
This bait has served me well catching many species so give it a go. On the downside (coz there has to be one) it doesn't last long out of the fridge, just a day or so in summer. But i get round this by taking the ingredients with me and making it as I go.
One last thing, I found out last year that the boilies, when ground up, make an excellent method mix.
****y, I don't know where on the Teme you fish but I fish the stretch above Bransford bridge (Wards 84). This stretch has always been very good to me however the last few years it has steadily got harder. Last year I put a bit more effort in and found the fish very tightly shoaled up. To the point where unless you were in one of two swims you blanked at least for Barbel. The Chub seem more widely spread.
The Catfood paste/boilie works very well there.
CG,
Been struggling on the Teme mostly (loads of good chub but no barbel) and had a session on a floody Severn last Sunday and only caught bream and eels (had one biggie about 2lb plus) .
TBH I've only managed 4 or 5 sessions since New Year due to pressure of work, so it's not panic stations yet. I suspect I've been fishing the right places but the wrong times because I've been restricted to short 3-4hour afternoon sessions.