Just wondering when using boilies how many of you just stick with one type/flavour and how many use two or maybe more? Been thinking about using a mixture of two different baits but not sure whether im just going to be overcomplicating things. Thoughts and advice welcome, thanks
In reply to Post #1
If using a boilie only approach I do like to bait with two different boilies but in different quantities, I use 90% of my main bait and 10% of another usually a brighter high attract bait. Not sure if it makes much difference to be honest but it has worked, in as much as when I have done I've caught using hookbaits on both baits so it does give me confidence.
If using a boilie only approach I do like to bait with two different boilies but in different quantities, I use 90% of my main bait and 10% of another usually a brighter high attract bait. Not sure if it makes much difference to be honest but it has worked, in as much as when I have done I've caught using hookbaits on both baits so it does give me confidence.
In reply to Post #1
I advocate a two bait approach. But two very different baits, such as a birdfood / nut bait in with a fishmeal
I advocate a two bait approach. But two very different baits, such as a birdfood / nut bait in with a fishmeal
In reply to Post #1
I've always just used one. If you have one decent bait you know you can count on then it's one less thing to worry about and you can get on with finding them.
I'll always keep it simple until some kind of observation tells me I need to get funky.
I've always just used one. If you have one decent bait you know you can count on then it's one less thing to worry about and you can get on with finding them.
I'll always keep it simple until some kind of observation tells me I need to get funky.
In reply to Post #4
Thanks for everyone's responses, do you use the same bait all year round then yonny? I was thinking perhaps if I used two then I can slow down on the fishmeal in winter and move onto the other bait for the colder months.
Thanks for everyone's responses, do you use the same bait all year round then yonny? I was thinking perhaps if I used two then I can slow down on the fishmeal in winter and move onto the other bait for the colder months.
In reply to Post #5
Yes mate, I use a fishmeal all year.
Yes mate, I use a fishmeal all year.
In reply to Post #1
Just one for me.
I use a good food bait and feed it to get the carp eating it. I use the same bait on the hook.
Just one for me.
I use a good food bait and feed it to get the carp eating it. I use the same bait on the hook.
just one for me.
more important is a mixture of size, so ill use 3 different sizes of the same bait. 10/12/16mm and also a few tigers for good measure.
i believe that a mixture of sizes creates variation in the amount of suck/blow needed to pick the bait up, i think it gives a better chance of a confident pickup of the baited rig.
more important is a mixture of size, so ill use 3 different sizes of the same bait. 10/12/16mm and also a few tigers for good measure.
i believe that a mixture of sizes creates variation in the amount of suck/blow needed to pick the bait up, i think it gives a better chance of a confident pickup of the baited rig.
In reply to Post #1
two baits for me
steak and cream cake approach
two baits for me
steak and cream cake approach
Normally only fish one boilie but over the last year or 2 I've been using 2 different boilies. DNA S7 and Bug being my 2 at the moment but as the warmer weather comes I'll drop both of these for the SLK for a bit til it starts to cool down again then be back to the S7 and Bug
In reply to Post #10
Why would you favour one fishmeal for summer (SLK) over the S7 you use in colder water? What's the thinking behind that mate?
Why would you favour one fishmeal for summer (SLK) over the S7 you use in colder water? What's the thinking behind that mate?
In reply to Post #11
Just something I've done for the last 8 years maybe now. I like the SLK as a “proper” fishmeal when the temperatures are high (ish). Started when I was going to France and took SLK for the first time instead of my usual S7 and done really well on it so ever since then that's what I've done, switched over to the SLK during the summer then S7 the rest of the year with more recently since the Bug is readily available I've been mixing that with the S7. Been doing a few evening sessions and day sessions just on the Bug and been doing really well on it to the point I might just use Bug on its own and get rid of the S7 but I like the S7 too much to stop using it altogether 😂
I know people that use the SLK all year round but not sure if I could bring myself to do the same. I know next to nothing about bait but from what I've read the S7 is more for year round use than SLK
Just something I've done for the last 8 years maybe now. I like the SLK as a “proper” fishmeal when the temperatures are high (ish). Started when I was going to France and took SLK for the first time instead of my usual S7 and done really well on it so ever since then that's what I've done, switched over to the SLK during the summer then S7 the rest of the year with more recently since the Bug is readily available I've been mixing that with the S7. Been doing a few evening sessions and day sessions just on the Bug and been doing really well on it to the point I might just use Bug on its own and get rid of the S7 but I like the S7 too much to stop using it altogether 😂
I know people that use the SLK all year round but not sure if I could bring myself to do the same. I know next to nothing about bait but from what I've read the S7 is more for year round use than SLK
I use live system until fish spawn then switch to tuna with liquids and powders .
Although soon I'm trying something very different to my usual approach.
Although soon I'm trying something very different to my usual approach.
I always use 2 baits and several different sizes. When using a lot of bait in the summer. Really just to evaluate one against the other, always looking for the best bait. For some reason nut baits just don't work as well as fishmeal where I fish. I like to try new things however the fish seem to prefer what they are used to.
In reply to Post #5
Fishmeals are often lower fat and more suitable than nut and bird food heavy baits promoted for winter. however they are much more nutrient dense so I recommend sparingly using them. easier to fill carp up in colder water.
Fishmeals are often lower fat and more suitable than nut and bird food heavy baits promoted for winter. however they are much more nutrient dense so I recommend sparingly using them. easier to fill carp up in colder water.
In reply to Post #4
I find that different some sessions they really want a certain feed colour / one bait does more takes and more often than not subsequently switching hookbaits captures yet more fish. I do feel variety can stop fish from spooking off bait as well. plus having a contrast of colours means you're more likely to engage that visual response from the fish ( in my opinion ), I've done it with one bait in the past as a kid, proper basic bait but one batch had titanium dioxide in to make them grey / white, the original batch was brown, and then a small amount of titanium dioxide and paprika made the bait red as well. it meant as a kid I could have one basemix mixed up in a bucket but add variety with minimum fuss, that visual aspect definately outfished one bait to be fair
I find that different some sessions they really want a certain feed colour / one bait does more takes and more often than not subsequently switching hookbaits captures yet more fish. I do feel variety can stop fish from spooking off bait as well. plus having a contrast of colours means you're more likely to engage that visual response from the fish ( in my opinion ), I've done it with one bait in the past as a kid, proper basic bait but one batch had titanium dioxide in to make them grey / white, the original batch was brown, and then a small amount of titanium dioxide and paprika made the bait red as well. it meant as a kid I could have one basemix mixed up in a bucket but add variety with minimum fuss, that visual aspect definately outfished one bait to be fair
In reply to Post #16
Titanium Dioxide is not permitted for use in feed baits; it can only legally be used to in hookbaits that are not ingested by fish. This is also the case for dyes such as Allura Red, Sunset Yelow, Tartrazine and Carmoisine, despite the fact that some bait makers continue to illegally use these products in boilies.
Anybody using these products in feed baits risks the attention of Trading Standards and the withdrawal of their Feed Hygiene Approval number, which is a prerequisite for legally compliant bait manufacture.
I entirely agree with your sentiment, expressed in other threads, that the less responsible parts of the bait industry should get their houses in order.
Titanium Dioxide is not permitted for use in feed baits; it can only legally be used to in hookbaits that are not ingested by fish. This is also the case for dyes such as Allura Red, Sunset Yelow, Tartrazine and Carmoisine, despite the fact that some bait makers continue to illegally use these products in boilies.
Anybody using these products in feed baits risks the attention of Trading Standards and the withdrawal of their Feed Hygiene Approval number, which is a prerequisite for legally compliant bait manufacture.
I entirely agree with your sentiment, expressed in other threads, that the less responsible parts of the bait industry should get their houses in order.
In reply to Post #17
In Europe?
In Europe?
In reply to Post #18
Yes, you are correct on TItanium Dioxide - it is banned in the EU and all animal feed products (inc feed baits) containing it must be withdrawn from the EU market by 20/06/22. In the U.K. it is still permitted, though undergoing re-evaluation.
The others are all NOT permitted at all for coarse fish feed baits in either the U.K. or EU.
Yes, you are correct on TItanium Dioxide - it is banned in the EU and all animal feed products (inc feed baits) containing it must be withdrawn from the EU market by 20/06/22. In the U.K. it is still permitted, though undergoing re-evaluation.
The others are all NOT permitted at all for coarse fish feed baits in either the U.K. or EU.
In reply to Post #19
The others you mention are all £30+ per kilo and a cheaper alternatives keep the cheap bait brigade happy. I'm aware of permitted feed colourants from some times playing about with my own version of robin red. I'd say most people arent aware of the bans through ignorance which isn't a defence but in all honestly if you work this game by yourself by the time you've finished a 10-12 hour rolling day and typed up invoices / done your trade orders etc it doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else, I didn't eat dinner until nearly 11 at night yesterday lol
Genuinely valid ingredients in hookbaits though, you can control how much, if any, that a colour bleeds etc from a hook bait. very handy.
The others you mention are all £30+ per kilo and a cheaper alternatives keep the cheap bait brigade happy. I'm aware of permitted feed colourants from some times playing about with my own version of robin red. I'd say most people arent aware of the bans through ignorance which isn't a defence but in all honestly if you work this game by yourself by the time you've finished a 10-12 hour rolling day and typed up invoices / done your trade orders etc it doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else, I didn't eat dinner until nearly 11 at night yesterday lol
Genuinely valid ingredients in hookbaits though, you can control how much, if any, that a colour bleeds etc from a hook bait. very handy.
I've found that some lakes fish well on sweet/nut baits and other lakes fish well on fishmeal baits. Usual clear weedy gravel pits do well on a fishmeal for some reason, and younger more commercial type lakes do well in sweeter baits. I'm not sure if this is down to the strain of carp or their natural food but it is definitely a pattern that I have noticed over the past 30 years.
If I'm fishing a new venue, or doing a France trip I fish a mix of both and generally find that one will outfish the other, so switch to just one type of bait.
If I'm fishing a new venue, or doing a France trip I fish a mix of both and generally find that one will outfish the other, so switch to just one type of bait.
In reply to Post #1
Give it a go Jon, I have been using up to 3 baits mixed it works as they did singularly, I thought that 3 different baits possibly releasing different signals had more going for them than one on it's own, something was bound to get a reaction! They were all fishmeal baits.
Give it a go Jon, I have been using up to 3 baits mixed it works as they did singularly, I thought that 3 different baits possibly releasing different signals had more going for them than one on it's own, something was bound to get a reaction! They were all fishmeal baits.
In reply to Post #22
I like to mix 2 baits, i think that 2 food signals can't be worse than one. Plus you could say some fish have a preference to one type of bait over another so a nut and a fishmeal combined covers more bases. No different to if your mixing boilies and particles together really 👍
I like to mix 2 baits, i think that 2 food signals can't be worse than one. Plus you could say some fish have a preference to one type of bait over another so a nut and a fishmeal combined covers more bases. No different to if your mixing boilies and particles together really 👍
Thanks for all the replies, I will definitely be giving two baits a go this season for a change, hopefully it may well lead to more bites!
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