So this year, I tried plastic bait properly for the first time, bright yellow sweetcorn, sometimes I tried it with betalin - sometimes just straight out of the pack.
Honestly, I did way better than I expected - had 4x fish over 40lb from a difficult syndicate and 15 other good fish, all on plastic corn.
It's really messed with my head if I'm honest.
Trying to understand what a carp finds attractive about some plastic is quite interesting.
Either the carp are actually attracted to the plastic, or it simply doesn't care and is just recognising it as food when it's mixed in among spod mix and eating it..
I mean, you look at all of the money, marketing and "science" that goes into bait development, yet some yellow plastic seems to produce the goods..
Do carp really care? I'd like to think they do, but.. catching fish like that on inert yellow chunks of plastic, makes me think twice!
Honestly, I did way better than I expected - had 4x fish over 40lb from a difficult syndicate and 15 other good fish, all on plastic corn.
It's really messed with my head if I'm honest.
Trying to understand what a carp finds attractive about some plastic is quite interesting.
Either the carp are actually attracted to the plastic, or it simply doesn't care and is just recognising it as food when it's mixed in among spod mix and eating it..
I mean, you look at all of the money, marketing and "science" that goes into bait development, yet some yellow plastic seems to produce the goods..
Do carp really care? I'd like to think they do, but.. catching fish like that on inert yellow chunks of plastic, makes me think twice!
In reply to Post #1
How were you baiting around the plastic hookbaits?
How were you baiting around the plastic hookbaits?
In reply to Post #2
Mixed: Sometimes with a spomb, sometimes with a catapult closer in,
Mixed: Sometimes with a spomb, sometimes with a catapult closer in,
In reply to Post #1
I read somewhere years ago, that fake plastic baits were made with fish oil in their makeup. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but at times they definitely catch, be it the visibility, the ingredients or what we feed over them.
I've caught on plastic sweetcorn in the past, over straight sweetcorn or Vitalin, but now I am wary of plastic and losing any, to a crack-off, lost rig or whatever
I read somewhere years ago, that fake plastic baits were made with fish oil in their makeup. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but at times they definitely catch, be it the visibility, the ingredients or what we feed over them.
I've caught on plastic sweetcorn in the past, over straight sweetcorn or Vitalin, but now I am wary of plastic and losing any, to a crack-off, lost rig or whatever
In reply to Post #4
It's interesting, because I tried the Korda stuff - which has a really strong fruity smell,
I also used the ESP stuff which frankly, actually smells of plastic - and I still caught a few very good fish on it - it didn't seem to really matter!
It's quite funny, unhooking a fish - casting the exact same plastic out into the lake and catching another one,
Whereas the year before, I simply cannot decide on what boilie to use, from my stupid shelf with £500 of popups on it :D
It's interesting, because I tried the Korda stuff - which has a really strong fruity smell,
I also used the ESP stuff which frankly, actually smells of plastic - and I still caught a few very good fish on it - it didn't seem to really matter!
It's quite funny, unhooking a fish - casting the exact same plastic out into the lake and catching another one,
Whereas the year before, I simply cannot decide on what boilie to use, from my stupid shelf with £500 of popups on it :D
In reply to Post #5
Well done on catching on plastic corn, i did try it s few seasons ago but found it very expensive when throwing a few handfuls out every few hours... at 3 quid for 20 baits it costs a few quid over 24 hrs....i did look into i buying sheets of plastic and making my own but even that was pretty expensive so went back to boilies
Well done on catching on plastic corn, i did try it s few seasons ago but found it very expensive when throwing a few handfuls out every few hours... at 3 quid for 20 baits it costs a few quid over 24 hrs....i did look into i buying sheets of plastic and making my own but even that was pretty expensive so went back to boilies
Tails up baits do a plastic free bait called Cornz,you can add your own flavour to the pot.They do two sizes in I think three different colours
I used to do well on plastic corn - little stacks of them fished wafted style or tipping bottom baits. However as previously mentioned I didn't like the thought of the rig indefinitely fishing in the event of a snag/line break.
Whilst I have gone away from corn itself as a bait towards a boilie approach I now tip my baits with 'toppers' - corn shaped, yellow, mini popups from a local company. These will stay intact for 24 hours but can be eaten/broken down/etc.
Whilst I have gone away from corn itself as a bait towards a boilie approach I now tip my baits with 'toppers' - corn shaped, yellow, mini popups from a local company. These will stay intact for 24 hours but can be eaten/broken down/etc.
I've had the same experience with plastic here in Germany. Last year I started fishing two spots from the same swim, one with boilies the other feeding maize and fishing plastic. The plastic out scored the boilie every time. I then started to fish bottom baits tipped with plastic and they out fished a straight bottom bait but the surprise was when I fished a beige plastic imitation unflavoured boilie over my carefully crafted boilies and they out fished a straight bottom bait. As the OP said it's doing my head in. I do have a crayfish problem, so that makes the plastic decision a little easier. At the end of the day it comes down to having confidence in what you are doing.
In reply to Post #1
It's nice knowing the bait will not be affected by small silver fish but I did stop using fake baits like others due to the possibilities of the rig continuing to be live.
Carp are curious and who knows what/if the plastic/rubber baits release anything once submerged, just by handling we could be transmitting our own chemicals onto them?
They certainly work though, even unflavoured ones used as singles.
It's nice knowing the bait will not be affected by small silver fish but I did stop using fake baits like others due to the possibilities of the rig continuing to be live.
Carp are curious and who knows what/if the plastic/rubber baits release anything once submerged, just by handling we could be transmitting our own chemicals onto them?
They certainly work though, even unflavoured ones used as singles.
In reply to Post #1
So what do we feel about Ash Bradbury's ‘Cornz', made with degradable materials, apparently.
Are they as attractive, assuming a different ingredient makeup?
So what do we feel about Ash Bradbury's ‘Cornz', made with degradable materials, apparently.
Are they as attractive, assuming a different ingredient makeup?
In reply to Post #11
They are just sweetcorn shaped pop ups.......... They're nothing other than that.
They are just sweetcorn shaped pop ups.......... They're nothing other than that.
Can't be arsed to read the whole thread but let's all have a Gretta moment, fair enough most on here are **** at fishing and are only able to do what they see on YouTube they've sacrificed what little brains they had 👍
But let's be honest even the most retarded and the ****whits on ritalin can see that filling beautiful waters with lead and plastic is a bad thing.
I'm off to listen to Heaven 17 doing Penthouse and Pavements live in Sheffield now 👍
But let's be honest even the most retarded and the ****whits on ritalin can see that filling beautiful waters with lead and plastic is a bad thing.
I'm off to listen to Heaven 17 doing Penthouse and Pavements live in Sheffield now 👍
In reply to Post #13
I'm on Ritalin........
I'm on Ritalin........
Years ago in my garden pond, there was a piece of white plastic carrier bag about three quarters of an inch diameter that had blown in from somewhere .
It would allways be in motion somewhere in the pond being stirred up by the fish swimming, the pump or the aerator.
From morning till night constantly, every day, for weeks on end the carp would suck it in and blow it out and then another one would and so on. They never ever wised up that it was not food or, were they just sucking it in out of curiosity rather than thinking it was food.
At the time, it really made me wonder why plastic baits can be so deadly and even thought of trying a "disk" of white plastic bag but never did.
A friend once set up next to me whilst I was setting up, he cast two pieces of plastic sweetcorn blindly out into a low stocked 28 acre lake towards the middle, within 10 minutes he had a "12lber" on the bank.
It would allways be in motion somewhere in the pond being stirred up by the fish swimming, the pump or the aerator.
From morning till night constantly, every day, for weeks on end the carp would suck it in and blow it out and then another one would and so on. They never ever wised up that it was not food or, were they just sucking it in out of curiosity rather than thinking it was food.
At the time, it really made me wonder why plastic baits can be so deadly and even thought of trying a "disk" of white plastic bag but never did.
A friend once set up next to me whilst I was setting up, he cast two pieces of plastic sweetcorn blindly out into a low stocked 28 acre lake towards the middle, within 10 minutes he had a "12lber" on the bank.
In reply to Post #15
I have caught a lot of carp on plastic baits over the years. They have several advantages in the fact that crayfish can't break them down etc.
I have no worries about chucking them out on certain venues. It's the same as a zig in my eyes, they don't go down to plastic for any other reason that it's visual and they think it's something to eat. That's all ya need sometimes isn't it! Plastic corn is brilliant if it's surrounded by real corn! But one thing I do know, is that I would not be confident chucking a single unflavoured piece of plastic out on its own. I also modify my plastic to take on certain smells and sweetness just in case any blind carp are about!!
I still prefer real food wherever possible.
They serve a purpose and we need to use them safely.
I can remember Kempy telling me that when he saw enterprise fake corn appear in the 90s he was gutted as everyone could now present a lifelike piece of corn just like they had been doing with real sweetcorn for years and battering places!
I have caught a lot of carp on plastic baits over the years. They have several advantages in the fact that crayfish can't break them down etc.
I have no worries about chucking them out on certain venues. It's the same as a zig in my eyes, they don't go down to plastic for any other reason that it's visual and they think it's something to eat. That's all ya need sometimes isn't it! Plastic corn is brilliant if it's surrounded by real corn! But one thing I do know, is that I would not be confident chucking a single unflavoured piece of plastic out on its own. I also modify my plastic to take on certain smells and sweetness just in case any blind carp are about!!
I still prefer real food wherever possible.
They serve a purpose and we need to use them safely.
I can remember Kempy telling me that when he saw enterprise fake corn appear in the 90s he was gutted as everyone could now present a lifelike piece of corn just like they had been doing with real sweetcorn for years and battering places!
In reply to Post #1
I personally think its due to corn normally being a safe item for the carp to eat, lots of people use it in a spod mix and with their boilies but few fish it on the hair , so the carp get used to feeding on it in a safe way, the fact that the hookbait is plastic doesn't matter as once they've sucked it in to sample it it's too late and they are hooked. On a water where everyone is feeding and using boilie it can be devastating!
I personally think its due to corn normally being a safe item for the carp to eat, lots of people use it in a spod mix and with their boilies but few fish it on the hair , so the carp get used to feeding on it in a safe way, the fact that the hookbait is plastic doesn't matter as once they've sucked it in to sample it it's too late and they are hooked. On a water where everyone is feeding and using boilie it can be devastating!
Last year it felt like the fish on my water were more interested in bright coloured baits like sweetcorn early on - then around July, it felt like boilies and high calorie/HNV baits started producing the best.
If anything I think last year, it taught me more to change my approach through the seasons, rather than doing just one thing religiously.
I did notice that literally everybody was feeding sweetcorn, but very few were using it on an actual baited rig... so maybe that was an edge,
I also think that many people are soaking/lacing their sweetcorn with liquids, however I just used frozen plain corn, with no additives at all - maybe that helped.
who knows.
If anything I think last year, it taught me more to change my approach through the seasons, rather than doing just one thing religiously.
I did notice that literally everybody was feeding sweetcorn, but very few were using it on an actual baited rig... so maybe that was an edge,
I also think that many people are soaking/lacing their sweetcorn with liquids, however I just used frozen plain corn, with no additives at all - maybe that helped.
who knows.
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