What does everyone use?
1st attempt to roll my own baits used spotted fin. Rolled some 12mm baits. It didn't seem all that bouyant tbh.
1st attempt to roll my own baits used spotted fin. Rolled some 12mm baits. It didn't seem all that bouyant tbh.
In reply to Post #1
If I had to use one it would be Baf. I find Polaris very powdery and just not nice to work with but that's for another day!
If I had to use one it would be Baf. I find Polaris very powdery and just not nice to work with but that's for another day!
In reply to Post #2
You will struggle with those I'm afraid
I have never seen a commercially available one that actually works
You will struggle with those I'm afraid
I have never seen a commercially available one that actually works
In reply to Post #3
Oh no, don't get me wrong I soon realised a corkball with a nice base mix is far superior! Don't use anything but corkballs now
Oh no, don't get me wrong I soon realised a corkball with a nice base mix is far superior! Don't use anything but corkballs now
In reply to Post #3
I used a few kilos of BAF mix last year, had an facebook page admin asking for about 70 pots for his group, 12mm easily held up a size 4 ronnie, I've just checked the notes I gave him, components were size 4 TA curve shank, size 11 ptfe korda spinner swivel, ridgemonkey tungsten kicker, esp bait screw, and a 4 turn water knot as a stop ( ran out of beads)
Not a combo I fish myself but just something knocked together and it held it up for 3 days in a 2 bar pressure vessel.
Im not saying its the best but you can hardly say he'll struggle. my findings put it inline with proper jobs tests, unless I got a bad batch that happened to out perform the other batches?
I used a few kilos of BAF mix last year, had an facebook page admin asking for about 70 pots for his group, 12mm easily held up a size 4 ronnie, I've just checked the notes I gave him, components were size 4 TA curve shank, size 11 ptfe korda spinner swivel, ridgemonkey tungsten kicker, esp bait screw, and a 4 turn water knot as a stop ( ran out of beads)
Not a combo I fish myself but just something knocked together and it held it up for 3 days in a 2 bar pressure vessel.
Im not saying its the best but you can hardly say he'll struggle. my findings put it inline with proper jobs tests, unless I got a bad batch that happened to out perform the other batches?
In reply to Post #2
Polaris is a recipe gifted to mainline by the bloke who used to roll their pop ups, given that its a very old product and things have moved on massively other pop up mixes will out perform it
Polaris is a recipe gifted to mainline by the bloke who used to roll their pop ups, given that its a very old product and things have moved on massively other pop up mixes will out perform it
Oxford carp baits, the pop ups don't sink. Had a 14mm in a tank for over 10 days holding up a size 4 trig hammer, ronnie swivel and bait screw
Secret squirrel hookbaits I've had up for 3 days. 12mm holding up the same as above.
They've only stopped floating as the mrs wanted her glass vase back 😂
Secret squirrel hookbaits I've had up for 3 days. 12mm holding up the same as above.
They've only stopped floating as the mrs wanted her glass vase back 😂
Absolute rubbish. Commercialy available mix's can definitely be more than buoyant enough.
I roll popups for a small bait biz and our new modified popups have been holding up a chod for 6 days and they seem pretty much as buoyant as day 1. In the tank I also have popups from different companies for comparison, one being a mix rolled with BAF popup mix. The BAF mix is almost as buoyant as ours, the rest have failed at this point.
I'd happily use the BAF mix if starting out
I roll popups for a small bait biz and our new modified popups have been holding up a chod for 6 days and they seem pretty much as buoyant as day 1. In the tank I also have popups from different companies for comparison, one being a mix rolled with BAF popup mix. The BAF mix is almost as buoyant as ours, the rest have failed at this point.
I'd happily use the BAF mix if starting out
I rolled a couple of thousand hookbaits last year. So nothing like on the scale of the big boys, I've been making my own baits for years but when rolling for myself I wasn't ever that bothered if they weren't perfectly round or the odd one was a bit mis-shaped, so the BAF mix was fine. But a couple of years ago when I decided to start to sell a few I decided I needed better consistency, and that's where I found the BAF mix is lacking. I struggled to get consistent batches, and I'm very careful to get every mix exactly the same. I weigh everything on jewellers scales to 0.1g including the liquids. Even went so far as to buy a thermometer to get the water temps exactly the same on every batch. Yet despite this completely over the top attention to detail. I still had batches that would swell more than others. Some batches would harden off more than others. Some batches would mis shape more than others.
So I'd say for home use starting out it's fine but I think you will move on.
So I'd say for home use starting out it's fine but I think you will move on.
In reply to Post #9
Exactly my point
Exactly my point
In reply to Post #9
I found the exact same thing. If you are just adding flavours I'm sure it's fine, but then all you have is a cheap base mix, glass spheres and flavour.
Add a decent amount of heavier liquids and powdered additives and they struggle. You can obviously add more base mix but then you are diluting the attractors.
Cork balls are the way to get everything you want in the mix and keep reliable consistency. You can then also glug them to death once dried.
More of a faff but worth the effort.
I found the exact same thing. If you are just adding flavours I'm sure it's fine, but then all you have is a cheap base mix, glass spheres and flavour.
Add a decent amount of heavier liquids and powdered additives and they struggle. You can obviously add more base mix but then you are diluting the attractors.
Cork balls are the way to get everything you want in the mix and keep reliable consistency. You can then also glug them to death once dried.
More of a faff but worth the effort.
In reply to Post #11
If you are on about a 16mm hook bait with no additives then maybe they will be ok
I'm talking about 10 and 12mm baits with liquids, additives, fishmeal, glm etc.
I don't think those mixes would cope at all
If you are on about a 16mm hook bait with no additives then maybe they will be ok
I'm talking about 10 and 12mm baits with liquids, additives, fishmeal, glm etc.
I don't think those mixes would cope at all
The guy is getting into rolling his own hookbaits for himself, getting a perfectly rounded ball is the least important thing for the guy! His only concearn with the one he used was buoyancy anyway.
The BAF mix is absolutely fine for the guy. No need to complicate things for him.
The BAF mix is absolutely fine for the guy. No need to complicate things for him.
In reply to Post #12
I'd much rather use the exact mix I want to use with zero filler wrapped around cork at 14/15mm than have to bulk a 11mm ball out with a floaty base mix. 11mm is a tiny amount of paste to have to include the buoyancy ingredients too.
I'd much rather use the exact mix I want to use with zero filler wrapped around cork at 14/15mm than have to bulk a 11mm ball out with a floaty base mix. 11mm is a tiny amount of paste to have to include the buoyancy ingredients too.
In reply to Post #13
That's why I'm suggesting corkballs. He can put what he wants in the mix and it will be buoyant enough. Mine certainly are not perfectly round, but I'd rather they weren't.
That's why I'm suggesting corkballs. He can put what he wants in the mix and it will be buoyant enough. Mine certainly are not perfectly round, but I'd rather they weren't.