In reply to Post #13
Sure keramine was an inclusion in the original A8....incidentally the best bait I've ever used by a country mile
Sure keramine was an inclusion in the original A8....incidentally the best bait I've ever used by a country mile
In reply to Post #16
Me too
Me too
In reply to Post #16
Same here I loved it. I remember when I left school I bought a kilo bag of the freezer baits and 5kg of the matching response pellets and the glug. it lasted me all summer holidays and into winter. Used the boilie as hookbaits and stringers and fed handfuls of pellet over the top. Loved the stuff, if I could still get the original stuff I'd never use anything else. I used it for 4/5 years then it changed.
Same here I loved it. I remember when I left school I bought a kilo bag of the freezer baits and 5kg of the matching response pellets and the glug. it lasted me all summer holidays and into winter. Used the boilie as hookbaits and stringers and fed handfuls of pellet over the top. Loved the stuff, if I could still get the original stuff I'd never use anything else. I used it for 4/5 years then it changed.
In reply to Post #16
Sure keramine was an inclusion in the original A8.
I tried Keramine about 15 years ago, another one of those horrible powders to work with.
Very fine, light, and stuck to everything just opening the bag, used half, the remainer set solid even double bagged.
Did it improve the catch rate..? The cork balls caught, the bottom baits didn't 
Sure keramine was an inclusion in the original A8.
I tried Keramine about 15 years ago, another one of those horrible powders to work with.
Very fine, light, and stuck to everything just opening the bag, used half, the remainer set solid even double bagged.
Did it improve the catch rate..? The cork balls caught, the bottom baits didn't
In reply to Post #1
It smelt nice but the bream loved it. Active 8 and assassin 8 smelt lovely, god that's going back a good 25years. Shame some baits are no longer about, one I miss the most is solar club mix with squid and octopus
It smelt nice but the bream loved it. Active 8 and assassin 8 smelt lovely, god that's going back a good 25years. Shame some baits are no longer about, one I miss the most is solar club mix with squid and octopus
In reply to Post #20
Starting to show our age Vinnie when we talk about Activ 8, Assasin 8 , Activ maple 8 , The Grange . I use to meet a guy in a car park on the A12 and pick up my Mainline at a great price all those years ago.
Sometimes I would go to Bevan"s carp shop and I remember he had a mainline bait I think it was a milky Toffee.
The old brain is a bit hazy from all those years ago.
Starting to show our age Vinnie when we talk about Activ 8, Assasin 8 , Activ maple 8 , The Grange . I use to meet a guy in a car park on the A12 and pick up my Mainline at a great price all those years ago.
Sometimes I would go to Bevan"s carp shop and I remember he had a mainline bait I think it was a milky Toffee.
The old brain is a bit hazy from all those years ago.
In reply to Post #21
Starting to show our age
Very true.
Grange Milky-Toffee
I didn't buy much ready rolled, early days a kilo would go a long way with stringers.
Every now and then somebody would have a freezer full of 10kg tubes going cheap although tbh a couple of times the bulk bags were definitely a bit iffy..
But mostly I rolled my own, it was easy to pick up a bucket of base, 20ml of activator didn't make any noticeable difference to 30ml and bulking Activ-8 out 25% with LT94 & PDFM certainly improved it
Starting to show our age
Very true.
Grange Milky-Toffee
I didn't buy much ready rolled, early days a kilo would go a long way with stringers.
Every now and then somebody would have a freezer full of 10kg tubes going cheap although tbh a couple of times the bulk bags were definitely a bit iffy..
But mostly I rolled my own, it was easy to pick up a bucket of base, 20ml of activator didn't make any noticeable difference to 30ml and bulking Activ-8 out 25% with LT94 & PDFM certainly improved it
In reply to Post #22
So it wasn't just me bulking it out with extra fishmeal to improve it and make it cheaper then? I also added Nash Shellfish Sense Appeal to it. Best bait I've ever used bar none and caught from the off absolutely everywhere!
This was how I used it:
10kg bucket Activ-8 basemix,
3kg bag Sardine & Anchovy fishmeal.
Per mix:
500g basemix,
15ml Activator,
2ml Nash Shellfish Sense Appeal,
4 large eggs.
Amazing bait!!
As I said earlier, last year when I learned that JR were doing the Activators again, I bought 5 bottles straight away (enough for 100x 4 egg mixes/50kg of boilies) and had the whole year on it and had my best season in many many years!
This time around I ditched the Activ-8 basemix altogether and used AA Baits HNV Fishmeal basemix, 15ml Activator, 2.5ml AA Baits Monster Crab flavour. This combo did really well for me and it came out exactly as I remember it always used to, I couldn't tell any difference.
What this tells me is that there's definitely something special in that Activator bottle!
I've previously tried to recreate the old bait, but with the Activator substituted for various other experimental liquid foods, like Minamino and CSL for instance. I gave each experimental recipe long enough to gauge results, but not until last year when adding the Activator back in, did I get the results I was hoping for and expecting!
So it wasn't just me bulking it out with extra fishmeal to improve it and make it cheaper then? I also added Nash Shellfish Sense Appeal to it. Best bait I've ever used bar none and caught from the off absolutely everywhere!
This was how I used it:
10kg bucket Activ-8 basemix,
3kg bag Sardine & Anchovy fishmeal.
Per mix:
500g basemix,
15ml Activator,
2ml Nash Shellfish Sense Appeal,
4 large eggs.
Amazing bait!!
As I said earlier, last year when I learned that JR were doing the Activators again, I bought 5 bottles straight away (enough for 100x 4 egg mixes/50kg of boilies) and had the whole year on it and had my best season in many many years!
This time around I ditched the Activ-8 basemix altogether and used AA Baits HNV Fishmeal basemix, 15ml Activator, 2.5ml AA Baits Monster Crab flavour. This combo did really well for me and it came out exactly as I remember it always used to, I couldn't tell any difference.
What this tells me is that there's definitely something special in that Activator bottle!
I've previously tried to recreate the old bait, but with the Activator substituted for various other experimental liquid foods, like Minamino and CSL for instance. I gave each experimental recipe long enough to gauge results, but not until last year when adding the Activator back in, did I get the results I was hoping for and expecting!
In reply to Post #23
No I think home rolling with 25-30% fishmeal was standard proceedure
definietly something about the activator, I rolled it on my own basemix and was pretty much one or two fish each 24hr session for last summer I that used it.
Similar results, I'd tried a few maple flavours, liver as the label, Keramin, squid-liver hydro and a couple of shellfish/crustacean flavours but they were straight on the Activ-M8.
Literally drop a bait & a couple of freebies in front of a fish going down the margin....
No I think home rolling with 25-30% fishmeal was standard proceedure
definietly something about the activator, I rolled it on my own basemix and was pretty much one or two fish each 24hr session for last summer I that used it.
Similar results, I'd tried a few maple flavours, liver as the label, Keramin, squid-liver hydro and a couple of shellfish/crustacean flavours but they were straight on the Activ-M8.
Literally drop a bait & a couple of freebies in front of a fish going down the margin....
In reply to Post #23
You probably improved the profile with that, Mainline bases were not what you would call HNV, although saying that, they didn't need to be, they just worked as a package
Always done that if I have been rolling a popular based that others were on, twisted
Mirage baits I noticed do and activated CSL…
You probably improved the profile with that, Mainline bases were not what you would call HNV, although saying that, they didn't need to be, they just worked as a package
Always done that if I have been rolling a popular based that others were on, twisted
Mirage baits I noticed do and activated CSL…
In reply to Post #25
probably works on the low protein ingredients, much cheapness- we've been told/sold HNV and feed quality over instant baits for 40 years but Mainlines dough balls keep catching.
I've had recipes that have had the full spectrum of (higher) digestable proteins, vits and minerals, superb 'feed' but hadn't been 'bait' until bulked out.
probably works on the low protein ingredients, much cheapness- we've been told/sold HNV and feed quality over instant baits for 40 years but Mainlines dough balls keep catching.
I've had recipes that have had the full spectrum of (higher) digestable proteins, vits and minerals, superb 'feed' but hadn't been 'bait' until bulked out.
In reply to Post #25
AA Baits do active CSL. You have to keep it in the fridge or it explodes lol, volatile stuff!
AA Baits do active CSL. You have to keep it in the fridge or it explodes lol, volatile stuff!
In reply to Post #27
Wonder what they are using. The mirage baits stuff is two parts I believe, mmmmm…
Wonder what they are using. The mirage baits stuff is two parts I believe, mmmmm…
In reply to Post #26
Maybe it's the carbs and an enzyme
Maybe it's the carbs and an enzyme
My mate rolls me a plum fish meal boilie. I have been thinking for a while to add some activ-8 activator. Anybody used activ -8 with plum together ?