I only started carp fishing last year, and already i have amassed quite a lot of bait.
Boilies
Pellets
Pop ups
Method mixes
Groundbaits
Booster liquids
Dips
Glugs
Raw tiger nuts
etc
etc
I chucked the lot into a box and store it in my cellar, where the temp is always low but never close to freezing, probably hovering around 8 degrees during winter. All items have been opened, some are well sealed in original screw cap containers, others like boilies, pellets, groundbaits etc had the bags opened, and wrapped back up.
Some of the baits do have sell by dates. Is it common practice to continue using baits past their sell by dates, or is this dangerous for the carp and frowned upon?
How effective are boilies, pellets, groundbaits etc where the bag was opened during summer, stored over winter, and used again next season. Do they loose a large % of their small/scent, are they known to be less effective a year down the road?
As i am about to enter into my second season carp fishing, I'd be interested to hear experienced carp anglers opinions on this matter.
Thanks
Boilies
Pellets
Pop ups
Method mixes
Groundbaits
Booster liquids
Dips
Glugs
Raw tiger nuts
etc
etc
I chucked the lot into a box and store it in my cellar, where the temp is always low but never close to freezing, probably hovering around 8 degrees during winter. All items have been opened, some are well sealed in original screw cap containers, others like boilies, pellets, groundbaits etc had the bags opened, and wrapped back up.
Some of the baits do have sell by dates. Is it common practice to continue using baits past their sell by dates, or is this dangerous for the carp and frowned upon?
How effective are boilies, pellets, groundbaits etc where the bag was opened during summer, stored over winter, and used again next season. Do they loose a large % of their small/scent, are they known to be less effective a year down the road?
As i am about to enter into my second season carp fishing, I'd be interested to hear experienced carp anglers opinions on this matter.
Thanks
In reply to Post #1
not saying im right, but thats what i do
Boilies - frozen approx 6 months, i dont use shelf life so cant comment
Pellets - dunno, dont use them, but air tight and packaged correctly (dry) quite along time
Pop ups - if kept sealed or in liquid, 12 months ish
Method mixes - dunno, dont use it
Groundbaits - dunno, dont use it
Booster liquids - as per pop ups
Dips - as above dependant on make up
Glugs - as above
Raw tiger nuts - years if kept sealed and air tight, same as any dry particle
not saying im right, but thats what i do
Boilies - frozen approx 6 months, i dont use shelf life so cant comment
Pellets - dunno, dont use them, but air tight and packaged correctly (dry) quite along time
Pop ups - if kept sealed or in liquid, 12 months ish
Method mixes - dunno, dont use it
Groundbaits - dunno, dont use it
Booster liquids - as per pop ups
Dips - as above dependant on make up
Glugs - as above
Raw tiger nuts - years if kept sealed and air tight, same as any dry particle
In reply to Post #2
ok thanks mate, appreciate the input.
ok thanks mate, appreciate the input.
In reply to Post #1
Ive used freezer boilies over a year old and caught, If they look ok and the freezer hasnt defrosted at all they should be fine, the fish in my pond didnt mind em either, shelf lifes i would ask the maker of them, different processes are used by different bait manufacturers. Pop ups i have used many over a year old, sometime a glug or liquid to revive them...
Ive used freezer boilies over a year old and caught, If they look ok and the freezer hasnt defrosted at all they should be fine, the fish in my pond didnt mind em either, shelf lifes i would ask the maker of them, different processes are used by different bait manufacturers. Pop ups i have used many over a year old, sometime a glug or liquid to revive them...
In reply to Post #1
Personally I'd say if it looks and smells alright it probably is alright. Look out for oxidised smell with fish oils/meals/liquids, it's a bit like old Mackeral to me.
The frozen boilies I have at the mo are from 2018/19, perfectly fine. I have used dynamite shelf boilies at least a few years old. In fact I rue the last of my Sardine & Anchovy which are now gone.
Boilies in dips, some are several years old, most are over a year.
Pop ups, don't age well, they lose a lot of smell / flavour, I refresh mine with dips, I overdip anyway.
Pellets, got some krill based ones from 2017, still fine.
Method mixes, most of my dry ingredients are a couple of years old.
Dips/glugs, indefinite. I have a cracked lid on a dynamite baits CSL bottle, it's quietly been concentrating for a few years, got a consistancy like marmite now, still works fine.
Tigers and most particles indefinately for me, just watch out for oily ones.
Personally I'd say if it looks and smells alright it probably is alright. Look out for oxidised smell with fish oils/meals/liquids, it's a bit like old Mackeral to me.
The frozen boilies I have at the mo are from 2018/19, perfectly fine. I have used dynamite shelf boilies at least a few years old. In fact I rue the last of my Sardine & Anchovy which are now gone.
Boilies in dips, some are several years old, most are over a year.
Pop ups, don't age well, they lose a lot of smell / flavour, I refresh mine with dips, I overdip anyway.
Pellets, got some krill based ones from 2017, still fine.
Method mixes, most of my dry ingredients are a couple of years old.
Dips/glugs, indefinite. I have a cracked lid on a dynamite baits CSL bottle, it's quietly been concentrating for a few years, got a consistancy like marmite now, still works fine.
Tigers and most particles indefinately for me, just watch out for oily ones.
Hutchy flavours: 40 years.
In reply to Post #6
and they go up in price exponentially
and they go up in price exponentially
In reply to Post #5
I'd agree apart from,
Pellets, any oil based ones will turn once the bag is opened, even the low oil ones will. Not so quick in the winter if stored in a garage or shed but through the summer it happens.
Pop up's will last years if they are a good quality and kept in the dark and cool. Once you start adding any liquids they last half as long.
The most important thing is to keep every bait and dip etc in the dark and air tight.
If you vacuum pack frozen bait you could open it up 3 years after putting in the freezer and it will look and smell no different to the day you put it in, dont understand why so few do it.
I'd agree apart from,
Pellets, any oil based ones will turn once the bag is opened, even the low oil ones will. Not so quick in the winter if stored in a garage or shed but through the summer it happens.
Pop up's will last years if they are a good quality and kept in the dark and cool. Once you start adding any liquids they last half as long.
The most important thing is to keep every bait and dip etc in the dark and air tight.
If you vacuum pack frozen bait you could open it up 3 years after putting in the freezer and it will look and smell no different to the day you put it in, dont understand why so few do it.
In reply to Post #8
I agree re pop ups lasting years but in my experience they don't age well. I have a lot of older pop ups and they always lose their potency, even Cell :-0...lol and if I can't refresh them I used them as floater baits
I use cork dust pop ups so liquid affecting buoyancy isn't really a issue.
I agree re pop ups lasting years but in my experience they don't age well. I have a lot of older pop ups and they always lose their potency, even Cell :-0...lol and if I can't refresh them I used them as floater baits
I use cork dust pop ups so liquid affecting buoyancy isn't really a issue.
In reply to Post #9
Trouble is some companies use cheap ****ty cork and that goes manky unless the glug is of very high quality.
Trouble is some companies use cheap ****ty cork and that goes manky unless the glug is of very high quality.
In reply to Post #9
All cork dust pop ups I've ever used have been rubbish for buoyancy after adding liquids. Just generally a not very buoyant pop up or at least not for long anyway
All cork dust pop ups I've ever used have been rubbish for buoyancy after adding liquids. Just generally a not very buoyant pop up or at least not for long anyway
Bit disappointing to read that from you guys (from the perspective of dodgy companies and bad corkers), you clearly have more experience of different companies than me.
I can honestly say I've never had issues with the cork dust pop ups I use, and even worse I usually use them cut in half to add buoyancy to another none pop up half, ie butterflied back to back, it should really show up then but they're always buoyant when I've finished with them, as are the whole pop ups.
I rarely change bait companies, in the last 14 years I've used 3 companies on the whole, Dynamite (BNC & S&A) & then DNA from when they launched S7, never had any trouble with theirs, my present S7 corkers are from 2019 and have been freshened up when dry at least twice. The only other company I've used is UB's standard pop ups. These last few years I haven't fished anywhere as much as I used too, hence re-using the bait I had from the trip before, probably a habit I need to get out of.
I did buy a pot of Solar Banoffee corkers in Dec 19, smelt lovely, opened the pot in June last year, all mouldy, I guess Solar isn't what it used to be either, combine that with Nutrabaits and those 2 account for another 15+ years of bait, memories I guess I'll have to leave as just that.
EDIT, I guess longevity of popping up is a good point, I can only comment from my experience which won't be the same as everyone elses and I might have to reconsider if used for extended periods of time, which I don't on the whole
I can honestly say I've never had issues with the cork dust pop ups I use, and even worse I usually use them cut in half to add buoyancy to another none pop up half, ie butterflied back to back, it should really show up then but they're always buoyant when I've finished with them, as are the whole pop ups.
I rarely change bait companies, in the last 14 years I've used 3 companies on the whole, Dynamite (BNC & S&A) & then DNA from when they launched S7, never had any trouble with theirs, my present S7 corkers are from 2019 and have been freshened up when dry at least twice. The only other company I've used is UB's standard pop ups. These last few years I haven't fished anywhere as much as I used too, hence re-using the bait I had from the trip before, probably a habit I need to get out of.
I did buy a pot of Solar Banoffee corkers in Dec 19, smelt lovely, opened the pot in June last year, all mouldy, I guess Solar isn't what it used to be either, combine that with Nutrabaits and those 2 account for another 15+ years of bait, memories I guess I'll have to leave as just that.
EDIT, I guess longevity of popping up is a good point, I can only comment from my experience which won't be the same as everyone elses and I might have to reconsider if used for extended periods of time, which I don't on the whole
In reply to Post #12
Ref longevity of pop ups staying up, to some 8 hours is a long time others 12 hours or even 48 in some cases. The trick is finding the ones that will do 48 so you know everything else is covered.
A lot of people wouldn't even know their pop up had turned into a bottom bait anyway because they dont check when retrieving their rigs, they pull the pop up off chuck it in the lake and it floats but that doesn't mean it was still buoyant enough to have been keeping your rig up.
Ref longevity of pop ups staying up, to some 8 hours is a long time others 12 hours or even 48 in some cases. The trick is finding the ones that will do 48 so you know everything else is covered.
A lot of people wouldn't even know their pop up had turned into a bottom bait anyway because they dont check when retrieving their rigs, they pull the pop up off chuck it in the lake and it floats but that doesn't mean it was still buoyant enough to have been keeping your rig up.
In reply to Post #13
Got to confess, I'm a bit old fashioned and stuck in my ways, if I was putting something out there for a while I'd probably revert back to a drilled and cork plugged bottom bait. The only reason I don't do that now is my fishing time has changed and pop ups/corkers are fine for what I need.
Got to confess, I'm a bit old fashioned and stuck in my ways, if I was putting something out there for a while I'd probably revert back to a drilled and cork plugged bottom bait. The only reason I don't do that now is my fishing time has changed and pop ups/corkers are fine for what I need.