Hi, I'm after some advice on making wafters please.
I've made bait for many years, so I've mastered making regular loose feed boilies and hardened bottom baits, albeit using pre made base mixes etc.
I would now like to make some wafters in 22mm (this size to help deter the hoards of bream and roach in the lake I fish).
What is the best way of doing it, with cork granules or pop up mix added?
Can anyone give a start guide for percentages of either to be substituted with base mixes which might to make essentially a very low buoyancy pop up which only requires the weight of the hook (size 4 or 2 wide gape pattern) to hold it down?
My current base mix requires 4 eggs per 500g, but understand until I've properly cracked it, 1 egg mixes to 125g basemix (including either cork granules or pop up mix) is the way to go.
Any help gratefully received, many thanks for reading
I've made bait for many years, so I've mastered making regular loose feed boilies and hardened bottom baits, albeit using pre made base mixes etc.
I would now like to make some wafters in 22mm (this size to help deter the hoards of bream and roach in the lake I fish).
What is the best way of doing it, with cork granules or pop up mix added?
Can anyone give a start guide for percentages of either to be substituted with base mixes which might to make essentially a very low buoyancy pop up which only requires the weight of the hook (size 4 or 2 wide gape pattern) to hold it down?
My current base mix requires 4 eggs per 500g, but understand until I've properly cracked it, 1 egg mixes to 125g basemix (including either cork granules or pop up mix) is the way to go.
Any help gratefully received, many thanks for reading
In reply to Post #1
approx 20% pop up mix or 15% cork granules by volume. Make the mix, pinch off a boile sized piece, test in a glass of water with hook/rig of your choice then either knead in more base mix/pop up mix/cork granules or adjust the size of the boile.
approx 20% pop up mix or 15% cork granules by volume. Make the mix, pinch off a boile sized piece, test in a glass of water with hook/rig of your choice then either knead in more base mix/pop up mix/cork granules or adjust the size of the boile.
In reply to Post #2
When you say “by volume”, do you mean for example 4 scoops of base mix to one scoop of pop up mix (4/5 base mix to 1/5 pop up mix)?
I think at that point I would weigh both items and calculate in percentages moving on, so I know how many grams of basemix to how many grams of pop up mix/cork granules per egg.
lol, this is starting to feel like working in imperial and metric at the same time
When you say “by volume”, do you mean for example 4 scoops of base mix to one scoop of pop up mix (4/5 base mix to 1/5 pop up mix)?
I think at that point I would weigh both items and calculate in percentages moving on, so I know how many grams of basemix to how many grams of pop up mix/cork granules per egg.
lol, this is starting to feel like working in imperial and metric at the same time
In reply to Post #3
I do it by weight using 1-2mm granules. its much easier to weigh for me. Granules obviously don't weigh much so it looks like you include loads.
It depends on the mix and also the rig for the inclusion levels but 5% - 8% by weight for me does the job for a 16mm wafter.
I made some wafters this week, using with a size 6 longshank spinner rig with all the nonsense bits, 8% was just a smidge lifting the hook in a tupperware test. At 12ft depth it should sit nice.
Using a 5% by weight wafter on a size 8 widegape straight simple hair rig coated braid, not covered in glue and dragged through hobbeycraft heavy with parts etc, 5% is plenty.
This is using a fishmeal mix, 10% krill meal - not a super heavy mix.
I do it by weight using 1-2mm granules. its much easier to weigh for me. Granules obviously don't weigh much so it looks like you include loads.
It depends on the mix and also the rig for the inclusion levels but 5% - 8% by weight for me does the job for a 16mm wafter.
I made some wafters this week, using with a size 6 longshank spinner rig with all the nonsense bits, 8% was just a smidge lifting the hook in a tupperware test. At 12ft depth it should sit nice.
Using a 5% by weight wafter on a size 8 widegape straight simple hair rig coated braid, not covered in glue and dragged through hobbeycraft heavy with parts etc, 5% is plenty.
This is using a fishmeal mix, 10% krill meal - not a super heavy mix.
In reply to Post #4
Would the size of the bait not be irrelevant to the buoyancy? I mean, if you changed nozzles halfway through a mix, the ratio of buoyant ingredients to sinking ingredients remains the same in the two different sizes doesn't it? I know you have to factor in rig/hook weight, depending on how you want it to sit.
Would the size of the bait not be irrelevant to the buoyancy? I mean, if you changed nozzles halfway through a mix, the ratio of buoyant ingredients to sinking ingredients remains the same in the two different sizes doesn't it? I know you have to factor in rig/hook weight, depending on how you want it to sit.
Sorry to be a non- conformist, but why not just use a snowman and balance it to your requirements. I appreciate if you intend casting it out and leaving it for four days until it gets picked up, water ingress may be a problem. For most carp fishernan it's unlikely to be an issue. Many ways to remove the outer covering from a recalcitrant feline.
In reply to Post #5
Yep, totally - for the bait. I mention it just in terms of using it with the rig as well and what you might want to achieve.
An 8mm wafter will still waft itself under its own weight no different to a 16mm but you might also be aiming to negate the weight of the rig and all the gubbins you might have on there - so a 16mm wafter might do that where-as an 8mm might not.
Or thats how I've come to think of it anyway.
Yep, totally - for the bait. I mention it just in terms of using it with the rig as well and what you might want to achieve.
An 8mm wafter will still waft itself under its own weight no different to a 16mm but you might also be aiming to negate the weight of the rig and all the gubbins you might have on there - so a 16mm wafter might do that where-as an 8mm might not.
Or thats how I've come to think of it anyway.
In reply to Post #6
of course. There's not as much tinkering involved though is there?
Can always drill out and cork a bait too for somewhere in the middle effort wise.
of course. There's not as much tinkering involved though is there?
Can always drill out and cork a bait too for somewhere in the middle effort wise.
In reply to Post #6
I do use snowmen loads tbh. I fish a 4 rod water and tend to fish combinations of straight bottom baits (20-22mm either single or double baits), snowmen (20 or 22mm bottom baits with 14-16mm pop ups), or currently only 20mm wafters bought from a bait company (really need larger baits to slow down the bream and roach). Want to make some 22mm wafters to match my current bait (largest wafters they do are only 18mm and would be up all night with nuisance fish).
I do use snowmen loads tbh. I fish a 4 rod water and tend to fish combinations of straight bottom baits (20-22mm either single or double baits), snowmen (20 or 22mm bottom baits with 14-16mm pop ups), or currently only 20mm wafters bought from a bait company (really need larger baits to slow down the bream and roach). Want to make some 22mm wafters to match my current bait (largest wafters they do are only 18mm and would be up all night with nuisance fish).