Middy Consumer CATALOGUE WEB - Flipbook - Page 86
TIPS & ADVICE
GROUNDBAIT GUIDE:
5 WAYS TO USE IT
Groundbait can be mixed up and used in many ways. Here are a few
tips on how to do so, courtesy of Middy team co-ordinator and top
angler Russell Shipton.
2
MIX AS A PASTE HOOKBAIT
Some groundbaits can be used as a paste on
the hook and they seem to be the ones that are
very fine, such as MegaByte from Adrenaline
Baits. To mix this you need to work out how
much water to add for the right consistency
you require. Add the water to the groundbait in
a bait tub and stir it around, normally it looks
far too wet initially and you think you have
overdone the water, but if you leave it to stand
it will absorb the water and thicken. It’s a little
trial and error at first but you can add more
water if needed.
4
ON BOTTOM
When you want to get fish down feeding on the bottom, firmer balls of
groundbait are better. You can achieve this by either adding stiffening agents
or mixing it with a “medium” amount of water – not so much as if you wanted
a paste mix, but more than you would for moulding around a method feeder.
These firmer balls of groundbait should be rolled in the hand to about tennis
ball size and squeezed with quite firm pressure. You can add free offerings,
like 2mm feeder pellets, throughout the complete ball; or you can specifically
just put them in the very centre of the ball so that they’re released later. You
can also make some balls up with different consistencies – some that break up
quicker, and some that break up slower – meaning the fish will be occupied in
your swim for longer. For deeper swims, where you don’t want the groundbait
balls to be breaking up before reaching the bottom, you can just wet the
outside of them prior to feeding, which will make them break up slower.
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1
FISHING THE EDGE
When fishing in the edges on commercial fisheries during
the warmer months, groundbait can be deadly, but it needs
to be used correctly. Only feed groundbait in the edges
in depths of 2 feet or less, or where you can get tight up
against the bank and fish cannot get behind your rig.
The two feet rule is because any more and it could start
to spread too wide and you will have fish everywhere,
resulting in foul hooking. Another great tip for feeding
groundbait in the edge is to get as much water into it as
possible without it going sloppy. If you do this correctly
you can feed it via a pole cup (lightly pushed into the cup,
not made into a ball), and this will sink quickly as it's heavy
and should not spread much, concentrating the fish but
wihout forming a mound on the bottom.
3
UP-IN-THE-WATER
If you want to feed sloppy groundbait for catching fish up
in the water, mix it like a paste but get the consistency
right so that you can form a ball that can be thrown by
hand. It must be soft enough to explode on impact with the
water - the splat noise will tell you that you have mixed it
right, plus this noise along with the groundbait itself will
attract fish.
5
USE A RIDDLE
After you have
initially mixed your
groundbait, it is
often a good idea
to put it through a
riddle to remove any
lumps. This will fluff
up the groundbait,
which helps it
bind together.
It’s particularly
important to riddle it
when you are fishing
the method feeder.