3. Baits and groundbait
What to put on the hook and how to draw fish to your spot
Natural baits (coarse fish)
- Worms: they work for almost anything, from Prussian carp to chub and perch; keep them cool, in damp soil.
- Maggots and larvae: small and medium fish, especially in cold water.
- Sweetcorn (boiled or tinned), polenta, wheat grains: carp, Prussian carp, bream, grass carp.
- Boilies and pellets: carp and grass carp, especially at lakes where the fish are used to them.
Artificial lures (predators)
- Spoons and spinners: pike, perch, zander, chub -- simple to use, retrieved at a steady pace.
- Twisters and shads on a jig head: zander and perch on the bottom, retrieved in hops.
- Crankbaits: pike and chub; choose the running depth to suit the water.
- Use a wire trace or thick fluorocarbon for pike -- its teeth cut ordinary line.
Groundbaiting (attracting fish)
- Groundbait is the mix thrown into the water (not on the hook) to gather the fish: breadcrumbs, cornmeal, seeds, plus a little of your hook bait.
- Little and often beats a lot and rarely: 2-3 balls at the start, then one every 15-20 minutes.
- In cold water use less groundbait -- the fish feed slowly and fill up quickly.
- At private lakes ask which groundbaits are allowed; some ban certain ingredients.