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What fish and will not take

Paul Hayes

Paul Hayes

Senior Member
I spent yesterday on an easy fishery full of crucianss around 8oz, small mirrors
and commons and beatiful golden rudd, biggest fish in there is only around 8lb.
For a change I decided to experiment, other than bread and sweetcorn , I took no recognisable baits only various things I could find around the house.
Plums, Apples, Banana, Pear, Gooseberry, Raspberry, cherry and Strawberry from the fruit bowl and from the cupboard, baked beans and garden peas.

Other than gooseberry and apple I caught small carp on all baits, biggest fish was around a pound and a half and that fell to three baked beans which incidentally proved to be the most succesful bait of all them. Messy to use but effective, next best was strawberry. Apples and gooseberries failed to produce a bite.
Baked beans produced a bite every cast.
I'm now contempalating hair rigging baked beans and putting them in a feeder to see if barbel will take them.
Anyone ever tried them?
 
I'm sure fish will accept a lot more baits than we realise, if it's food I'm sure they will inspect it - I'm sure it's a confidence thing, if you know a bait will work you have confidence to leave it out until it gets taken. It's a good idea going without your normal baits you have confidence in, so you have to perservere with it - it's how I discovered the great bait bread is.

I also managed a small rudd on a bare, unbaited hook whilst plumbing up, perfectly lip hooked - obviously fancied a bit of metal for lunch.
 
Now there's a co-incidence. I was out tidying the garden yesterday and picked off the dregs of my strawberry crop. As most of what was left had been partly eaten by the birds and slugs I just threw them in one of my ponds, they floated. Within half an hour or so they had all gone but being too busy I hadn't watched the fish feed. They hadn't dropped to the bottom so assume also that the fish must love them.
 
I recall watching an episode on TV with Matt Hayes Carp fishing in Italy, he was using a hair rig with a full strawberry and caught a decent fish, he also tried ravioli and don't think he caught on that.

John Wilson has sections in his books that advocate the use of unusual or not widely used baits, most of them are old fashioned, I can't help but think these old baits that the fish won't have seen in a while might have the edge over pellets which are used by most anglers. New potatoes and kidney beans for carp are mentioned, as is silkweed for roach.

Sam
 
Sam Pottage said:
I recall watching an episode on TV with Matt Hayes Carp fishing in Italy, he was using a hair rig with a full strawberry and caught a decent fish, he also tried ravioli and don't think he caught on that.

John Wilson has sections in his books that advocate the use of unusual or not widely used baits, most of them are old fashioned, I can't help but think these old baits that the fish won't have seen in a while might have the edge over pellets which are used by most anglers. New potatoes and kidney beans for carp are mentioned, as is silkweed for roach.

Sam
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Years ago on the canalised section of the River Soar which runs through Leicester they used to catch carp on chips.

PAUL
 
Paul Hayes said:
Years ago on the canalised section of the River Soar which runs through Leicester they used to catch carp on chips.

PAUL
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I've heard talk about anglers at Bridgnorth using chips to catch barbel. Chips regularly get chucked of the bridge by late-night revellers so the fish would be used to them. Never tried it myself, one day perhaps.
 
Andy Millichamp said:
I've heard talk about anglers at Bridgnorth using chips to catch barbel. Chips regularly get chucked of the bridge by late-night revellers so the fish would be used to them. Never tried it myself, one day perhaps.
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I heard about a good barbel coming out of a really hard bit of the thames on a chip, for this exact reason! I've thought about it, but I just can't quite bring myself to rig one up though.....
 
Ive caught chub on chips from bewdley town centre when I noticed the chub under the ducks havin em big time.:D:D Ive also had a bit of succes with pineapple.:D
 
The trout and grayling in the Derbyshire Wye at Bakewell respond well to chips, tourists are always throwing them in for them. I would love to get 10 minutes on there with a rod!

Baked beans were a popular carp bait back in the 80's, along with chick peas, black-eyed beans, etc.
 
Ahh you beat me to it Steve, I emptied 'that' pool in Shrewsbury once about twelve years ago with baked beans on the hook.
I've also caught tench and bream on chips from the corner swim on Horsehay poll in Telford before they lowered the level in it. It's right next to the pool and has a big block of concrete where people sit and throw chips to the ducks. It's not so good now as there is a beach in front of the concrete block. Having said that I've not fished it for years, perhaps I'll give it another go in the spring.
 
Fishing the Hampshire Avon back in the 70's I had plenty of good chub on white jelly beans. After a few minutes in water they went an amazing translucent colour and looked like a really juicy maggot. Also back then I had a barbel from the Boat Pool on the Royalty on a segment of banana.

I have also had plenty of different species on raw beef.
 
raw beef,steak, is a cracking chub bait, you need to flatten it with a back of a knife into flat strips.
 
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