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Wafters.

Simon Archer

Simon Archer

Senior Member & Supporter
Anyone use Wafters in their river fishing ??

We've made some wafters for my Carp fishing mate, and I've made myself some cork dust ones in my flavour. Obviously not very good in fast water, but it's got me thinking that they may ?? be ok in slower paced swims.
 
A lot of the time.

But when does a wafter become a pop-up?

I want a wafter that sits on the bottom once it is attached to a decent sized hook etc.

I use parts of wafters to balance bottom baits and also small dumbell wafters as change baits for chub and finally as formers for paste baits (again to add buoyancy).

Why are they not very good in fast water ?
 
Not tried often for barbel but have for chub…and very effective they are too when chub are being a bit cagey on the tip! If I’m finding hard to connect with bites when chubbing the go to bait is a boilie wafter, that usually does the trick!
 
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Alan Palmer said:
Not tried often for barbel but have for chub…and very effective they are too when chub are being a bit cagey on the tip! If I’m finding hard to connect with bites when chubbing the go to bait is a boilie wafter, that usually does the trick!
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Going to try Pop up mix mixed into my cheesepaste for this seasons winter chubbing.
 
Simon Archer said:
Anyone use Wafters in their river fishing ??

We've made some wafters for my Carp fishing mate, and I've made myself some cork dust ones in my flavour. Obviously not very good in fast water, but it's got me thinking that they may ?? be ok in slower paced swims.
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I've used wafters for barbel for at least 7 yrs now, whilst I think they give me a tiny edge, and it's a personal preference, I don't think it really matters that much.
Barbel will eat anything.
Jim
 
I have no doubt in my mind that a critically balanced bait will outwit cagey feeders and that tends to be with a wafter. The only problem is and it is a problem, is that being light, the flow imparts a movement on the bait that spooks some barbel in clear water.
 
My most successful hookbait on the Thames for the last 5 years has been a white wafter fished on a bait screw. The hook lies flat? and the bait sits above/moves in the current
 
I haven't tried wafters but in all honesty Id be very surprised if they outfished a boilie, pellet or other static bottom bait. Has anyone fished a boilie and then switched to a same flavoured wafter and started catching straight away ?
 
If I recall correctly wasn't Stuart Morgan using a wafter / pop-up to catch large numbers of barbel in one or those earlier underwater videos he produced with Guy Robb?
 
Of course they’ll work and I actually think on the right days they will out fish baits on the deck in much the same way moving baits can on the right day out fish statics.

A huge % of a barbel’s natural diet is above ground level especially in pacy rivers. They’ll take all these fancy buoyant carp baits, wafters and pop ups etc.
honestly i wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried a zig and had success.
They will happily feed anywhere in the water column.
 
Alan Palmer said:
Could be good if using a base mix, if using pastry im thinking you might need quite a lot as it’s so dense?? Like the idea though
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Will be using a bread based mix
Gonna go for a fluorescent yellow pop up mix
Experimenting the paste in a bucket of water until I get it right.
This is for fishing on the tip of course as opposed to running a float through which is very effective.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
If I recall correctly wasn't Stuart Morgan using a wafter / pop-up to catch large numbers of barbel in one or those earlier underwater videos he produced with Guy Robb?
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Yes he did Joe, I can't remember which one of the Up close and personal videos it was but I think it was when him and Guy were fishing the Lower Severn regularly.
 
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