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Accepted practice

Chris Thomson

Chris Thomson

Senior Member
I'm guessing most on here are using a bait that is of a meat/ fish/spice basis or attractors that are of a spicy/meaty type and was wondering why we seem to choose a bait of that type because there Barbel. Obviously historically those baits/ boilies have always been the accepted norm but are we missing a trick with sweet type baits? Drawing a bait from the carp world ie Cell that is probably one of the most successful baits on the circuit now so if barbel anglers were to use that bait as heavily as carp anglers would we have the same % success rate? Just thinking out loud really how perhaps weve become stereotyped into the type of bait we use
 
I've never thought that barbel needed educating to accept sweet baits, they like them as much as any other. Some anglers seem to be slightly blinkered towards savoury barbel baits whilst ignoring many other winning combinations.
Tutti frutti corn, pineapple flavours and cranberry shellfish were always great barbel catchers for me.
I gave up on the corn when signal crayfish became a problem, and bream always liked it of course,.. but so did the barbel.
Cell was a constant barbel catcher and put a 14.08 club record on the bank for a mate.
I guess sometimes it's difficult to keep an open mind with barbel baits whilst trying to retain confidence,... cue lots of hype from bait manufacturers.
 
Quite true JW, which is the very argument I use when a bait manufacturer either discontinues or changes a winning recipe!
Hope you are keeping well fella;)
 
Personally caught barbel on a number of sweet fruity baits - both home made and commercial.
On boilies, paste - Tutti Frutti, Honey Yucatan, most things strawberry, pineapple, plum, maple, multi fruit enhancer (old Cotwold baits). Mainline Grange (old one) was one hell of a barbel bait. Mixing fruit with savoury can also give results - ala salar and plum is one example.
 
I'm no expert but boile flavourings are mainly synthetic anyway so they bare little similarities to what the boilie is named or what the real "Taste" is.

That's perhaps why the simple halibut pellet is constistantly successful.
 
IMHO... if it smells good to the angler then he'll use it. And if he uses it enough he'll catch on it. That'll give him confidence to use it more, and he will catch more on it. Ad inf.....

AND.... which smells strongest, blue cheese/bread paste or plain bread paste? Blue cheese paste might catch more in turbid conditions (just might).... but in clear water conditions??

PS.... Bob... Torrix is 'fishing its head' off'. Don't they bend eh!.....many thanks!
 
Here's something to get you thinking.
I caught a lot of pike on strawberry, pineapple or banana flavoured deadbaits. And I know for a fact from talking to several people I'm not the only one.

It's well known both carp and barbel will eat easy protein in the form of dead fish, hence the fascination with halibut groundbaits for barbel. And yet carp like fruity baits. Personally I prefer to think of them as sweet, as our senses aren't their senses.

I only know I wouldn't have 40 or 50 air dried for a year boilies absorbing honey for the last 6 months for no reason ;-)
 
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