• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Anyone using milks this winter?

John Care said:
So what off the shelf boilie would you recommened then Pete?
Click to expand...
Hi men ,

If you are looking at barbel related baits that are shelflife, then it's got to be said that Sticky Krill , Baitworks ( all of them ) , and one of my favourites DNA take some beating . All have a great texture , and the matching pastes , liquids etc are outstanding . C-stim from Baitworks would be my first choice , as iv seen the reaction with my own eyes 😉, and their oils have everything barbel anglers are looking for . DNA switch for a non fishmeal bait has worked home and abroad for me , and the finished bait in texture and hardness is almost exactly the same as a frozen bait .

As for quality , they all produce a list of ingredients , and YouTube is your friend on this . Baitworks have some good videos , and you could never doubt the quality of all 3 companies iv posted. Other companies produce baits , but none rival in any way Mainlines baits Grange . It was a massive edge , and one I was lucky to get onto very early 😉😉 , going to picking up their version from the owners bungalow in bulk before it wea released out to shops etc , game changer that I never got to test on barbel , but I know it would have smashed them .

Hatter
 
Last edited:
If I use shelflifes it’s always madbaits pandemic a bait that has caught lots and lots of barbel
... on the subject of bait if you make your own and like to air dry it.. check out the new air dry bags at Sainsbury’s you will find them down the fruit aisle 25p each
 

Attachments

  • 701D704C-7876-4684-A33D-9EEE08F8739F.jpeg
    701D704C-7876-4684-A33D-9EEE08F8739F.jpeg
    104.2 KB · Views: 254
Derek Funcks said:
Pete's 😁🤣😂
Click to expand...
I'm no bait bait buff but I know what the fish like and what catches. I don't sell shelf life baits as I feel the preservatives contained within them are not healthy for fish. My baits contain high levels of milk proteins and are best made up fresh for each session.
None of my baits are endorsed or tested by well known anglers on Facebook but everyday anglers like you and me.
 
I always prefer freezer baits I had some shelf life pandemic boilies given to me and I compared them to my freezer pandemic and the freezer baits smell so much nicer but are they better only the fish know
 
Peter Hayes said:
I'm no bait bait buff but I know what the fish like and what catches. I don't sell shelf life baits as I feel the preservatives contained within them are not healthy for fish. My baits contain high levels of milk proteins and are best made up fresh for each session.
None of my baits are endorsed or tested by well known anglers on Facebook but everyday anglers like you and me.
Click to expand...

Hi Peter - just to clarify; my comments on bait testers, etc was referring to your business in any way - just a general comment really. :)
 
Just curious to whether you can just freeze home made baits OK just using a base mix and flavourings and how long would they be ok for
 
Hi men ,

Shelflife / frozen , it's simple really , barbel and general anglers do not use enough bait in general to effect the situation . If you look at the new range of stabilised baits , and things like DNA hookbaits system of Evo hookbaits there are lots of options . Fish telling the difference ? , not a chance , as some of the trickiest carp would not pick one up . If you can tell the difference in smell then I would not use either versions of it .
As barbel anglers the DNA Evo bait system is a great , if not truly original idea , with their matching powder and liquids being very attractive for barbel . Better than a paste wrapped pellet / boilie ? , Yes but but for the average angler not a great advantage .

Interesting subject that recently came up with a couple of good friends . A couple of things I used in the past ( 1980's) for a bait I was using came up in an old Cotswold Baits catalogue . Some of their stuff was awesome , and my head was spinning after just a half hour chat at a bar with them . I think Keith is involved with Hinders now , so will be interesting if he gets involved with barbel baits .

Hatter
 
The old Cotswold Baits were a very innovative and forward thinking company. A lot of it went over most peoples heads at the time but they provided some of the best base mixes, additives, and attractors on the market at that time. Even today the use of enzymes is still not fully understood within bait as much as we think it is. I used to love their M-Tech and the Metabait before that, and who can forget their Salmon & Shrimp additive!
 
Hi men ,

I used my own basemix , but included some of their stuff in it . One thing was LMSPE , liquid milk sweet protein enhancer , a fantastic liquid that Hutchy had a version of , and he told me on a bit of a boozy night that he thought it actually emulsified the flavour I was using . I bought a big bottle of it 😉. They also did some nice lecithin that was finer than those I had got from a health shop , if it made any difference I don't know . A few of their flavor/attractors were ok , but some I never got on with . It was through them I got into N-butyric acid , although I went onto the SBS version of Sickly Butter . Doubled up with the awesome Rum&Raisin pumped out 2 different attractors on the same hair , and tripped up a few carp . Then Mainline Grange came along , I got on it early 😉😉😉 game changer 🙂 .

Hatter
 
Ray Heath said:
Just curious to whether you can just freeze home made baits OK just using a base mix and flavourings and how long would they be ok for
Click to expand...
I make mine from fresh on the day
Bit of a ball ache sometimes but they are nicer baits from a smell and feel point of view. Freezing tends to add unwanted moisture to them and they never seem quite the same as when fresh. I’m sure they would work mind but I like to use them at their best.
I make single egg batches with a small fresh egg 2/3 boilies 1/3 paste and that does me for a day session easy with some left over. If I’m doing just short evening sessions I’ll make a batch last 2 sessions and keep it in the fridge so long as it’s used in a couple of days tops.
 
I used to use an Andrew James vacuum sealer machine, quite possibly advised by Bob Gill I think, that saved and kept fresh a whole heap of bait.
Stick half a kilo of boilies or couple of egg mix in a vacuum packed bag at home, carefully cut open the top of the bag on the bank and use what you need. Then when you get back indoors, using the same bag, vacuum seal again! Only open to the atmosphere for literally the time you are on the bank.
Kind regards
Damian
 
Damian Kimmins said:
I used to use an Andrew James vacuum sealer machine, quite possibly advised by Bob Gill I think, that saved and kept fresh a whole heap of bait.
Stick half a kilo of boilies or couple of egg mix in a vacuum packed bag at home, carefully cut open the top of the bag on the bank and use what you need. Then when you get back indoors, using the same bag, vacuum seal again! Only open to the atmosphere for literally the time you are on the bank.
Kind regards
Damian
Click to expand...
Good idea Damien I have a vacuum food sealer do you use this method and how long unopened do they last and have you frozen any like this as I freeze my freezer baits in small packs and they last a long time
 
Still use a vacuum sealer for most baits and ingredients, it works very well.
Used milks from the early days (70's Geoff Kemp etc) using relatively simple mixes and had success carp, tench and barbel in summer and winter.
Surprising (at the time) it was a Cotswold additive that was very successful for barbel - their multi fruit flavour enhancer.
Almost totally by accident took a few boilies from a carp session to the river and gave them a try with good results. Became my 'always worth trying bait' and flavour. Went on to be a great tench and roach bait as well. Lost touch with Cotswold as they moved out of the area.
Simple recipes like Casein, Lactalbumin, Caseinate, Soya Isolate, Gluten, Carpvit and Soya Oil gave great results.
Just memories now....
Cheers
Bob
 
Hi men ,

It was Cotswold that got me onto a few ingredients as they did a talk for me when I was a Carp Society RO , and as I said I just cut a milk base mix , like Hi nu Val with elevated levels of their rennet casein with higher levels of attractor . Fried my head with lots of their advice , and i tried to get into the enzyme side of things , then Mainline did it for me 😆😆😆😆.

Hatter
 
Hi men .

Little story ( some say I'm full of them 🙄) . I picked up another 50 kilos of the only just released "Grange" bait from head honchos bungalow in deep Essex , and they showed me what they were doing on the way to the lake . They would put a couple of big handfuls of baits into a shallow cardboard box , this was put into the footwell of their car with the blower set on hot , in fact some of them were turning dusty white 🙂

Hatter
 
The original Grange was a great barbel bait. Got the local shop to get me in 5 kg and the additive (at the time was 2 bottles with advice to leave the yeasty smelling one loosely capped). Never seemed the same when the two liquid ingredients were replaced by 1 bottle.
Went on to Activ8 and better for me - Active Maple 8. Both good barbel baits that unfortunately changed and never seemed the same.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top