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Bait bands

I use a band in a loop from the hair.

But not the usual rubbish ones you can buy as they split too easily.

I buy latex tube from ebay and cut to width
 
If you research this you will find plenty use bands, as do hair rigs, and even bait screws. Question is what do you prefer? What suits you, thing is be confident but be prepared to change also, banded pellet will catch barbel, as will baits and screws. Sometime these tweaks will get you a bite. One tip if I may...If you use larger peletts on the band, score with a knife around the middle this will enable the band to sit securely in the pellet. Chub are experts at mouthing a bait and picking your pocket, hence hairs are less likely to hook up Chub, but there are no rules.
 
I've just started using them but more by chance, as I had some tied up close season
Why a band vs a hair?
Firstly I don't tend to buy pre-drilled pellets ( I'm talking Elips or 10mm Halibut)
Alternatively I tend to superlgue pellets onto a hair, which is my normal method but can be a bit of a faff
Also when supergluing pellets you tend to use 2 pellets back to back. Most times this works a treat but some days the fish might just want to match the hatch and feel more confident feeding on just a single offering, same as the freebies you've put in. Bands make this easy and although I haven't tried it you would be able to offer double pellet on a band so you have a bit more flexibility.
But they're stupid barbel and eating machines I hear you say. Not always.
I've experienced fish literally swim past my double offerings into my pals swim where he's fished a single 8mm pellet and emptied it.
Same hookbait.
I've also found that in warm conditions smaller( 8-10mm) pellets break down quicker if drilled and if you rush drilling them it's possible to crack them - not a problem if they're having it, but you could end up not fishing?
And if you're lucky enough to have a ravenous shoal in front of you, it;s much quicker to pop a new pellet on a band. More relevant for match fishing but if you are in a feeding rhythm it just helps maintain it.
I tie mine to a pretty short hair and have caught chub and barbel on them. They seem pretty good at resisting chub plucks and I just wait for the chub to hang themselves which they normally do.
I had a few fish on Sunday on banded pellets, both chub and small barbel, but did end on an 8-11 which was grand, so they work.
I'll stick with it for now but always reserve the right to revert to Plan A
Like all these things , no rights and wrongs - try it out and see if it works for you.
 
Slightly off topic, but does anyone use Guru's QM1 hook for Barbel. I've got some tied up with bands on I use on the rare occasion I commercial match fish. Very good hook for the method. I wondered if they'd be OK for Barbel as I do band dumbbells and the odd pellet.
 
Simon Archer said:
Slightly off topic, but does anyone use Guru's QM1 hook for Barbel. I've got some tied up with bands on I use on the rare occasion I commercial match fish. Very good hook for the method. I wondered if they'd be OK for Barbel as I do band dumbbells and the odd pellet.
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I wouldn't trust them for bigger fish or anything that really pulls back, I think the wire is too fine.

I've found them excellent for smaller bream, the best hook I've used but I had one straighten on me when I was playing a double figure fish.
 
Neil Smart said:
If you research this you will find plenty use bands, as do hair rigs, and even bait screws. Question is what do you prefer? What suits you, thing is be confident but be prepared to change also, banded pellet will catch barbel, as will baits and screws. Sometime these tweaks will get you a bite. One tip if I may...If you use larger peletts on the band, score with a knife around the middle this will enable the band to sit securely in the pellet. Chub are experts at mouthing a bait and picking your pocket, hence hairs are less likely to hook up Chub, but there are no rules.
Click to expand...
Hi Neil, agree re above, I use two short bits of broken junior hacksaw blade glued together and mounted side by side on a short wooden handle to score a groove around Hali pellets for banding, makes a big difference as the groove does retain the band very well.. I dont know how I would fare trying to score a pellet with a knife, maybe a trip to A&E would be the result .
So far as Chub are concerned, I use a longish hair with a Drennan “ Push Stop “ tied to the end, on a hook, maybe a size 10 or 8, cutting the Spam so it will just touch the hook when mounted . I push it through the meat, then push the stop through one of the holes in a small shirt button , this acts like a flat round “ stopper “ that prevents the bait being yanked from the hair as sometimes happens when the fish are in a “ grab and run “ mood.
I use the same rig but bigger when fishing big spam lumps for Barbel. I use several different methods of keeping spam on the hook, dependent upon the speed of flow, the nature of the river bed etc..

David
 
Graham Elliott said:
I use a band in a loop from the hair.

But not the usual rubbish ones you can buy as they split too easily.

I buy latex tube from ebay and cut to width
Click to expand...
On the rare occasion i use bands do exactly the same thing. Latex clear pipe 4-6mm OD 1mm wall and it will stay there forever and grip a hard bait miles better than the tackle shop crap bands.
 
I've banded these.

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IMG_2637.JPG
 
Adam Wylie said:
If using hair why use a band as well ?.
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if your using a hair then you would need to use a drilled pellet these break down faster IMO
also I find with a pellet banding tool its faster using a pellet and dont ned to mess about gluing them on the hair either and of course you can still pull a pellet band thru drilled pellets if you want
 
I use bands on a hair for 6mm and 4mm pellets only, sometimes using two bands and pellets as Clive says, its much easier to band them that way than if the band is on the hook. Larger pellets I drill, I don't understand why anyone messes with superglue, with a sharp drill you can replace pellets in a few seconds, no mess.
 
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