• 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...

Boilie Advice

B

Billy Lowe

Member
As a new comer to barbel fishing I'm after a bit of advice. Up to now I've been useing elipse pellets and various flavours of meat. I'm thinking of trying boilies and wonder if any one can recommend an off the shelf or frozen brand/flavour. I'm fishing various streches of the Kennet that are on the Newbury and Thatcham cards if it makes a difference. Many thanks in advance for the help.
 
The Source by Dynamite is a decent barbel bait.
 
Pretty much anything of good quality from a reputable supplier and preferably frozen without preservatives, not shelf life.............just pick one and then stick with it, then stick with it and then stick with it more, don't keep changing...........

Boilies are about application, if they are good quality and you keep using them the fish will eat them and come back for more but it can take some time, especially in winter when you will just be feeding maybe half a dozen broken boilies in a swim

Good luck.......

Oh, and don't forget paste in the winter, to feed and wrap your boilies in..........
 
Ian Crook said:
Pretty much anything of good quality from a reputable supplier and preferably frozen without preservatives, not shelf life.............just pick one and then stick with it, then stick with it and then stick with it more, don't keep changing...........

Boilies are about application, if they are good quality and you keep using them the fish will eat them and come back for more but it can take some time, especially in winter when you will just be feeding maybe half a dozen broken boilies in a swim

Good luck.......

Oh, and don't forget paste in the winter, to feed and wrap your boilies in..........
Click to expand...

Nothing to add to that, good solid advice, Baitcraft or DT would be my choice if i was buying ready mades ;)
 
dynamite baits the source for me..caught alot of barbel from different rivers using it..I have used them in freezer form and also shelf life and to be honest i cant say that freezer form was any better than shelf life. All of my big barbel have been caught using shelf life boilies..I dont know enough to say which one is best and why but can only speak by the results ive had..:)
 
Craig,

My reference to freezer baits was more around breakdown and preservatives. If you are fishing a popular stretch of river such as the Newbury and Thatcham stretches of the Kennet referred in the initial question, and everyone was using shelf life baits there would be a good amount of food around for a long time..........also the article I referred to the other week on the pellet thread from Dr Mark Burdass says "Some of the preservatives (Benzoic acid and potassium sorbate) in boilies have been shown to be toxic to fish"

..........I am sure they will physically catch as many fish........
 
Hi Ian, Its hard to know what to believe or to believe when it comes to bait, John Baker thinks pellets are bad for Barbel etc..As mentioned before i dont know enough about bait to make any sort of judgement. I can only go on what i read or by what people like yourself say..I have also read that some HNV baits dont do the fish any favours due to basicly giving the fish the "trotts"..Theres so much conflicting stuff out there regarding what makes a good bait and what makes a bad bait, it realy is hard to know who or what is right..:confused:
 
John Baker's view on pellets is based on the same research by Dr Mark Burdass, he banned pellets on his fishery immediately upon it's release.

The points on boilies in the presentation are:

  • Massive variety and quality available
  • Key issue is boilies are generally not designed as food for fish
  • If boilies constitute the main diet of fish then problems occur
  • Particular problem with carb. rich boilies and those containing preservatives
  • Carb. rich boilies don’t meet nutritional requirements for fish
  • Again too much of a good thing!
  • Most fish are functionally diabetic.
  • Too much simple carbohydrate can lead to the death of fish
  • Some of the preservatives (Benzoic acid and potassium sorbate) in boilies have been shown to be toxic to fish
 
Now im even more confused.:eek:..If this information is true why do bait manufacturers still carry on making toxic baits?.Surely they should change ingrediants or are they just choosing to ignore these findings in the name of profit?.
 
It was said that luncheon meat also did the fish no good..The trouble is fish will pretty much eat anything from boilies to rotten, decaying flesh off other animals..I have even read somewhere that Barbel stocks have declined in rivers that have been bombarded with pellets and boilies for years..It would be nice to have some sort of conclusive evidence..:cool:
 
After a quick scan around with google on the effects of Benzoic acid on fish, interestingly reproductive problems are noted: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a737781570~frm=abslink

As I've always said; a full ingredients declaration should be mandatory.

Thing is pellets destined for inclusion into the human food chain do carry such a declaration, if the pellets are bought in bulk, yet your 1kg bags from tackle shops don't.

Back to the thread question: I'd try any meaty or fishy boilie, especially ones that include hot spices, chilli, black pepper etc
 
i'm not trying to cause friction as i really dont know much about bait ingredient effects on fish but arent the pellets we use in our fishing the same as are used for farm bred salmon and trout..if so then they dont seem to do these fish any harm
 
Stewart Pickles said:
i'm not trying to cause friction as i really dont know much about bait ingredient effects on fish but arent the pellets we use in our fishing the same as are used for farm bred salmon and trout..if so then they dont seem to do these fish any harm
Click to expand...

Stewart, the problem, I understand is that these feeds, i.e. pellets were designed and developed for feeding sea and game fish and they are not suited to cyprinid species, carp, barbel, etc....

I do feel that I am moving away from the point of the thread and apologise for the distraction.....
 
My concern actually goes further than Ian's, I am interested in any potential ills being inflicted upon all species with high level usage of feeds designed for king carp, boilie or pellet.

As a carp must have different nutritional requirements to a barbel, chub, roach or minnow
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top