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Change baits !

Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson

Senior Member & Supporter
I am probably an average angler, but, now in my mid 70's, I no longer night fish, wade or rove from swim to swim. I select one of two swims in quiet, scenic locations and fish for 4 or 5 hours in daylight.
Now when choosing a swim we rarely know what has happened over the preceding days, or even the hour before we arrive. If it has been fished there is a good chance that boilies or pellets have been used. They are popular, low cost, easy to use baits, and we know they account for many captures. So I will probably start with this bait approach.
Now I like the occasional McDonald's, but if I have had a BigMac each morning for the last three days and a mate says" can I buy you a BigMac ? ". My answer is likely to be, no thanks mate, I'm not very hungry. But if he then says "how about a doughnut ?" . I am likely to reply, that would be nice thank you.
So my thinking is, if I have not had a bite, or only a few taps on the tip after a couple of hours, are the barbel there, but not hungry. This has happened several times this season and the last three times I have decided to make a switch. Totally different bait, shape, colour, smell and taste. Something they have not seen very often, but tickles their tastebuds. Coincidence maybe, but in each occasion I have landed one of two fish in the next hour.
Anybody else fancy a doughnut ?
 
Mike Thompson said:
I am probably an average angler, but, now in my mid 70's, I no longer night fish, wade or rove from swim to swim. I select one of two swims in quiet, scenic locations and fish for 4 or 5 hours in daylight.
Now when choosing a swim we rarely know what has happened over the preceding days, or even the hour before we arrive. If it has been fished there is a good chance that boilies or pellets have been used. They are popular, low cost, easy to use baits, and we know they account for many captures. So I will probably start with this bait approach.
Now I like the occasional McDonald's, but if I have had a BigMac each morning for the last three days and a mate says" can I buy you a BigMac ? ". My answer is likely to be, no thanks mate, I'm not very hungry. But if he then says "how about a doughnut ?" . I am likely to reply, that would be nice thank you.
So my thinking is, if I have not had a bite, or only a few taps on the tip after a couple of hours, are the barbel there, but not hungry. This has happened several times this season and the last three times I have decided to make a switch. Totally different bait, shape, colour, smell and taste. Something they have not seen very often, but tickles their tastebuds. Coincidence maybe, but in each occasion I have landed one of two fish in the next hour.
Anybody else fancy a doughnut ?
Click to expand...
Dont they go soggy really quick and come of the hair/hook?😁
 
Mike Thompson said:
I am probably an average angler, but, now in my mid 70's, I no longer night fish, wade or rove from swim to swim. I select one of two swims in quiet, scenic locations and fish for 4 or 5 hours in daylight.
Now when choosing a swim we rarely know what has happened over the preceding days, or even the hour before we arrive. If it has been fished there is a good chance that boilies or pellets have been used. They are popular, low cost, easy to use baits, and we know they account for many captures. So I will probably start with this bait approach.
Now I like the occasional McDonald's, but if I have had a BigMac each morning for the last three days and a mate says" can I buy you a BigMac ? ". My answer is likely to be, no thanks mate, I'm not very hungry. But if he then says "how about a doughnut ?" . I am likely to reply, that would be nice thank you.
So my thinking is, if I have not had a bite, or only a few taps on the tip after a couple of hours, are the barbel there, but not hungry. This has happened several times this season and the last three times I have decided to make a switch. Totally different bait, shape, colour, smell and taste. Something they have not seen very often, but tickles their tastebuds. Coincidence maybe, but in each occasion I have landed one of two fish in the next hour.
Anybody else fancy a doughnut ?
Click to expand...
I once bait dropped some sweetcorn in the edge on a well fished stretch of the Great Ouse and I watched as a barbel came up to it, only to completely freak out and bolt out of the swim like it’s life depended on it. At the same time the water erupted further out with vortex’s caused by the rest of his/her mates as they also fled from the scene. Fascinating to see, and a real eye opener to their reaction to certain baits. So it might not be that they are full up, just a certain bait puts the wind up them a bit. I have since gone on to catch Barbel on the Trent using sweetcorn, so it just goes to show that there are no hard and fast rules in fishing.
 
I’ve never done well using sweetcorn on the hook for anything, not sure why.
Blanked the last couple of evenings on my usual river so maybe time to try something different, done quite well this season until now using good old luncheon meat. Fancy trying the smaller bait approach but won’t be able to get to the tackle shop for any maggots/caster/hemp this week so probably will be continuing with the meat for next time at least.
 
Interesting post. I think that is a very real issue on today's heavily pressured swims. If you have the luxury of plenty of Barbel it is probably not so significant but realistically, back in the real world, you are not likely to be fishing for many fish. Of course, what can you do if they've already been caught yesterday? Martin Hooper used to say to get well away from the car park swims which were fished yesterday and will be fished again tomorrow and the day after and so on. Of course, there were more fish 30 years ago and now you just have to go where there are likely to be Barbel. Often where the grub is, by the car park!
 
Matt Shipley said:
I’ve never done well using sweetcorn on the hook for anything, not sure why.
Blanked the last couple of evenings on my usual river so maybe time to try something different, done quite well this season until now using good old luncheon meat. Fancy trying the smaller bait approach but won’t be able to get to the tackle shop for any maggots/caster/hemp this week so probably will be continuing with the meat for next time at least.
Click to expand...
Why not get a bag of 10mm halibut pellets or Elips or a tub of Pellet Os and you’ll always have a few options for a switch bait and they all catch
I always have Pepperami fire sticks and cheese strings as a snack for me but both also can make a good switch bait in the right conditions
Naturals are great but can be a hassle to get for short sessions
 
Paul Richardson said:
Why not get a bag of 10mm halibut pellets or Elips or a tub of Pellet Os and you’ll always have a few options for a switch bait and they all catch
I always have Pepperami fire sticks and cheese strings as a snack for me but both also can make a good switch bait in the right conditions
Naturals are great but can be a hassle to get for short sessions
Click to expand...
Another vote for pepperami. Caught some very good fish on it. Squeeze it and it oozes fat and oil, great for fishing but I won't eat it! One of my daughters, when she was tiny, loved the stuff and was always raiding my supply in the fridge! 😅
 
If it's hard going I find it's more presentation that's the key and will opt for more rolling methods as have found that to be useful. Maybe that's because I can cover more ground on the river but having spent hours without much action I flip to a very light weight and a bit of something moving thru the swim.
One thing I've be wanting to try is chopped worm or full worm for Barbel. Maybe something that's been "pepped up" with flavours in a tub would be a good option, so any thoughts?
 
Adam King said:
I once bait dropped some sweetcorn in the edge on a well fished stretch of the Great Ouse and I watched as a barbel came up to it, only to completely freak out and bolt out of the swim like it’s life depended on it. At the same time the water erupted further out with vortex’s caused by the rest of his/her mates as they also fled from the scene. Fascinating to see, and a real eye opener to their reaction to certain baits. So it might not be that they are full up, just a certain bait puts the wind up them a bit. I have since gone on to catch Barbel on the Trent using sweetcorn, so it just goes to show that there are no hard and fast rules in fishing.
Click to expand...
Agree the scary sweetcorn thing is quite a thing, maybe the colour yellow or whatever they see is a danger signal.?
 
My friend has just started barbel fishing and mostly been using pepperami. He’s been doing quite well using small pieces, reckons it looks like a pellet to the fish.
 
Carl Massey said:
If it's hard going I find it's more presentation that's the key and will opt for more rolling methods as have found that to be useful. Maybe that's because I can cover more ground on the river but having spent hours without much action I flip to a very light weight and a bit of something moving thru the swim.
One thing I've be wanting to try is chopped worm or full worm for Barbel. Maybe something that's been "pepped up" with flavours in a tub would be a good option, so any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I have had alot of success in the past fish worms on longish hooklinks behind a method feeder. A stodgy pellet mix that stays on the feeder rather than breaking up provides a massive scent trail to draw fish up to the worm bait. More often than not I would simply lower this into a marginal spot sometimes inches from the bank.
 
In essence Mike , you answered your own question , you changed bait and it worked ! When Barbel are present and feeding they will eat pretty much anything put in front of them , they are not fussy , changing baits can do no harm it's really all about the anglers confidence . Change baits that have worked for me include cheese paste , sweetcorn , maggots and worms , the only problem with these , particularly the last 3 is that they are none selective and pretty much anything will eat them , but hey , a bites a bite !
 
I agree that a moving bait can make all the difference. I can recall times when I had a swim full of Barbel but no takes. A lift of the lead or feeder allowing the bait to move and re-settle evoking an instant take. I think it's the movement and not the bait itself that matters as it has been the same bait that gets the bite. Usually maggots I recall.
 
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