Change baits !

[Mike Thompson]

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 ?

 

[Andrew Richardson]

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 ?

Dont they go soggy really quick and come of the hair/hook?

 

[Adam King]

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 ?

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.

 

[Matt Shipley]

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.