`Expanding pellets`??

[Julian Marshall]

Hope some of you who are a bit better informed on the bait scene could help :
I bought a kilo of these, in error - I usually buy either `normal` trout or halibut pellets, grind them to a powder & mix with eggs to make a paste. About as sophisticated as I get .....
Can I do the same with these `expanding` pellets or do they have some properties which would make them hopeless for paste? I don`t think they are the floating sort.
If you can shed any light I`d be grateful before they go in the bin.

 

[Adrian Williams]

Why not try it Julian and let us all know how you get on, or you could just take them back and ask the shopkeeper for a refund or an exchange.

 

[David Gauntlett]

Hi Julian,

I wouldn't normally answer a question like this, because I am not that clued up to give a decent answer, but as you have had no other replies, I will try to help.

Expander pellets are pellets which you usually placed in a special pump with water, and literlly pumped full of water to soften before use. I am not aware of any ingredients that would render them unsuitable for use as a paste, but as I say, I am not certain.

I would have thought that making a small quantity of paste for a trial run, using a handful of these pellets, was preferable to binning them untried. If you normally make your paste with water, then soaking these pellets for a few hours, or pouring boiling water on them will allow you to mash these to a paste easily....otherwise, grind as usual.

It would seem a terrible waste to bin them out of hand...give them a wiz

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Anthony Pearson]

Are they the expander pellets used by the pole fishers? If so, take them back and get a refund imo.

 

[Keith Humphreys]

Julian what you have bought are pellets that are much lower in oil than the pellets we would usually associate with barbel fishing, which the match fisherman would put into a bait pump to replace the air with water (this cannot be done with high oil pellets). However these pellets still contain all the ingredients that attract our chosen quarry and provided they are dry will still grind down to make a good paste but with little oil (which of course could be added).

 

[Derek Funcks]

When grinding the pellets that you normally use, just add a hand full or two of the expanders, that way your not wasting them, and your paste will go a little bit further.

 

[Trevor Davies]

Expanders that aren't 'pumped' will float but this shouldn't be an issue if you are grinding them up and making them into a paste as you are in effect getting rid of the air within the pellet when grinding them up.

Would of thought that it would make a good winter paste due to the lower oil content, maybe mix with water rather than eggs though to give a faster breakdown.

Cheers

Trevor

 

[Julian Marshall]

Thanks very much for the assistance gents. I`d never heard of a bait pump of that type - or the expander thing so I suppose it shows I`m a bit out of touch.
To my horror I`ve realised that I`ve blown my cover on the `special` bait I`m using & before long the bait itself will have blown.
I expect I`ll have to start using some of those funny shaped hooks, self-hooking rigs & possibly a `hair` I`ve heard about, though supplies of hair have run very low I`m afraid. I don`t want to have to deal with any twitchers.
If all else fails I could try a catfood special or one of those `HNV` things - otherwise it`s back to lobworms for the fish that still recognise them.

I`ll get grinding & try my luck.
Thanks again, Julian