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How big is yours.

Very interesting content on this thread and thanks for all your input.

Think I'll stick to my match box size lumps of meat as often on the Thames I'm fishing for bites, such is the nature of the river my nearest barbel could be some distance from my swim. After the season I've had I just want to see the tips move and would gladly welcome interest from chub, carp, smaller barbel ( say upto 6lb )...even a sodding bream.
A question of practicality and economics as well. I'd rather eek at 6 to 9 baits out of a large tin rather than 2 or 3 maaaoossive baits that may well restrict what I catch, and besides I'm often using pva bags or tape with smaller chunks of broken meat as an attractor to draw the fish to the hookbait.

I guess its horses for courses. Certainly will be giving larger baits a go, more out of curiosity than anything.

Duncan.
 
Part of the thinking with huge baits is that a large amount of scent is given off so fish can find it in high flood water.

Other solutions to increase the scent trail are paste in the gripper hole or foam strapped in the same and soaked in liquids. Also, open cage feeders stuffed with liquid soaked foam or stiff paste is a good solution too. In lower, warmer water I have used open feeders stuffed with halibut pellets broken down with boiling water into a sticky paste which is effective.

Stephen
 
If it's scent your after I do the following.

1. Grate a 340g tin through the smallest grater you have.
2. Stick the grated pieces in a blender, blend with a garlic infused oil( I use a hemp oil with a lot of chopped up garlic left in over a period of time)
3. Once the mix is a stiff liquid I mix with 50/50 brown crumb and ground up halibut pellet until I get a normal consistency.
4. Use in a swimfeeder as normal.

The consistency is that of the old tins of dynamite meaty groundbait and creates a good slick.

Word of warning, do this in A, an old cheap second hand blender and B, in a shed or outside to avoid marital disruption.!!!!
 
Marital disruption....LOL !!

Going back to Steve's point. Clearly if I was targeting one or two very large fish on a more intimate venue then I can see the merit in ' going large ' to save unwanted takes from smaller barbel. Clearly a 6 pounder isn't gonna get in its mouth what a 16 pounder could.

Duncan.
 
Quarter of a Tin

Hi All,
About 5 years back I started using a quarter of a tin-after watching Mike Lane catch regularly on the Teme, the stamp of fish does tend to be larger, but you still get the odd smaller fish take a lump. What I tend to do is fish a "sleeper" rod on the inside line-on the Severn/Thames just on the shelf, and on the Teme/Loddon literally under my feet/against the bank. I use a very light lead (1/2-1 oz) to ensure it tucks away nicely, then set baitrunner on a light setting then concentrate on my main rod. I fish a size 2 hook with the side exposed and wait for the fish to take swallow the bait-I expected for a bite to develop-but this has not happened to date-all bites have suddenly wrapped around. Looking back through my catches this has caught an average of 10 doubles a season inc my Severn and Thames PB's-I used to take the p^*( out of Mike, but now a convert.The only concession being that I would scale the meat down slightly in the colder months.

Cheers DT
 
Well a friend dropped a 4lb tin round today so we went to the shed and made up some large (hoover tube) meat pellets. With the off cuts I shredded up and flavoured ready for blitzing in the blender.
I think it must have been all this talk of meat that got me salivating. Just need the rivers to drop to a safe level now!!!
 
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