Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Heavy feeding isn't the answer if you've only got one or two fish in your swim . As for paste , John makes his own snd you can vary how it breaks down in the water . You want it to breakdown and break off your bait slowly causing leakage and a scent trail .Ok so maybe a really daft question. If John isn't a fan of pellets, when Barbel fishing, is he feeding any free offerings or just fishing single hook baits? Barbel videos always seem to show heavy feeding either with pellets or a ground bait approach.
Maybe just throwing out a few boilies into the swim?
And then when it comes to paste, I've only tried it once, some ready made Dynamite baits stuff but found it came off as soon as my bait hit the water. Is home made stuff tougher or did I just do something wrong?
Shelf life pastes don't seem to have the same bindind/moulding qualities of normal fresh, egg made paste. The shelf life pastes I've used have been useless for river fishing situations and seem to be brittle and dry.Ok so maybe a really daft question. If John isn't a fan of pellets, when Barbel fishing, is he feeding any free offerings or just fishing single hook baits? Barbel videos always seem to show heavy feeding either with pellets or a ground bait approach.
Maybe just throwing out a few boilies into the swim?
And then when it comes to paste, I've only tried it once, some ready made Dynamite baits stuff but found it came off as soon as my bait hit the water. Is home made stuff tougher or did I just do something wrong?
Yes bang on Stu .. I always make my own with a bag of base mix . That way I can add what I want and make it to a consistency I desire . .. not that I catch many barbelShelf life pastes don't seem to have the same bindind/moulding qualities of normal fresh, egg made paste. The shelf life pastes I've used have been useless for river fishing situations and seem to be brittle and dry.
Ok so next daft question, especially the length of time I've been fishing now
I see JB does the base mix and then the hook bait base mix. So does that mean if I buy a bag of off the shelf boilies (source for example) then those were meant to be the feed and hook baits should be the separate hardened hook bait tubs you can buy? Or are those hardened hook baits designed more for the carpers leaving baits out in the water.
I'm going to have a go at making my own baits so can I just buy the regular base mix from JB or do I need the hook bait base mix?
With regards feeding, I have been wondering if I have been wasting money buying pellets and all these branded ground baits for the small Warwickshire Avon and should just fish single hook baits with maybe a few boilies thrown in as a little feed? Especially as I'm trying to fish a few different swims each time I go out to see if I can find the fish rather than sit in one spot.
100% agree Barry, if the Barbel are not in any numbers and not competitively feeding then feeding large amounts of any feed is counter productive.Heavy feeding isn't the answer if you've only got one or two fish in your swim . As for paste , John makes his own snd you can vary how it breaks down in the water . You want it to breakdown and break off your bait slowly causing leakage and a scent trail .
![]()
Email John direct Mark ... he will tell you exactly what you need . He's really good like that and an absolute wealth of bait Knowledge .Ok so I want to make some of my own baits from JB so what should I buy?
If I went with F2 just for example, can't I just buy the base mix and make everything, including hook baits from that? Or have I got to buy the separate hook bait mix also?