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Pellet size.

Simon Archer

Simon Archer

Senior Member & Supporter
What's the smallest size pellet you would use as a hook bait ??

Had my first trip out this season on a very low middle Trent last week. I fished a banded 8mm pellet with a mesh bag of mixed sized pellets on my upstream rod, and a whittled down boilie with a few freebies on the bottom rod. Nothing to report, bar four Roach and a small Pike that took a liking to the pellet.

Once reeled in, the 8mm pellet has expanded a little and would now be around 10mm. It got me thinking if I could get away with a smaller sized hook pellets. I've got some pellets from my match fishing days that are a lot smaller, probably 6-7mm. Barrels and wafters. Bright colours and some strange smells, but made me think they'd be worth a go in these low water levels we're experiencing at the moment.

No doubt I'll get, "you shouldn't be fishing in these conditions" answers. But it was just a general question as I don't fish a pellet that much.
 
Personally Simon, I can't imagine any fish (besides minnows maybe) that would take a 5-6mm pellet but not an 8mm pellet. I've used strings of/multiple 8mm pellets on the hook in the past, but (IMHO) I don't believe that a barbel/chub/whatever would refuse a 10/12mm pellet whilst readily taking an 8mm pellet. I'd say, don't 'sweat the small stuff'.
 
The smallest I go with is two 6mm glued to the hair and shave a flat side to them with a blade or more often a single dynamite 8mm pre drilled pellet I also sometimes go the other way and use a single big pellet 24mm with no loose feed mate
 
one day on the Wye I was getting small taps and vibrations on the rod tip but no bites. I ended up going down to a single 4mm banded on a 16 and started catching immediately, literally one a cast for the next hour. I was using 3mm and 4mm pellets in the feeder and assume they got preoccupied on small pellets. Since then I have used this tactic on days when I can't buy a bite and on one other occasion it also produced instant results.
 
Cliff Turner said:
one day on the Wye I was getting small taps and vibrations on the rod tip but no bites. I ended up going down to a single 4mm banded on a 16 and started catching immediately, literally one a cast for the next hour. I was using 3mm and 4mm pellets in the feeder and assume they got preoccupied on small pellets. Since then I have used this tactic on days when I can't buy a bite and on one other occasion it also produced instant results.
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I was waiting for you to prove me wrong Cliff. As I was writing above I was thinking .... "If Cliff is reading this ......" 🤣 :p🤣:p
 
Cliff Turner said:
one day on the Wye I was getting small taps and vibrations on the rod tip but no bites. I ended up going down to a single 4mm banded on a 16 and started catching immediately, literally one a cast for the next hour. I was using 3mm and 4mm pellets in the feeder and assume they got preoccupied on small pellets. Since then I have used this tactic on days when I can't buy a bite and on one other occasion it also produced instant results.
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I think you’re right Cliff it’s a bit like when they get pre occupied with hemp that’s why I sometimes use a donkey choker or big piece of meat and no loose fed 4mm / 3mm pellets that way they only have two choices either eat or not eat? 👍🏻
 
I'm hardly one to try and give advice, but smallest hook bait I use is around 12mm, be that either a pellet or boilie (mainly though I have a 15mm on the hook) . I'm fishing for Barbel but don't mind the Chub, and we all know how big their mouths are. I don't want any other nuisance fish picking up the hook bait (or to deter them from doing so for as long as possible)
 
8mm is the smallest I’ve used, mostly 2 at a time but occasionally one. Personally I don’t see the benefit of smaller size pellets on the hook…if I wanted to go smaller bait size I’d be using casters/hemp
 
I don't use pellets much of any size on the hook, but do feed them in moderation. I'd normally square off a halibut boilie, and use that instead.

I'd fined down due to the conditions, fished an 8mm banded pellet on a 12 hook to a long 9lbs Supplex hooklength, in the hope smaller baits would trip up the fish. My normal approach would be Korda Supernatural, a 6 hook and a 14mm boilie. I fished both rigs, over two rods, but only caught Roach on the pellet, and no Barbel.

I don't know whether to persevere with the smaller pellets, or just carry on with bigger baits.
 
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