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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.
 
6mm used to be a size I used on the hook regularly. Feeding a mixture of 4s and 6s. I’ve used 4mm but tbh it wasn’t particularly successful and resulted in undesirable bycatch and it whittles away too fast. You can get predrilled 6mm which are perfect for superglue hair rigs.
 
I’d say 80% of the barbel I’ve ever caught have been on 8mm pellet. I’ve far more confidence in them than bigger sizes, which probably perpetuates me using 8mm more, skewing the results. Reading the thread though and it’s encouraged me to try 6mm when I’m not getting bites.
 
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