Preparing your bait/ A1 pits advice

[Matt Withers]

So this is going to be a bit long winded, so bear with me ,

So I fished barbel masters this weekend, on the Trent at A1 pits, It is the only river match I’ve ever fished, I was totally out of my depth, a completely different experience experience than simply just going to the river on my own for an over night session, even though I enjoyed it, weather was good. Alas didn’t catch , but still made it through too the final as those in the sections that didn’t catch had there names drawn for a spot in the final,

With all that in mind I really need to step up my game,

When it come to preparing pva mesh bags, what is your base pellet mix, usually I base mine on halibut pellets and add in a few flavoured offerings, but with this when changing hook bait flavours, this then means a different batch of pva bags ?
So if your change hook bait flavours regularly during a session, do you bother to flavour your pva bags?

Also,I live a fair drive away, so practice sessions really aren’t viable, if any one has any advice I can use for fishing the Trent at A1 pits, thanks in advance

Cheers

 

[Terry Simner]

The quick, easy answer is ...make each bag prior to each cast or, inject premade bags of unflavoured pellets with your flavour of choice (using a wide-bore hypodermic needle).

 

[Mark Harridence]

I use the same pellet mix (Hinders Pellet Combo and mini Combo) and give them a good glug of liquid attractant, prior making my bags up, regardless of what hookbait I'm using. I also include 3 or 4 mixed flavoured boilies in with them.
Have a look on YouTube at the channel called 'Specimen Anglers' He's put a load of videos on and he only fishes A1 Pits.

 

[Simon Archer]

I suppose I'm a little blasé about pellets in a mesh bag. I've got a bucket where I just buy different pellets and chuck them in all together. Different sizes too, from 2mm up to 8mm. Halibut, Krill, Bloodworm, Dynamites green Swim stim. Normal course pellets. I'll just fish a large pellet of the same variety that's in the bucket, or a whittled down boilie.

 

[Jim Gregory]

I take it you mean a 37mm mesh bag of pellets, I like Simon never stick to any one pellet , having halibut, robin red, sticky krill and Nash scopex squid pellets in various sizes from 2 mm to 11mm.
And also scopex squid stick mix in the bucket too.
I'll add some scopex oil and some scopex squid hook bait dip. Then shake to cover everything, the inclusion of the oil is an absolute must for barbel, and also if you're ready made bags get a splash of water, it prevents them from breaking apart, as the oil soaks into the mesh.
When it gets low it gets topped up again .

 

[Jim Gregory]

Onto solid bags, .
Have you tried a 9" hooklink akin to a carp bag rig for barbel on lower stock rivers??.
Excellent for big chub work in the winter too
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