Road Salt

[Dave Wingfield]

Excellent post Keith, especially the part about salt in groundbaits.........must admit I didn't realise that.

Best Regards
Dave

 

[Paul Thomas]

I always add salt to my base mixes for boilies/pastes and for that matter to my hempseed too....

....is there much difference between rock/road salt and table salt??

and perhaps more importantly, will a fish be able to detect it??

Paul

 

[Robert Woods]

Last time I fished River Dane (first week in January) I could taste salt in water. Although it must put fish off at first I believe they soon get used to it as they must be hungry.

 

[Jason Bean]

I think rock salt effects whether fish will feed or not and it's all tied in with what's been washed in with it....

noticed over the last few weeks that perch are not to bothered about it and roach definitely dont like on the local canal

Cheers
Jason

 

[Colin Gordon]

Surely all for the good , save adding rock salt to my baits....
It can't be good all the oil running in though, seeing as we're always being told that fish can't digest oils readily when the water temp is low:confused:

Hmm, wonder is low salt high fibre bread may work.
I'll give it a try this weekend.

 

[Steve Shenfield]

I remember reading somewhere that when salt is added to water it requires energy for it to dissolve. This energy is taken from the water in the form of heat, thereby lowering the temperature of the water. I believe that this chemical reaction also has the effect of lowering the dissolved oxygen content of the water. I am sure that both of these will have an effect on the fish, albeit temporarily until the influx of some lovely warm rain.

 

[Brian Willson]

Its very interesting on the effect that salt would have on barbel, on the Dorset Stour and the Hampshire Avon it is now a well known and proven fact that barbel swim from one river to another, they would have to pass through brackish water on their journey.
Ray Walton has got some very good photographs of barbel that have been captured on both rivers and they have been recognised.
I do not know the difference between road salt and the salt found in the sea, so perhaps someone out there could answer this question.

 

[Vincent Coulson]

Forgive me if this is ignorant, but salt is salt yes? Don't pond keepers use salt around winter time to positively help the fish they keep?

Just a thought.

 

[Steve Reed]

Regarding the energy required to dissolve question - yes things do get a little colder when salt dissolves in water. I don't think this will affect water temperature because it will already be dissolved by the time it gets into the river. Salt doesn't acidify the water - it forms a neutral solution. You somtimes read that it deoxygenates the water - it doesn't do that either. Other organic muck washed into the river can affect oxygen levels but salt can't. Rocksalt contains mostly sodium chloride whereas sea water is a mixture of different sodium, potassium and magnesium salts (mainly). I think sport takes a dive when snowmelt goes in simply because you get the combination of high coloured water coupled with a plunge in temperature as chilled water just above freezing goes in. Hopefully things will stabilise by this weekend.

Steve

 

[Brian Willson]

Many thanks Steve, that sounds good enough for me.
Brian.

 

[Keith Speer]

Saturday 16th January.

With a river full of brown water snow melt and road washings but not chucking through I nicked this and five others on maggots on the stick!

Just goes to show conditions are never hopeless!!
I admit these fish came from a section that is known to be prolific but even so conditions were pants to say the least

 

[Ed Burke]

It may have a good head of barbel Mr Z but I bet it was only you that was catching in the current conditions.

To quote from the other site:
"Angling in a wilfully competent manner"

Guilty as charged.​

 

[John Pain]

It may have a good head of barbel Mr Z but I bet it was only you that was catching in the current conditions.

To quote from the other site:
"Angling in a wilfully competent manner"

Guilty as charged.​

Couldn't agree more Ed, competent is an understatement.