Sweetcorn for barbel?

[David Chant]

I was told that 15 -20 years ago, before I started barbel fishing, sweetcorn was a bait used by many barbel anglers with great success. I have tried it for barbel a couple of times but, where I fish, blanks are a lot more common than barbel so I wasn't surprised when I didn't catch anything . I use sweetcorn for other species, such as bream and tench, and it seems to be as good a bait as any for them.

What I was wondering was, does anyone still use sweetcorn regularly or is it confined to angling history, like par-boiled potatoes for carp?

Now there is another thought, has anyone used potatoes as a barbel bait

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Still a great bait, try using a stack of three grains and feed hemp with just a bit of corn

 

[Steve Roffey]

I have often found that corn works well as a daytime change bait in summer when you can't get a bite on anything else.

 

[Neil Smart]

I was told that 15 -20 years ago, before I started barbel fishing, sweetcorn was a bait used by many barbel anglers with great success. I have tried it for barbel a couple of times but, where I fish, blanks are a lot more common than barbel so I wasn't surprised when I didn't catch anything . I use sweetcorn for other species, such as bream and tench, and it seems to be as good a bait as any for them.

What I was wondering was, does anyone still use sweetcorn regularly or is it confined to angling history, like par-boiled potatoes for carp?

Now there is another thought, has anyone used potatoes as a barbel bait

Par boiled potato, blimey that goes back a bit. Never had any success with Corn for Barbel, plenty of Chub though in the summer months under a stick float, can be deadly.

 

[Rhys Perry]

I've had the odd one on corn but don't use it that often, was contemplating having a go with it this weekend, which I now might.
I remember my old fishing book I had a a kid suggested using a piece of streamer weed as barbel bait!

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Barbel love sweet anything. I’ve only ever caught small ones when using corn but they still can’t resist a piece
Plastic corn is good if placed on a bed of free offerings on a long hair. Smaller nuisance fish can’t rip it apart so easily.

 

[Neil Blood]

When I’m fishing a pellet feeder, with damp small pellets, during the summer months, I always add some corn to the mix and alternate between corn and pellet on the hook.

I also find that it works particularly well on the River Wye.

 

[Dean Aston]

I still use corn sometimes but not on the hook. I fish big chunks of meat with a tin of corn (taken out the tin ) and spread round done ok taking 3 doubles in a evening of the river Severn

 

[Paul Thompson]

Try trotting with corn in fast water, good for avoiding smaller species like dace, works well on the wye and in conjunction with dropper fed hemp, corn and very small cubes of chopped meat, fed at the head of the swim.

 

[David Craine]

I use corn quite regularly on the Ribble for Barbel, plugging one end of the feeder with brown crumb and ground hali pellet, stuff the middle with corn, then plug the other end , on the hook I usually have either two or three fake corn pieces hair rigged, takes are usually quite violent, but, it does also attract Chub, although most of the Chub are in the 4-5 lb bracket so quite acceptable. Added advantage that the hook never needs rebaiting.
I have also noticed that tinned corn that has been refrozen several times and become a bit soft and sloppy makes a good feeder fill as above, maybe that is why the fish seem attracted to a firmer hook bait, albeit fake?

 

[Rod Fowler]

Had several from the Kennet on corn in the days when barbel were more numerous.

 

[Jon Frisby]

Trent Barbel love sweetcorn. Better than pellets imo.

 

[Ian Grant]

Cor ! this takes me back a bit ! .... The way i used to do it, but before i start i'll tell you Dave it's not very selective !!!
A tin or two of the Jolly green ( cos it's the firmest ) size 8 or 6 hook, Knotless knot, Take a good length of line and burn a large bobble on the end and then pass the end through the bottom of the eye and pull till the bobble is stopped by the eye. using a darning needle thread up to a dozen grains onto the line, and then wrap the grains around the shank ( try and keep them as much as possible on top of the shank ), but make sure plenty of hook point is showing, tie it off at the back of the hook or even the line up against the eye. You're good to go ! You can if you want empty the juice of the corn from the tin, put in a container , and add a fish oil if you want, and i used to put a tea spoon of robin red in too ! leave in the fridge overnight ( don't freeze ) Downside .... Roach and Dace will peck the hell out of it, and a big one might even take it, Chub will pounce on it ! Bream wont pass it up either, and if Carp are around they'll have it too ! PS ... I stopped using it for Barbel because it was driving me nuts ! ... I do recall haveing a few small Barbel on it though, but that was when an 8lber was a good fish Doubles were like rocking horse poo !

 

[David Chant]

Cor ! this takes me back a bit ! .... The way i used to do it, but before i start i'll tell you Dave it's not very selective !!!
A tin or two of the Jolly green ( cos it's the firmest ) size 8 or 6 hook, Knotless knot, Take a good length of line and burn a large bobble on the end and then pass the end through the bottom of the eye and pull till the bobble is stopped by the eye. using a darning needle thread up to a dozen grains onto the line, and then wrap the grains around the shank ( try and keep them as much as possible on top of the shank ), but make sure plenty of hook point is showing, tie it off at the back of the hook or even the line up against the eye. You're good to go ! You can if you want empty the juice of the corn from the tin, put in a container , and add a fish oil if you want, and i used to put a tea spoon of robin red in too ! leave in the fridge overnight ( don't freeze ) Downside .... Roach and Dace will peck the hell out of it, and a big one might even take it, Chub will pounce on it ! Bream wont pass it up either, and if Carp are around they'll have it too ! PS ... I stopped using it for Barbel because it was driving me nuts ! ... I do recall haveing a few small Barbel on it though, but that was when an 8lber was a good fish Doubles were like rocking horse poo !

Hi Ian, thanks for that. I hope you are well and have had a good season so far. I am thinking of having sweetcorn as a forth alternative bait. From the comments of others I may be better waiting until the start of next season.

 

[Jon Frisby]

Point to note too. 2 sweetcorn super glued back to back like slips pellets.

 

[Terry Simner]

Hi Ian, thanks for that. I hope you are well and have had a good season so far. I am thinking of having sweetcorn as a forth alternative bait. From the comments of others I may be better waiting until the start of next season.

I'd say that, unless you've been carefully feeding sweetcorn into your swim all day, using it as a "fourth alternative" won't often pay results ... and any positive result could be freakishly misleading (that is, give you confidence in it that's not justified). I wouldn't have thought that if all barbel present in swim had 'turned their nose up' at 3 or 4 different baits already, they'll ignore corn too. But if it's fed right then maybe. N.b.. re. unjustified confidence : if you do catch on it as a "fourth alternative" you'll never know if the barbel you catch is a fish that has only just entered your swim. You won't know if that fish has ignored other baits and then gone for corn, or has just arrived in swim and would have taken any bait you'd have offered. Bugger innit With time, place and presentation right you'll catch on dog poo

 

[Mike Thompson]

Terry, I can find lots of that just walking around my village prepacked in little black bags. Is the air dried stuff you see hanging from bushes any better ? .

 

[David Chant]

I'd say that, unless you've been carefully feeding sweetcorn into your swim all day, using it as a "fourth alternative" won't often pay results ... and any positive result could be freakishly misleading (that is, give you confidence in it that's not justified). I wouldn't have thought that if all barbel present in swim had 'turned their nose up' at 3 or 4 different baits already, they'll ignore corn too. But if it's fed right then maybe. N.b.. re. unjustified confidence : if you do catch on it as a "fourth alternative" you'll never know if the barbel you catch is a fish that has only just entered your swim. You won't know if that fish has ignored other baits and then gone for corn, or has just arrived in swim and would have taken any bait you'd have offered. Bugger innit With time, place and presentation right you'll catch on dog poo

Hi Terry, my fourth alternative bait was really just a throwaway line, but... I normally fish two rods and take two baits, luncheon meat and halibut pellet have been most successful for me. If I blank, which is more often than not, I will fish one of those baits with an alternative, normally a boilie, on my second trip out. Now, if I blank a second time, I will fish with one of my preferred baits and have sweetcorn om my second rod, introducing a small amount of sweetcorn as feed at regular but infrequent intervals.