Baits can be rather complex, but only because there is so much choice out there. From home ingredients, to human food to artificial sweetcorn, there is a wide variety to choose from. It can seem daunting when you’re starting out, but that’s where we come in.
Let’s start from the top. Bait is what you put on your hook that enables you to attract fish and catch your target. Fish can be picky, with different types preferring different baits. Take carp, for example - they love boilies! To start with, we recommend getting out there with pellets, maggots, sweetcorn or meat. These are the catch-all basics that are guaranteed to attract a wide variety of fish.
Pellets
What are Pellets?
Pellets are most popular amongst Carp and Course anglers and work well on commercial venues (a private fishery). They come in a wide variety of sizes and have many uses. They’re probably the most complex bait we will discuss here, since there is a lot to choose from. Compared to boilies, which we will introduce later, they are softer, break down quicker, and dissolve into a mush when wet. They are usually ideal for feeder fishing.
How Do you Use Pellets?
Pellets can be used by being catapulted into water, softened and pressed into a feeder or banded to your hook. We would suggest banding it to your hook for the first time, just so you can get used to using your pole or rod and casting out.
Which Pellets Should I Use?
You might feel overwhelmed by the sizes on offer, but as a beginner, we would suggest going for 4mm or 6mm pellets.. These are a great size to add to your hook and are considered an all-rounder. As well as a variety of sizes, there are also many different types of Pellets. Here at Fishing Republic, we would say that either soft feed, banded or expander pellets would be ideal for your first go. They are great to stick straight on to your hook and will attract some great fish for your first few times on the water.
What are Boilies?
Boilies are usually a combination of fishmeals, milk proteins, bird foods, semolina and soya flour. They are then mixed with eggs and boiled to create the hard, round bait, also known as a boilie, hence the name. Boilies are popular amongst Carp anglers and are often used alongside hookbait to attract more fish. This isn’t something we would recommend beginners to go all out on, but it can always be something for you to explore once you get comfortable with hookbait.
Fishing with Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn is a classic bait that has been used traditionally for centuries. There’s just something about the sweet yellow squares that drives fish mad. You can either use real sweetcorn from your kitchen cupboard, or look at buying fake sweetcorn.
The brightness of the sweetcorn makes it easy for fish to scout out in their naturally dark waterbed. It’s a great all-rounder that is known for attracting most species. Overall, we believe this is the best bait for your first time, so you can see what it’s all about without too much skill being required.
Can I Fish with Meat?
Meat is another simple, yet very effective bait to use. The best one out there is luncheon meat. The old, once rationed, tinned, generically named meat will get the attention of fish without a doubt. That’s why it’s great to use, especially when it comes to your first time if you want more chance of catching a fish.
The only thing with meat, is keeping it in place on your hook. A handy trick for this is to use a piece of sweetcorn to wedge it on and hold it in place. That also gives you two baits in one! You can also buy meat stops to keep it from budging. You can buy it most shops you will pass by and it really doesn’t matter what type you get, so it’s one of the easiest baits to start out with.
Maggots and Worms
And finally, we have the alive baits, Maggots and Worms. Famously associated with fishing for centuries, this bait is guaranteed to attract a variety of species.
For many years, worms and maggots have been a favourite in the fishing world, and the reason why is that they’re cheap, big on supply, simple to hook and of course, fish love them, especially carp. Although some anglers might struggle seeing as they are alive and kicking, they are more than worth the money and will show you what the fantastic sport is all about.
