A warm welcome to this weeks blog update i hope i find you all well and your nets wet.
So Mild.... With pike playing such a big part in my fishing of late i have been keeping a close eye on the temperature gauge on my car and although we have now dropped down from the barmy 20+oC temperatures of a few weeks ago we are still regularly into double figures during the day and even sometimes in the morning i will get into my car and the temp will read 9-12oc, if we have some cloud cover. When i imagined pike fishing i always imagined rock hard frosty ground and my thermal boots crashing through ice capped puddles. So far this season there has been none of that and we are quickly approaching December. Long term readers of my blog will remember a couple of years ago when the angling mags where full of reports of fish not surviving the torrential floods that seemed to last the whole of autumn and winter and i said then that mother nature works in cycles and we will get really mild winters, like this one, where the fry survival rates are high and the natural food larders remain well stocked, just look at how many midges we are still seeing of an evening hatching. On the fishing front it may well mean that dead baits continue to be sparsely taken and wobbling may be the method for the whole of the season as the pike remain active in the warmer temperatures chasing the roach shoals. It may also mean shoaling fish like dace and roach on rivers don't migrate in as many numbers to their normal winter haunts and may choose to spawn in areas of the river more local to them as they don't feel that drop in temperature that triggers them to move. Personally i hope the frosts are not too far away and we get a consistent drop in the temperature to just above freezing. It is by far my favourite time of year and the once busy banks become desolate of the fair weather dog walkers, ramblers and of course anglers, proper peace and quiet.
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rods, reels, line and terminal tackle it is easy to forget that the only thing fish are interested in is the bait. Many anglers will happily spend hundreds of pounds on equipment and then waste their time by going out fishing with substandard bait which has only been bought as an afterthought. Other anglers may purchase good quality bait but then fail to make the most of it by through poor bait presentation, preparation or storage. This article provides an overview of the baits used by UK sea anglers and explains how to get the most out of the wide range of different baits which are available today.
Choosing a BaitThere are a huge range of baits available to UK sea anglers today available from fishing tackle shops, fishmongers, supermarkets and of course by anglers collecting bait themselves. A selection of fishing baits. The range of different baits means that anglers can tailor their choice of bait to the species of fish they are targeting and the conditions they are fishing in. Anglers can also use a range of different baits so they can change their bait during a fishing session if their first choice is not getting results. The following broad categories contain the most commonly used baits: worm baits: Marine worms are one of the most popular types of fishing bait for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are common around all of the British Isles meaning that fish regularly feed on them, making them an effective bait. Secondly, they are relatively easy to get hold of either through fishing tackle shops or by digging from beaches. Finally, they are fairly straightforward to use and present on the hook. Ragworm and blow lugworm are by far the most commonly used baits by UK anglers, although there are also a number of other worm species which are used as bait such as harbour ragworm (maddies), white ragworm and black lugworm Fish baits are some of the most commonly used and effective baits. Mackerel is the most often used as its high oil content means that fish are attracted to this bait, and its relatively firm flesh makes it withstand casting and impact with the water. Mackerel can also be easily bought from supermarkets or fishmongers or caught on feathers and daylights in the summer months. Herring is another oily fish which makes a good bait, while Pacific saury (an imported species usually sold under the name blueys) has become very popular as a bait in recent years. Sandeels are another excellent bait for a wide range of species such as bass, rays and pollock, while less common baits include sprats, pilchards, garfish and lampreys. squid baits: Squid have long been a top sea fishing bait. Easily available in frozen form from both fishing tackle shops and supermarkets, the firm white flesh of squid stands up well to casting. Most species found around the British Isles can be taken on squid baits. Smaller species will be caught on small strips of squid, while larger species such as cod, big bass and conger eels will be tempted with full squid. While squid which has been washed and processed for human consumption (often sold under the name of calamari) is an effective bait many anglers prefer to use unwashed/dirty squid (often sold as loligo squid). This is because it is believed that the washing process removes some of the natural scent of the squid, meaning that unwashed/dirty squid will be a more effective bait. The closely related cuttlefish is also a good sea fishing bait, while octopus – although much less commonly used – can also catch fish. crab and prawn baits: Crab provides one of the very best sea fishing baits. However, they can only be used during a certain stage of their life when the shell is soft and they are known as peeler crabs. During the majority of their life cycle the shell is hard and they are much less useful as a bait – although they can still be used to catch a few species such as smooth hounds and wrasse. Although they are an excellent bait peeler crabs can be difficult to get hold of with fishing tackle shops only stocking them on a sporadic basis when they can get them from their suppliers. For this reason many anglers who want to use peeler crabs as bait have to collect there own, although peeler crabs can be frozen to allow them to be used in future fishing sessions. Prawns do not appear to be commonly used by anglers, although they can be a good bait for a range of species such as cod, whiting and flatfish species. Prawns can be easily bought from a supermarket or fishmonger, although it is important to check that raw (and not pre-cooked) prawns are purchased. shellfish baits: As there are a range of shellfish found all around the UK fish will naturally feed on this food source, making it an useful bait. Shellfish can be particularly effective after a storm or prolonged period of bad weather which will have dislodged shellfish from rocks and see fish readily feeding on this easily available food. Mussels and razorfish are probably the top shellfish baits, with anglers able to collect their own or buy from a supermarket or fishmonger. Cockles, winkles, limpets and whelks can all also be used as a bait, although they are less effective as all round sea fishing baits and are best used to bulk out cocktail baits. Other Baits: Anglers specalising in fishing for species such as mullet can have success with baits associated more with freshwater fishing such as maggots, bread and processed meat such as ham. Earthworms can also prove effective for mullet and anglers fishing far inland for species such as flounder also report that earthworms can catch this species. Some anglers have reported that meat such as bacon, ham, pork and chicken can catch sea fish species, although using a more conventional sea fishing bait is almost always likely to prove more effective. Cocktail Baits: Cocktail baits are simply two or more baits combined together on the same hook. An example of a large cocktail bait would be a lugworm and squid combination presented on pennell hooks to catch cod, while smaller cocktail baits could consist of tipping off a ragworm bait with a strip of mackerel as a flatfish bait. For a full article looking at cocktails baits click here. The Scent TrailWhen fishing anglers will often talk about ‘the scent trail’. This refers to the juices and blood that emanate from a bait once it is in the water and attract fish. When night fishing the scent trail is the only thing a fish can use to locate food (and therefore anglers’ baits) and even in daylight and clear water the scent trail will be the main thing which fish use to find baits. A good quality bait will leave a good scent trail for some time before becoming washed out and needing to be reeled in and replaced. By accurately casting in and around the same place a scent trail will be built up in that part of the sea, and it stands to reason that a number of anglers fishing together will leave a stronger scent trail than an angler fishing alone. Once baits have been cast out they should not be cast out a second time as the vast majority of the scent and juice will be washed out and they will provide little, or at least reduced, attraction to fish. Buying, Gathering and Storing BaitFishing tackle shops are the most obvious place to start when getting bait for a fishing session. Ragworm and blow lugworm are generally available all year round. Most tackle shops also sell a range of other live/fresh bait such as peeler crabs (when available), razorfish, as mussels, as well as a selection of frozen bait such as black lugworm, mackerel, squid, blueys and sandeels. With this selection available many anglers seldom look anywhere else for their bait other than the local tackle shop. Many anglers purchase bait from fishing tackle shops. Tackle shops are the only place the get specialists sea fishing baits from but even they can struggle to supply rare baits such as peeler crab and white ragworm as often demand will outstrip supply. However, there are other places where high quality bait is available. Local fishmongers can supply mackerel and other oily fish such as herring as well as squid and mussels, while supermarkets are becoming increasingly popular places for anglers to buy similar bait. Most anglers support their local tackle shop by making that their first choice for bait, but the supermarket or fishmonger is a great back-up if the tackle dealer is closed or out of stock. Another alternative is online bait retailers who send frozen bait out by post. These can stock a large selection of frozen baits and most have a good reputation for getting bait to anglers the next day and in great condition. Lugworm casts, left, show the location of lugworm burrows, allowing anglers to easily identify the areas where they can dig their own bait. Fish Identification GuidesMany species of fish in the UK are easy to identify, but others are consistently confused. For example plaice and flounder, poor cod and pouting and pollock and coalfish are all species which anglers sometimes struggle to tell apart. This page provides links to pages which provide detailed diagrams of some of the most commonly confused species and points out the key ways of telling these species apart.
Flatfish Identification Guide -This is a detailed guide of the differences between flounder, plaice, dab and Dover sole. Pollock and Coalfish Identification Guide – These two species can appear similar but the main difference between them are identified here. Poor Cod and Pouting Identification Guide – Points out the key differences between these commonly confused species. Tusk, Ling and Hake Identification Guide – These three species live in deeper offshore water but are commonly confused. Find out the differences here. Silver Eel and Conger Eel Identification Guide – These species can appear similar when they are smaller. Find out the key differences here. |