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Best Fishing Baits for Carp, Bream, Chub, Perch & Roach
Article written by Luke Rudd – Have a look at Luke’s
Carp Fishing Tackle Website
© This article is
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Bait can be the decisive factor in whether you are on your way to a
successful or a disappointing days fishing. Even the most advanced
fishing tackle and equipment won’t be able to help you if you turn up at
a venue with the wrong bait. It’s not just fish rejecting the bait that
determines whether it’s a poor choice, there are other factors such as
the presentation to consider, which influence the ultimate success of
bait choice.
There is an endless array of options with baits constantly being
improved, and new ones being developed, some of which have
revolutionised fishing such as boilies, and more recently fake baits
such as plastic corn. With such an expanding range of variety and
flavours available, narrowing bait choice is becoming increasingly
difficult, however there are some classic baits that have already stood
the test of time and should always be considered, when bait packing for
a session. This article looks at these baits and which fish species they
are suited too, along with examining a few other baits which are not
often sold in tackle shops and that might bring you that elusive bite on
a hard venue where your usual methods are failing.
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Carp Fishing Baits
Carp baits have probably seen the most development in recent years and the
popularity of carp fishing means this is not look likely to change. There
is now a huge range of carp baits on the market, and although the most
popular have changed over time, for the last few years the revolutionary
boilie has become widely reputable and used. This is due to the success
and versatility of the boilie, particularly in terms of presentation as it
can be shaped, popped up, critically balanced and fished in many ways that
work well in conjunction with anti-eject rigs. However there are a huge
number of less commercialised carp baits that have been catching for some
time, and in many cases where the boilie struggles, these options might
encourage that much needed bite.
Lobworms – My favourite fishing bait
One of the most common and widespread baits are maggots, capable of
catching most species including carp, however they have a tendency to
invoke bites from fish which are not the target species. Worms can be a
great alternative often cutting out the small fry and unwanted species,
allowing anglers to concentrate their efforts on the target fish. There
are a variety of different worms many easily accessible and free, but for
carp fishing lobworms often give the best response. Hooking a lob worm
tail or several whole worms on a large hook provides a visually exciting
hook bait for carp and this combines with the worms releasing a high
concentration of amino acids into the water creating an irresistible carp
bait. Gathering your own worms for fishing is a great alternative to
purchasing them from the tackle shop where they can be very expensive.
I’ve always found the best quality lobworms come from the back garden so
for information on how to gather them visit
Collecting worms for Fishing.
Potato
The humble potato has lost popularity over the last decades as more
commercialised baits have become available, however this is still a
classic bait favoured by many anglers such as Bob Nudd, and was no doubt
in the armoury of legends such as Walton and Walker along with many other
famous anglers. Par-boilied potatoes can be very effective. They can be
cut to a good size to emulate pellets and other baits, allowing them to be
fished on the hook or on a hair rig, and further variation can be achieved
by soaking them in rich flavours such as gravy granules like Bisto, coffee
granules and other flavours.
Luncheon Meats
In my experience, hair-rigged luncheon meat, often topped with a piece of
real or fake corn has provided superb results, particularly on smaller
venues with small to medium size carp. There is a variety of specially
formed luncheon meat for fishing available, with various flavours from
brands such as Dynamite Baits, but they are expensive and can be less
effective then some supermarket options. The best type I’ve found for
fishing is ‘Bacon Grill’ luncheon meat from Lidl which is cheap, pungent
and highly effective. This bait can be fished on the hook but I find it
more effective on a hair in a cube or pear/tear drop shape.
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Bream Fishing Baits
The Breams infamous reputation for stealing carp baits qualifies all the above
as valid bream baits. There are other baits however that are perhaps more suited
to Bream, and if you get the bait right for bream fishing you could be in for a
non-stop session. Bream love groundbait, breadcrumb and liquidised pellets so
these are great to use in conjunction with your hookbaits;
Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn doesn’t need much of an introduction, it has been and will no doubt
continue to be one of the most successful fishing baits around. The price,
availability and storage makes it a superb option for most occasions, and bream
love the stuff. You can purchase flavoured and coloured corn from tackle shops
but purchasing from supermarkets and doing this yourself is a much cheaper
option, plus there are many flavours and colourings you can easily add yourself.
You will catch bream fishing corn on the hook as well as on a hair rig.
RedWorms
Redworms are capable of catching most species and are a well-proportioned bait
for bream being smaller than the lobworms. They are very lively and their
wriggling once again provides that extra bit of attraction as a hook bait. Like
lobworms they can be purchased but its better to gather your own in my opinion
to save money and get the best baits. Although they are easy to find they don’t
hide in particularly pleasant places; manure heaps, compost dumps and under leaf
mould are their favourite hideaways. They are best fished with one or several
worms straight on the hook.
The combination of redworms and sweetcorn is a particularly effective one not
just for bream but for many other species and is often worth switching to if the
baits by themselves are not producing.
Chub Fishing Baits
Chub are prepared to take a huge variety of offerings, often waiting in a
downstream position for any bits of food to float by. They are very
opportunistic leading them to take many baits other fish would not. I’ve got
chub on spinners, even on dead bait while fishing for pike!
Bread – Cheese & Dough Balls
Chub love bread, and like carp, will attack a floating piece of bread
aggressively. They will also readily accept bread fished under water, and many
other forms of bread and dough balls. By blending bread with water simple bread
paste and dough balls can be created, but often blending the bread with stinky
cheeses such as blue cheese, stilton and other cheese pastes can produce the
best results.
Slugs
Slugs are a useful bait to bear in mind when chub fishing. It might not be worth
collecting them in the same way as worms, but if you are fishing and you spot a
slug on the bank, it’s a sure fire sign in my opinion that it’s worth a go
especially if you are struggling with your other baits. I’ve had chub take slugs
within an instance of it hitting the water and often it is the bigger specimen
chub. The larger black slugs are very effective and should be fished on a large
sized hook.
Bacon Lardons
Head down to your local supermarket and you can pick up a pack of bacon lardons
for just a couple of pounds. The non-smoked versions work best and they are an
extremely attractive bait for chub. Lardons handily come in bait-size pieces and
can be trimmed to fit the style of fishing. They are suitable for use straight
on the hook and can be used hair rig style also.
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Perch Fishing Baits
Perch are a predatory species and similar to chub they are prepared to take a
variety of baits, often attacking offerings very aggressively and often this
ferocity acts as a tell-tale sign that perch have moved into the swim.
Worms
If I had to choose a single bait for Perch it would be worms. All worms seem to
work well and invoke bites from Perch. Worms on the hook used in conjunction
with a feeder filled with chopped worms and some crumb can produce an exciting
and turbulent perch fishing session, but often it can be difficult to wade
through the smaller perch to catch the larger specimens.
Live Baits
Fishing live baits for Perch has been known to produce some monster specimens,
and is a good way to hopefully avoid the smaller fish. Minnows are a great bait
to use hooked through the lip, but small roach and even small Perch can be used
as Perch are not only aggressive but cannibalistic. Fishing the bait high in the
water at about half depth is a good position for Perch, and it is important to
use live bait as dead baits do not seem to yield the same response. Small
spinners and spoons can also catch Perch of varying sizes.
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Roach Fishing Baits
Roach maybe the smallest out of the species discussed in this article but they
still have a large appetite particularly when you bring them on the feed with
groundbait and smaller particle baits. There are many effective hookbaits that
can be used in conjunction;
Hemp/Tares
Roach are extremely partial to seeds and pulses such as hemp and tares, and the
majority of roach anglers will always have some hemp in their bait selection. It
is available from most tackle shops in varying sizes but costs about a pound a
pint. You can actually buy and boil your own hemp at home but be warned, this is
an extremely pungent process and may not seem like such a good idea with others
you live with! Hooking hemp can be awkward, but it’s important to always ensure
the hook point is showing. Tares are similar to hemp and work very well coupled
together.
Elderberry
Dependent on the swim, elderberry can be a great bait particularly in the
autumn. Check the surrounding environment and if there is an elderberry bush
nearby or overhanging the water, than it’s most likely the fish will feed on the
berries. It is a super bait that is freely and easily accessible in quantity so
always keep an angling eye out for it.
Stewed Wheat / Creed Wheat
This often neglected classic fishing bait is available from various animal feed
stores but requires preparation. The wheat must be soaked and then boiled in
order to get the grains to work well and stay on the hook (size 16 hook
recommended). It’s qualities as a fishing bait cannot be denied and ‘Creed
Wheat’ was in the Allcocks Trade Catalogue since the early 1960’s! It is
extremely cheap and the quantity you can get makes it ideal as loose feed. Pearl
barley is a great alternative to creed wheat but also works very well in
conjunction.
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These are just a few of the many classic baits that
are available that have been used to catch some of the best fish to date. Bait
companies will continue to put new and improved baits on the market, but it is
always worth experimenting with your own ideas to find new baits and tactics. |
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