Easy-Peasy!
If you’ve got some particle bait prepared at home, then you’ve always got a bait to fish with. In the main, I use particle mix for attracting carp to a swim, either by catapulting it or spodding it in, or to create a method mix. That said, there are enough attractants in a basic particle mix to attract just about any UK fish and there are often times when I use it as a hookbait.
If you’re buying a particle mix from a tackle shop, then there may well be many different variations on sale, each one claiming to be perfect for your needs. I have no doubt that some of them are excellent mixes. The mix that I make up is not only simple, and tried and tested by many of my friends, but it is also incredibly cheap and easy to make. Being cheaper than shop bought alternatives, you don’t mind using a decent amount when it’s needed, too.
I should point out that I can take no credit for this particle mix. The basics of it was shown to me by my friend, Julian Grattidge of North West Carp. Julian’s caught far more carp than I ever will and what appeals to me about his carp fishing is that he keeps everything simple and avoids over-complicating his fishing at all costs, whether it’s bait, rigs or tackle.
Everyone who makes their own particle mix seems to have their own way of doing it. Some will agree with what I’ve written below, some will prefer their own way and some will probably shake their heads and say that I’m doing it all wrong. That’s all part and parcel of fishing – it’s not a science and there is no correct way. My particle mix works for me and that’s all I need it to do.
So, here’s how to make a very basic mix:
- 1. Find a supplier – somewhere near you, wherever you live, there will be an animal feeds merchant. These are the sort of places where horse-owners, farmers, bird-keepers and the like go. If you don’t know where your local one is, take a look at your local Yellow Pages. The one I generally use is Copdock Mill, who have a website here. You don’t have to use a feed merchant, as pet shops will sell everything you need, but you can save a lot more money by buying in bulk (assuming that you can store it!). Check out the price list on the link for Copdock Mill and you will see what I mean.
- 2. Get yourself a sack of economy pigeon feed. This may go under different names, such as pigeon conditioner, but will generally be their cheapest bulk pigeon feed. As you may be able to see from the image here, the one that I’m currently using contains wheat, maple peas, white peas, tic beans, whole maize, barley, red dan and sunflowers.
- 3. Get yourself a sack of hemp. I generally use the larger hemp (it’s about £3 more per sack), but used standard hemp for this mix, as I was a bit skint at the time. You could avoid the hemp if you wanted a very basic mix, but I prefer to use it at all times, as hemp is just such a good all round fish attractor.
- 4. If you don’t own your own food processor for fishing use, now would be a good time to get one! I actually got mine when my wife upgraded her own one, as I rescued it from the bin. However, places like Tescos sell cheap ones now that can even cost less than a tenner. Failing that, and all the Health & Safety Executives in the world will be after me now, you could pick one up from a car boot sale. They are a great bit of kit (handy for making breadcrumbs, too!).
- 5. Find a large saucepan and fill it about half way with pigeon feed and fill almost to the top with water. If you want to make a large amount of particle mix, do a similar thing, but use a bigger container, such as a homebrew bucket. Leave this to soak for two days, checking each morning that the water covers the seeds – you’ll be amazed at how much they soak up!
- 6. After a couple of days, add a good quantity of hemp and stir it in. I stir it, mainly because the hemp tends to float otherwise. Ensure that it is covered with water again and leave to soak for a further night.
- 7.Bring the mix to the boil (I can’t emphasise enough here that you need to keep an eye on the water level again) and boil for about 30 minutes. I do know people who don’t boil theirs, as the mix is often left to soak for weeks, but I prefer just to make sure that all the bait is soft enough for fish to eat. Once boiling is complete, let the mix cool down.
- 8. Using a food processor, blend about a third to a half of the particle mix, add it back to the mix and stir. This creates a beautiful white stickiness to the whole mix that you’ll notice straight away when you use it. It, literally, oozes the juicy flavours of the seeds. Not only that, but by blending a decent quantity, you will be attracting the fish, rather than feeding them up.
There you have it. A basic particle mix that you can either use straight away, freeze, or leave in a garage and stir every couple of days. I prefer to do the latter, as it then becomes really stinky as it begins to ferment.
There’s nothing complicated about it, and no real need to do ‘other stuff’ to this mix. However, being an angler, you will do ‘other stuff’ to it. My favourite addition is to add a load of the juice that I get as a by-product of soaking, boiling and leaving tiger nuts to stand. This sweet, sticky syrup gives me a particle mix that looks almost good enough for me to eat!
As I mentioned above, the mix is generally used as-is, spodded out and fished with a boilie or a piece of the mix as a hookbait over the top. However, with the addition of a few pellets and some groundbait, you also have a very effective method-mix. Using one of the bits from the particle mix as bait, you really do have a total bait solution.
For about £25, you have enough bait there to EASILY see most anglers through a season, if not longer (you could even share the cost with a mate). Not only that, but you also have the satisfaction of knowing that you created a bait that tempted your fish.
Tight lines!
