A ground bait is exactly that; a bait on the ground (lake or river bed!) close to or surrounding your hook bait designed to attract nearby fish into your swim. Commercially produced groundbaits, available in tackle shops, normally contain a mixture of ingredients which may be calculated to target a particular species or group of species.
Maize, breadcrumbs, fishmeal, blood meal (congealed blood), sugars, hemp, and any number of other additives are combined into a ready prepared mix to which water is added by the angler so it can be formed into balls which are usually thrown, catapulted or cupped into the area around the hook baits. Some mixes are more ‘active’ than others. This means that they have a faster dispersion or ‘breakdown’ rate and can be used to form a cloud of free offerings above the hook bait intended to draw fish down on the lake bed. Others are deliberately less vigorous and are best used in deep water or winter when fish can be less energetic.
Various shop bought mixes can also be combined to give a bait which suits an individual water or an anglers favoured style of fishing. A ‘stiff’ mix is one which is anticipated will stick to the frame of a ‘method’ feeder, or travel through deep water in a block end or cage feeder. A ‘cloud’ mix is deliberately sloppy and is supposed to form a plume of food items high in the water and can also be used in conjunction with a float or pellet waggler.
Many anglers use a base mix which is fairly inactive and add their own favoured items into it to gain a finished groundbait; liquidised corn, dead maggots (which don’t break the bait ball up in flight), casters, micro pellets, tinned oily fish and crushed boilies can all be used in this way.
The Golden Rule with groundbaiting is that ‘you can put more in, but you can’t take it out!’. This means the angler needs to be careful with the amount of bait put into the swim. Too much bait can overfeed the fish and means very little will be caught; the aim is to entice fish into competing for food and to hoover up the hook bait. Too little and the fish may desert your swim. The ideal situation results in ever increasing numbers of fish being tempted into the area as the session progresses. Unfortunately, only experience will tell you how much is the right amount!
Clint Walker, October 2009
You Can Put More In, But You Can’t Take It Out….REMEMBER THAT!
