| Pellets have various consistencies, textures, | | | | attractive. |
| permeability's, solubility, densities, and buoyancies | | | | These are very simple ways to use or treat pellets |
| before and after soaking in liquids and oils, and so on. | | | | and there are so many more. Pellets make an ideal |
| Experimentation is the key and trying a range of | | | | soluble 'background feed' to hold fish in a swim |
| various cheaper end and more expensive pellets with | | | | feeding for longer, without fish becoming to full-up |
| a range of dips and soaks can produce surprisingly | | | | with free bait before you getting bites and the fish |
| effective 'edges.' | | | | moving away. Confident feeding is often easier to |
| Dips can be bought as proprietary fishing products, or | | | | achieve where bait is constantly dissolving and |
| from any supermarket like 'Wal-Mart' or 'Tescos.' One | | | | breaking down on the lake or river bed and is very |
| simple example is anchovy source. Liver pate with | | | | desirable. Pre-soaking of pellets in water for example |
| water is another. Liquidized liver and squid too. So | | | | is a great edge in itself on more 'pressured' |
| many oils and fats work, including chip fat that | | | | intensively fished waters. |
| practically anything is worth a try! | | | | Grinding trout pellets up to make a powder and form |
| Some anglers swear by 'general purpose' oils which | | | | a boilie with eggs often incorporating yeast extract |
| are not meant for animal consumption and I'd always | | | | or yeast mixtures were very popular for carp years |
| aim to at least pay the fish back in some nutritionally | | | | ago and still very effective today for both carp and |
| rewarding way for the stress of being hooked, | | | | catfish. Fashions change. Often there is not a great |
| played and landed, although of course many readers | | | | difference in nutrition supplied by fish based dog and |
| will take their catch home for tea as with guys in the | | | | cat foods when compared to many of the cheaper |
| States and Eastern European countries! Just as a | | | | trout pellets and combining these 2 in a bait perhaps |
| note for UK readers, yes catfish are bred for the | | | | adding an additional binding ingredient like 'CLO' or just |
| table in the States just as carp were distributed and | | | | plain corn flour works. |
| used originally for this purpose historically, as a protein | | | | Flavours seem often just an added ingredient for the |
| source in our diet. | | | | angler's confidence - so he can smell the bait. Many |
| Pellets can be scorched with boiling water to make a | | | | pellet and pet food baits without flavour can seem |
| paste and many with bind well enough to make a | | | | 'bland' by comparison to the highly flavoured boilies |
| paste bait to use on the hook. Some will even bind | | | | and dough baits of today, but they are still potent |
| with the addition of cold water! Where pellets have | | | | even so. In the States, soda pop, supermarket brand |
| become almost a staple food on more heavily | | | | and 'Jell-O' type flavours are still in predominance, but |
| stocked waters where pellets have been used | | | | there are far mightier flavours available so do not |
| intensively, the obvious next bait is a boilie or paste / | | | | miss out! Garlic, black pepper, strawberry, vanilla can |
| dough bait to take advantage of this fact. | | | | be 'topped' in so many massively potent ways and |
| Many creative and effective trout pellets paste baits | | | | not simply just by using 'flavors' either. |
| can be made even by beginners just getting into the | | | | Flavours today are not simply a couple of ingredients |
| exciting and fascinating world of bait making. There | | | | like alcohol, isopropanol or propylene glycol with |
| are thousands of flavours to choose from and so | | | | added glycerine or ascetic acid. You really can make |
| many attractors, additives and stimulators and so on. | | | | your baits 'dynamite' upon the discovery of true |
| Those wishing to 'play it safe can visit their local | | | | gems available now from fishing bait companies. You |
| fishing shop and use products designed for fishing | | | | can even make outstanding flavours and |
| and also risk the negative effect of competing with | | | | combinations yourself completely unique to you, even |
| anglers on the very same bait. | | | | rivalling those very popular but expensive ones in the |
| Often it is wiser to do it your own way. Use a less | | | | fishing supplies stores and online, but that's for |
| popular flavour for example, or one that was popular | | | | another time... |
| a few years ago. Fishing bait flavours often go in | | | | Pellets are a 'catch-all' type bait but can be |
| 'cycles' of success and need changing or adapting. For | | | | manipulated for a variety of fish and to keep you |
| example, take a kilogram of pellets, add 5 milliliters of | | | | ahead of the game, the fish and even fellow |
| flavour to a half pint of your lake water and soak | | | | tournament or match fishing competitors and win you |
| your pellets for anywhere from 15 minutes to an | | | | much bigger prizes than just the fish! Go on - be |
| hour or more to let the flavours penetrate. | | | | creative with your additives, flavours and added |
| This can vary enormously depending on the pellet | | | | ingredients... |
| and experimentation with small amounts of pellets is | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait 'edges' up |
| sensible. Soaking in oils makes pellets last longer in | | | | his sleeve. Every single one can have a huge impact |
| water, although proprietary brands of oils are | | | | on catches. (Warning: This article is protected by |
| probably best due to the likelihood of more water | | | | copyright. |
| soluble oils being used which can be extremely | | | | |