Fishing tackle reviews, tips and How To's
So you’ve read my articles on how to build your own wormery and how to collect your own lobworms but you would rather buy from a company on the internet? Well go on then, here is a list of a number of companies that can supply you with as many worms as you need, including large bulk orders.
Popular worms for fishing that you can buy in bulk are denrobaena, red worms and lob worms.
Personally, I’m not one for firing out a couple of deadbaits and leaving them for a few hours in the hopes that a passing pike may take one of them. What I do like though is wobbling a deadbait, probably as it means I am busy doing something all the time, constantly casting and exploring swims, all in a manner similar to how I approach spinning/lure fishing, something that I became a great fan of only this year.
What do you mean by wobble? Quite simply it means to mount and retrieve a deadbait in such a manner that it mymics an injured fish. To do this is quite simple, read on to find out how.
All I do is push one of the hooks on the top trebble up through the bottom of the deadbaits bottom lip and on through its top lip. I then position the bottom set of trebbles in the flank of the deadbait. I’ve also started attaching a large split shot to the top of the wire trace, just below the swivel, in my experience this does seem to help sink the deadbait when you stop reeling it in.
All that is required is an under arm or sideways flick to cast out the bait, the art of mimicking a dead fish is down to the retrieve. What I do is a combination of reeling in, stopping (this is where the split shot helps) and flicking the end of my rod tip, I alternate these 3 actions and try different lengths of time pausing in between and allowing the bait to sink.
Baits I like to use are roach, herring and smelt, a friend of mine likes to use fresh trout but I haven’t tried it yet but I believe whole fish work better (you are trying to mimick an injured fish after all. not a half dead fish). Another fish to try is long eel sections but again I haven’t tried this myself. Try retrieving along the marginal shelf/along the near bank to pick off any patroling pike looking for an easy meal.
At the moment I’m taking two rods with me, one for lure/spinning and the other made up for wobbling so that I can give both methods a go in each swim I find this approach the best as it enables me to cover a large area of the river.
If you have had any recent pike successes let me know in the comments.
I’m a big fan of natural baits with lobworms definitely being high up on the list of my favourites. Just recently I’ve used lobworms for perch on the river Yare, taking about 20 fish in 3 hours up to 2lb and also a big lobworm tempted a 6lb 5oz Tench from West Somerton Staithe after it had point blank refused to take my bread flake, a quick switch to the mighty lobworm and within 10 seconds the tench was on. So how do you go about collecting lobworms? Read on to find out how I do it along with some other suggestions.
What I have done is part filled some empty plastic dog food bags with soil (you know the sort, the 20kg bags of kibble, fertiliser bags or similar will also do) and laid them out in an unused part of the garden, no need to fill them too full, make sure you can easily move them as they only need to have a bit of weight to stop them from blowing away, it also has the added benefit of making sure the bottom of the bag is snug to the ground as the worms seem to like this. After a few days of the bags being there, lift them up one at a time and you should find a number of lobworms amongst other smaller worms and other insects, you will find it is even better after a night of rain too.
Depending on how many I find, if I need more I will then look under flower pots, paving slabs, logs etc where you are sure to find a few more hiding away.
There you go, nice and easy and you don’t have to collect them in the dark. Try not to collect more than you need and any you do have left over after your session, put them back in the garden or keep them in a purpose built lobworm wormery. (an article on a lob worm wormery coming soon).
One final tip, the lobworms will usually have one end down a hole, make sure you grab hold of the worm at this end and pinch it firmly between fore finger and thumb, once you feel it relax you will be able to pull the worm all of the way out without breaking it.
1. Following a good down pour of rain during the day when it has been relatively warm and not windy, lobworms will lie on top of your lawn once nightfall has come, be quiet when walking about and use a dimmed down torch to spot them
2. Throw a couple of buckets of water on to the lawn a couple of hours before sunset, after darkness has come, search the lawn with a torch as above for the lobworms
3. Knock a garden fork in to your lawn so all of the tongs are completely covered, gently tap the handle of the fork with a clenched fist or rubber mallet, in theory, this should bring the worms to the surface. I’ve not tried this myself as I’ve never had too, try it and let me know how you get on.
In this modern day of hi-tech baits many anglers have long forgotten about the effectiveness of bread, in its many guises, bread as a bait has accounted for more than its fair share of specimen roach, chub, tench, bream, carp and pretty much every other species of coarse fish you care to mention.
If your new to fishing and want to try bread or have been fishing for more years than you care to mention but have for what even reason not fished with bread as a bait for a long time, read on for tips on how to fish with bread as a bait, an extremely cheap but highly affective bait on the hook or as feed.
Bread punch
What is bread punch? Well, quite simply it is a compressed pellet of bread which is “punched” out from a slice of fresh bread using a tool called a bread punch. Your local tackle shop should have a selection of bread puches available but my tip would be to steer clear of the plastic punches and opt for a punch with a brass head which in my opinion are much sharper than the plastic versions. These will come in a number of different sizes so that you can match the size of the bread punch to the size of hook you will be using. Read my review of the Drennan Brass Head Bread punches which are in my opinion the best bread punches on the market.
To use, make sure you select a fresh slice of bread, the fresher the better, lay the slice on a hard even surface and push the bread punch down with a twisting movement in to the bread, then to transfer the pellet from the punch to the hook simply push the point of the hook in to the slot on the bread punch head and gently pull the hook down and away. The bread punch is now ready to be used. Don’t forget that when bread comes in to contact with water it will swell up, so expect the bread punch to swell to a size at least twice as big as the original pellet, this is why making sure the size of hook matches the size of the pellet as you dont want the pellet to swell up and mask the hook point, ultimately losing you fish. I use bread punch mainly on size 18 to 22 hooks.
If you suffer from the punch coming off the hook, especially on the cast, try microwaving a few slice of bread for a few seconds, roll over them with a rolling pin and then wrap them individually in cling film to ensure that they stay fresh. This way you will find that the pellet that the punch produces will be compacted tighter and less likely to fly of the hook on the cast.
Bread flake
To fish bread flake I once again favour using sliced bread (make sure it is fresh), tear a piece of bread from the middle of the slice lay the hook on top of the piece of bread and gently fold over and squeeze the bread on to the hook shank, this gives a large “flake” below the shank that leaves the hook point exposed. Do not be tempted to squeeze the bread on too hard as once the bread swells up in the water it will mask the hook point and you will most likely end up bumping off fish on the strike. Match hook sizes to the size of flake you are going to be using, for carp, chub etc I often use a size 8 or 10 but for roach I’ll probably be using a 12, any smaller and it get more difficult to fish bread flake without it swelling up and masking the hook.
Bread crust
Here’s one for those of you looking to catch specimen sized fish, especially carp and chub. Bread crust is most often fished on the surface and due to the fact that bread crust is naturally very bouyant it lends itself to this style of fishing very well. I deffinately prefer unsliced loafs for this as you can tear off a piece of bread to what ever size you require. Once you have torn off the size of crust that you want, gently push the bend of the hook up through the crust, making sure you don’t split it, otherwise it is likely to come off on the cast and then once the hook point is through rotate the hook through 90 degrees and push it gently back down in to the crust. Once the crust has been out in the water for short time it will quickly take on water and the hook will pull through the crust on the strike. Crust doesn’t just have to fished on the surface, it can be fished on a leger rig, with the length of the hook length dicatating at what depth the crust is being fished at (as the crust is natuarly buoyant it will float towards the surface and be tethered down by the weight of the leger and the hook length.
Bread paste
Bread paste involves a little more work, take a few slices of bread which are a few days old, put them in a bucket with a few inches of water and leave them to soak for a while. Then squeeze out the excess water and start kneeding and squeezing the slices together, adding a little water if required until they become one big lump. Place the lump in a freezer bag to stop it drying out and then simply tear of a piece of paste from the lump and mold it around the hook. You can experiment with adding flavourings to the water or even grated cheese when you are making up the paste which often helps bind it together easier.
Liquidised bread
Liquidised bread is what is refered to once slices of bread have been put through a blender. It’s easy enough to prepare, take a handful of slices of bread and put them through the blender, I use fresh bread because it maintains some of its moisture once blended and can be squeezed together in to a ball for feeding without needing to add water. Put the bread slices through the blender for a short time and the mix will be coarse, put them through for a longer period and the mix will become much more fine. Put the bread in to a plastic bag to transport to the venue to ensure that it doesn’t dry out before you get there.
I’m getting quite a few visitors to the site looking for places to purchase uncooked/raw hemp in bulk. Not only is this cheaper but you can flavour the hemp while you cook it with all manner of flavourings. I would suggest talking to your local animal feed provider/pet shop who, if they don’t currently stock it, will most certainly be able to order it in for you. Failing that try the following links below. If your looking for ways to cook the hemp follow this link 4 different ways to prepare hemp for fishing
G.J.W. Titmuss
Direct link to bulk hemp – http://www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk/hempseed/cid513/hempseed.asp
Looks like they sell uncooked hemp in 3KG or 20KG sizes. They also sell other particle baits in bulk such as Maize and Tiger Nuts
Big Carp Bait
Direct link to bulk hemp – http://www.bigcarpbait.co.uk/products/Hemp-Seed-Carp-Bait.html
Again sell uncooked/raw hemp in bulk along with a huge selection of particle baits, groundbaits, additives, liquids, oils, boilies etc
CC Moore & Co
Direct Link to bulk hemp – http://www.ccmoore.com/hemp-seed-p-477.html
Also sell a large selection of other particle baits, ground baits, additives etc
Want to know how to prepare your own hemp ready for fishing? I’ve put together a list of 4 different ways to turn that bag of uncooked hemp into one of the UK anglers favourite particle bait ready for loose feeding or on the hook.
If you want to scroll straight to the method that interests you the most, click one of the following links.
1. Cook the hemp in a pan of water
2. Cook the hemp using a THERMOS flask
3. Cook the hemp in a Pressure Cooker
4. Cook the hemp in a Cool Box
The advantages of cooking your own hemp over tackle shop bought is that it is cheaper (look for it in pet shops as it is sold as bird food) and your fully in control of the end result, allowing you to flavour the hemp as you wish, be it with garlic, chilli, sugar or plain old salt.
Take a big pan or pot, large enough to hold at least four to five pints of water. Add the uncooked hemp to the pan, for every pint of hemp, add approximately three to four pints of cold water. Allow the hemp to soak overnight (depending on time I have often left it soaking for 24 hours). Once the hemp has soaked place the pan on a hob,add some bicarbonate of soda (one teaspoon per pint of hemp) and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally and then turn down the heat once you see the first signs of the hemp splitting and simmer until all of the hemp seeds have split (you will see little white shoots start to appear), once this happens remove the hemp from the heat and strain under a cold tap using a sieve. This is to cool the hemp down and stop it from continuing to cook. After straining the hemp two or three times, put the hemp back in the pan and top up with cold water until it is at least two to three inches above the hemp and leave for an hour or so to ensure the hemp has completely stopped cooking. Drain the water and use it to mix your groundbait (if you wish).
This second way of preparing uncooked hemp ready for fishing is a favourite among many anglers as it smells considerably less when compared to cooking hemp in a pan. It’s also possible to prepare a batch of hemp the night before a session, however it’s downside is that you can’t prepare a large quantity at a time (dependent on the size and number of flasks that you use). Simply fill a Thermos flask half full with uncooked hemp, fill the remainder of flask up with boiling water, put the lid on tight and leave overnight. In the morning you should have perfectly cooked hemp with hardly any smell. Don’t forget to add bicarbonate of soda if you want the seeds to turn a dark black.
Soak the hemp overnight in cold water, add the hemp to the pressure cooker and fill to 2/3rds full, top up with water (approximately two inches above the hemp) and boil for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before straining the hemp in a sieve under a cold tap.
This is an excellent method of preparing uncooked hemp read for fishing, especially f you want to cook off large batches and again is very simple. Fill the cool box to 3/4 full with the hemp seed then add boiling water, ensuring that it covers the hemp seed by at least two or three inches, allowing room for the hemp seed to expand. Put on the lid and leave for at least 18 to 24 hours. Resist the urge to keep checking its progress as you will let all the heat escape. Some people wrap the coolbox in a sleeping bag or old duvet to help keep the heat in but I personally haven’t found this necessary. Once enough time has gone by, open the lid and check the seeds have split, if not top up with hot water and check again in a couple of hours.
Here are even more tips to get the most out of preparing your own hemp seed
Turn your own perfect casters
Like me your probably sick to death of paying through the nose for casters from the tackle shop that are of rubbish quality. Turning your own casters really isn’t that difficult and you only need the bare minimum of equipment and an hour or so of your time each day to be consistently producing your own perfect casters ready for that weekend session or match.
By following my guide below you too could be turning your left over maggots into your next sessions bait and be saving a couple of quid while your at it.
Stuff you need
Place the riddle on top of the bucket and pour the maggots on to the riddle, allow these to pass through the riddle at their own pace leaving all the crud such as old maize or sawdust and dead maggots, throw this rubbish away. I do this at least twice to make sure I have got rid of all the rubbish. Then keep adding handfuls of the untreated sawdust to the bucket of maggots until they have a good covering. You don’t want to bury them completely but there needs to be enough so that when the maggots wriggle the sawdust is cleaning them off. I then dampen the sawdust with the water (approx 1/8 pint of water to every pint of maggots)
Throughout the day I will riddle the maggots off by pouring them on to the riddle and giving it a quick shake to force the sawdust to go through in to the bucket, once the maggots have fallen through into the bucket I inspect the riddle for any signs of casters or maggots just about to turn and throw away any dead maggots or skins that have been left on the riddle.
Once the maggots have started to turn you will be able to pick out any casters easily from the riddle. The more often you riddle the maggots the better as you will be able to spot when the maggots are turning and be able to catch the caster while it still light brown meaning it will sink when offered as feed. Place the casters in resealable freezer bags and gently squeeze out the air before sealing. Open the bags at least once a day to give the casters a breather. If you can get away with it, put the bags of casters in the fridge as they will last longer, if you have a separate bait fridge, all the better.
By following the guidelines above I have successfully turned hundreds of pints of quality casters, every single time.
Worm is a great bait but it can quickly become expensive if you use it regularly and have to buy it from the tackle shop. For this very reason I have built my own wormery which will provide me with all the worms I will ever need, will save me a few quid each time I go fishing and allows me to compost some of the waste that our household creates. If your looking for step by step directions on how to build your own wormery and how to maintain it so you have a steady supply of worms then read on.
After a great deal of research it transpires that it’s all to do with having a large surface area, not depth. With this in mind I have chosen a plastic stacking box which is approximately ?? x ??. You could build a box out of untreated ply but I didn’t have any wood laying around that was suitable and couldn’t be bothered, besides the box only cost £4 from QD.
Plastic stacking box to be used as a wormery
Drill holes in the bottom of the box approximately the width of a pencil (be careful not to push to hard or you risk cracking the plastic), this will allow any liquid to drain. Line the bottom of the box with damp newspaper or if like me you have some weed suppressant material laying around cut a piece of this to size. I then poured in a mixture of sand and grit (often used in laying patios etc) which I had laying around. This is to aid drainage and also acts as a deterant to the worms burrowing down to the bottom as they don’t like the course texture of the sand/grit mixture.
Showing weed surpresent
Sand and grit layer
Next I poured in a layer of well rotted compost from our garden compost heap, followed by a layer of newspaper shredding that had been soaked over night. As I had the remains of a bag of sawdust I poured this in too. The aim here is to provide the worms with a variety of bedding material.
Compost bedding layer for the worms
shredded newspaper bedding
Next I added a few pots of dendrebena worms that I bought from the local tackle shop, these quickly burrowed down in to the bedding material. Then I added a layer of kitchen waste, this included vegetable peelings, a couple of egg shells that had been crushed up and a number of tea bags that had been ripped open. You need to be careful not to overfeed the worms as this can kill them and as I had only added a couple of hundred worms I have only covered approximately half of the box. A quick spray with an atomiser spray to keep the wormery damp and then a few sheets of damp newspaper on top, after that the lid is placed back on (make sure you have drilled air holes in the lid).
kitchen scraps
Choose where you are going to situate the wormery, somewhere out of direct sunlight would be best and ensure you place it on bricks (one in each corner should be surfice) to help with drainage, you could even place a tray/container underneath and use the liquid as fertiliser on your plant. I keep mine in an old outbuilding.