Home Made Baits

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As I've got little else to do for another fortnight I set about preparing some barbel baits ready for the flood water that should arrive some time next month. Back in Yorkshire I would use luncheon meat and tinned meat balls, but I've found that home made ones are better as I can add whatever flavours I want in the mix before cooking. When you add flavours to the outside of a meat bait like luncheon meat it can soon wash off. When you cook the flavours into the meat, the fats absorb it and release the flavour a lot more slowly.

So, I bought 500g of pork sausage meat and added to that some garlic powder, a little salt and two tea spoons of smoked paprika. This is the key element in Robin Red carp baits and works very well for barbel too. A heaped tablespoon of dried breadcrumbs goes in and the mixture squeezed using one hand until everything is mixed through then left to stand. You can use any dry meal such as maize or a coarse groundbait, but in this case I had a small box of bread crumbs used for cooking handy. After about 20 minutes try the mixture and if it can be squeezed and manipulated without clinging to your fingers you are ready to go. If it is still a bit wet, add more dry meal and leave for a bit longer.

Now you can form the balls. I make mine about 25mm - 30mm diameter and am not fussy about the shape.You can make them as large or small as you feel fit. As you make them put them on a raised grid over a baking tray and pre-heat the oven to 180C. Put the tray in the oven and allow 1 minute per millimetre diameter plus a couple of minutes for luck. This batch cooked for 32 minutes.

After the elapsed time take them out and allow to cool. If you test one at this stage it should feel rubbery on the outside and soft-ish on the inside. They will become a little firmer as they dry. Put them somewhere safe overnight then bag them up and freeze them for future use.

 

You can fish them hair-rigged. If you do it is advisable to put a small piece of rig tube on the hair to stop it cutting through the bait. Or just mount it like you would luncheon meat. I use them with a PVA bag containing  a couple of balls that have been broken up and a few particles of whatever is appropriate or comes to hand.

 

Do not be tempted to eat one of the baits!  Not if you want some left for fishing that is. They taste delicious and with a bit of chopped onion and bell peppers added the same mix makes great meatballs or burgers for human consumption.

 

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Another take on my home made meatball type baits. This time they have been made using sieved maize and hemp flour as a binder rather than breadcrumbs, a little crushed maize and some hemp seeds for texture and rolled into sausages about 25mm diameter so they can be cut or broken off to the required length to give the same sort of bulk of a dumbell double pellet or boilie bait. Flavouring remains the same though; salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika.

 

Should be fit enough to do a bit of fishing next week so I'll be able to try them out.