Pellets

I like your humour Derek as it rings so true.

You raised a memory though and I have already done the liquorice thing in
principle anyway. One day whilst walking home along the Thames after a
reasonable fishing trip I saw a couple of nice chub under a tree. I had no
bait left but I did have one sausage sandwich but it was covered in mustard.
Ignoring that I set the rod back up and climbed the tree as it was the only
way to get the bait to the fish and I temped a 4 lb chub of sausage and
mustard. At that point I also wished I had thought ahead a bit more as I was
now fighting both the fish and gravity as I was stuck in the tree. I did
land it without getting wet so allow as well but maybe I should market this
"never fails" chub bait that is 100% successful ( tried it once and it
worked ).

Here is a good one for you Derek, the lake I fish has a rule that one half
of the lake is left free for matches on Fridays which I observe. Most of the
people fish it every week and are mainly OAP's, they do not catch much as
they are worse than kids and make so much noise I can feel the vibrations on
the other side of the lake. Most of them have had chats with me and told me
I am doing it all wrong and I should try to fish how they fish, I may
disagree with their methods but I am polite and carry one catching fish, the
last few times I have landed fish while they are telling me I am doing it
all wrong which went down like a lead balloon. Last Friday I was the other
side of the lake and my methods worked yet again as I landed 10 or so fish
most of which ranged from 2 to 3 lbs, nothing great just an enjoyable days
fishing but I could hear them muttering every time I banked a fish. Other
than catching when they can not I have not done anything wrong, have I? (
well other than feeling smug when one of them started glaring at me when I
was chatting with the owner who I have known for years )

Going again next Friday.

Thanks for the info on the pellets, I took a look at them today and they are
expensive and odd flavours as well. I have to say that a guy in a market
stall put his money where is mouth was as he has given me a small packet of
halibut hook pellets ( sonubaits.com ) and says that if I do not catch with
them I get them free and if I do catch and want more I can pay him for them.
Unusually trusting that me thinks but I will live up to his challenge and
try them for an hour next time. He says they can be used directly on the
hook and they seem soft enough but firm enough to stay on. Time will tell
and at £3 for a 140g packet ( enough for a three or four sessions with light
feeding ) it is not too bad.

Thanks again Derek.


--
Gandalf

"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...
In article , Gandalf
wrote:
Hi Gentlemen,

Can anyone give me the low down on types and use of pellets. Being older

Pellets are compressed meal, oil snd some sort of binder, forced through a
die and sold in bulk. Prices are rising fast due to the recent lurch in
international fuel, feed and grain market prices. Despite this it should
be
possible to get a ten ton load delivered for around 25k ukp - (eg about
25p/kilo in bulk.) Pellets are made in a range of sizes depending on the
diameter of the die.

Uses:
Repackaged in portable packets.
With 'posh' label and high price tag:
* Large - sold to unthinking anglers as *special* hookbaits.
* Small - sold to unthinking anglers as *special* groundbaits.
With 'downmarket' label and medium price tag:
* Large - sold to unthinking anglers as *cheap* *special* hookbaits.
* Small - sold to unthinking anglers as *cheap* *special* groundbaits.

Sold loose from a 25kg sack:
* Large - sold to gullible aficionados as *extra-cheap* *special*
hookbaits.
* Small - sold to gullible aficionados as *extra-cheap* *special*
groundbaits.

Once sold they are of no further interest to the tackle trade.

than life itself it seems I now need to know about these things as they
are
the in bait that works.

No. They're what the *repackagers tell you* are the in bait that works.

I would prefer not to use a hair rig if possible
but
it seems it is the preferred way to fish them.

If you want to create a real stir invent a new way to use them: I suggest
you carefully heat individual Pontefract ('Pomfret') cakes (Licorice
sweets)
in a greased teaspoon until they go really sticky then inset the ends of
three or four small pellets and allow to set. Now you have a licorice
enhanced hedgehog of pellets with a tough undercase through which you can
pass a hook. Add a few Pontefract cakes to the prebaiting pellets that
you
put out daily for a couple of weeks and fish the new hookbait over them.
When you've caught a couple you can gradually let slip the secret and
finally write the definitive article for the angling press. If you're
sensible you'll patent a self-heating spoon and assembly jig and arrange a
bulk supply of Pontefract cakes which you can repackage as a kit with your
own designer label.

Oh. This -will- work. Chuck enough of anything reasonably edible in
front
of a few hungry carp and sooner or later some will take it.

Otoh you could use some of your leisure time in collecting and chopping
worms and slugs - prebait with them and you'll do rather better.

Or find the place where crusts the ducks and swans miss drift and collect
and fish bread in an area that has been prebaited for you for weeks...

Oh yes, since when have we had blue maggots and why? The only ones that
work
seem to be red for me and my local bream are certainly not patriotic as
they
did not touch a red, a white and blue on one hook.

AIui many of the fish that will take a maggot are colourblind in any case.

Is it me or does the whole idea of make things simple and natural gone
out
of the stain glassed window.

It's the cash-rich time-poor syndrome. Those with too little time to fish
properly** or who are too impatient, think they can buy the secrets to
success. The trade are delighted to supply them.

The usual quote is something like: 90% of the fish are caught by 10% of
the
anglers who are the ones that buy 5% of the tackle. I reckon the true
figures are more likely to be 95%, 5%, and 1% respectively.

I bought a (remaindered) supermarket loaf this evening for 10p - revolting
stuff, -I- wouldn't eat it. I'll take about a third of it fishing in the
morning - should be enough bait for a couple of hours after which it'll be
too bright.

Cheerio,

** Which doesn't mean you fish -more-, just that you fish at the -right
time- which may occur unpredictably.

--
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