IT’S TIME TO UP YOUR PELLET GAME
Treated as virtually a natural food source by commercial carp, there are several ways you can make these popular baits even more effective
CARP pellets are the most popular bait on most commercials.
They are not only a nutritionally complete feed, for carp and other coarse species, but also incredibly convenient.
Pellets should certainly be part of every angler’s bait armoury, but with many
sheries insisting on the use of their own pellets, it can be a real advantage to know how to get the best from them in di erent angling situations.
SIZE MATTERS...
Probably the most important factor is pellet size, which has a bearing on how sh feed. This comes down to two main things. Smaller pellets sink slower than larger ones, so we have to be careful when using small baits to avoid the sh coming up in the water and causing line bites and other false indications.
We also need to think tactically about whether to use the same size of pellet on the hook as being used in the loosefeed, or whether a larger hookbait might stand out from the crowd and ultimately result in more bites.
When margin shing, feeding small 4mm pellets can cause problems, as these slow-sinking baits can encourage carp to come o the bottom.
This is especially true with some batches that have a lighter honeycomb structure. Feeding more heavily, but less often, can help to keep the sh down.
If you nd that they have come o -bottom, cutting the feeding completely for a while can encourage them to head back down again.
When shing further out, larger pellets come into play, with fewer problems. But bear in mind that if line bites become a problem, cutting the feed o for a while might again be the answer.
When using micros on a Method feeder, carp can get
xated on these tiny baits and ignore a larger hookbait. If you are getting liners but no positive bites, then this is a sure sign that the hookbait is being ignored.
Try adding some larger pellets to the feeder mix. Even switching from micros to 4mm pellets can make a big di erence. As a general rule, use the biggest feed pellets
that you can, as this means you can better match the size of feed to the hookbait, helping to cut down on ‘selective feeding ’.
FLAVOUR OR NO FLAVOUR?
Fish in commercials see pellets every day. When they are feeding well, pellets will be eaten with gusto. But not every day is like that.
Sometimes, especially when the weather is variable, there will be times when they aren’t feeding hard. In this situation, plain pellets, even with careful use, might not be enough to get them feeding condently.
I have seen a growing trend among matchshing friends to avour their pellets in the search for small edges. If these guys are seeing the benets of adapting their baits, then it is certainly something that the rest of us can benet from.
If the venue you are shing insists on the use of their own pellets, then we are going to have to avour these, but on other venues we will be free to use various ready-avoured baits that have the attractors added during manufacture.
Adding avours when pellets are made has the benet that the ingredients are equally mixed through large batches of bait, ensuring that the levels are consistent.
The attractors inside the bait will also last longer, but with a
slower release. There are pros and cons to both avouring your own or buying ready avoured baits. I use both, tending to avour my own on venues where the rules mean I have to use shery pellets.
TOP COATING
Don’t be over-zealous when using liquid avours with your pellets. Drowning pellets with liquids will soften them and leave a mess.
I prefer to add just enough avour to leave a thin coat on the pellets. This is especially good when using additives such as Liquid Belachan
(shrimp), hemp oil, and tiger nut extract.
Another advantage of coating pellets is that it helps the pellets cut through the water’s surface lm, so they sink faster. The surface lm can hold up small pellets, in particular, slowing their descent and bringing carp up in the water. Even dampening pellets with water will reduce this problem and help get the feed down more quickly.
“Carp can get fixated on micros and ignore a larger hookbait”