Groundbaits

...making a choice in continental groundbaits it is a good idea to think about the following:

~~ Depth of water you’ll be fishing in.
~~ Type and size of fish you want to catch.
~~ The amount of fish you’re expecting to catch (and other factors).
~~ What bait will you be using with it??


DEPTH
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As with a few earlier ops, I can’t really tell you ...
...usually less active and rich groundbaits can easily over feed them. This will then cause them to switch off the feed, simply because they’ll make themselves sick if they eat anymore. For situations like this (like now – beginning of March), 'Match Blend' is perfect. Not so sweet as ‘Lake’, it's dark in colour and much slower in action. This makes it a good choice for winter and difficult waters. As a base it's ideal for mixing ... more

Ok, first op in a new section so I’d better make it good right?? I’m not sure really what to say at this point, as the section could be open to literally hundreds of entries, each one highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of certain mixes. I’ll start off though with an ‘overall’ look of this fine fine addition to any anglers thingamajig (can’t believe ‘Word’ let me have that one!!).

Groundbait is essentially used as a fish attractant and also a stimulant (to get them feeding). The idea normally involves trying to keep all the fish in the area, in a tight circle around your bait; either on or close to the bottom. It is introduced in to the water in balls. Simply by throwing them in by hand, adequate accuracy can be gained up to any distance less than about 16 metres. Any further than that and they’re probably best fired out via a catapult. Then again, you may want to fish an open-end swimfeeder. This will carry the groundbait as far as you can cast, and will ensure a supply of fishy food in the vicinity of your hookbait.

In its simplest form, groundbait is simply made of dried and crushed bread. This would normally be known as either brown or white ‘crumb’, depending on its colour. The brown crumb actually comes from toasted white bread, and not brown bread. It is used now mostly as a ‘bulking agent’ which you can add to your more expensive ‘continental mix’ to increase the quantity at little extra cost.

In recent years, these so-called Continental groundbaits, containing all sorts of insane ingredients (like hemp seed and pigeon pooh) in addition to the ‘crumb’, have become increasingly popular. Several brands (like Sensas, Van Den Eynde, Wizzo and……my stupid memory needs a re-tune) are selling us stuff which can be designed specifically for enticing a certain species, at a certain time of the year. So how the flip do you get the right one?? There are flippin’ millions of them on the shelves of tackle shops Worldwide. They do normally try to make it easy for you though. Sensas for example have a range which are actually named after the species they’re aimed at. That doesn’t mean that only one species of fish will be attracted to each of them though. The ingredients are often very similar so there will be things in each mix that a lot of fish will like the smell of. It’s just that there may be one extra ingredient that is particularly attractive to one certain species, so it ends up being best for that one. See what I mean??

The cheeky manufacturers always seem to keep the actual ingredients secret to prevent them from being copied by their competitors; for which I can’t blame them really. There can’t be too many businesses where the customer pays good money (£2.50 + for 1kg) for a product that he or she immediately throws away!!

As well as choosing mixes to suit individual species, you should also consider the venue you will be fishing. For a deep, fast-flowing river (which I never really get to fish unfortunately), you will need a groundbait that binds together strongly so it will drop down to the bottom without breaking up. The flow of water and the feeding fish will then help to break down the balls of groundbait. On a shallow lake however, a mixture of this type would be useless, as the ball would just sit on the bottom without breaking up. On the lake or canal, you often want the mix to be quite active to attract the fish to the area and give off lots of nice smells. Therefore, a much lighter mix which starts disintegrating as it hits the water, or after just a few minutes on the bottom, is needed.

Many companies actually take the trouble of stating for which kind of venues and fishing methods each of their mixes is best suited, including the ideal depth of water (which is a nice little touch!!). Always check the small print on the back of the bag.

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You can get any groundbait mix to behave differently, simply by varying the amount of water you add to it. Basically, the drier the mix, the more quickly it will break up. A mix that is too sloppy though, will also break up quickly (funnily enough, that’s just known as slop – where you add so much water that there’s no way you could squeeze it in to a ball. It does produce a nice cloud though when sinking so it does sometimes have its advantages).

Generally speaking now, it is necessary to create a mix which holds together as it enters the water, but breaks up close to the bottom. You need to give the bed a colourful smelly bed to feed confidently over.

You can also change the properties and performance of a certain groundbait by adding PV1. This is a powerful binder, which ensures that the balls hold together. It is added to the dry mix before water is added, and the more you use, the harder your balls will be (this fishin’ lark is soooo rude!!).

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OK, so you’ve been to the shop and see all these bags of fine powder sitting there in front of you. Which one do you pick?? Basically a continental groundbait is a mix that has been formulated with flavours and additives. Some, however, will have plain crumb as a base, and then the additives and flavours are added to this. The main bulk of the mixes that you now find on tackle shop shelves are usually of a flavour and additive make-up. What I mean is that you can select a mix for the species you’re fishing for, and when mixed it should be of the right texture for the depth of water you are fishing in. For example, if you’re fishing for Roach and they are up-in-the-water (shallow, just beneath the surface), a cloudy, fine groundbait will hold them there. If the groundbait is mixed to a stiffer consistency, it will sink lower in the water and take the fish down with it. If the species you are targeting are bottom feeders (like Carp or Tench), then a stiff / heavy mix will sink right to the bottom before breaking up. Therefore, before making a choice in continental groundbaits it is a good idea to think about the following:

~~ Depth of water you’ll be fishing in.
~~ Type and size of fish you want to catch.
~~ The amount of fish you’re expecting to catch (and other factors).
~~ What bait will you be using with it??

DEPTH
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As with a few earlier ops, I can’t really tell you about rivers, but the idea behind it all is generally the same.

The depth will give you a starting point for the texture of your feed. For example, should it be loose and soft, or sticky and firm??? In shallow water, of say three to five feet, accuracy in terms of getting all the feed to the bottom in a tight area is obtained quite easily, especially when fishing close in to the bank. Feed can be pretty soft with little possibility of water movement (tow of flow). For depths of eight feet or more, and perhaps at distance, the firmness of the mix is of great importance. Groundbait that has been squeezed firmly will offer more resistance to any drift on the water and remain intact when thrown (very important!! You don’t want bits flying off mid-flight and spreading your feed all over the place). When faced with deeper water you need to use a much stickier, harder mix, to ensure it gets down to the desired depth before beginning to break up.

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TYPE OF FISH
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Although the fish will respond to all different types of food, each one tends to have a preference. For example, Roach may react more readily to a hemp-based mix where there is lots of activity in the form of food particles rising up through the water. Carp also like an active mix, whereas Bream are much happier feeding on more inert (less fizzy), sweet, bottom-based mixes. With this in mind your choice can now be made to combine the right consistency with the right ingredient to suit the predominant fish.

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EXPECTED CATCH SIZE (AND THE OTHER STUFF)
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The number of fish in a water (how well stocked is it??), water temperature and the time of the year, are all very important considerations for picking the richness and food content of a given continental mix. Heavy feeding with a rich feed, full of coarse particles will hold fish longer in a heavily stocked water where there are good numbers of freely-feeding fish in the summer. During the colder months though, you’ll need to adopt a low-feed-value mix, as you don’t want to overfeed the fish’s slow metabolic rate at this time of year. Local knowledge of a venue is invaluable. Information on quantity of species, where and how they feed and their preferences to certain types of feed, will help you decide which bag you pick from that shelf. I've looked around (well, not specifically for this op, but just through years of using the stuff) at what is available and have come up with a few examples you might like to try out!! I normally prefer the Sensas mixes, but everyone has their own old favourites. Here is how I use them.

SHALLOW OR UP-IN-THE-WATER FISHING

SENSAS 'CLOUD' AND/OR 'FORMULA SUPREME': When mixing the two together you will be able to achieve a light fluffy groundbait which is brilliant for fishing shallow in the summer months. Remember though, to mix the dry ingredients together thoroughly before adding water. Supreme also mixes easily on its own for feeding on the bottom or for breaking up as it falls through the water. Adding the Cloud makes the Supreme mix a lot lighter, and when fishing with a small ball every put in, is an ideal mix for fishing the on-the-drop method (when you allow the bait to sink slowly and naturally through the water) where Roach and Skimmers (young Bream) are your main target fishies.

SUMMER FISHING

SENSAS LAKE 3000: 'Lake' is a medium texture, highly-active groundbait (with lots of hemp in it) that can be mixed to a variety of textures. On its own it can be balled into a swim (lots of bigger balls at the start of the session) and it will break down quickly. The addition of Sensas 'Roach', 'Bream' or 'Carp' will increase the food value with more of the flavours each fish prefer. Bream seem to respond quite well to red baits (i.e. worms, red maggots and casters), so mixes like red 'Bream' or red 'Magic' should be considered as alternatives. In cold water or on clearer venues, dark mixes seem to give a better response as fish are very shy (because it means that they can’t be seen so easily by predators – over a light groundbait in clear water, they would stand right out and probably get scoffed up by a Pike or something), so 'Noire' (black Roach) would be an excellent dark alternative.

COLDER WATER AND WINTER FISHING

MATCHBLEND: In the colder months fish are usually less active and rich groundbaits can easily over feed them. This will then cause them to switch off the feed, simply because they’ll make themselves sick if they eat anymore. For situations like this (like now – beginning of March), 'Match Blend' is perfect. Not so sweet as ‘Lake’, it's dark in colour and much slower in action. This makes it a good choice for winter and difficult waters. As a base it's ideal for mixing with 'Noire' (Black Roach), 'Gros Gardon' (Big Roach), 'Canal Extra' or 'Canal Nouveau' depending where and what you are fishing for.

DEEPER WATERS

The two main problems with deeper water are accuracy of feeding, and fish feeding off the bottom where they are usually harder to catch. Your groundbait mixes should, in these conditions, be mixed heavier and the addition of a binder like PVl or Sensas 'River', can be used to achieve this. The balls of groundbait should be squeezed harder to ensure they are not affected by water movement and that they reach the required destination in both distance and depth.

HEAVILY STOCKED WATERS

In well-stocked waters, and especially in summer, fish like carp will respond to a high food value groundbait like Sensas 'Crazy Bait' or Crap (spelling mistake but I like it!!) 3000. These fish are competing aggressively for food, and will search out the high protein mixes their body needs to attain and increase weight. 'Crazy Bait' is high in fishmeal (best used on its own), but it can be mixed with any other groundbait if a different texture is required for a different approach.

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CONCLUSION
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So looking back over the Sensas range it becomes apparent that there is a mix for almost every type of coarse fish that swims. And more to the point you have to remember that it's you the angler that will dictate how the mix behaves by the way that you mix it (simple!!). The major groundbait manufacturers now print mixing instructions on the reverse of each packet. Follow their recommended guidelines to achieve the right mix and you won't go far wrong. Also remember that you don't have to use just a straight continental mix. You may find that some of these products are too expensive for your budget. If this is the case then mix them 50-50 with plain old brown crumb (like I mentioned at the beginning) if summer fishing, or mix with non feed items like PVl or damp leam (clay powder type of thing which adds no feed content at all, but bulks the mix out). This will make your groundbait go a lot further and really save you some money.

That really is the longest thing I’ve ever written. Sorry bout that!!
 

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