Cheap baits

[Greenheart]

Just been reading an old edition of Mr Crabtree go's fishing & found some baits you missed. What about Silkweed, Gentles, Waxworm & Tallow. "No I don't know what they are either!!!"

[Omahayank]

I've heard of all but Gentiles, and except for Waxworms don't know how you would bait them up.
Silkweed (milkweed):when it goes to seed the fluffy bits fly every where. I've seen EverythinG hit them when they land on the water. They are soo fine, I dont know how you would fish it.
Waxworms:are moth caterpillars
Tallow:is rendered animal fat. I supose you could chunk up a suet cake meant for birds???
I read an excerpt from an old book about cutting strips of skin w/the fat layer still on when they would slaughter a pig in spring. Thats sold here commercially as 'Uncle Josh's Pork Rinds', but I think thats getting away from the 'cheap bait' idea.

[gullyworm]

Pork scratchings and a pint of good bitter,,,,great

[Ben]

good luck tryna get a good bitter cheap around here

[biggun]

Originally Posted by Greenheart

Just been reading an old edition of Mr Crabtree go's fishing & found some baits you missed. What about Silkweed, Gentles, Waxworm & Tallow. "No I don't know what they are either!!!"

I think I am correct in saying that Gentles is another word for some kind of maggot/pinkie!!

[aku94]

1. Luncheon meat/Spam/Cat (or dog) food:
Go into any supermarket and you will find these baits. Great fished in cubes for carp, tench, chub, barbel and bream or scale the size down for some good sized rudd, roach and crucians.

2. Sweetcorn:
A very good bait, will work for tench, chub, barbel, carp and bream. Can also pick off the bigger specimens of rudd. Can be bought from any supermarket either in a can or frozen.

Over the Summer I had the oppertunity to test both of those as fishing bait. Neither worked as well as worms.

I used the Spam in Long Island Sound, not far from the shore. I was not getting any bites, but other guys were catching loads of fish with shiners, which I switched to later in the day. I did manage to catch a crab (pretty decent size) wo tried to get the Spam, ut after I managed to get it off my hook, everything was ok. at least I caught something....That was my first salt water experience....I used the Spam becasue I did forgot to buy vait. I did manage to catch my own shiners (borrowed a net from another angler).

Sweetcorn did not work very well either. They were not biting when ity was on my hook, but they were biting my nightcrawlers. To test it, I threw a handful in, and the fish did take to it.Maybe I was not being patient enough. I will probably give that another try in future.

[Norfolkboy]

Both baits work brilliant in here.....in freshwater. Too be honest, I don't think they'd catch much in saltwater here either.

[baitmaster]

i love using luncheon meat and sweet corn .
but don,t just pick up the first tin of luncheon meat you find some works better than other .
in my opinion the best one is called bacon grill and this is because the fat levels in it are alot higher than others .
also you can if you want to, change it a bit by either soaking it in a flavours over night.
also you can change its texture and look by simple frying it lightly in oils and give it a bit of a punch by adding some tumeric or similar spice or flavour you want to try .can make it devastating .
now you plain old tin of luncheon meat has now been greatly enhanced and give you 3 or 4 varions to try which could be the change that could put that all important extra or new pb on the bank .

also buy some food dyes and change the colour of your sweet corn yourself instead of buying that overly priced piscavia stuff .

another cheap alternative is to do with ground baiting is barley and wheat ..
now being brought up on the norfolk broad and my dad was really into his breaming he would fish hickling broad and he would put in ground bait by the sack load due to the huge shoals of bream that used to roam on there .now what he used to use was wheat and barley which he used to boil and prepare and the smell was awsome .now how many of you go out and buy the bread crumb and just add water to is and hey presto! instant ground bait . how ever this is fine on still waters but on slow moving waters such as the rivers of the broads it would be better to have a heavier ground bait such as barley and wheat which would not get washed away by the flow as quickly as the bread crumb bags of ground bait and therefore would keep the fish in your swim for longer and hopefully while your fellow angler up the bank has lost them due to the flow washing his feed away .
i hope you will think these are usefull in your fishing

tightlines
baitmaster

[Omahayank]

Originally Posted by Norfolkboy

Both baits work brilliant in here.....in freshwater. Too be honest, I don't think they'd catch much in saltwater here either.

Here too...just depends on the fish, temp, moon faze, right fishing hat...the usual stuff.

In states that allow 'chum'(ground baits) I've read letting wheat and such sour in a bucket of water outside for several days or weeks works good.

I use cat food in my minnow traps to great success, I intend to try it as bait some time but never remember, esp. if I get enough monnows.

[aku94]

Originally Posted by Norfolkboy

Both baits work brilliant in here.....in freshwater. Too be honest, I don't think they'd catch much in saltwater here either.

The corn was in freshwater. I'll try the luncheon meat in freshwater this spring!