Cheap baits

[Norfolkboy]

I know a lot of anglers can have trouble with buying expensive bait, so I plan too try and help people with a few suggestions of cheap baits, that can be obtained easily.

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.

3. Worms:
The best and cheapest bait around. Go out into the garden, do a big of digging and you will get a lot of worms. For lobworms, go out at night and they'll all be on the grass and can be picked up without too much hassle. Also a sprinkling of water with washing up liquid in will get them up.

4. Borlotti Beans/Butter beans etc..:
A great bait for carp, freelined, fished under a float or legered. I've caught carp to 11lb on borlotti beans which have a nice sweet flavour. Go into any supermarket and they can be bought very cheaply.

5. Dog biscuits:
A great summer bait for carp feeding off the surface. Can be bought very cheaply from supermarkets and will last a long time.

6. Bread:
A great bait for most species. Can be fished on the surface for chub and carp, bread punch will catch quality roach, and bread flake will catch bream, carp, chub, barbel and tench. Extremely cheap from a supermarket and will last for ages.

7. Cheap pellets:
Go into a pet shop, or supermarket and you can often find cheap pellets at around 2.00 for 1kg. Can be used as loosefeed or made into a paste, and will catch/attract most species.

8.Mollases:
You'll find this stuff in 250ml bottles for around 2.50 in tackle shops. Go too any Pet store or Farm shop and you can buy the stuff in 5kg tubs for around 6.00. A great attractant, and good for making your groundbaits a bit thicker.

9. Goat/Chicken feed:
Can be bought in 25kg bags for around 6 pound from farm shops or pet store. Good used as groundbait, or great for spodding. Has some great ingredients and it includes betaine pellets which are expensive in tackle shops.


10. Pepperami:
Another bait that can be very good for picking off carp, tench and bream. Also good for chub and barbel. Can be bought very cheaply from supermarkets.

11. Wotsits:
A great surface bait for carp. Can be purchased from any supermarket, cheaper equivalents (cheese curls etc..) will do just as well.



Hope this has helped some people who want some cheaper baits for freshwater fishing.

I'm know I haven't listed all the possibilities, so feel free too chip in.

Dan

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Great info there dan and will save money ( which I love )

[Falve]

Yes money saving is crucial. It means more can be spent in the pub!

[Old Smoothound]

Great info Dan.

Will save me a few pennies when I next go Carping.

[pingu]

cool and can put on weekly tescos (so as she with purse strings dont know???) and still have cash fo a beer!!!!!!;-)

[fishfarmer]

Another real cheep bait that I like to use is fatback. You can get in from any butcher and usually for next to nothing. It will catch real nice cats and bass too if you fish it right

[socko]

What about cheese does nobody use this anymore??

I have some good tench,roach and bream on both Red Leicester and cheese slices

[Omahayank]

Its fun (and kind of frightening) to see what you can get fish to bite on.
Don't forget, esp for catfish: chicken livers, bar soap (ivory floats off the bottom), nearly any kind of breakfast cereal, esp. sweetened kids cereals, mashed into a thick paste w/ water,oil,pop,juice(some say to put ring type <froot loops/cheerios> over the hook before you cover it w/ the cereal paste...holds on better?) hot dogs/viena sausages, cheese is still good.
Don't skip what-ever insects you might find on the bank or in the area. Grasshoppers, crickets and caterpillers (try turning catp... inside out with a small stick) and esp. mayflies when they're around(GREAT for bluegill and crappie)
I tried beef kidney a couple weeks ago. In the store it looked like it might have a little firmer "body" than chicken livers. I got a whole kidney for 75 cents at a super-market. I cut a 1/4 of it into strips and small chunks w/a scissor (it smells like grandmas attic) and froze the rest. I intend to try it on cat, but sofar its worked great on blugill.

[Brian of Nazareth]

Wotsits - great idea, wonder if they'll work for mullet. Not sure about the bar of soap though, how do you get it on a hook ?

[Omahayank]

Originally Posted by Brian of Nazareth

Wotsits - great idea, wonder if they'll work for mullet. Not sure about the bar of soap though, how do you get it on a hook ?

You have to chunk it up (carefully) w/a knife 1st.
Some say heat it to soften it. Others say to work it soft w/your hands like the muscle-heads do for hand exercise...I wouldnt have the strength to fish afterwards, if I did that.
I just set it in the sun if I have a problem putting it on a hook.