Pre-baiting for Barbel

[Santiago]

I'm currently pre-baiting a spot for barbel and have a few days yet before I start to fish there.

So I was just wondering whilst time is still left for pre-baiting, what you chaps would recommend as the best pre-baiting strategy/bait and the best hook bait to use with said pre-bait combo!!!

[Santiago]

Any help appreciated. I will be putting more bait in, in a few hours time so advice now required urgently or I risk spoiling the swim!

[Shaun Harrison]

Have re-visited this a couple of times but to be fair I felt I couldn't add a lot. I don't tend to pre-bait areas although I do give the fish immediately local to me the odd hand full of bait periodically whilst my lines aren't in a swim whilst walking the dog etc. Similarly whilst angling I will often introduce a little bait to a spot I won't be fishing. I guess this could be termed as pre-baiting in a way.

Because of what I do making a living out of manufacturing and supplying bait it is natural that I feed what I sell and this is usually boilies full and broken.

Slightly different on the still water front as I often use very small baits to clear areas of weed etc before angling.

Almost all of my river fishing is done with either paste or boilie. The back up carpet feed I employ is always similar but the flavour can alter.

Broken and crushed boilie (predominantly Rahja Spice with Absolute Seafood and Special Crab boilies too at present), Maximum Action Pellets (Rahja Spice and a splash of Ghurkka Spice), Microfeed, Mixed Pellet and Naked Nemp. Hook bait is usually a peeled 15mm boilie with a matching paste wrap.

The feed simply creates a lot of interest and the boilie is the main food I want them feeding upon. It is my way of justifying catching the fish by giving them something to eat they will benefit from in terms of healthy growth (not rapid growth) and more importantly rapid tissue repair.

You will usually find any boilie made with quality food ingredients rather than simply flavour carriers that are offered so cheaply will be eaten by the natural water born creepy crawlies anyway even if the fish don't get on them which will still benefit the fish in the long term.

I am fortunate to be able to view the barbel feeding in one of the rivers I visit and they will get through more bait than you really want to or even justify throwing in without wetting a line. But as I said above it is not a practice I do in pre-baiting but I do reward them with food if that makes sense?

Sorry, a little bit of a mish mash answer but no-one else had answered.

[Santiago]

Thanks, that gives me something to think about. I've just boiled a big pan of hemp and chilli so that will go in tonight with a can of corn! The water is far too deep and mirky to know if there are barbel there, but I' m sure to attract some roach over the next few days.

[Shaun Harrison]

There is no bigger feed stimulant than other fish feeding so a good ploy. Also I have sent a PM.

[Woolly Bear]

I always used the best H N V bait mix , you might say what a waste of money but it always paid off on the river for me , cos I always kept it trickling in . Caught the same carp four times in the same season at different times of year and different areas . If I fished one swim I would keep a little going in two others . Kindest regards . Woolly Bear .

[JerryC]

Like most of my fishing I keep it as simple as possible...........find the fish, don't let them know that you are there, and you will often catch on a single bait on the smaller rivers if stalking within minutes. I have never pre-baited for barbel and I have never felt the need to spend vast amounts of money on the latest 'wonder bait'