Bran as ground bait

[Duckett]

The recent thread about Duffield groundbait got me thinking about groundbait I used as a lad in the 1970s. Fishing the small ponds on The Wirral we didn’t bother with any groundbait, just feeding a few maggots plus some of whatever our hook bait was. On the River Dee and Weaver Navigation, it was bread crumb.

However, fishing the mere’s, flash’s and Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire, the ground bait of choice was bran, soaked in water, with perhaps some crumb added. It didn’t matter what the hook bait was, bran was the best route to the big Bream of Cheshire stillwaters as well for as those few precious waters that contained Crucian lurking under the lily pads.

I’m now seriously considering giving bran a go on waters with Bream. Does anyone still use it?

Phil

[Woodytia]

I do mixed in with other stuff to make it less stodgy

[Duckett]

I do mixed in with other stuff to make it less stodgy

Thanks. I did wonder about that but it’s been 40+ years and my memory isn’t up to the specifics

Phil

[Olly]

Me too - with other bits and pieces! I think it breaks up the binding of some ground baits. I also use horse feed as an excellent and strong binder.

[Mole-Patrol]

Bran on its own wouldn't be a good bait. But mixed with other cereals it can bulk up the groundbait and break up a stodgy mix. I think the match anglers of the 60' used to add the bran that their maggots came in and that would add something extra compared to clean bran.

Semolina also acts as a de-clogging agent without detracting from the groundbait, as does fine sand. If you want a nice cloud add some powdered mik.

To add clagginess for feeder fishing or in deep, fast water make your groundbait with boiling water and add some co-co powder. The cheap stuff from Lidl is ideal.

[Old Man River]

Another blast from the past is Sausage rusk from the butchers, my mother used to add an order of a pound bag for me every week so I always had some to hand, it came in pink or white, but I only ever used the white, it made a really good mix that formed a cloud , mixed in a handful of maggots to the mix and it was always really good for attracting Roach.

In these days of supermarkets though you have to search around for a butchers that makes its own sausages.

David .

[Mole-Patrol]

David, you can buy rusk from that large South American river. Expensive though. Better to get some fine crumb groundbait and cook it on a tray it in a low oven heat then blitz it through a blender.

[Old Man River]

Cheers for that Clive, but I have not used it for years , I make my own groundbait from various ingredients, brown crumb, white bread, hempseed, sometimes pigeon conditioner, crushed Hali pellets etc etc, and have done so for years. Plain bread in its various forms can probably cover most bases, toasted, dried, crumbed, flaked, liquidised in a blender, etc etc…
TBH I dont think the fish are too concerned about what we throw in to attract them, the various companies that concoct all these modern fancy mixes are just really promoting an expensive fashionable brand,and really for all of my fishing needs do not provide anything that I cannot make for myself for probably and 1/8th of the price, and in whatever volume I need.
I would hazard a guess that most TFF’ers make their own groundbait, after all is that not what traditional is all about ?


David.

[Mole-Patrol]

I totally agree David. Whilst the youth of my era used to experiment with drugs I was addicted to bait ingredients and went through everything the supermarkets and health food shops had to offer from oat meal to ground natural aniseed. I still make my own meatball baits and other things, but like you I am not convinced that fish are as choosy as some would have us believe. Pigeon conditioner for example might have 12 or more ingredients. I reckon you could easily reduce that to two or three. The only thing that gives it the edge is the aniseed additive that an acts as a trigger in some cases, and you can put aniseed in any groundbait. Smoked paprika, garlic and curry powder also work in rivers where you want to create a strong scent trail.

I have seen carp beach themselves to get at raw maize grains spilled from a duck feeder. Maize in its many forms is the staple (sorry) of my baiting strategy for all cyprinids. The only disadvantage with maize groundbait is that if doesn't stop passing fish in their tracks. Once they find it, they will stay and clear it up. But it needs something else to cause the fish to search out the food. That is where the flavourings or extra ingredients come in useful.

[Liphook]

I fully concur with the advice above and can't remember the last time I bought a branded groundbait - though watching DaceAce's videos I'd be very tempted to give Gros Gardons a good trial if river roaching. I think fermenting maize provides that extra pulling power Clive. That slimy sticky steeped maize gloop is the 1st stage to creating CSL and is utilising the power of yeasts that we've discussed elsewhere here on TFF. Back in my carping days we used it to devastating effect on the Kew and other stretches of the Thames and it has been a great tactic on big rivers everywhere that have a good head of carp. I'd dropper most of it in to rivers to create a bed then hand/catapult feed over the top to get a spread of the syrup through the water column that spreads downstream drawing up fish