The old standby, trout pellets, are still a major part of my armoury

If you were seriously into carp or tench fifteen years ago you would have been messing around with special pastes, and one of the best was trout pellet paste laced with molasses. Trout pellets then disappeared for a decade before reappearing as the wonder bait on match carp waters. Over the last five years we have seen an explosion in the varieties of pellets available, from simple animal feeds, to more complex baits developed specifically for fishing. There is now a plethora of different varieties available, all of which work in slightly different ways, so how do you get the most out of these baits? The old standby, trout pellets, are still a major part of my armoury. For carp, barbel, tench and bream these baits take some beating and are so versatile that I rarely leave home without a few bags in the car. The pulling power of trout pellets is not difficult to figure. High fish meal protein and oil content are both known fish attractors, although it should be stressed that too much fishmeal in a fish’s diet can lead to problems with the immune system, so use in moderation please. I rarely use more than a couple of pounds in a days fishing anyway, as these baits can fill fish up quickly. I guess that I use mostly 3mm micro sinking pellets during the course of the year. These pellets break down rapidly and can be used in a multitude of ways. From mixing with other particles (particularly hemp) to loose feeding little and often, to mixing with lake water to form a stiff groundbait for method fishing, these little beauties offer a huge number of alternatives. My other favourite are larger 6mm and 8mm pellets. These larger pellets can be carefully drilled with a nut drill to give a bait that can be fished on a hair rig. This is a killing method for chub and barbel, particularly when feeding small pellets and hemp. The pellets will stay on the hair for at least half an hour, if not longer. Alternatively, you can use one of the increasingly common bait bands to attach your pellets which is not only more convenient, but which extends the life of the pellet. These larger pellets are also useful for feeding at slightly longer range than the micro’s, although I must admit that I tend to use a bait rocket when baiting up at more than a couple of rod lengths out. I have less use for floating trout pellets, although I will occasionally use them as an alternative to chum mixers. The large floating salmon pellets, although not cheap, make excellent floating baits. Trout pellets tend to be fairly similar in composition, but this does not go for the huge range of pellets designed for use as baits. Although quite expensive, I also use a lot of this kind of pellet for certain types of fishing. My favourite by far is the Rod Hutchinson Formula Magic pellet, which fortunately, I get for free! This pellet is made from a mixture of crushed seeds which give it an incredible smell and rapid break down in water. Although I do not rate it as highly as prepared particle baits, as a standby bait it is superb. Although sold as a carp bait, Friends of mine really rate it for tench and I have caught plenty of barbel while fishing over it, so it is worth experimenting with. One of my favourite baits is a paste made up of soaked Formula Magic and 3mm trout pellets. As a method groundbait this really takes some beating. The flavoured pellets manufactured by all of the major bait companies are an excellent alternative to feeding boilies. I always keep a few bags tucked away for those days when you want to create a bed of feed to keep the fish in the area for longer. It is worth experimenting with these pellets as some will break down more rapidly than others. I tend to use mixtures, so that there is a rapid release of flavour in the swim, but with some bait left in the swim. If you are fishing at short range, then feeding a few pellets every couple of minutes is an excellent way of building up a swim. Something that I have yet to fully come to grips with are the soft hook pellets manufactured by Sensas and Van Den Eynde. This is really because I tend to use a hair rig or bait band and use hard pellets. When fishing for tench and chub on the float though, I can really see these soft pellets coming into their own – definitely a bait that I will find more and more uses for in the future.

So there you go, a really brief description of some of the pellets on the market. Although they may appear to be expensive at first glance, remember that you do not need much as they are a concentrated feed. Try to pick the right bait for your style of fishing and I am sure you will feel the power of the pellet.