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svenc
London Blanker NOT
Surrey
England
Member Since
22 November 2003
Posts: 8839
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 Posted - 12 April 2010 : 10:12:37 AM
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With current financial standings I thought I would write a thread on how I approach my fishing on a tight budget. I have been receiving a fair few PM's so thought id write a full Guide rather than repeating myself
My main ingredients as such are as follows:
- Vitalin, Around £10-13 for a 15kg bag.
- Hemp, I pay £18 for a 25kg bag from my local independant pet shop.
- Mixed corn, I pay £6.99 for a 20kg sack from my local farm feeds supplier, SCATS if your local to surrey.
- Layers Pellets, Again £6.99 for a 20kg sack from SCATS.
- Goat feed, Around £7 for a 20kg sack.
- Bread crusts, Free when you have finished the loaf. I cant stand the ends of a loaf. Just blitz down and add to resealable bags as you go. Then simply freeze it.
- Sweetcorn, I buy 1kg bags then put into smaller session size bags.
Right on to preperation:
VITALIN:
Vitalin mixed with added extras makes a fantastic bait for baiting up large quantities. It is a great carrier of loose feed. Wether that be maggots pellet etc. Dont bother with too much corn though as it has a high content of flaked maize anyway.
There are a few ways to prepare this depending on methods or personal choice.
For commercials I blitz it down to reduce the larger lumps. Makes a great cloud in the water. Be carefull not to add to much water as it becomes very stodgy. This can either be balled in or my favourite choice is bagging waggler or method feeder. 2" hooklength with corn or maggot works treats.
For rivers I use it straight out of the bag, Its the first thing I do when I arrive, that way I can add more water if required as it can take a little time to soak in. I couldnt give you a definitive amount of water but just add enough to ensure the whole lot is dampened then add more as required. It will soften up over time, its not like groundbait as such in this form and it changes from bag to bag depending on how dry it is and weather conditions etc. You should be aiming for a mix which is fairly sticky but not too stodgy as it might not break down.
I wouldnt recomend coil feeders as you tend to bring the feed back when you re-cast or catch a fish. A little sharp tug with a Fox type or flatbed feeder will leave the rest of the feed in situe.
If you have a fair distance to bait up, I would suggest making up all your balls in one go and then leaving them in the sun to dry, or partner permitting stick them on a very low heat in the oven to make a hard skin. I can quite easily bait up on an island feature on the thames at 60-70 yards with ease using a Whopper Dropper.
I also Blitz Vitalin down and really soak it, adding blitzed down corn and cooked hemp. This makes a fantastic slop to be used with Nisa feeders such as this:
http://www.nisafeeders.co.uk/floati...chummer.html
You needent worry about it coming out as it comes out on impact making a cracking cloud in the water.
HEMP
The most understated feed going, either as loose feed or on the hook its cracking stuff. There are many ways to prepare it but im just going to tell you my way. A lot is down to personal preference so ill let others comment on that.
I half fill a very large pot, the type that have a handle that goes over the top. Very big. Dont put too much in as it either wont split, burn the base or boil over. I simmer for about 1 1/2 hours then leave on residual heat, topping up the water to ensure its fully emersed. Any floating hemp is removed. I add sugar salt and bicarb to mine. Never measured although I dont add too much salt. I find the salt stops it sicking to the pot.
You can add your flavourings half an hour before you finish such as chilli powder etc. Dont add it at the start as it will cook out before the majority of the seeds have split. Garlic salt available from any supermarket is good. I wouldnt add salt if using garlic salt, its not needed.
MIXED CORN
Available from any farm feeds stockist. Although advertised as mixed corn has plenty of other additions such as wheat etc. Perfect for prebaiting or spodding for a decent bed of bait and as cheap as chips.
BEWARE, when preparing this bait it expands massively and you may think theres not much in the pot until it expands. It takes on a hell of a lot of water and you need to make sure you havent overdone it. Freezes nicely so a little and often approach is advised. Previous experience tells me that its a bad idea to do too much. Gemma wasnt best pleased when it boiled over and I was in the garden.
The other way of preparing this, to the detriment of 4 food blenders in the last year would be to blitz it down then soak in a bucket for 48 hours adding boiling water to start. Ideal for slop feeders etc. Makes an ideal starting point to fishing vitalin too.
Its not very good at fishing at range without a feeder as it tends to be very gloopy when it starts to ferment.
I used a lot of it to prebait a likely looking margin swim with pellets too to catch this beast. The result is self explanatory:
You can see the pot used in most of my bait prep. I used that pot on the BBQ to prepare more feed as required on the trip.
LAYERS PELLET
Really simple one really and I know Larry off this site uses it a lot. Again cheap as chips. You can add it to your vitalin or goat feed mixes or just catapult it straight out within range. Tubular pellets of around a cm at max. If its good enough for chickens its good enough for fish.
I only use them for feed as I tried to use them ground up and just kept falling apart. I add them to my Vitalin balls etc. Very nutritional too so any coarse fish will reep the rewards. We all know how well fish know whats good and what isnt.
Just make sure you wet them first as they can float. Not too much as they will start to break down.
GOAT FEED
My latest decent find. They have a very organic base so are ideal for grazing fish such as tench, carp and bream. Bream being the ones who love it the most. High grass content, loads of fibre and carbs as well as added extras such as mollases etc.
Preparation involves no more than sticking it through a blender. On its own its useless. Unbelievably its very sticky to the touch unprepared but once blitzed its very smooth. I wouldnt suggest using it on its own for long distances. It does tend to break down mid air. Use a 50/50 mix with vitalin. The blitzed down vitalin sticks it together. Ive never used a binding agent so cant comment on that.
I may add to this with the Moderators support with a few rigs but feel this may well cover most situations at present. I just hope this saves you a few pennies and for those in preparation for the new season may get you thinking.
I wouldnt regard myself as the worlds best river angler but I have fared pretty well the last 5 years, with 200-300lb night catches of bream, the cracking carp and plenty of nets of silvers.
If you could put it up as a sticky and allow me to edit as I add more that would be lovely.
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glyn
Life Member
Surrey
England
Member Since
22 January 2006
Posts: 1090
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Posted - 13 April 2010 : 7:18:28 PM
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| Thanks for taking the trouble to write that. It should help a lot of people questions about this keep coming up. |
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fish finder
callum
Norfolk
United Kingdom
Member Since
01 December 2009
Posts: 1327
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Posted - 13 April 2010 : 8:57:37 PM
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| yes good guide, well done. |
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svenc
London Blanker NOT
Surrey
England
Member Since
22 November 2003
Posts: 8839
My Photo Album
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Posted - 14 April 2010 : 7:45:43 PM
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| Cheers Guys, second part to come soon. Busy splitting my gear so I can travel lighter for day trips. Im going tommorow morning for my first trip out in a while. |
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petemid
Life Member
Member Since
01 October 2007
Posts: 1285
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Posted - 14 April 2010 : 8:06:41 PM
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Great article Sven 
Although I'm sure you only wrote it for another excuse to post the picture of the Thames Carp  |
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Nemesis
AMBER + BLUE
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Nottinghamshire
England
Member Since
15 July 2007
Posts: 1772
Status:
FED UP OF THE FECKIN RAIN
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Posted - 14 April 2010 : 8:09:01 PM
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I wouldn't call that fishing on the cheap.
Thats more like a  to the bait manufacturers.It just shows what you can achieve by not being swayed into buying shop bought baits.
A great guide svenc.
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 Do you know what "nemesis" means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent.
I was addicted to the hokey cokey. But I turned myself around. And that's what it's all about.
I'm not a pancake expert but I know a to55er when I see one. |
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getfishing
Pete
Staffordshire
United Kingdom
Member Since
09 October 2009
Posts: 1687
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Posted - 14 April 2010 : 8:14:31 PM
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| Great article Sven, must have taken a while. |
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svenc
London Blanker NOT
Surrey
England
Member Since
22 November 2003
Posts: 8839
My Photo Album
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slappy2
Life Member
Somerset
England
Member Since
25 September 2007
Posts: 4650
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Posted - 03 October 2010 : 1:10:18 PM
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well done buddy!!!
all good baits use alot them on me spec fishing!!! |
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pole manic
Member
East Yorkshire
United Kingdom
Member Since
25 April 2009
Posts: 91
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Posted - 01 February 2011 : 1:58:24 PM
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Here's another cheap alternative
Ewe nuts they're about 5.50 for 20kg
These are basically CSL pellets
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slappy2
Life Member
Somerset
England
Member Since
25 September 2007
Posts: 4650
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Posted - 02 March 2011 : 4:44:53 PM
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good ewe pellet !!!
top read me son!!!
don t forget molasses 5 quid for gallon brill sweet smell bream love it |
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Kevin Tull
Member
Cornwall
England
Member Since
24 June 2005
Posts: 91
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Posted - 15 March 2011 : 2:56:44 PM
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| Just wondered if anyone had tried cooking hemp, particularly giant hemp in a microwave. I struggle at times to get the giant stuff to split. |
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MALC
MALC
Site Supporter
Mid Glamorgan
Wales
Member Since
11 August 2001
Posts: 6332
Status:
Finally got a 20lb+ at Rolfs.
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Kevin Tull
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Cornwall
England
Member Since
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Posts: 91
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Posted - 15 March 2011 : 7:06:32 PM
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| Thanks. |
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kcon123
Life Member
Lancashire
United Kingdom
Member Since
12 October 2008
Posts: 1412
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Posted - 31 March 2011 : 5:20:42 PM
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| Nice thread, thanks. |
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mariacatherina
New Member
Hereford & Worcester
United Kingdom
Member Since
07 March 2011
Posts: 8
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Posted - 24 May 2011 : 4:58:47 PM
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| that was a good thread, fishing can be expensive my hubby done it for years and he has now roped me into it, i suppose he needs someone to look after the maggots, i know he got some great boilies off e bay , worked a treat and fairly cheap too |
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Mermaid
Calamity Lin
Site Supporter
Bedfordshire
England
Member Since
21 April 2004
Posts: 2473
Status:
Chomping at the bit to get out there fishing!
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Posted - 24 May 2011 : 7:04:16 PM
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| A cracking read Sven, good at anytime but especially in these hard times. |
Linda
http://mermaidslog.blogspot.com/
Aim for 2013: To win more matches and catch a 5lb Chub & a 20lb Pike
Lest we forget: Kingsman Alex Green Aged 21 years 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, Warrington, England |
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svenc
London Blanker NOT
Surrey
England
Member Since
22 November 2003
Posts: 8839
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Posted - 25 May 2011 : 11:44:59 AM
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| Thanks for your kind replies. I keep meaning to add to it but just havent got round to it. I have been experimenting a lot over the last year and have had some real decent results. My bait bill for my 6 day trip starting friday is less than a tenner and that includes 2 pints of maggots. |
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Luckyluca
Life Member
Oxfordshire
Member Since
22 January 2011
Posts: 1322
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Posted - 26 May 2011 : 5:16:46 PM
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Cracking read mate, picked up layers pellets and mash for my weekender today.
Also grabbed halibut pellets from B&M @ £2 a bag! £20 and 4 of us will be fishing for the weekend
With plenty to spare.
Have you used layers mash Sven? Any tips?
Steve |
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svenc
London Blanker NOT
Surrey
England
Member Since
22 November 2003
Posts: 8839
My Photo Album
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Posted - 26 May 2011 : 7:38:45 PM
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Not used it myself as im always thrown towards the Vitalin but looking at the ingredients it looks as good as vitalin and cheaper.
Ingredients:100-40% wheat, 25-10% wheat feed, calcium carbonate, sunflower extract, 10-0% soya bean extract, barley, bakery bi-product, soya bean (heat treated) vitamins and minerals, dicalcium phosphate, salt, sodium bicarbonate, methianine.
I cant see anything in that that would have any adverse reaction to water if used sensibly.
Glad to be of help. Any other questions please ask. Im always one to try something new. Sometimes a little out of the norm but have had varied results. |
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Luckyluca
Life Member
Oxfordshire
Member Since
22 January 2011
Posts: 1322
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Posted - 26 May 2011 : 8:00:39 PM
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Cirtainly cheap mate, £5:50 for 20kgs same price for the pellets.
I will give some a try, in the margins, in a feeder, and if poss on a method feeder. Then let you know how I get on.
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Topic |
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A guide to fishing on the cheap.
