processed baits

There are many processed baits available to the angler. One of the most common is bread which is used in various forms.

sausages

Cold meat is now one of the standard baits for many species, particularly chub and barbel. You can have a good chub on all varieties of canned meats, including deli meats, grilled bacon, and minced ham and pork. All of these meats can be used successfully right out of the can, and for batter, use 3/4-inch cubes.

However, you should not fall into the trap of leaving the same piece of meat on the hook all day if there have been no bites. This is a common mistake fishermen make. Most meats of this type, if not flavored, soon lose their natural odors and become bland and unattractive.

If you choose to use a variety of flavored meat, the base brand doesn’t really matter. The most important factor is the texture and toughness of the meat: it also needs to be tough enough to withstand being thrown without flying off.

Many anglers use corned beef baits on ridiculously small hooks and then complain that the meat keeps falling off. If you are using 1cm or 2cm cubes of meat, use a hook appropriate to the size of the bait, at least a size 6. To hook the meat, push the bent hook through the bait, then twist and pull from the point of the hook into the meat along a different line.

If you use this method of holding meat, it won’t fly off and the hook will easily slide into the punch, as long as you’ve selected the brand of meat correctly.

Sausage

The sausage was a widely used bait for catfish in the River Thames years ago, although many chubs, cockroaches and bream were tempted by it. There are two ways to use the sausage: either a portion of the sausage itself, or a paste made from the meat. If using just the sausage, it’s best to use the skinless variety, as the skinless tends to be too soft and falls apart too easily. However, when using skinless sausages, be careful to hook them in such a way that the skin does not impede hook penetration.

spicy sausage

Spicy sausage meat sticks, such as pepperami, are available in most supermarkets and are convenient switch baits, requiring no preparation and keeping indefinitely if in an unopened package. Break off a piece, flatten one end to pass the hook and you have a magnificent bait. Since it has a tough skin, you need to cut it with a sharp knife where the hook will be inserted. If you wanted to experiment, there are plenty of other flavored sausages that could be used as bait.