what bait

i uasually bring rag sand ell and maceral and sometimes squid is there anything else i should be bringin whats the best bait to use or does it change in different areas on what types of ground what baits are the best

Fresh peeler crab, squid from the Chinese supermarket, the small 2lb boxes.
Lugworm, whites, maddies lots of possibilities.
Depends on what works on the day.

I find a good tip is to use a three hook flapper, and put three baits per hook mixing it up well, then lash it out and see what's still on it when it comes back, providing it's not crabs and you're getting bites that is.

Honestly I don't rate frozen baits at all, unless it's squid or mack, they're the only ones I have any success on really.
Another good tip is to allow the third hook on your flapper, the bottom one, to hang down well below the lead, so let it hang at least a foot below the lead, this hook will generally pick up flat fish, you can then target this again by having a smaller hook on the bottom than on the other two.

<edit> I don't rate frozen sand eel at all, some will argue differently, but all you'll tend to pick up on it with exceptsions is lots of dogs, if you can get fresh then maybe you'll have more luck, it's very much a case of right place at the right time though.

sorry eoin frozen sandeels are of the best baits availible to the anglers, i had a lot more than just dogs on them,, ray,huss,turbot,bass to name but a few, frozen crab can also be very effective

i agree with eric frozen sandeel can hammer ray .

I don't rate them, never had much on them, right place, right time thing maybe.
It's a bait I won't go fishing without, but I never have any luck with it.
I've been out with fresh sand eel too, didn't do well on them either.
Maybe the shingle beaches I fish aren't the spot for them I dunno.

"Presentation"

Tom.

if its one thing i do know its presentation im a chef lol

if its one thing i do know its presentation im a chef

What looks pretty on the plate does'nt necessarily look so good on a hook :lol: :lol: :lol:

But on a serious note, there is some good advice in the posts above.

Fresh rag and lug will catch most fish, most of the time, always have a bit of mackerel as this will sometimes get you fish when the worms are not working.

Get fresh squid from a fish mongers when you get the chance, its cheap and will freeze, re-freeze, and re-freeze again very well.

Try cocktail baits, ie wrap a sandeel in a strip of squid, or mack with squid etc, this has the added benefit of additional scent trails, we like fish and chips, or roast lamb and mint sauce.....you get the picture

EoinMag's comment about using a 3 hook flapper and varying the baits on each hook should give you an indication of what the fish (if there are any around) are feeding on, and I would also suggest having a 3 hook flapper with long snoods and the same rig but with short snoods....this can sometimes make all the difference on the day. Also vary the distance at which you fish. I've had most of my better fish from no more than 50 yards out, its quite common for people to cast past the fish. This will obviously depend on the mark though.

I personally have not had much success with sandeel, whether fresh or frozen, but I've seen plenty of good fish taken on them by my fishing buddies.

Fresh (or frozen) peeler crab is an excellent bait (if a little expensive), and will get you smoothies, bass, ray, flatties etc.

Hope this helps

Mark

Get fresh squid from a fish mongers when you get the chance, its cheap and will freeze, re-freeze, and re-freeze again very well.


one thing that you should never do is re-freeze squid once the flesh has a pink hue off it it should be thrown out ! :wink:

I've had no probs with squid thats been re-frozen a good few times, its always caught me a few fish :D

one thing that you should never do is re-freeze squid once the flesh has a pink hue off it it should be thrown out !

Too much time spent reading dictionaries is not good for ones health boycie :wink:

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hue

The one bait I would not go out without is frozen squid.
Best and cheapest bait, beyond collecting your own, which is a lot of hard work.
Orintal emporium on Jervis street by the luas stop does it, 2.50 or so for a 2lb box, and they were doing a 5lb box for 8 or something, great bait in cocktails and great on a pennel.

its all really down to the venue,,, try fishing gurteen without sandeel,,,
i try to bring every bait available to me esp for a match, so give them all a go you will figure out each venue as you go,,,,

thanks for the tips lads but i think i have sussed it i think i might be casting to far not sain i have a savage cast now but i give it my living best cast everytime on beaches i wouldn off a peir maby this is the problem will have to go out tonight to test this out

try different distances for each venue,,, when i blasted out 3 sandeel last night i brought in 3 dogs where as any where in closer were flounder and weever fish,,, its all down to the venue to be honest,,

Reading all the sound advice and comments about baits, and just had to tell someone that I actually caught fish at the weekend using "Gulp". One was a small flounder, that had almost choked trying to swallow the large piece I had tipped the rag with, but the real beauty was the Bass caught on a pennel rig, tipped off top and bottom with the "Gulp". As a kid I remember buying plastic rag which the pack described as "amazingly lifelike", which was probably more to the guy that packed it than the fish! So although being highly sceptical about the new stuff, I bought a pack (having waited until the tackle shop was empty), and I'm more than amazed that fish actually went for it. It's fairly tough stuff, having the consistency of dried silicone, so no need for elastic, but bring the Black & Decker to drill pilot holes for the hooks! The type I bought was the peeler version, which I'm thinking might he handier than the frozen mackerel - it's certainly a lot smellier! Anyone else out there given it a go yet?

Reading all the sound advice and comments about baits, and just had to tell someone that I actually caught fish at the weekend using "Gulp". One was a small flounder, that had almost choked trying to swallow the large piece I had tipped the rag with, but the real beauty was the Bass caught on a pennel rig, tipped off top and bottom with the "Gulp". As a kid I remember buying plastic rag which the pack described as "amazingly lifelike", which was probably more to the guy that packed it than the fish! So although being highly sceptical about the new stuff, I bought a pack (having waited until the tackle shop was empty), and I'm more than amazed that fish actually went for it. It's fairly tough stuff, having the consistency of dried silicone, so no need for elastic, but bring the Black & Decker to drill pilot holes for the hooks! The type I bought was the peeler version, which I'm thinking might he handier than the frozen mackerel - it's certainly a lot smellier! Anyone else out there given it a go yet?

this stuff seems to be working alot lately but has any one got fish on it on its own with out tipping,,, or another hook been present with real bait on it????

i have caught lotsof flattieswith gulpalive sandworms, come in a small bucket in an attractant, mate brought them back from the states, must try the peelers same, the gulp was fished on its own ,scratchin tactics

i use earth worm when the water is clear. ive had pollack, cod, coalies, whitin, macks and wrasse on this.
i use rag and lug in most types of conditions.
i also think it depends on the species you after
wrasse- most worms
cod- most worms, crab and squid
pollack- squid, mack, sandeel, most worms and for small ones maggots
flatties- mainly ragworm, lug, mack, maggots, earthworm and squid also work.

Maggots are a great wee bait for small fish. Try using them with about 6-10 on a hook.

razor is a great bait you will pick up alot of bass on it