Groundbait

[jizmonger]

Hi all

I'm new to this forum and sea fishing also!
As an avid coarse angler was just wondering if techniques used in coarse angling can be brought to the sea and if so has anyone groundbaited or have had success groundbaiting with offcuts of fish in harbours or on the beach?

[Chris T]

I've often thought of doing this.... I suppose it's a bit like tying an onion sack of mashed up Mackerel to your anchor rope to attract predatory species which I have done but otherwise not....

[tight lines]

first of all welcome to the site
as for groundbaiting it works very well when fishing for mullet pre bait the mark you want to fish a day or so b4 hand this will give the fish more confedeance when feeding and you a better chance of hooking up

[corbyeire]

i often hang onto all the bits and pieces from a session as i change the bait freeze it down and then throw it out the next day when im starting to fish

let it thaw first! and be wary of lots of seagulls which will reverse your desired effect if they are thrashing the water

iv often done this and then consequently caught flounder with bulging bellies on them from the groundbait

seen it work with chopped mackeral on a bass - no word of a lie

if you have ground bait - use it

never throw anything away at the end of the session if you have room in your freezer stick it in

[baitdigger]

It works well for conger and huss, just make sure you cut your scraps up into tiny pieces so they give off maximum scent but fish need to hang around for a long time to find all the little bits.

[jizmonger]

Thanks for the replies lad I think I might just give it a go:)

[barracuda]

Problem I find with ground bait in the sea - given the under currents, waves, wind, etc, - is controlling where it is going to and making sure it isn't drawing the fish away from you.

[fisherman59]

great for pleasure fishing but not allowed in ifsa comps i wonder why maybe someone can throw some light as to why it is banned

[GAZA]

Yes ground baiting is viable and you can use several methods the obvious one is ground baiting for mullet in the channel islands they call it shervey I believe a mixture of mashed up fish and bread crumb and lots of fish oils can also be a great mackerel and garfish attractor.
The next method is when shore fishing is if you know the venue well arrive at low tide and bury in the sand or shingle an onion sack filled with all the mashed up scraps and offerings at a distance you intend to fish this does work to some degree and will pull some fish in to your area just remember to measure the distance and put a stop knot marker on your reel, also please remember to return at low tide and remove the ground bait bag as their is enough rubbish in the sea without us anglers adding to it.
The other method I have seen used recently is using the new D.Vice leads which have a tube fixed for protecting your bait but instead of putting your bait inside fill with bait offerings to get your fishy particles in the area of your bait, or stuff the tube device on your weight with sponge so it will not go out and soak with pilchard or mackerel oil to give a oily scent when in the water.

[shamoo0804]

#
seen it work with chopped mackeral on a Bass - no word of a lie

I remember that

http://www.moonfleet-angling.com/moonfl ... ories.html

[evan699]

It does work. When i fish off harbour walls or piers i always throw the used bait into the water in front of me when re baiting, after a while i drop a line down the wall and usually catch something. Also groundbaiting is very effective for conger fishing. As said above, keep the offerings small. Chop the bait very fine and throw in fist fulls every ten or fifteen minutes, and if fishing into darkness if you load the swim with bait as dusk turns to darkness this can drive the fish into a frenzy. I also pulled a clump of mussels off the rocks and stepped on them and chucked them down the side of the rocks and me and a mate caught loads of wrasse over that patch.