Fake Baits

Do fake baits, such as plastic bread and sweetcorn, actually work?

Replies:

1. I have used artificial corn, hemp, tigernuts/peanuts and floaters. I have found all to work, BUT only if you have the fish confidently feeding on the real thing.

2. To be honest, when all these artificial baits first started coming out, I was rather dubious. I thought they might be just the latest in a long line of ‘mug’ products, designed more for stripping us poor anglers of cash, rather than for putting a few extra fish on the bank. However, I tried a few of these products and can happily report that they soon started bringing results.

My best results have come from artificial tiger-nuts (for carp) and corn; you can also get artificial bread which is excellent for surface fishing as you can leave it out indefinitely - No more soggy lumps of bread every two minutes!

Fishing over a bed of the ‘real-stuff’ can help. However, for me the advantage of fishing these baits is that you can fish them on waters where the 'real' baits may be banned. I fish a water where tigers were banned some time ago, yet the carp must still remember how nice they were, as my tiger-smelling bait has given some excellent results.

Don’t rule out a ‘roaming’ rod, either. I often just cast a single artificial hook-bait around every couple of hours to likely spots, and have picked up countless good carp, along with some welcome bream and tench.

3. The rubber corn fished popped up over or critically balanced with a method feeder works a treat. I have had some nice tench this year while using this method.

I have also had several carp on fake chum mixers. All my artificial baits are by enterprise tackle.

It is just a matter of confidence, once you have had a few fish you know it works.