Flavouring deadbaits for pike fishing

Many deadbaits ooze oils and blood, but it is possible to flavour deadbaits to make them even more attractive.

Although there aren’t that many flavourings out there that cater for the predator angler, there are enough. Most specialist fishing tackle outlets stock them, and one of the most popular in recent years has been Predator Plus – a red liquid that pike seem to love.

The best way to flavour deadbaits is to inject them. This forces the flavouring right inside the bait, making it leak into the water steadily for a long time.

As the vast majority of deadbait flavourings available are oil-based, using a very fine needle with your syringe isn’t ideal. The needle will become blocked very quickly and unusable.

The best thing to do is to invest in a deadbait injecting kit, comprising a large syringe and a very wide bore needle. This will allow you to inject those oily additives easily and quickly.

Injecting your deadbaits

Adding extra scent and attraction to your deadbaits is easy, but you must take care. Firstly you need to defrost the deadbait fully or it will not take on any of the injected additive.

Once defrosted place the deadbait on the ground, not in your hand. If you slip and inject yourself accidentally you will suffer all manner of possibly fatal complications.

Fill the syringe with the required amount of additive, push the needle onto the end of the syringe, pierce the deadbait deeply with the needle and squeeze a little additive into the fish.

Do this as many times as you like, piercing the bait and squeezing a little additive into the hole formed.

Once in the water the additive will seep from the fish and be carried along with any flow or undertow where it will arouse the interest of a nearby predator and they will follow it right to your bait.