What to put in your groundbait

Some anglers remain confused about which groundbait to use in their open-end feeder.

I fish sweet crumb on natural waters and fishmeal on commercials or lakes that see pellets and boilies fed regularly.

If I’m on a venue where anglers tend to feed a lot of pellets then I always go for fishmeal such as Sonubaits Maggot Fishmeal, whereas if it’s a more natural venue that doesn’t see too many carp anglers, such as a fishery in Ireland for example, I’ll go for a cereal groundbait – try Sonu’s Super Crumb Bream.

Some anglers like very dry mixes when fishing the feeder but I normally mix my groundbait slightly on the damp side, just enough so it holds together when formed into a ball.

So, with the groundbait sorted, what do you add to it? There are plenty of options, so here’s my quick and easy guide…

Maggots

Deads are best for bream, live maggots are better for roach and perch. A single bait is ideal for use with small hooks but use multiples for bigger bream.

Pinkies

My No 1 choice for skimmers on natural venues. I’ll put dead fluoro pinkies (freeze them) in my groundbait and have two or three on the hook.

Casters

For bream I’ll feed these with some finely chopped worm in a 30:70 worm to caster ratio. They’re also a good change bait when fished as a double.

Worms

Bream love these all year round, not just in summer. Your groundbait must be dry when adding choppy, otherwise the juices will turn the mix into a mush.

Pellets

I add 2mm or 4mm soaked pellets to fishmeal groundbait on ‘pellet-heavy’ waters. They also form the base of my feeder mix when fishing the Method.