Fishing Bait Guide | Know you particles
Particle baits really come into their own as the weather starts to warm up and will often produce better results than fishing over boilies.
Particles are extremely versatile. You can fish over a large spodded carpet of them or set marginal traps with just a couple of handfuls.
Another advantage is that the small items of food will hold fish over your baited area for longer than a bed of boilies.
Maize
Used heavily on the Continent, maize is often overlooked by anglers in the UK. But do so at your peril! Maize is a fantastic bait and can be used as free offerings and as a hookbait.
Not only is it visually attractive to fish but it’s also packed with attractive natural sugars and contains high levels of energy-boosting carbohydrates.
Because it’s so cheap, maize is an excellent choice if you’re planning on embarking on a prebaiting campaign and you don’t want to spend a small fortune on boilies.
preparation
Soak: 24 hours
boil: 30 minutes
Partiblend
Partiblend is a mixture of different particles including millet, dari, buckwheat, hemp, linseed, groats and tares. This combination of small, oily, spicy and sweet attractors provide the fish with different-sized baits and releases a milky cloud of attraction.
Unlike other particles, Partiblend doesn’t need soaking beforehand – just cover well with water and as soon as the water boils it is ready to go.
preparation
Soak: no need to soak
boil: 30 minutes
Maple peas
If you’re looking for a bait that carp adore and that no-one else will be using, maple peas tick all the boxes.
They were hugely popular in the 1980s but have fallen out of vogue in more recent times, and for no apparent reason. If your venue sees a lot of bright baits such as sweetcorn, maple peas could be just the ticket when it comes to fooling the more cautious specimens.
preparation
Soak: 12 hours
simmer: 30 minutes
Hemp
Hemp is one of the most popular particle baits, especially in spod mixes. Being so small it will hold fish in your swim for a long time while they hoover up the grains.
Hemp can be purchased as a natural seed which has to be soaked and boiled at home, or ready-prepared in jars or tins.
PVA-friendly hemp is also available – lethal with fake corn on the hair.
preparation
Soak: 12 hours
boil: boil until split
Tiger nuts
If you told a group of top big-carp anglers they could use only the one hookbait, tiger nuts would undoubtedly come high on their list.
They are highly selective, as most other species won’t touch them. It is best to use them sparingly, though, and there’s no need to pile in kilos at a time. Two tigers on the hair over a couple of handfuls of freebies is more than enough to tempt a bite or two.
preparation
Soak: 24 hours
boil: 30 minutes