Cat Food

Cat food is not a new bait in the angler’s arsenal as it has been used for years, but has gained popularity in the last few years, the reason being that carp go crazy for it.  Like every bait, different flavours work on different venues. It's soft and smelly and it comes already cubed - could have been designed with carp in mind.  The favorite variety is Coshida from Lidl's stores - at around 40p a tin it's cheap.  Unfortunately some waters have started to ban its use, because like all good things it has got abused by anglers throwing in huge amounts, which have resulted in this uneaten meat lying rotting on the bottom making the water go sour. It is also very oily adding to the problem, causing unhealthy fish stocks.

Dangler Tips 

Fished straight from the tin, it can result in some large catches and some very large carp.  If you know there's fish around but they won't take it, try reducing its size and using a smaller hook.  I take a pair of scissors and cut it down.  Be warned! cat food is a very messy bait to use, so have a bowl of water handy and keep washing your hands, otherwise all your kit will need washing afterwards.  Because this bait is so soft it can be a nightmare to keep on the hook. There are two ways of attaching it to the hook. One is to use a baiting needle and pull the hook through the cube.  The other is to hold the hook in one hand and the line in the other and like a cheese wire cut half way through the cube, then pull the hook up into the meat – simple, and my favorite way.

When the weather starts to warm up luncheon meat comes into its own. Being one of the most versatile bait in fishing, the problem you'll find is in what shape & size to use. It can be cubed -

using a meat cutter speeds up the operation.  The cutter also does several sizes of cubes, and also does cylinder shapes the same as if using a meat punch.  Luncheon meat is also easy to add flavours and colours to.  Simply prepare your meat to the desired shape and size, pop into a plastic bag, add a few drops of colouring or approximately a teaspoon of Flavour to a tin of meat is about right, give it a good shake so all the meat is covered, then freeze it.  The freezing helps the meat to absorb the flavour and softens the meat making it even more attractive to the fish.

Dangler Tips

Don't throw your unused meat away at the end of the session, take it home and re-freeze it.  The more times it is frozen and defrosted the softer it gets.  Also try experimenting with different varieties of meat as they all have different fat content which makes the cubes fall through the water at different rates.  

Hook size 16 - and bigger.  Match the hook to the size of cube you are using and leave the point of the hook exposed; this will help you hit more bits.

Sweetcorn

This has to be one of the most consistent fish catchers around, and one of the cheapest.  Used straight from the tin, this little bait can be deadly, but don't take tins fishing with you, it's best to invest in some plastic containers.  It can be dyed different colours quite easily - simple food colouring will do, red being the favorite alternative.  It can also be made to take on a different flavour .  I have found it is best to leave corn soaking overnight to make sure it takes on the added flavour .

Hooking sweetcorn is quite simple: push the point of the hook through the fatter end where the skin is unbroken, then push the hook through and out of the open end.

There are several ways to use corn - simply on the hook as shown above, and loose feed introduced by pole pot, hand or catapult.  It can also be hair-rigged when feeder fishing. Try chopping some up and adding to your ground bait.  When liquidized it makes a great binder for home made method-mix ground baits.

Dangler tips

If you’re struggling to catch, try using just the skin on the hook

Hook size 16 - 14