Groundbait for Pike? You'd Better Believe It....

Geplaatst Roofvis Tactiek at Oct 06, 2010

Not so very long ago, it was virtually unheard of for anglers to groundbait for Pike. Nowadays, it’s starting to catch on with effect. Mick Brown explains how to get the most from this method...

It started with baiting with chopped pieces of fish. Pre-baiting in this way has led to some tremendous catches of pike and anglers who pursued this way of attracting pike to their swim soon realised that the pike picked up every last morsel. This was quite apparent when they regurgitated the tiniest pieces of pre-bait when unhooking them.

Some anglers then took the concept a little further and saw the benefit of using a groundbait that not only attracted Pike but also attracted the prey fish that would make the swim even more interesting to them. I was amongst them and have used pike groundbaits for a couple of seasons now and know that, without any doubt, they work and get the Pike into the swim.

My groundbait recipe, which I have passed on to Dynamite Baits and is now available as Blood Red and Pike Strike groundbait, consists of prey attractors and Pike attractors. They have to be proportioned precisely so that they combine to form a ball of bait that will ball in or catapult easily without breaking up, be stiff enough for use with open end feeders, Method feeders, paste leads and even in stick mixes. I hope that this rather lengthy list makes you realise just how versatile this groundbait is and how it will find a place in so many groundbaiting and swim feeding tactics.

The prey attractors include crushed hemp and mixed particles which when combined with other elements form a very obvious cloud when the roach and bream are drawn to the bait and start attacking it. Powdered halibut plus fishy liquid attractors are included to set up a scent trail that the Pike will follow and small chunks of fish are added for the pike to eat when it arrives and starts grubbing around.

Imagine a typical scenario; several balls of groundbait bait are lying around the area where you have cast your deadbaits, one of your rigs might even have a swim feeder attached and packed with the groundbait. Before long, the Roach and Bream have whipped the balls of bait into clouds of particles and suspended ingredients. A pike, or possibly several pike, follow the scent trail and see the mass of prey fish feeding away on the bait. The prey quickly disappear when the Pike approach but leave behind an area baited with a fishy smell and a few pieces of fish that was included in the mix. The Pike starts picking up the tasty bits of fish and in amongst them is your bait!

You can bait a couple of spots with the groundbait and alternate between them or another ploy, which works well on longer sessions, is to heavly bait one area and wait for the fish to find the feed.

Dynamite's predator groundbaits consist of the bright red Blood Red Groundbait and the Pike Strike Groundbait. Both are available through any Dynamite Baits stockist.