Terry Hearn said he thought hemp works as it mimics natural food sources like caddis and tiny snails...a hard outer coating with a soft interior ...a crunch & pop and a load of guts that come out spilling out. Sounded resonable to me.
Feeder, bait dropper, catapult or pva
- Thread starter Goldfish
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Alan Whitty
Well-known member
But that could be said for all seeds once soaked...
Yep ..maybe why alot of them work. I think they also like the smell of hemp, for short sessions I will "cook" it in a thermos flask ...leave it over night with boiling water in the car and in the morning you have nice split hemp plus the bonus of a load of warm hemp water to pour in your groundbait.
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@Clive
Well-known member
I think that hemp replicates the small items of food that barbel predominantly feed on. And because it is so small it gets hidden in the sand, gravel and stones so that carp and bream can't find it as easily. Barbel however will continue to plough the baited area as they are better equipped to find tiny, hidden morcels.
I buy cooked hemp in large plastic jars. Once opened I portion it up into small bags and freeze it. And I always have a tin of cooked hemp on hand for when needed.
I buy cooked hemp in large plastic jars. Once opened I portion it up into small bags and freeze it. And I always have a tin of cooked hemp on hand for when needed.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Clive, soak 2 pints of groats which double in size and feed those instead if hemp, then you can tell me what they replicate, nothing imo, they are small seeds, like grass seed that must be blown in every day, another of nature's bounties for fish, hemp has become a major food source as we anglers can't throw enough of it in, lol....
@Clive
Well-known member
I don't know where I could get them from over here Alan. I haven't seen them in the animal feed shops and I am not prepared to pay the bio-vegan surcharges in health food stores. And, to be fair, there are plenty of tried and tested alternatives cheaply and readily available.
Maize is incredibly versatile. You can use boiled whole grains as loose feed or hook baits. If you lightly cook them in an oven they can be used as floaters or pop-ups. The milled maize only needs a quick dip in boiled water to prepare for loose feed, in groundbait or a spod mix. If you simmer it for ten minutes in just enough water to cover it, then take if off the heat and stir in some corn flour or cheap coa-coa powder, let it cool to hand hot you can make balls that will dry hard but dissolve in the water. Or you can use the simmered milled grains to make a method mix. Then there are giant maize grains or sweetcorn to try on the hook.
It is an amaizingly versatile product.
Maize is incredibly versatile. You can use boiled whole grains as loose feed or hook baits. If you lightly cook them in an oven they can be used as floaters or pop-ups. The milled maize only needs a quick dip in boiled water to prepare for loose feed, in groundbait or a spod mix. If you simmer it for ten minutes in just enough water to cover it, then take if off the heat and stir in some corn flour or cheap coa-coa powder, let it cool to hand hot you can make balls that will dry hard but dissolve in the water. Or you can use the simmered milled grains to make a method mix. Then there are giant maize grains or sweetcorn to try on the hook.
It is an amaizingly versatile product.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Is that kibled corn Clive, as I couldn't see milled corn at my feed specialist...
@Clive
Well-known member
I think kibbled relates to wheat, not maize. Maize could be sold as cut, ground, milled or as corn grits. It is simply whole maize grains put through a crusher so they come out as random sizes and shapes. It is likely to be found in the poultry feeds section in smaller bags. 5kg was around €6 when I last bought some.