spodding or pva bag or both

[laguna]

That's proven is it?
Like I said, go drop some salt in your pond or fish tank and see what happens.

You do realise Laguna isn't just some fishy chap on here don't you?
Yes its proven and very well documented. Research and product development is my business.... I've been dropping things into tanks for years.

 

[wes79]

mix a handful of salt with your wet particles to stop it melting the pva, don't ask me why it works but it does and it also adds another layer of attraction.

Strangely, I can see the logic in this.

Luncheon meat, bacon etc etc contains alot of differing salts.

Nitrites & Nitrates have a similar effect but are confined to waste products which preserve....

Drilled salted roasted Almond?

not tried it meself though but maybe a bit of wee is key to getting the attention of that alusive 7lb Chub....has salt in it also.

 

[hyperdrive]

My koi pond gets treated with salt sold for water softeners and on average has about 20lbs a year added to keep the parasite loading down. It always puzzles me why the salinity drops and has to be topped up every year, I have a large organic filter unit with loads of plants so I'm guessing that might have something to do with it. Perhaps someone on here can explain it to me.

It's unlikely your filter is removing the salt, you would need a reverse osmosis unit for that. Do you do routine water changes? Do you witness overflow during periods of heavy rain? Maybe this is where the salinity levels are dropping. Topping up the pond because of evaporation should not change the salinity levels as salt does not evaporate. It is also possible that over time and after top ups from evaporation that the total volume is not thoroughly mixed and you have higher salt concentrations in the deeper parts of your pond so it might be worth taking a sample from the deepest part and another from the surface to see if there is a difference.

 

[law]

You do realise Laguna isn't just some fishy chap on here don't you?
Yes its proven and very well documented. Research and product development is my business.... I've been dropping things into tanks for years.

Ive no idea who anyone is on here tbh.

Ive dropped grains of salt into my fish tank and pond and have seen zero response from my fish. Thats conclusive enough for me.
Also, I taste most of my baits before use and can safely say that none taste even remotely salty. So I even if they have it added,it must be in such small amounts.
Having said that,who's to know if the fishes senses can pick up minute traces.

 

[hyperdrive]

I would think using salt in baits is much like it is used in cooking our own food, to enhance the flavour, just about every recipe calls for the addition of salt for seasoning, not enough and the dish tastes bland, the right amount and the dish tastes good, too much and it tastes salty. Getting fish to react (feeding wise) to salt alone I doubt would do anything and too much would harm freshwater fish. Fish do need salt in their bodily fluids just like we do so if their electrolyte levels are low for any reason I could imagine adding a bit of salt to the water would perk them up a bit.

 

[rubio]

I've been doing a bit of stalking for carp recently. Tho not salt related (at least not in the NaCl sense) a lump or two of clay has gone into the edge and seems to stimulate a very positive response. Many creatures from elephants to parrots will travel many miles to seek out clay deposits to counteract poisons in plants. I expect the fish are doing a similar job with salts(whether they be soluble or insoluble). Perhaps more than seeking it for dietary/palatant reasons fish too protect themselves by ingesting various salts as flocculants to then evacuate excesses of contaminants. Vitamins even can become toxic in high concentrations.

 

[alsoran]

Adding salt to particle baits has been going on for years, like most things it takes a while before the average angler gets hold of the idea. As for baits not being salty, most fishmeal is from sea fish, salty, Halibut pellets, salty. Nearly forgot 'Krill' in its many forms also salty. Go figure using 'Sea' products in fresh water. I don't think anyone is suggesting spodding out sacks of salt for groundbaitmg:

 

[hyperdrive]

I don't think anyone is suggesting spodding out sacks of salt for groundbaitmg:

Neither was I, and I wasn't implying that others were suggesting it, please credit me with some intelligence. There are many that openly talk about adding salt is an attractant, I just think this is a misnomer and could lead to some throwing an inordinate amount of salt into their bait mix.

 

[laguna]

Salt is both an attractor and a repellent. Too much and freshwater fish will spook or turn away as most (except migrating fish) cannot cope with high levels of salinity and prefer to live in a moderate environment.

As for bait; all foraging fish are geared towards chemical stimuli but only a tiny amount of salt added to your bait is needed to attract them - 1 level teaspoon per Kg base mix is palatable.

Sodium and chloride are essential minerals (common salt) meaning that fish (and all other living creatures) need them in order to survive and will purposely seek them out. Our research seems to suggest that juvenile fish in particular have a condition known as 'pica' and will often mouth and sometimes swallow small inanimate objects such as small pebbles, seemingly in an attempt to obtain minerals. Fish seek a whole variety of minerals in their diet, not just salt - lack of variety is probably one of the reasons why anglers baits will work one day and not the next.
Himalayan mineral salts are the best source for variety with potassium (3.5 g/kg) being the most sought after mineral.

*Salt will retard, inhibit and/or prevent the breakdown of PVA due to chemical alterations.

 

[Titus]

It's unlikely your filter is removing the salt, you would need a reverse osmosis unit for that. Do you do routine water changes? Do you witness overflow during periods of heavy rain? Maybe this is where the salinity levels are dropping. Topping up the pond because of evaporation should not change the salinity levels as salt does not evaporate. It is also possible that over time and after top ups from evaporation that the total volume is not thoroughly mixed and you have higher salt concentrations in the deeper parts of your pond so it might be worth taking a sample from the deepest part and another from the surface to see if there is a difference.

It's obviously the overflow and the automatic top up, not sure why I never concidered it myself. The filters are bottom fed from the main pond so mixing is not a problem thanks for your help and supplying the obvious answer.

 

[hyperdrive]

you're welcome sir

 

[Nobby C (ACA)]

mix a handful of salt with your wet particles to stop it melting the pva, don't ask me why it works but it does and it also adds another layer of attraction.

Erm, so why not just use a standard polythene bag then if it's not going to melt?????

 

[law]

a' and will often mouth and sometimes swallow small inanimate objects such as small pebbles, seemingly in an attempt to obtain minerals..

So if they can sexctect salt, why are they sucking in pebbles?
Can fish really detect the minerals, proteins etc that they need?

Humans cant tell fibre, iron, calcium, vitamins etc. Can fish?

 

[sam vimes]

Erm, so why not just use a standard polythene bag then if it's not going to melt?????

It doesn't melt the PVA on contact with the bait on the bank as you prepare to cast. However, it won't stop the PVA melting on full contact with the water you cast into. Bait all over bank, lap, bivvy is bad. Bait on the bottom of lake, pond or river is good.

Humans cant tell fibre, iron, calcium, vitamins etc. Can fish?

Try not to anthropomorphise. Whether they can or not is for those with a more learned bent to explain. However, even a layman can accept fish have senses beyond a humans. Even if we could breathe underwater, could a human find food in turbid water as fish do? Unlikely, our senses are totally different. That's before you start to consider the relative mysteries of lateral lines and what fish may be able to sense through them.

 

[law]

Can fish really sense whats good for them and whats not? Ive seen fish try and eat a fag butt, and Im sure it was on here where someone caught a tench on a bit of twig.
If they did, why do they eat immitation baits and high impact boilies that offer minimal, if no nutrition to them?

 

[sam vimes]

Can fish really sense whats good for them and whats not? Ive seen fish try and eat a fag butt, and Im sure it was on here where someone caught a tench on a bit of twig.
If they did, why do they eat immitation baits and high impact boilies that offer minimal, if no nutrition to them?

Senseing what's good for them is probably a bit strong. I find it unlikely that they'll be thinking "Hmmm, I'm feeling a bit peaky today. I'll go looking for vitamin B, some protein and a bit of sodium chloride today". However, I suspect that just as with mammals (including humans) deficiencies are likely to produce cravings. Due to those improved senses, they are likely to be well equipped to home in on food sources that will sate those cravings.

As for them eating immitations or stuff with seemingly no nutritional value, who knows what they may be sensing. However, I'd put that sort of thing down to fish either being stupidly hungry or generally well fed. Fish are eating machines, they'll pick up any old rubbish to try it or to sift genuine food from the rubbish. If they are already well fed, picking up such junk may well just be idle curiosity. If they are ravenous, for whatever reason, caution can go out of the window and any old rubbish will be picked up along with genuine foodstuffs.