| Someone recently commented that they sometimes had problems getting PVA bags to sink, also someone else couldn’t get their mesh bags tight…so here’s how: SOLID BAGS Pic 1 and 2 : How many people use bags, bait in first, fill with boilies and tie off? Okay for short range, but it’s not particularly aerodynamic, and all the gaps leave plenty of air in it, so lots of holes need making to let the air out.
Pic 3: Use a mixture of different pellets, from 3mm upwards. Put some pellet in the bag, then the lead. If using an inline lead and braid hooklength, put the hook through the bag opposite the lead, this’ll ensure the bait will be on top after it sinks. Put some boilies, some pellet on top and, most important, shake it up. This will make the 3mm pellets fill the gaps between the baits. More boilies, add more pellet, and shake again. Twist the bag until it starts stretching. Tie off, and cut away any excess PVA – this will make it more aerodynamic.
Pics 4 and 5: Pinch the corners of the bag, and shake the pellet from the corner. You’ll be left with a little flap. Moisten it and stick it back onto the bag. Repeat on the other side. Again, this is for aerodynamics, and it also removes excess air.
Pic 6: Stab many times with a baiting needle, nick the hook into the bag, and hey presto, a bag that’ll fly straight and further than a badly prepared one. Instead of pellet (or as well as), dry groundbait is excellent for doing this as you can pack the bag really tight, and you will also get a lovely explosive cloud around the bag when it bursts. If you have no small pellets with you, just crumb up a couple of boilies.
MESH BAGS Mesh Pic 1: Fill the tube with whatever you are going to put into the mesh. Slowly pull the mesh down, and the bait will come with it, but you’ll be left with a long, loose sausage. Hard to describe the method, but pinch the mesh at the top, put the bait in the palm of your hand and push down, compacting it. You should then be able to pull the mesh tight again, and repeat for as many times as you can. You can see how much the bait has been compacted in picture 2.
Tie off the bag and you are ready to cast out. I normally have a couple made up, and when I want to recast, I unclip the hooklength, put a stringer needle through the bag, drag the hooklength back through and clip it back on ready to cast.
STICKS The only trick with using stick is to make sure the stick mix is quite dry, and to make sure its well compacted. I do this with one of the plungers you can buy, put the tube containing the mix on my leg and push down HARD. I then turn it upside down so the plunger is on my knee, hold onto the pva mesh quite tightly, and push the tube down. This way the sausage will come out and stay compact with the mesh really stretching tight over it. This way it’ll tend to explode when the PVA melts, rather than the PVA shrinking into the stick stopping it melting – especially in the winter and with oily mixes. | |||||||||
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