The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

There is a widely held theory (not one that I subscribe to) that oils, as bait additives, are completely ineffective. The thought being that oils are insoluble in water and that fish cannot therefore taste or smell them.

My own more empirical view is that if I can taste a tiny drop of an oil on my tongue and also smell it through the medium of air, then fish can do so in water!

Oily fish are certainly very effective baits for pike - and in certain circumstances can seem to out-fish all else!

Many thanks again gentlemen. This is all very helpful stuff and if the river would drop a little, just for a few hours, I could start to enjoy some experimenting. I think that there is some calmer, dryer, colder weather on the way towards mid January. But who knows?!?!

One point, do not make the bait too smelly - as fish can smell/sense as little as "one billionth of a drop in a swimming pool" attributed to the American eel by M Sosin and J Clark in their book "Through a Fish's Eye".

It should be, like those round baits, a faint odour!

If you are going to branch out into using additives consider pineapple. This is a wonderful flavour for roach and certainly ups the catch rate when fishing for tench.

Old Wulf wrote: ↑Mon Jan 01, 2024 6:38 am If you are going to branch out into using additives consider pineapple. This is a wonderful flavour for roach and certainly ups the catch rate when fishing for tench.

I've found pineapple juice really effective for flavouring floating baits for carp. I used a small juice box - reduce it by about half in a saucepan, then add (while hot) to the mixers.

Fish sauce is a pretty good attractant, but eels seem to really like it. Don't say I didn't tell you...

I think your point Olly, is very valid, and I really do not know how much oil to add to my bread crumb based groundbait - just a drop or two seems to be the view. I’ve heard that powders such as turmeric and coriander are less critical when added to a pint of maggots. Pineapple on the other hand seems to be a juice rather than either an oil or a powder, but it does get good reviews……

Troydog wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 6:58 pm I’ve heard that geranium and aniseed oils are good to mix with roach bait like maggots. Does anyone know please how much oil to mix with a pint of maggots?
Many thanks gentlemen….

Since this is an older thread I have quoted you so you see it troydog. Santiago mentioned hemp oil, and I have to say this is a great additive, but beware how much you add. Ive used it for bream fishing often enough to know that it works a treat, but too much and it can ruin a day. I found this out the hard way when the bream wouldn’t come near my swim, or weren’t interested in my bait because I never got a single bite. I was using the same bait as my two friends and they caught a load of bream, and I was sitting between them. What happened? Well I didn’t discover the problem til I was packing up and I tossed the little remaining groundbait into the water. I saw a slick appear, and although the crumb initially went to the bottom it didn’t stay there and began floating up to the surface, no good when fishing in deep water (15–20ft). I killed my swim as soon as I chucked the first ball out.
For a kilo of crumb you don’t need anymore than a tablespoon of hemp oil, that’s safe, or even half a tablespoon, but don’t add anymore. It does work a treat though

I first learnt about oils when pike fishing - a feeder full of mashed sardine/mackerel and bread - with a mackerel tail as bait. This succeeded when the was not to much wind. But you could always see a small oil slick leaving a surface trail.

With a gale you could up the amount of oil by dipping the bait in it and also injecting it with oil making both a quick release and a slower one. This would leave a slick over 100m long, in some cases even longer.

Many anglers use 'washed out' baits to imitate a bait having been in the water for some time.

Troydog wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 6:58 pm I’ve heard that geranium and aniseed oils are good to mix with roach bait like maggots. Does anyone know please how much oil to mix with a pint of maggots?
Many thanks gentlemen….

Oil of Ivy, was an old favourite.. not Ivy oil..
My old mate and myself I was talking about it over a pint a few weeks ago... I had forgotten all about it for years.

Mr B.

Olly wrote: ↑Tue Feb 13, 2024 2:22 pm I first learnt about oils when pike fishing - a feeder full of mashed sardine/mackerel and bread - with a mackerel tail as bait. This succeeded when the was not to much wind. But you could always see a small oil slick leaving a surface trail.

With a gale you could up the amount of oil by dipping the bait in it and also injecting it with oil making both a quick release and a slower one. This would leave a slick over 100m long, in some cases even longer.

Many anglers use 'washed out' baits to imitate a bait having been in the water for some time.

I found this works a treat, especially when night fishing for pike.