Dreaded diving birds

[Guest thecarpangler]

Following on from Robs comment in the fishmeals section about coots and ducks diving on his baits.

Do you find this the most maddening and costly part of winter fishing?

 

I have had limited success by putting dark baits over dying weed and light baits over gravel, (when I say success, I mean that they don't immediately dive on it) but it doesn't take them long to realise that there is food available and they are soon diving on it until it's all gone.

 

I've used a laser pen after dark with good success, but does anyone know of any other methods of keeping the fluffy little darlings at bay?

[Guest chesters1]

every now and again flick a boilly or stone (neibour permitting) as far as u can away from your bait ,the little darlings think thats where your fishing or fill them up with 15p loaves from tesco .

[Guest peter mccue]

A small water I fished had a major duck problem that drove me up the wall until the simplest of solutions came to mind.

 

Before you bait up, attract the ducks onto the bank with bread & hemp, then spread a pint or two of hemp into the nearest grass, believe me, they will spend hours searching for every seed giving you plenty of time to bait up.

[Guest carpheaded]

Originally posted by peter mccue:

A small water I fished had a major duck problem that drove me up the wall until the simplest of solutions came to mind.

 

Before you bait up, attract the ducks onto the bank with bread & hemp, then spread a pint or two of hemp into the nearest grass, believe me, they will spend hours searching for every seed giving you plenty of time to bait up.

 

I have found that the ducks and coots in my area go insane for prepared field corn and will dig around forever looking for the last kernal. I imagine the corn would be much cheaper than the hemp seeds?

 

 

 

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Ed

Carp fishing at Clear Lake in Northern California http://www.catfished.com/carpheaded.html