Raisins...

[Andy Macfarlane]

I was just making my way through a 6oz bag of chocolate raisins (it's a problem...I know) and it dawned on me that raisins might be be worth a crack on the hook. Their reasonably tough, sweet, nice and dark, so obvious in most water and cheap enough to use. Initially, I thought of carp but then I thought a lot of fish might fancy them. Roach, bream and tench and other 'sweetus toothinids'.

 

Thoughts laydeez and gennelmen please.

[chavender]

use them for tench fishing as free offerings in the g/b mix (plain raisons mind) ,couldn't say if they made a real difference ,but i'd like too think the sweat taste helped keep the tench in the swim and its something different too the usual corn they see .

 

i use the raisons with wheat & red groundbait (or any sweat g/b) chuck in a few casters and thats the feed sorted ,mini boilies or corn on the hook .

 

its a mix ,i will probably be using next monday on a private pond for the tench & crusions if i can get on there .

[chavender]

one extra thought though don't fish with raisons and spam at the same time ,i did once and ate more than the fish did

[Andy Macfarlane]

Have the tench taken any raisins on the hook though??

[goosequill]

Andy,

 

I used to fish for Carp with raisons/sultannas while living in Devon and fishing an old , gin clear limestone quarry many years ago so I could try all sorts of baits and observe them directly in the margins gauging their reactions.

 

Once they "got" on the bait they were very, very effective. I used to fish them under a float (laying the bait on a few feet) with the raisons hooked direct on the hook fished amongst a small handfull of loose offerings. The roach also took interest but their weakness was strawberry flavoured pearl barley - I have never observed shoals of stillwater roach feed so, so, so energentically and enthusiatically on a bait before or since.

 

I also had enormous success with free-lined cubes of fruit flavoured Jelly which was was deadly for a while.

 

I know its a generalisation, but Carp will eat just about anything you put in front of them if they are hungry, they don't associate it with a brief trip to the bankside and they havent been spooked by your presence.

 

Give them a try. If all else fails you can eat your bait anyway - can't say the same about them boilie things no matter how nice they smell!

[watatoad]

:bigemo_harabe_net-163:

 

What's this Andy? This is an ancient, old fashioned and outdated bait...I thought I was supposed to be the old fashioned one...hehehe

 

Seriously they are an amazing bait. Tench, Crucians, Chub, Roach...but only if you want to head up towards the record levels...hehehe

 

First season I ever fished way back in 1953/ 1954, raisins and sultanas were a regular bait both as hookbait and chopped up in the groundbait ...hehehe

 

I will go and dig out some of my old mixes...

 

soaking is a good start I often soak them in either brandy or whisky...hehehe..remember I don't drink but I seem to remember a single malt works well

 

I think the fish mistake them for snails

[arbocop]

:bigemo_harabe_net-163:

 

I think the fish mistake them for snails

 

 

I would ahve thought hat they only mistake them fopr snails when they are sluggish.

 

Perhaps rasins are a good bait when they are in a strong 'currant'

 

Sorry.

[watatoad]

I would ahve thought hat they only mistake them fopr snails when they are sluggish.

 

Perhaps rasins are a good bait when they are in a strong 'currant'

 

Sorry.

 

:bigemo_harabe_net-163:

 

Nearly as good as telling a Scotsman to give fish a wee dram.

 

:bigemo_harabe_net-163:

[Newt]

Soak them in warm sugar water /w a little yeast added until they start to ferment. Soft, sweet, and a flavour/smell/whatever that the fish seem to like.

 

Two days usually does it for me with water that is fairly warm - say 25-30 degrees and I've had slightly better luck with the ones made from white grapes.

[watatoad]

Yes you are spot on there Newt the white ones often have the edge.

 

I was hoping someone would make a joke because I wanted the opportunity to send them to check on how many National records were broken in the 1950's, 1960's but especially in the 1970's and the early 1980's with raisins as bait and or groundbait...hehehe

 

I have found some of the old receipts (mixes) and will add them as soon as I find my other notebook on baits I did wonder at one time about just making it a simple reference thread and calling it

 

ol'Toady's baits of days gone by

 

I wonder where Ratty, Mole and Badger are???

 

... :bigemo_harabe_net-163:

Edited May 24, 2010 by watatoad