How to fish with luncheon meat

[dutch1862]

This is a bait that I've never used before, but have been told to try it at a local pond.

 

How do I hook it? As in can I put it straight on the hook or do I need to hair rig it? And if the latter will that work for species other than carp? I'm hoping I can put it straight on the hook so that I can switch to say sweetcorn easily to tempt other species that might not work on hair rigs (roach for example?)>

 

Many thanks

 

Rob

[DavyR]

No reason why it can't be put straight on the hook - I usually do. I find a wide gape hook gives a better hold. If you're having to cast a long way and find that it's flying off, there are various plastic spikes available from makers like Korum that will help. Some people fry the meat first to give a tougher bait.

[Vagabond]

If you want to fish with (say) a half-inch cube, don't try to put a cube on the hook direct or it will easily come off, because the hook cuts a slot in the cube however careful you are.

 

Just cut big slices about 1/8 inches thick, cut four half-inch squares out of the slices, thread four of them on the hook one by one and you finish up with a four-layered cube that will stay on, and leak flavour better.

 

....or you can pi....er mess about with hair rigs, but I find the above method catches plenty of fish.

 

Scale the whole thing up if you want to use larger baits.

[Worms]

I cut a cube of meat to the appropriate size, depending on hook and species etc.. I then hook it on and turn the hook through 90^o and tuck a bit of dried grass in the bend of the hook and slide the meat down on it. I also use this method successfully with cheese. The bait stays on well.

 

(Having said that I've never had so much as a bite on luncheon meat!!! I must be unique amongst chub and barbel anglers in that respect )

[Miggy]

I caught a couple of nice tench and bream on luncheon meat whilst night fishing. I cut a cube of roughly half an inch in size..and hair-rigged it on a size 10... It stayed on well for a couple of casts and probably would have stayed on all night...but I opted to change it quite often

 

Mitch

[Andy Macfarlane]

By the way, when folk say they fry their luncheon meat, just use a tiny amount of oil and break up an Oxo cube in the pan so you get a nice oily, beefy tar-like substance. Don't cook the meat for to long or it'll soften beyond use. Just a minute is enough and then put your baits in the fridge to cool and harden up a bit. Leave them in there in a sealed tub for your next session.

 

....andy...

[andy98761]

What about meat screw hooks ?

[BoldBear]

The method that Vagabond described is a great method that I have also used; If I suspect that the fish are wising up to seeing cube shaped pieces of luncheon-meat then I prefer to rip irregular chunks off of the meat.

I prefer it directly on the hook using a piece of grass in the hook-bend to hold it on.

 

I sometimes cut meat into irregular sized chunks then put some powdered spice in a plastic bag (with the meat) and give it a shake then freeze in the freezer, I do this a couple of times after thawing it each time, which infuses the flavour into the meat.

 

Occasionally I have used a hair using shop bought meat stops together with short lengths of clear tube inside the meat to prevent the hair from cutting through the meat but I prefer using it directly on the hook.

Edited August 6, 2009 by BoldBear

[gozzer]

Like Dave said it's easier to put on in slices, and if a small fish takes a piece off, there's still some left on the hook.

 

Does anyone remember the 'carrot'? You put several pieces on, each smaller than the last, and end up with a small carrot shape, with the point of the hook clear of the bait.

 

Then there's using longish strips, about 4mm thick, threaded up the hook. The idea was that it fluttered in the current and attracted the fish.

 

John.

[Anderoo]

I think a lot of the problems people have with using luncheon meat is that they use a hook that is too small. I just tear a lump off and hook it straight on, but match the hook to the size of chunk I'll be using. For chub, it's normally a big lump on a 6. If I was using little bits for tench or crucians, I could go down to a 16. But if I tried to hook a chub-sized lump with a 16, it would just fall off.

 

Use a big enough hook and it'll stay on alright. Also, some brands are tougher than others (co-op own is good).