Trotting with pellets

[tiddlertamer]

I journeyed down to my tackle shop this evening only to find that they’d sold out of maggots. The recent cold weather had got in the way of a fresh delivery. Can’t complain really as the shop is normally very good and I’m sure it’s more than just maggot deliveries which have been affected by the cold weather...

 

Anyway, the lack of maggots made me think about other baits.

The bait I wanted to check out was pellets. A popular modern bait and if they work, probably easier for me to store than maggots, which I normally use. In fact, by nearly always float fishing on rivers with maggots, my fishing had become one-dimensional.

Pellets, so I have read, are an effective bait on commercials and other lakes for carp, but are they good for trotting with on rivers? Are they also considered more of a legered bait? I'll guess I'll find out tomorrow through trial and error what works but it'll be good to have confidence in hookable pellets as a good bait for trotting...

 

I bought three bags of Sonubait hookable pellets.

4mm, 6mm and 11mm which I’ll use tomorrow. My rationale was that the 4mm and 6mm pellets would be good for smaller fish and the 11mm might just pick up a large chub or barbel. Sound good?

 

I did in fact pick up some 11mm monster crab and mussel pellets last month. Never had the confidence to use them and left them in a cupboard. I always wondered why my flat, which is within a Victorian central London building, had never attracted mice. Well the pellets certainly did and I found the bag ripped open and pellets scattered everywhere. I ended up using the pellets as bait on the mousetrap, and I caught four of the pesky furry rodents!

Let’s hope fish find them as attractive...

 

A final couple of questions – what hook size is best for different sized pellets and I guess when trotting, hookable pellets can go straight on the hook point, leaving the tip exposed, rather than using pellet bands or hair rigging the bait?

[Rusty]

Hello TT nice to hear from you.

 

I’m pretty one dimensional too, I’ve no confidence in trotting anything that doesn’t wriggle. I have caught chub on trotted luncheon meat and grayling on corn but not in as many numbers as maggot.

 

I think of pellet as a smelly bait which attracts by wafting its whiff downstream, the fish follow to investigate and come across the hookbait anchored to the river bed. That’s a pre-conception of mine which prevents me from using pellet as a trotted hookbait but I can’t think of a logical reason as to why it wouldn’t work. If fish like to eat pellet what difference does it make if it’s moving along in the current?

 

One practical issue that might be a problem, hookable pellets are very soft and may wash off the hook if you hold back the float in a good flow, might be best to use a small hard pellet banded to the hook.

 

Good luck with it, take a tin of corn and a few slices of bread as backup bait.

[Chris Plumb]

I've been trotting with corn quite a bit this winter for chub - with a fair bit of success I might add!

 

 

C.

[arbocop]

I don't experiment much myself either, I tend to fish maggot, caster, bread, worm, corn (in that order) most of the time when trotting.

 

I've tried trotting pellets a few times over the last couple of years and I've never had much success.

 

However, dropping back onto maggot or bread afterwards seems to always (well the four times I've tried it) result in a good fish - a 6lb 6oz chub came my way in July doing exactly that.

 

Where does someone who lives in Central London go trotting anyway?

[Ed Matysiak]

I've been trotting with corn quite a bit this winter for chub - with a fair bit of success I might add!

 

 

C.

 

 

Same, had plenty of chub on sweetcorn trotted down the swim. Im sure pellets will work just as well providing they get some loose offerings sent through the swim too.

[tiddlertamer]

Where does someone who lives in Central London go trotting anyway?

 

Good question! The Thames at Tower Bridge is less than 600 metres from my front door.

But I've never fished it...

 

It normally looks dark and dangerous. A heavily stained water with treachourous currents. And just so big and wide. Tidal too. I will try it one day though.

 

I go south - the Mole and Wandle. Though the Wandle is only just starting to recover from a pollution incident in 2007.

 

North - the River Lea though prefer the upper Lea to the middle stretches which got hit by a pollution incident in 2006.

 

East - the only time I tried the downstream stetch of the Lea, I saw lots of large dead bream being washed downstream. I've tried the Suffolk Stour and there are great stretches though much is too sluggish for my liking.

 

I go west too and and have fished the Kennet and Lambourne. I love the Hampshire Avon though it's probably too long a journey in Winter when the days are so short.

 

I have also fished the Great Ouse and Dorset Stour.

 

I may have to travel, but one good thing about central London is that it has good public transport links across the country.

 

I envy you people with great rivers on your doorstep though.

[arbocop]

Good question! The Thames at Tower Bridge is less than 600 metres from my front door.

But I've never fished it...

 

It normally looks dark and dangerous. A heavily stained water with treachourous currents. And just so big and wide. Tidal too. I will try it one day though.

 

I go south - the Mole and Wandle. Though the Wandle is only just starting to recover from a pollution incident in 2007.

 

North - the River Lea though prefer the upper Lea to the middle stretches which got hit by a pollution incident in 2006.

 

East - the only time I tried the downstream stetch of the Lea, I saw lots of large dead bream being washed downstream. I've tried the Suffolk Stour and there are great stretches though much is too sluggish for my liking.

 

I go west too and and have fished the Kennet and Lambourne. I love the Hampshire Avon though it's probably too long a journey in Winter when the days are so short.

 

I have also fished the Great Ouse and Dorset Stour.

 

I may have to travel, but one good thing about central London is that it has good public transport links across the country.

 

I envy you people with great rivers on your doorstep though.

 

 

I work in Central London and commute in by train and I agree about the travel. I don't want to live there, but I have been close a few times. I often look at the Thames in London with the same sort of question in my head - should I fish it? I've always decided - NO!

[tiddlertamer]

I work in Central London and commute in by train and I agree about the travel. I don't want to live there, but I have been close a few times. I often look at the Thames in London with the same sort of question in my head - should I fish it? I've always decided - NO!

 

I have fished the Thames further upsteam and it's a slightly different beast.

 

Around the Windsor and Eton areas I had a frustrating day, with boat traffic fulled by the tourist boom there, making things difficult.

 

Near Datcham, the boat traffic is denied acess. Something that could not be said about the bleak population which was bigger than anything I had come across before and drove me crazy...

 

I listen with envy about the reports from other Anglers Net denizens around the Oxford area who are fishing the great river and its tributaries. Even the best have blanked there recently though.

 

Back to Central London and the Thames though - one day I'll tackle it though with little hope of success. Maybe an eel?

[arbocop]

I have fished the Thames further upsteam and it's a slightly different beast.

 

Around the Windsor and Eton areas I had a frustrating day, with boat traffic fulled by the tourist boom there, making things difficult.

 

Near Datcham, the boat traffic is denied acess. Something that could not be said about the bleak population which was bigger than anything I had come across before and drove me crazy...

 

I listen with envy about the reports from other Anglers Net denizens around the Oxford area who are fishing the great river and its tributaries. Even the best have blanked there recently though.

 

Back to Central London and the Thames though - one day I'll tackle it though with little hope of success. Maybe an eel?

 

I think you mean Datchet - if you also fish Windsor then you may even be a member of the same Angling Club as me.

 

I think you will have more chance of a flounder near Tower Bridge.

[tiddlertamer]

I think you mean Datchet - if you also fish Windsor then you may even be a member of the same Angling Club as me.

 

I think you will have more chance of a flounder near Tower Bridge.

 

 

Oops - yup Datchet.

 

A friend got me access through the Civil Service Anglers Association.

 

Rumours of big barbel and perch abound.

 

The only record I got near to breaking was the bleak one...

 

Enough to make me read up on flounder fishing...