Paste - why dont it stay on the hook?

[Mikemgs]

As title says really. I was out today in the Willinghurst fishery in Surrey. I started out with pellets and having no joy, so I turned to the paste I brought (£3.65, bloody rip) but it will not stay on the hook. Any advice?

[Newt]

Here is the way I do it. The item shown is size large and there is one available that is about half the size. The paste shown is a sweet one I make from very inexpensive ingredients and costs me around 40p per pound.

 

[Andy Macfarlane]

That's a pretty good diagram Newt.

Mike, you could also take the spring from an old push-button pen and cut it to the length of the hook shank. Slip the spring over the shank and form the paste round the hook.

[A Worm OOE]

Mike

I know it sounds daft but if you are not having problems keeping it on the hook your paste is too stiff. ( I know its different if you are Chub fishing the Trent or something simalar). You want your paste to be as soft as you can get away with. This will either require the use of a Pole or if using a rod either a paste spring or a hair rigged bait to mould the paste around. How were you using the paste and what type was it?

[Mikemgs]

It was strawberry stuff, in a pot from my local tackle shop. The consistancy of it is exactly the same as playdough (if u have kids you will understand)I tried sticking it directly to the hook, wrapping it around sweetcorn, but that made it wet and slippery, and rolling it like a maggot and hooking it lol.

That spring idea looks good.

[argyll]

If anyone's interested in copying Newts idea, then the spring is called a 'hitchhiker'. The last place that I bought them was Jennifield Tackle (got a website somewhere) If you dont want to make them, then a commercial version is available in the UK..called a paste hook.

 

Tied on a hair rig, the hitchhiker is also a very secure way of attaching a piece of meat

 

[ 05. September 2005, 10:21 AM: Message edited by: argyll ]

[John Ellison]

A method I use, is to thread a small piece of float rubber onto my line with a fine needle.

Use a piece about 1/4" long. Thread it up the line, tie your hook on, then slide it to the eye of the hook. This gives the paste a lot more purchase without the use of ironmongery.

[A Worm OOE]

Mike

Those pots of paste are usually quite stiff by paste standards, what size hooks were you using ? for even a modest piece of paste a relatively large hook is required.

Were you pole fishing or a rod and line ? was the paste comming off when shipping out/casting or when realing in ?

Let us know and we can offer some more advice.

[Chris Goddard]

Korum make PASTE springs for just this very purpose. Not cheap but if you want to be sure!!

Or do like Newt has and get yourself a bit of .5mm copper wire and make your own!!

[Mikemgs]

Rod and line, slipping off when casting. I was using size 14 hooks on 6lb line. I was having the same problem with the pellets as well. Is there a method for hooking pellets?