Nuts!

[Tony U]

Tony,

It really doesn't matter what it technically is, it's called a 'nut'. Peanuts have been banned on most waters for a long time - partly the poor nutritional qualities, partly the (dubious) bait swelling issue and partly the mould / toxin problem. The latter accounts for a number of human fatalities each year so cannot be over stated. We don't need peanuts or tigers so I'm happy enough without them. I may however take a tin of tigers to France with me each year (if allowed) but that's my only exception.

 

Rob.

 

Rob

Did you know that Corn (Maize), also has as great a risk of being infected by the Aflatoxin mould or other mycotoxins? yet there are rarely objections raised to it's use on any water, but agreed peanuts are also very high risk.

I imagine the bait swelling issue would apply to most unhydrated seed type baits and especially to the larger varieties such as chickpeas or Maple peas.

As I said I don't use any of these baits; but would probably use tigers if the opportunity arose, as I do not think they pose any health risk to Carp especially the ready prepared type you mention. Indeed, I would not be surprised if rhizomes or tubers form a natural part of a Carps diet.

 

P.s

I have just come across this link, it makes you wonder just what the aflatoxin load might be in carp pellet/groundbait especially as we are still using baits without use by guidance.

http://www.aquafeed.com/article.php?id=1311&sectionid=

Edited February 24, 2006 by Tony U

[Dick Dastardly]

I know that Den and I have disagreed in the past ref the subject of the fish losing/not gaining weight on nuts.So maybe this is a factor that varies from water to water? I would hazzard a guess that it is really only a problem on waters that to some extent (because of the natural food levels or stocking densities etc) rely on anglers bait?

 

Re the above supersision Steve how does that weigh up with your experiences at Wingham?

 

If carp are as nutritionaly aware as some carp experts would have us believe then surely they wouldnt eat them?

 

Any way you cant get away from it Growlers are arguably the greatest carp bait ever.Origonaly thought of as a poor follow on to peanut they have over the years proved far superior.No matter how scared of them they are the carp just cant help taking them regardless of what is or isnt in them!

[Steve Burke]

Re the above supersision Steve how does that weigh up with your experiences at Wingham?

 

Unfortunately, there's nothing more that I can add to what I posted above. Apart from this one season nuts hadn't been used to any extent at Wingham, and then only tigers.

 

My thinking was the ban on nuts (for whatever reason) immediately worked, so why take a chance? There are plenty of other baits.

[RobStubbs]

If carp are as nutritionaly aware as some carp experts would have us believe then surely they wouldnt eat them?

 

I personally don't believe the above it's just too complicated and carp aren't clever. I don't know why they appear to like boilies but they do, and I don't believe they will target a HNV bait in preference to any other - at least not because it's 'better' for them it might just be more attractive to them (like us comparing steak and spam).

 

Rob.

[Dick Dastardly]

Very much my thoughts too Rob. It always sticks in my mind what Fred Wilton once said to me " Can carp really determine the food value of HNV baits or do they simply just like the taste of milk proteins?" And that after all the work he put into it.

[poledark]

You have to go back quite a way to answer that question Rob and Budgie.

Compared with what was on offer before specials almost any decent food bait was considerably more attractive to carp.

 

Sausage meat (used before hnv) absolutely wonderful bait...then the fish wised up........catfood.....robinred.........one after the other the carp were offered "new" baits and flavours. That is why we carpers are always on the lookout for a fresh flavour/label...and that is why baits "blow"

Carp will eat, or try to eat, almost anything they think is edible, even lumps of plastic....maybe in some (or many:) ) cases they simply try out the item and get hooked on the exposed hook.

 

We at MKF are to be allowed the use of crushed nuts as part iof a boily mix or in a spod/feeder mix...no whole baits as the management fear they may block a carps intestines. Fair enough, my experience tells me that a good size carp (6lb plus) can pass tigers with no trouble,

and Big (20lb +) can pass WHOLE Brazils, I have seen it several times.

 

 

For what it is worth, the reason I would like to use tigers is because it is possible to bait up with them and be pretty sure that they will remain uneaten by most other fish. They do not go rotten, at least the ones in my pond/s never did over several weeks in the summer.

 

Tench and Bream will get on them after a while, and again, for what it is worth, the biggest Roach I have seen (3lbs +) were all caught on tigers meant for carp!

 

Steve was given advice that they were harmful and restricted growth, so be it, my experience on several waters/complex's says different.

 

Den