Groundbait for sea fish

[The Flying Tench]

I have just got back from 3 days estuary fishing in Swansea - see blog. I'm a complete novice at salt water fishing, but it feels so strange casting a bait out with no groundbait. Do you feel the same? I did try bread crumb in the feeder for mullet, but I didn't get the impression they were too interested.

But on reflection, what about fishmeal based groundbait? You'd think this might work as it's made from sea fish as I understand it. Have you ever heard of this being used?

[Tigger]

I used to use maggots to catch wrass and threw then in same as when coarse fishing. In the circumstances it did work and me and my brother caught loads.

Other than that I think I would forget it, unless your gonna chum for sharks

[The Flying Tench]

That's interesting about the wrasse. What kind of place was it? I've heard of maggots feeding on decaying sea-weed, so the wrasse would have seen maggots before. Was it anything like that?

[Vagabond]

On 9/18/2021 at 4:34 PM, The Flying Tench said:

 I did try bread crumb in the feeder for mullet, but I didn't get the impression they were too interested.

But on reflection, what about fishmeal based groundbait? You'd think this might work as it's made from sea fish as I understand it. Have you ever heard of this being used?

Taking the second point first - why not use the real thing. Freshly caught and chopped raw fish, attracts almost everything from pout whiting to porbeagle shark.

Prior to a trip to the Dingle Peninsuilar, Pete phoned the day before for a final check.   He mentioned he was bringing a mincer  to clamp on the boat's gunwhale to process any spare fish .   Thinking of domestic mincers, I wondered if it would be big enough.   There was a derisive snort at the other end. " BIG enough ? That's a commercial mincer. That weighs twenty-eight pounds. That would mince a bloody crocodile ! "

So it would, but one tip if you try it,   Put any mackerel that you mince into the mincer TAIL first - if you try head first, the gut contents get squeezed into the tail.  Mackerel skin is elastic, and will expand accordingly.   There is a physical property call "the elastic limit"....; When this limit is exceeded the tail bursts, showering the boat's crew with mackerel guts au naturelle.

As for mullet - mashed bread in water is good (take it in a bucket and groundbait with a soup ladle to avoid ending up looking like breaded haddock desttinied for the frying pan)   Bread flake on the hook of course.   Other methods, loose feed maggots and pretend you are roach fishing  or use sea slaters (like king sized woodlice) on the hook and take a bucketful of freshly  gathered rotting seaweed and chuck in a handful now and then - it will be full of slaters, sand hoppers (like king-size gammarid shrimp) and other creepy crawlies.   Sand hoppers are easily gathered by baiting a seaweed-strewn beach with anything edible - which will be covered with the beasts within minutes. A rocky beach will produce slaters as well.

The same Pete and  I fished Beachy Head rocks for bass one night.     Mr Hollowlegs (Pete) had an inexhaustible supply of chicken drumsticks to ward off starvation.   Soon he had to put a half-eaten drumstick down  to wind in a bass.  Job done, he picked up his drumstick and took a large bite.   He then found he had a mouthful of frisky sand hoppers and subsequently wasted a flask of coffee by using it as a mouthwash.

[The Flying Tench]

Wow, lots there Dave. Can you clarify one thing. You mention feeding loose maggot for mullet. Presumably this would go with maggot on the hook? It sounds really great as the fish wouldn't be able to whittle down the hook bait as they do with bread?

[corydoras]

Every time I have tried using maggots for mullet I only catch schooly bass.

[Vagabond]

I have caught the occasional mullet on maggot, but would agree it is not a particularly good bait for them. But then, what is ?  Statistically, I have probably done best with wet fly (brown or green nymphs) If you seek mullet it pays to be versatile (and philosophical) as success is rare, whatever method you choose.  However, once hooked (both angler and mullet) it is the nearest thing i know to fishing for bonefish.

[TeddyBear]

Part of the beauty of sea fishing is to be able to travel light and easy

Coarse fishing (especially when night fishing) is the complete opposite (usually) with loads of heavy artillery to lug about

Personally I would never bring loads of heavy, stinking groiundbait ingredients sea fishing with me and wish to spoil the light and breezy short session effortless-ness of it

Enough bait is needed anyway to keep rods fishing amongst bait robbing crabs, and it would be a pain to stop groundbait washing away in the changing tide and keep hookbaits in the right place all the time

[The Flying Tench]

Welcome to Anglers Net, Teddy, and thanks for replying to lots of threads.

[Martin56]

A few years ago, maybe 12 years or so, I bought a tub of soft hookable Crab flavoured pellets (4 or 6 mm, can't remember now) & ended up just feeding them the the very big Mullet in the Marina in Alcudia, Majorca I think, as not allowed to fish.

They went Mad on them!!