Particle Baits Particle baits are great for use as both as a groundbait or groundbait ingredient and also make an excellent hookbait provided they are properly presented. People often overlook particles in favour of pellets as a groundbait and this is quite disappointing as there are many qualities which can make particles a lot more successful.
Perhaps the most well-known particle bait expecially to anglers that have made the transition to carp fishing from match angling is hemp seed. Hemp is very oily when properly prepared and this is an excellent attractor for the majority of fish species and carp are no exception to this but one important aspect that many people sadly dont follow is the correct preparation method for hemp seed as this is a bit of an odd-ball particle bait and differs from that used for most particles in so far as it is soaked and then boiled until it splits rather than by a boiling time. So with that said lets look at what needs to be done to safely prepare particle baits
Safe Preparation of Particles Here is a table (guidance only) of how long to soak and boil/simmer particle baits for
| Particle | Soak time | Simmering time | | Partiblend | N/A | 1 minute | | Tiger nuts | 24 hours | 30 minutes | | Chopped Tigers | 14 hours | 20 minutes | | Groats | N/A | 2 minutes | | Hemp seed | 24 hours | Until seeds split | | Whole Maize | 24 hours | 30 minutes |
It is vital for the safety of the fish that particles are always properly prepared, if you are not sure then its best to pay a little extra and get some ready prepared particles rather than risk the safety of fish.
One great tip that is well worth mentioning is that you shouldnt throw away the water that you soaked your particles in, instead retain it and use it in your graoudbait mix, for example when soaking tiger nuts you are left with a gooey mollases like substance which carp seem to absolutely love, the same applies to hemp, the water contains a lot of natural oils from the particle.
How to present particles
Presenting particles is pretty easy now as there is a wide variety of tackle to make the job easier, the one I have experienced the most success with is Kryston Bogey although most takle manufacturers offer a similar solution, it is a gum that allows particles to adhere to it and it can be applied to either a hook shank or on a hair, both of these methods are equally effective.
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