Bait According To... Dave Lane

The bait that changed everything for me was probably the old Essential Fish that we started with at Horton way back in 1991. That bait accounted for practically everything with fins in Horton over a three year period, and made me realise that Mainline Baits were a bit special. Straight after Horton, I moved on to Wraysbury and changed my bait to the original Grange bait, this was a defining moment for me. That bait was like no other, and using it on a huge pit which contained only twenty or so fish really opened my eyes. The carp just loved it and I knew then I was going to stick with Mainline for good—and I’m still there now.

The game-changing baiting moment which altered everything for me was the use of dips and glugs to rehydrate air-dried boilies. It helps to keep the bait fresh and adds another level of attraction; it’s a method I have used for the last ten years or more and I swear by it. 

The last bait-related item I bought and loved was… Well, I will have to be honest here and say that I very rarely actually ‘buy’ anything bait-related, although I did get a RidgeMonkey Boilie Crusher that has made my life a lot easier. It sits on top of a bucket and you load it up with bait and then just turn a big handle on the side; it makes chopping boilies so much easier.

On my wishlist for a future bait item is a boilie that was somehow out of the spectrum of a tufted duck’s vision and also invisible to seagulls, but still visible to the carp. Now that really would be an amazing addition to the range.

I have an excessive collection of pop-ups and wafters, homemade dips, standard dips and flavours. I think it’s the ‘kid in the sweetshop’ syndrome. I don’t actually use more than one or two per cent of my collection, but it’s just nice to have them there, on the shelf, if I fancy a change.

A bait you long to use again would have to be the original Grange. I am sure that the baits nowadays are far more advanced, and probably technically better, but the smell of that original bait just reminds me so much of the early days: wet nets and big old Wraysbury mirrors on the bank.

Kev Knight and Big Steve from Mainline Baits influence me when it comes to bait. I handed the reins of my bait decisions over to those two over thirty years ago and they haven’t let me down yet. I do, however, pay great attention to anyone that is doing better than me on any of the lakes I am fishing at the time. You are never too old to learn from others and just a slight tweak to the way you prepare your bait, the size, the amount etc. can make a huge difference.

My preferred baiting approach varies greatly from lake to lake, but when I can get away with it, 18mm boilies and a bottom bait on the Hair is always a winning method. A lot of the more pressured waters don’t respond to it, but on a big old pit, where you can get the fish feeding naturally, it negates all of the problems with rigs and approach; it’s a very good method indeed. Most of the time, though, I use a mix of all sizes, including particles and chopped baits to offer a varied bed of bait that will keep the carp rooting around for longer in my swim.

For years, my preferred hookbait colour was yellow—the old pineapple pop-up approach and I think a huge number of anglers were the same. Nowadays though, most of my pops and wafters are white. I must point out that I never actually fish a bait proud of the bottom—even my pop-ups are set so the eye of the hook touches the lakebed. I really do not like baits that are presented any higher than this, as it looks so obvious as to which one is the trap.

My preferred free food size depends on the lake I am fishing. I prefer big baits if possible, but I will use 10, 16, 18mm or even minced up chops and crumb. I think it’s more about getting the right bait than the right size.

My best bait edge is air-drying and glugging—without a doubt. I rarely fish with anything else nowadays.