6 ways to make your hookbait stand out from the crowd

Chod baits

“Is the Chod losing its effect because of the hookbait you’re using? Lots of anglers use a single 12-15mm round pop-up but I like to use barrel-shaped pop-ups. It’s easier to tie the bait on, the hook point is more prominent and because of its shape it’s more buoyant and more importantly, it’s different.”

Triple baits

“Perfect for those who favour long Hairs. I have nearly always found the hook hold to be well inside the mouth on bigger baits whereas delicate rigs with little baits often result in end of the lip hook holds. I found a 10mm bait near the hook followed by a 15 and then a 20mm on the end is a good set-up.

Side-by-side

“Dumbell-shaped baits are great but are often just fished on their own. Last season I used a lot of 12 x 20mm baits and I had nearly all my takes from the waters I fished on with two side-by-side on a Hair. The result of this is a bigger mouthful and more weight to help turn and pull the hook down.”

Teardrop-shape

“Teardrop-shape baits also leave the hook nice and available to create good hook holds. I used to use them a lot and will be making some for this season. You can create them very easily by using a sharp knife but remember to leave the tougher skin at the base of the bait to stop it coming off.”

Cubed baits

“These were one of my favourites at one time. I used to catch well on cubed baits as free offerings but found it best to slightly mis-shape the hookbaits by making them into longer cube shapes to keep the bulk away from the hook. This shape also works very well for floating fishing hookbaits.”

Apple core

“Like all hookbaits, any round bait can be trimmed. Apple core pop-ups are good and by trimming the sides away, extreme critical-balancing is easy to achieve. However, make sure the Hair enters and exits through the tougher skin at the top and base of your hookbait as nuisance fish can pull them off.”