Is bait size important?

Small Baits: Matt Eaton

“I’d class 18mm baits and above as large and 15mm and below as small. I’m not saying I don’t use larger baits because, from time to time, I do, although I nearly always find myself putting half of them in as chops as I feel much more confident with smaller food items on my spots. I know big baits can be catapulted or ‘sticked’ out further but I very rarely fish at long-range and can cast a spod further and more accurately than I can put a 20mm boilie out by hand.

“It is common advice to increase the size of your baits in order to avoid bream; I’ve not found it makes much difference. Occasionally, when I have upped the bait size to try and avoid them I have caught just as many. They seem able to squeeze a gobstopper into their greedy little traps as if they had the jaws of a snake!

“I favour small baits by a long way and there are several reasons for this.

1 I’ve caught many more carp on small baits.
2 When introducing hemp, other particles or pellet in conjunction with a boilie, smaller baits are more likely to be picked up as they are closer to the size of the background feed.
3 I believe that feeding fish of any species will attract attention from carp. Smaller baits will invite everything to the party which, in turn, should be investigated by our quarry.
4 I’m sure smaller baits are taken more readily as, when you think about what a carp eats naturally (snails, bloodworm etc.), the majority falls within the “small” bracket.
5 The smaller the baits the more individual food items, for a given weight, will have been introduced. If a fish needs, say, 4oz of bait to satisfy its nutritional requirements then it will take longer for it to search out and eat 120 x 12mm boilies than 30 x 20mm ones. The more time it spends feeding around the rig the more likely it is to make a mistake and pick up the hookbait.
6 I feel that preoccupation is more easily achieved with smaller items.

“Give me a few kilos of 10mm or 15mm Cell every time.”

Mixed Sizes: Leon Bartropp

“The bait I'm currently using comes in three different sizes: 12, 16 and 20mm. I have every confidence in this mix and the attractor levels are spot on. I always take a selection of sizes wherever I go, to me using mixed sized baits is one of my little edges that I take onto any water.

“To be honest, I rarely see any other anglers using this method, as they much prefer to stick with the same size bait that they are using on their rigs. They really are missing a trick in my opinion as the fish soon wise up to the same hookbait and baiting pattern. I’ve watched fish many times and seen their reaction when feeding on a bed of 16mm boilies, after all that’s what they see day-in day-out as this is the most popular size boilie bought in the UK. The fish get used to feeding on them and most times will be getting away with it due to the same scenario being played out. They move from area-to-area, feeding as they go, picking a bait up here, a bait up there, so if it’s a pressured water that’s seen a lot of bait then they may well steer clear of the area altogether and just graze. Of course hunger has to kick in and they do and will get caught on a 16mm boilie.

“What I’ve found works and works really well is to mix it up a bit. Think outside the box; I’ll bait each spot or area with the three sizes mentioned above so the fish become less wary, they also can’t regulate their suction when feeding on these mixed sizes. I’ll also stick a different sized bait on each of the rods to confuse them even more, after all, if they are put off balance just for one minute, then they are more catchable.

“I’ve had some really good results on this method so I can’t see myself going back to using just one size of bait ever
again, so it’s got to be the mixed sized boilies every time for me without a doubt.”

Large boilies: Nige Willams

“My belief is that you need to use proper food to catch proper carp. I always use fairly decent sized baits and 16mm to 18mm would be standard for me I suppose. If I’m fishing for big carp in a lake with lots of other smaller carp, then I’m not going to play the numbers game. Some of the Avid lads, like Mark Bartlett and Ian Russell, take the approach of just trying to catch as many carp as possible, hoping that a big fish comes along, whereas I will try and time my fishing trips with good moon phases and weather fronts for big fish. I’ll put myself in an area with a proven record for the fish I’m after and when I get there, I’ll be fishing with some proper bait to make sure that fish gets the chance to eat it. On many venues there are so many smaller fish like roach, tench and bream that have all switched onto carp baits. I don’t want them coming in and trashing the swim. On venues like Savay it can sometimes take hours to find the right spots and get a bait presented the way you want it. If a little skimmer comes along and farms my spot then I’m creating unnecessary disturbance and having to reset the trap, which on somewhere like Savay, isn’t ideal.

“I use the awesome Code Red from Sonu which is specially formulated to include some pretty impressive ingredients with proven track records. I’ve enjoyed some brilliant results on the bait and have no hesitation using it in larger sizes. Carp are quite greedy at times and big carp are usually quite big for a reason. There are numerous things in the aquatic environment that are bigger than an 18mm boilie that the carp eat on a regular basis. Even smaller naturals tend to appear in clusters at times, so it’s not like it’s totally unnatural. Plus, if you put them in the right place it hardly matters whether you’re using a 10mm or an 24mm boilie does it? For me, it’s got to be a big bait. Full stop.”