How to add flavour to plastic bait
The plastic bait I want to try is not being used on my local water. Do you have any tips? I am thinking about flavouring it as I have little confidence in it. Mark Townsend, via e-mail
Alan Stagg says: “Imitation baits have become all the rage in recent years and offer the angler loads of advantages as hookbaits over ‘real’ bait as they are almost impervious to the attentions of small fish and the buoyant ones effectively counterbalance the weight of the fishing hook.
“There is no doubt that unflavoured plastics make a great hookbait but soaking the hookbait in flavour helps make it stand-out and can get you extra bonus bites. Enterprise already offer a selection of flavoured imitation baits in their Classic and Food Source ranges which are based on a number household flavours from reputable bait companies such as Solar, Essential, Richworth, etc. These are tried-and-tested blends and would be a good starting point if you want to
use a ‘boosted’ fake bait that is ready to go.
“Once you have some confidence in these you can go on and experiment for yourself. Some of my favourite edges are sweeteners such as Hinders Betalin or Essential Baits Thaumatin-B. I have had some good results adding these and they also work really well in the winter time when the water temperatures are low.”