How to master the throwing stick
Ten things you need to know to become a boilie-throwing maestro
Wet all your bait, not just the tube
It’s a common known fact that if your boilies start splitting as they come out of your throwing stick, it’s advisable to simply dunk the end of the stick into the margins to wet the inside of the tube. This then creates less friction which stops the baits from splitting as they roll up the inner stick and out the end. However, there’s a better way which saves time and any split bait.
Instead of just wetting the tube, take your boilies which you intend to put out and place them in a tub of water. You can then either take them from the tub as you ‘stick’ out your bait or place them into a bait caddy – which takes us nicely onto Tip 2…
Make sure you use a bait caddy
A bait caddy, in essence, is basically a bum bag which you load with boilies and allows you to continuously bait up with no stopping to pick up the next handful of boilies which will break your rhythm – and to bait accurately with a throwing stick you need rhythm.
More than one at a time
This one’s not only for speed but to create a more scattered baiting pattern. Instead of putting one boilie into the tube, try putting in five or six, as this will (a) mean you get your bait out quicker and (b) you’ll have a lovely random baiting pattern on the lakebed.
Keep the gulls away
Having a problem with the dreaded gulls (better known as air rats!) grabbing every boilie as it hits the surface? The answer is to cast a ‘black’ coned (NB not any other colour) spod to your spot and then bait around it with the throwing stick. The gulls will then not swoop on the baits as they are afraid of the bobbing spod.
Harden your baits
If you’re having problems with your boilies splitting as they exit the throwing stick and you’ve tried both methods of (a) wetting the inside of the throwing stick and (b) wetting all your boilies, then you might need to harden your boilies. The best way of doing this is to soak them in L030. This is a fish protein liquid which will not only harden your boilies but will also increase their attraction tenfold.
Don't mix your boilies
The same could be said for when you’re using a catapult. Don’t, under any circumstances, mix your boilies up as they’ll all fly out at different distances, the same as mixing hemp, pellets and boilies and catapulting them out: the hemp lands 5yds out, the pellets 10yds and the boilies 20yds. So whenever you want to use different sized baits (which we do), make sure you put them out individually.
Spread the boilies around
Now whilst you might find this odd, as here we are harping on about consistency and rhythm to be accurate, the key to successful boilie fishing is to spread the bait around. Unlike fishing a tight spodded area of particles and pellets, with boilies you want to spread them over a large area to encourage the fish to move around. However, where the ‘accuracy’ bit comes in, is with the baiting pattern you’re trying to achieve. Ideally, you’re looking to bait in nice large arc pattern and then position two hookbaits at either end, at the front of the pattern.
Get a mate to help
More gull advice now – this time it involves a mate helping and means you don’t have to wait until dusk before baiting up.
Get your buddy to pretend to use his throwing stick further down the lake to get their attention. It works a treat.
Stick at last light
If you haven’t got a black coned spod and/or you’re fishing on your own so your angling buddy can’t help, then the simple answer to avoiding the dreaded gulls is to bait up using the throwing stick at last light. This is a great way to avoid them eating all your lovely boilies. If you’re in this situation and can’t wait until the light fades, then revert back to the ‘More Than One At A Time’ tip on the other page. By puting out five or six boilies at once, it confuses the gulls, meaning they miss all but one or two each time.
'See you later, coots!'
If coots are diving on your baited spot then put a few baits on them with the stick to attract the gulls and in turn these will spook off the coots. The coots will soon associate the sound of the throwing stick with the danger of swooping gulls and
you won’t even need to actually fire out any baits.