There are numerous types of bait and lures available for the angler to use. But which one do you choose? A hungry or inquisitive fish will try almost anything which whilst encouraging does not mean that better catch rates can be immensily improved by using the right bait or lure. Check out suggestions in the Bait to Hook page.

Originally, ground-bait was exactly that; stale, oven-dried bread that had been crushed and ground into fine particles. Today, the term ground-bait is used generally to describe any kind of free (not hooked) samples of hook-baits and other food used to attract and hold fish in a swim. To make matters more confusing, however, ground-bait is divided into two categories, loose feed and ground-bait. Loose feed is simply samples of hook-bait thrown into the swim to give the fish a taste of what is on offer (the hook, and to build up their confidence in accepting it. ground-bait is fine particles of ground foods (not necessarily bread, but bread is usually the base mixture) used mainly as an attractant, and as a carrying agent for delivering lighter and smaller baits to a distant swim. For instance, casters could be packed into a ball of ground-bait for throwing (or catapulting) to a swim too distant to be reached by loose casters fired from a catapult. Loose feed, i.e. maggots, casters, seed baits such as sweet- corn, etc, are usually fed into the swim on the little and often principle. For instance, a handful of rnaggots would be fed into the swim at the beginning of the session, and then a dozen or so introduced every five minutes or so, depending on how well the fish were feeding on the day. Ground-bait should be mixed in a round, flat bowl. The foldaway, canvas types sold by most tackle shops are ideal. The ingredients should be placed in the bowl first, and then water added gradually until the right consistency is reached. The mixture should be lifted and tumbled around the bowl as much as possible, to obtain a light and fluffy result. Then it should be left for at least ten minutes to soak and absorb all the water. The mixture should feel a little on the dry side, but wet enough to hold together when squeezed. A good mixture will explode into a cloud of bait on the way down through the water, if mixed very dry, or will hold together until it reaches bottom, if mixed a little wetter. Very dry mixes are generally used when fishing for smaller fish that feed at all levels from surface to bottom. wetter mixes are used for bigger fish that usually feed on the bottom, and more solid, denser mixes are used when fishing rivers with a strong flow so that the ground-bait will sink rapidly and not break up too easily. Plain brown and white crumb is used as the bulk ingredient of most ground-bait mixes, and then the much more expensive special ingredients found in the so-called continental mixtures added according to preference. Other common ground-bait additives are crushed hemp, liquidised sweet-corn, bran and ground rice. Plus, many other, less common ones.

Ingredients can be bought from most tackle shops to make your own fresh or bought ready made either frozen or in preserve. Feed the swim with sinkers and use pop-ups on the hook.

Popularly known as pop-ups' boilies pre-packed in various sizes 10-20 mm, flavours, colouring, and densities. Thin protective skin. formed by baking stops Rudd, and Roach from nibbling away bait and delaying water absorption so they float. Any boilies can be baked for 8- 10 minutes or microwaved to become 'floaters' or remove a core from the boilie and replace with dense foam.

Also, pre-packed in various sizes the most important aspect is the choice of colouring and flavour. Remember a boilie that is coloured the same as the bottom will not stand out and one that has a high density will sink into any mud. Those that lie on or just 'pop-up' above the bottom and stand out are the best.

Pre-packed usually mixed with an additive i.e. hemp seed and mixed with water. Easy to make your own by placing one slice of stale bread at a time into a food processor to chop it up, (makes crumbs that expand and float when loose feeding) or bake in oven then crush. Good for feeders and loose feeding.

As the crust does not absorb water readily it will float supporting a hook. Cut offside from freshly baked, soft crust tin loaf and cut into strips then 2.5 cms square for No. 2 hook; 1 cm for No. 8; 0.75 cms for No.12. Store in airtight container to delay bread going stale. After mounting on hook dip soft side into water as extra weight helps casting or use float, or floater controller.

Use the soft inner part of a fresh loaf or sliced load pinching the dough round the shank leaving the bend and barb exposed. The bread will expand when in water concealing the hook. Too much flake will stop the barb penetrating when striking. Casting does not dislodge the bait, if mounted correctly.

Used for 'Cloud baiting' the surface and mid-water areas with fine particles as an attractant. Stale bread is ground and sieved, placed in bowl and water added slowly until a crumbly mix results. Added corn flour, custard or milk powder gives colour to cloud when breaking up.

Dough from 2–3-day old stale bread is soaked in water. Place soggy bread into clean muslin cloth squeeze out excess water. Knead until doughy and store in airtight container. Mould round hook but keep point of hook exposed.

Using punches of different designs and sizes a plug bait is extracted from a slice of bread. Moist fresh bread slices, or stale bread moistened by steaming, are compressed between two flat boards or rolled out to half thickness using rolling pin. Bread will expand when immersed in water. Hook bait straight from punch, stops any tainting from fingers also easier.

Make bread paste, grate any cheese and mix with two parts bread and one of cheese. Knead together until smooth and doughy. Mould lump of paste round shank and leave point exposed. Keep paste in polythene bag to keep moist.

Pick during August before too ripe and soft. Use for trotting particularly near elderberry trees overhanging banks. Loose feed with elderberry during trot. Size 14 hook for Chub, Dace, and Roach.

This depends on your personal attitude. Fewer books are giving live bait rigs such is the society we now live in. The Anglers Trust are presently reviewing their guidance on this, but the legal position (January 2024) is that you can use live bait (using small fish to catch bigger fish) providing you keep the bait fish at, and only use them in, the water you took them from. Please note, some local byelaws do not allow this. Fresh water fishes for dead bait that are sometimes used are Crucian Carp, Bullhead, Eel section, Minnow, Perch, Roach and Rudd also saltwater fishes; Herring, Mackerel, Sardine, Smelt and Sprat are popular.

Simple rig for clean, hard bottoms even when there is a current.

Simulates distressed fish in difficulties. Bait can be cast into areas known to hold predators.

Using float with a large vane enables the bait to reach places inaccessible by casting providing wind is blowing into the right direction.

Leger rig with foam stick inserted into bait to make buoyant. Good for soft and weed bottoms.

Stag and Lesser stag beetle larvae found in rotting trees and stumps. Care must be taken to hook once through head to avoid bursting.

The larvae of Chironomids (gnats/midges). Inhabits shallow still water areas in the mud. Collect by scraping top layer and sieving. Store in peat.

Larvae of the sedge fly. Inhabits shallows of still and running waters amongst stones and weeds. Builds cocoon from sand, twigs for protection and camouflage. Store in wet weed.

Large white a.k.a. 'Cabbage' collected early summer from vegetable plots. Store in aquarium with vegetable. Use for dapping or free-lining. Rarely used perhaps only in desperation.

Grub of the Ghost moth found in roots of the dock, nettle and dandelion plant during winter. Collect before moth emerges in May if no other alternative available.

Minute larvae of the gnat. Inhabits mud areas in flowing waters. Used with ground bait. Sprinkle with leem (finely ground clay) to separate.

Larvae of crane fly. Inhabits amongst roots of most plants. Collect before hatching in autumn but rarely bothered with today.

The larvae of the Meal beetle found in flour mills. Bred for feeding reptiles and spiders also as bait. Good for several weeks if stored in bran at 10° C.

Larva stage of aquatic flies i.e. Mayfly (3 tails), Stone fly (2 tails) used for trotting early spring. Mainly used in game fishing using artificial flies and hardly ever in coarse fishing.

A minute worm living in mud where they are covered with water of low oxygen content. Bought frozen in pet shops and can be mixed with ground bait though seldom is.

Large soft grub and nest material (cake) rated highly as bait. Can be baked to toughen skin and stop hatching. Nest material that contains grubs can be pulverizes, mixed with hot water, and mixed with bread combs (cake) for ground bait or cut the hive into small pieces placed on the hook. The collection of the grubs and nest is a hazardous business and extreme care should be taken.

Naturally prolific June to October and can be purchased in pet shops as bred to feed spiders, birds and other insectivores. Store in well ventilated container with dandelion or chickweed for food. Spray with water atomizer for moisture. Use when dapping.

Available all year, feeds off rotting refuse. Also available in pet shops. Store as grasshopper with vegetable peelings as food. For dapping or flat float fishing.

Imported insect bred for feeding reptiles can be purchased in pet shops and stored at 20 C feeding daily with fresh grass. Present same way as grasshopper.

Inhabits damp areas and very easy to find. Present as floating bait near banks.

Rarely used. Fourteen different species the horse is one of the largest and inhabits mud bottoms. Collect and store the same as bloodworms.

Squatty: Eventually develop into the house fly. Being sedentary they are ideal for feeders as they do not disappear quickly into mud or plant material when fed loose. Can also be mixed with ground bait for loose feeding when they will sink slowly attracting fish. Keep in a cool place in a well-ventilated container with a slice of bread soaked in milk for them to eat.

Pinkies: Develop into green bottle fly and named from rose/pink colouring. Very lively so not good for feeders but used on small fine hook fished 'on the drop` and on the bottom offering loose feed of pinkies at the same time. A mesh riddle is used no remove any dead skins before using as bait. Feeding with maize keep them fresh during storage.

Gozzer: Gentles and Large Whites are the largest maggot developing into blue bottle fly. Mainly used as hook bait. Look for black food spot in body as this indicates freshness. Squeeze maggot to make loose skin at head end rise so point of hook can be placed easily. Store at 5° C in ventilated containers with fine sawdust until required. Store in maize when using.

Caster (Chrysalides): Develop from all maggots, (but usually the bluebottle maggot for bait) turning from a white colour to golden brown and is their last stage before hatching. Used as sinkers on hooks or as ground bait. To isolate floaters place in water and skim off those remaining on surface. Store in sealed plastic bag in fridge opening daily to renew air supply. Will store for up to 4 days.

The varieties of meat cooked or raw, including pet foods, used for bait cover the contents of a butcher’s shop and delicatessen. The two main contenders for popularity are:

Having a lot of fat it crumbles very easily and is best used mixed into bread paste and moulded to hook.

Processed in many different ways resulting in differing quality. Easy to cut into cubes or other shapes. Attach to hook by using a baiting needle for hair rigs or gently push hook through the meat and rotate half a turn, placing a blade of grass in the bend of the hook before pushing it back into meat. A maggot could also be utilized. This stops the bait from slipping off when casting.

Tubular shapes such as macaroni simulate worms and shell types act like spinners. Coming in a variety of sizes, easy to cook and you can add colouring. Cheapness encourages their use.

Purchased either raw or cooked. To prepare if uncooked, soak overnight or longer and then boil in water with added bicarbonate of soda and sugar. Soda makes the seeds uniformly black in colour and the sugar neutralizes acidity. As seeds start to split rinse in cold water to stop cooking process. They can be deep frozen for storage. Dry hemp seeds float therefore essential to keep them damp. Use Styl lead weights as lead shot, similar in appearance to seed, may be taken by fish instead when float fishing. Loose feed sparingly.

Like hemp can be bought and prepared the same way. Seeds are slightly larger. Considered a warm weather' bait as this is when it produces the best results. Use as hook bait and hemp seed mixed with Tares for loose feeding.

To prepare fill vacuum flask halfway with seed and top up with boiling water. Leave overnight to cook and when cool rinse under cold water. Also considered a 'warm weather' bait.

A fine fibrous growth resembling green cotton wool which grows on weir aprons, underwater obstructions and rocks in weir pools. Detach weed away from the base ensuring not to crush the weed which contains minute animalcule.

Easy enough to collect at dawn on damp dew laden lawns or in vegetable patches. Store in well ventilated containers keeping them cool and moist feeding with lettuce leaves. Present on size 6 hook for attracting chub.

Only marble to golf ball size new potatoes can be used whole. Boil only until they start to go soft then rinse under cold water. Tinned potatoes are good but expensive.

For hook bait tin corn but for loose feeding uncooked maize can be prepared by soaking for two days and then boiling until soft. Colouring can be added during this process if required.

Not a favourite with anglers or with most fish but loved by Bream. It excretes a pungent yellow staining smelly fluid when ruptured. Not surprising as it inhabits manure heaps. Easily distinguished by yellow rings encircling the shiny red body. long and quite lively on hook.

Largest of land worms having large, toughened area circling body so easily identified. Easy to gather by either digging over earth or at night after rains searching any grass areas. Store in a cool area in well ventilated box with grass cuttings, and oatmeal for feed. Keep moist by spraying with atomizer. Best storage material is damp sphagnum moss available from florists.

As suggests red in colour but without yellow rings found on Brandling, Only 5 to 8 cms long they are preferred to Brandling as not having any real unpleasant characteristics even though can be found in pig's manure heaps. Also inhabits leaf mould and vegetable compost heaps. A maggot or kernel of sweetcorn can be placed on hook after worm to stop possibility of it escaping.