With the cost of everything seemingly rising, fishing bait is no exception. If you fish often or require a large amount of bait to catch fish, a hefty bait bill can quickly add to the expenses of tickets, travel, and tackle!
Thankfully as with most things in fishing, it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be, and bait is no different, in fact with a little effort you can go fishing with bait that is completely free! In this guide we will look at the best baits that cost next to nothing so you can catch more for less!
Worms
Worms are one of the best baits available, and while they can be expensive to buy, you can often dig for them or collect them for free! On mild, wet evenings, you can frequently find lobworms on lawns or fields as they navigate across the ground.
Take a head torch and a bait tub, and look around as the light begins to fade. Redworms, a favorite of bream anglers, can often be found in manure piles at your local livery yard. You can even create your own wormery at home to attract dendrobaenas.
IF YOU NEED MORE TIPS ON GETTING THE MOST OUT OF WORMS, HERE IS SOME GREAT ADVICE!
Bread
A loaf of bread costs as little as 40p and it is an excellent bait for a whole manner of species, even saltwater fish like mullet and bass will eat bread. You can use a piece of crust to stalk carp off the surface, mash it up for winter chub or use it to target roach on the canals, it is so versatile it is a cheap bait you simply can't be without!
Sweetcorn
The golden grain is a tench angler's favourite—and for good reason, tench absolutely adore sweetcorn! A tin of corn can be picked up for next to nothing at the supermarket, and if you're buying in bulk, frozen bags are an affordable option too.
However, we find the tinned variety far superior, offering a better texture for fishing compared to the frozen option. That said, frozen corn is excellent for bulking out a spod mix.
THE BEST TENCH RODS ARE PERFECT FOR ALL YOUR TENCH FISHING ESCAPADES!
Hemp
Cooked, ready-to-use hemp used to be a cheap bait, but it has seen significant price increases in recent years. However, buying a bulk bag of dried hemp from your local tackle shop or farm feed supplier is far more cost-effective.
Dried hemp can be stored for a long time as long as it is kept dry. You can then prepare as much or as little as you need before your fishing session, making it not only cheaper but also fresher than other anglers' bait. Tares make a great hookbait option if you struggle to hook hemp when fishing for species like roach.
Slugs
There’s no escaping these slimy creatures on wet evenings, and while they might be unpleasant to handle, slugs make superb bait for chub. When other baits fail—especially under tough conditions or when fish have been heavily pressured—a large slug rolled through the swim can often tempt chub into striking.
The black, medium-sized slugs seem to work best, unlike the larger orange ones commonly found in the UK. Thanks to their weight, slugs can be freelined, making this a simple yet highly effective way to fish.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND A FORTUNE ON TACKLE EITHER, THE BEST REELS UNDER £50 ARE EXCELLENT!
Luncheon meat
There aren't many baits better for carp and barbel than a tin of luncheon meat. This soft, pungent offering is simply irresistible to them. A tin will cost between £1.25 and £3.00, with most brands performing equally well.
While premium options like Spam are often favoured by anglers, we've found that cheaper luncheon meat works just as effectively—so don't be swayed by the price tag. To extend its usability, you can even freeze leftover meat at the end of a session. Bacon Grill is also an excellent bait that is very underused, its firm texture also makes it great for rolling through a swim for barbel.
Plastics
While plastic baits are not permitted on every water, they can be incredibly effective at venues where they are allowed. One major advantage is their longevity—once you have a packet, they can last for years and catch hundreds of fish.
Plastic baits also absorb flavor well, ensuring they remain highly effective over time. These baits come in virtually every form, but sweetcorn, caster, and boilie imitations tend to work best for species like tench, roach, barbel, and bream.
SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THE BANK? ONE OF THE BEST BEDCHAIRS WILL KEEP YOU COMFORTABLE.
Maples/Tigers/Peanuts
If you do a lot of prebaiting or like to apply plenty of bait when carp fishing, these baits are incredibly cost-effective when purchased in their dry state. As long as you prepare particles correctly, you can create large quantities of quality bait that carp love—for a fraction of the cost of store-bought alternatives. You can also add flavours during cooking to boost the bait’s attraction and make it stand out in the lake!
Dog/cat biscuits
If you had to choose one bait for surface fishing during the warmer months, the humble chum mixer biscuits are unrivaled. For some reason, fish find them irresistible, and you can buy a substantial quantity for relatively little money! Their smaller counterparts, cat biscuits, have also surged in popularity. Their compact size and fishy flavours make them ideal for catapulting into the water to get fish feeding enthusiastically.
IF YOU DO A LOT OF SUMMER CARP FISHING, HERE ARE SOME GREAT TIPS FROM ADAM PENNING.
