Loose
For margin fishing, nothing beats feeding groundbait loose. Make a ball and you’ll end up concentrating carp and F1s in too tight an area, which in turn will produce line bites and lead to foul-hooking. A loose cloud cupped in will spread over a wider area, allowing the fish to graze. That clouding effect will also help to pull them into the swim.
Nuggets
You can get the best of both worlds – a cloud and plenty of feed on the bottom – by making a nugget of groundbait. Squeeze it only slightly to help speed up the breakdown process and you’ll have a ball of feed that sinks quickly, but which also gives off a cloud as it falls.
In the feeder
We all know how good groundbait is in a cage or open-end feeder, but it also works well on a Method version, especially for skimmers and bream. Where carp are concerned, pellets rule the roost, but there will be days when a mix of both groundbait and pellets triggers a better response. Start on pellets, but add a little groundbait if things aren’t happening.
Hard balls
This is the classic way to feed groundbait on deep lakes and rivers, making up several balls which are squeezed hard so that nothing comes off as the ball sinks. As a result, you’ll keep the fish hard on the deck, while introducing lots of loose offerings in the process. This is a brilliant way to feed when bream, roach and skimmers are the target.
Slop
Summer may seem a long way off, but once it arrives, F1s in particular will soon feed up in the water and groundbait plays a part here too. Overwetting the mix into a runny slop and cupping it in produces a huge cloud that the fish will dart in and out of. Place your hookbait in the middle of it and the elastic will be pulled out before too long!
