If you’ve ever stared at the endless rows of baits on the shelves in the tackle shops, and felt completely overwhelmed, you’re not alone. From colourful tubs of pellets and bags of groundbait to the humble maggot wriggling in the fridge, it can all feel a bit much when you’re just starting out.
Fishing baits are only limited by your imagination, within reason of course. Fish will often pick up baits out of curiosity, not just hunger, hence why even imitation baits have a place in many anglers’ tackle boxes.
The truth is you don’t need to overthink it. Most coarse fish aren’t particularly picky, and with a few tried and tested baits on your side tray, you’ll always have something to tempt a bite, whether you're on the canal, a commercial fishery, a stillwater or a river.
In this guide, we’ll break down the best fishing baits for beginners, simple, reliable options that will catch everything from roach to carp.
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Maggots
Let’s start with the classic. Maggots are the most universal bait in coarse fishing, and there’s a reason they’ve been around forever. They just catch fish. Small fish love them, big fish obliterate them, and when used right, they can keep bites coming all day.
Fish them wriggling on the hook for roach, rudd and perch, or try using them dead to pick out bigger species like carp, bream and tench. They’re easy to feed via a catapult or pole pot, and pair perfectly with groundbait or pellets. Every beginner should have at least half a pint in the bait bag.
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Casters
Maggots turn into casters. They’re the chrysalis stage of the fly life cycle, but don’t let that fool you, they’re a cracking bait. Casters are often the key when fish are being shy or finicky, especially in clear or pressured waters, and will often pick out the better size of fish in the shoal.
On rivers, casters paired with hemp will hold better in the flow than maggots and are brilliant for catching roach, skimmers and even chub. On commercials, feeding caster with a catapult and fishing shallow can be deadly for carp and F1s.
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Worms
Whether you dig them up in your garden or buy them from the tackle shop, worms are a brilliant all-round bait. Chop them up to add to your groundbait or loose feed, that will create a scent trail that draws fish in. A worm section makes a great hookbait, oozing attraction and ideal when targeting numbers of smaller fish.
If you’re after something bigger, hook a full worm, or even two. Perch adore them, but bream, tench, carp and even barbel will happily snaffle them too. When nothing seems to be working, a worm can be the change bait to turn a blank into a red-letter day.
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Pellets
No modern coarse fishing bait list would be complete without pellets. Originally designed for feeding farmed fish, they’ve taken the match and pleasure fishing world by storm.
Available in all sorts of sizes and types, pellets are incredibly versatile and simple to prepare. Expander pellets are soft and great for hooking, while sinking coarse pellets are great for feeding or fishing in a band on a hair rig.
A common approach is to feed 2mm micros and fish a 6mm hard pellet on a band. Alternatively, soak some 4mm expanders and fish them directly on the hook. Soaked micros also work brilliantly when moulded on method or hybrid feeders.
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Sweetcorn
It’s bright, it’s cheap, and it’s available in almost every supermarket. Sweetcorn is a bait that is hard to ignore. Its bold colour stands out on the bottom. It’s soft enough to hook, and loads of species love it.
Tench and bream are particularly partial, but carp and big roach will happily slurp down a grain or two. A couple of tins in the bait bag can go a long way, and sweetcorn is often the go-to when nothing else seems to be working.
SWEETCORN IS A GREAT BAIT FOR TENCH, LEARN HOW TO CATCH YOU FIRST TENCH.
Luncheon Meat
Chopped, cubed or punched, luncheon meat is a staple in many bait armouries, where it’s allowed, of course. It’s fatty, smelly, and packed with attraction. Barbel love it, carp inhale it, and if you’re margin fishing for bigger specimens, it’s well worth having in the mix.
Fish it on the pole, straight lead or even on a method feeder. Cut a tin into uniform cubes for consistent hookbaits, consider adding flavour or colour using spices or oils for an extra edge.
MEAT IS A GREAT BAIT FOR BIG FISH, USE IT WITH THE BEST MARGIN FISHING POLES.
Boilies & Wafters
Boilies may seem like the domain of big carp anglers, but don’t let that stop you. Scaled down versions, particularly 8mm or 10mm, are perfect for beginners and catch plenty of carp, bream and tench.
Wafters, the semi-buoyant version of a boilie, are deadly when perfectly balanced with your hook. Fished over a bed of groundbait or pellets on a method feeder, they’re the go-to choice when you want a more selective hookbait.
GET A HEAD START IN YOUR CARP FISHING JOURNEY WITH THIS BEGINNERS GUIDE.
