Fishing Pellets Guide

If you want to maximise your catch in commercial waters, using pellets is essential. While they aren't the only bait that works, commercial fish are conditioned to eat pellets. Mastering their use can lead to long-term success in commercial fishing.

What Are Fishing Pellets?

Fishing pellets are a popular bait in both carp and coarse fishing, especially in commercial venues. Available in various sizes, they can be as small as 1mm in diameter. Unlike boilies, pellets are softer and break down quicker in water, dissolving into mush, making them perfect for feeder fishing.

Advantages of Using Pellets as Fishing Bait

Pellets are incredibly versatile. They can be catapulted into the water, softened and pressed into a feeder, or banded to your hook, each technique offering different results depending on the fish and venue.

Pellets can catch a wide range of fish in commercial fisheries, from carp and F1s to skimmers and roach. The variety in sizes, shapes, colors, floating, and sinking types can be overwhelming. To simplify, we've broken down the basics to help you choose the right pellets for your needs.

The Importance of Pellet Size

• 1mm Pellet: Ideal for winter angling when bites are scarce and you don't want to overfeed. They can be scalded with boiling water for Method feeder use. F1s particularly enjoy this size.
• 2mm Pellet: Great for Method-feeder anglers and effective when the water is cold but fish are feeding confidently. Use boiling water to scald them, ensuring they stick to your Method mold.
• 4mm Pellet: Versatile for hook use when soaked or pumped, and popular for loose feeding. This size allows you to catch a variety of species in commercial lakes.
• 6mm Pellet: Effective for feeding and hooking, this size can catch a range of fish, including bream and silverfish, while helping you target bigger fish.
• 8mm Pellet: Preferred by many for catching large carp, these can be pumped for edge fishing or used with a band or hair rig.

Pellets are available in different package sizes, typically 500g, 1kg, or 5kg, with some variations.

Different Types of Fishing Pellets

Pellets vary greatly, with different oil content, breakdown rates, and uses. Here are some common types:

• Halibut Pellets: High in oil, nutrients, and proteins, these attract carp, barbel, bream, and chub.
• Carp Pellets: These have lower oil content and use vegetable proteins. They break down quickly and are best used as loose feed.
• CSL Pellets: These collapse quickly underwater, ideal for particle mixes and PVA bags, attracting carp and barbel.
• Drilled Pellets: Pre-drilled for convenience, these are great for slow-releasing flavor over time.
• Banded Pellets: Hard pellets attached to hooks with latex bands, avoiding small fish attention.
• Expander Pellets: Hard and buoyant, these are ideal for hookbait, and can be soaked for a spongy texture or pumped for feed.
• Soft Feed Pellets: Smaller and moister, these are ready to use and perfect for keeping carp and silverfish interested.

Considering Flavors for Your Pellets

Pellets come in a wide range of flavours, appealing to different fish in various conditions. If adding your own flavouring, consider:

• Water-Based Flavoring: Sinks to the bottom, attracting fish like carp, barbel, and bream.
• Oil-Based Flavoring: Rises through the water, attracting mid-water fish like roach.

For immediate attraction, coat the outer edges of pellets with flavor. For longer attraction, infuse the flavor inside the bait. Avoid highly concentrated boilie flavors as they can be overpowering.

Best Pellet Colors

Pellets come in various colors and can be dyed. Darker shades like browns are great for pre-baiting and year-round use. Bright hookbaits like reds and pinks have become popular, especially for carp. Pellet colorants not only dye but also flavor your pellets, available in colors like brown, yellow, orange, red, and green.

Ideal Tools for Preparing Pellet Baits

There are several tools to help prepare pellets:

• Pellet Pumps: Convert floating pellets into sinkers.
• Bait Sprayers: Keep pellets moist.
• Bait Choppers: Create smaller bait chunks quickly.
• Pellet Band Stretchers: Make banding pellets easier.
• Bait Drills: Drill your own pellets without splitting them.
• Hair Needles: Essential for creating hair rigs.

Methods for Delivering Pellets to Your Swim

There are multiple ways to get pellets into the water:

• Catapult: Achieves reasonable distance with practice.
• By Hand: Quick for short distances or margin fishing.
• Spomb and Spod: Accurate for large quantities, creating a disturbance that can attract fish.
• Throwing Stick: Accurate and minimally disturbing for small quantities.
• Pellet Feeder: Ideal for colder waters, presenting fewer free offerings.
• Hook and Line: Use robust pellets for waggler or feeder tackle.
• PVA Bag: Perfect for spreading larger pellets around the hook bait.

Top Tip: Avoid overfeeding with pellets. A few pellets every cast is better than dumping a lot at once. Fish will compete more with fewer free offerings.