Groundbait Secrets With Sensas

Mark Downes tells you five of his groundbait secrets that have caught him loads of fish down the years.


It’s Magic

If you want a simple one-bag mix for commercial silvers then Sweet Fishmeal Magic is the mix for you. Magic is a perennial fish catcher and the addition of a fishmeal element only serves to enhance its reputation.

I have used this mix no end for silver fish on commercials but have also used it extensively on canals too. I also use this mix for bream fishing and boost the fishmeal content by adding another Sensas ingredient such as IM7. 

Magic Sweet Fishmeal is best mixed at least two hours before your session to allow it to fully absorb all of the water.

Classic Combo!

lake and leam

A truly classic groundbait combination that has won Team England no end of medals, Lake mixed with leam is a winner.

This has often been thought of as purely a mix for bloodworm and joker fishing when skimmers are the targets, but it can be used with any natural baits.

It is best to mix Lake to a nice soft texture before adding the leam to it. Pass the leam through a riddle as you add it to the grounbait for best results. A 50/50 mix of the two works very well indeed and the leam provides a big fish-attracting cloud that draws fish into the swim.

If I am in doubt about what to use, then I will always give this combination a try, as it is a banker.

Big Roach

big roach

If roach are primarily the target then Gros Gardons has to be in the mix. This beautiful cereal blend is tried-and-tested and can be mixed to many different textures, making it incredibly versatile.

This is a much stickier groundbait than Lake or Magic, for example, so it can be used without issue on rivers or deeper lakes.

It carries loose feed well too and is an excellent groundbait when mixed slightly damper and then packed with loose feed. Don’t just think because of its name this is just a roach blend though, as it is also very attractive for skimmers.

A great mix for rivers is to use 40 per cent Gros Gardons, 40 per cent River and 20 per cent brown crumb.

The Perfect Additive

pastoncino red

If skimmers are ever the target, whether it’s a fishmeal day or sweet day I will always add a sprinkle of Pastoncino Red. This sweet biscuit is incredibly bright and I have lost count of the number of times I have seen fish coughing this up – so they must love it!

I think fish love picking it out of the groundbait, which gets them into the habit of picking out particles from the groundbait. It is one of those mysteries as to why exactly this is so effective but I won’t fish for skimmers without it these days.

Yellow Peril!

yellow peril

An underused colour as far as groundbaits are concerned is yellow. The French are much smarter with their groundbait colour choices and often use yellow or red mixes in coloured waters, while we tend to stick with brown or black.

I have had a lot of success by adding yellow Tracix to my groundbaits in coloured water, particularly when fishing for small hand-sized skimmers.

Be prepared to vary your groundbaits though, and use Tracix to change the shade of groundbait. There is no end of experimentation that you can do and you may just stumble on something brilliant simply by changing the colour of your mix!

 

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