BLOG: Creative bait and berley concoctions

I love the creativity behind certain aspects of fishing; some of it makes perfect, rational sense whilst other elements defy logic.

When I was little my dad took me fishing one time wharf based in Sydney and baited up my rod with a piece of steak. At the time I didn’t think anything of it and while we did encounter some success using steak, these days the rational part of my brain tells me that bream probably don’t eat beef on a regular basis. Unfortunately bream seem to have expensive tastes – fresh prawns, oysters, mussels – maybe steak is an affordable substitute, is it a cost issue or purely a science experiment when opting for a bait that a fish will rarely if ever naturally encounter?

I remember fishing with an old fella that swore by raw chicken fillets cut into long strips marinated with garlic and topped with parmesan cheese as a dynamite bait for bream. He joked about going to more effort to prepare the bait than he had done for dinner; I looked at him quizzically. How did this chap ever come to discover such an obscure concoction?  My mind went into overdrive at the thought process - I’ve been to a bistro and have enjoyed a chicken parma but have never thought to share my appreciate for chicken and cheese with bream; was I missing something in my angling repertoire, do bream like hamburgers and hot chips also?

Another older mate of mine loves his offshore bottom fishing and his bait of choice usually involves a combination of offerings. Squid and prawn cocktail is the current favourite; does a combination of baits on the one hook help or hinder? Is this a hedge of sorts? “Do I use squid or prawns, bugger it, I’ll just use both”!

Then there was the time I went coarse fishing in Sydney Harbour with Martin Salter. Martin concocted this “simple” berley mix that had as many ingredients as a cake. If he’d put the mixture in a baking tin it would have come as no surprise!

Do fish respond to creativity in bait and berley concoctions? Do you have a creative never fail bait or berley mix that you’d like to share; I’d be interested to hear what crazy stuff is being used out there!