Nothing happens without feed!
Feeding is as important to fish as it is to us. The activity of fish can change according to the prevailing weather and season. In the Winter months their desire for food is reduced, due to the slowing of the fish's circulatory system.
As soon as the temperatures improve, so does the fish's appetite. When the water temperature is too high then the fish completely stop feeding. You can probably see proof of this during the Summer. All of these circumstances are important to the angler as this information leads to the selection of feed.
As the fish's appetite is reduced in Winter, it is necessary to reduce the amount of feed. It would make little sense to bait your swim with 5 - 6 kg of feed in waters of temperature 3 - 4 degrees. This would likely frighten off the fish, rather than attract them.
Smaller amounts, with longer intervals is more appropriate. As the temperature rises, so can the amount of baiting; the fish are more active and take more feed. On the market today there are innumerable amounts of ground baits, feed ingredients, flavourings, hook baits and additives available.
The most important rule to follow, is to ensure that the feed is always fresh. Old and rancid feed should never be used, as it has no attractive qualities and could damage fish. Feed, in general, tends to be a mix of a variety of ingredients. Ground bait acts as the base, to which you may add scents or flavourings.
Ground bait is usually a mixture of breadcrumbs, flour, etc. To avoid mixing the ingredients self there are is a large variety of ready made ground bait mixes available. Sensas, Top Secret, etc. offer excellent ready made ground baits, which may be refined with the addition of other flavours.
These ground baits have their own natural scents and tastes. Scent additives increase the potency of the natural scents. Scent additives come in 3 forms; powder form, fluid form on a water base, and oily form. Scent additives in powder form disperse very slowly in water, so that it mixes well with the ground bait.
Fluid scent additives disperse very quickly, producing quicker results. Oily additives disperse incredibly slowly and have a long term effect. The combination of these additives (powder and fluid) increase the overall result. There is no definitive answer to the question of which additive is best.
Fish tend to become accustomed to scents and thereby lose interest. In waters where fruity scents are constantly used, it may be advisable to try something with a more herbal scent.
Modern attractants are divided into 4 categories; fruity, herbal, nutty, and fishy. Some fruity scents are strawberry, banana, tutti frutti, caramel, vanilla, cherries, etc. Nutty scents are peanuts, pistachio, hazelnut, coconut, etc. Herbal scents are aniseed, musk, spice, etc. Fishy scents are Salmon, Herring oil, Squid, etc. The combination of fruity and fishy scents can produce exceptional results in over fished waters. The old rules of using sweet bait for Bream and Carp, or herbal bait for Roach is not always true. Trying experimenting with a variety of feed, additives and scents in order to find the best feed for your local waters. Here is a short list of feed and scents. Enjoy the challenge!