Fishing Baits - groudbaiting from the beach

Actually Catching Something.
Advice for Parents of Young Anglers

Fish Suppers for Sailors
A guide to fishing for yachtsmen.

Groundbaiting with scroff

Most sea anglers are familiar with the use of (usually bread based) groundbait when mullet fishing but surprisingly few use it to attract other species.

Groundbaiting works: especially in summer in calm weather. It can make a huge difference if you have the patience (and enough bait) to keep it up steadily for three hours or more. A useful trick is to make up a good load and plaster it into the rocks at low tide. Allow the tide to lift the bait as it rises and the steady supply job is done for you. If you keep this up for several tides in a row (every tide) you may build up an impressive head of fish...

The big advantage to the 'ordinary' angler is that the best sea groundbaits cannot be purchased but must be collected/made by the angler - so it's equally open to anyone.

So my next groundbaiting session may well start with a bucket full of scroff (the 'garbage' out of the bottom of the net) begged from a trawler before it's shovelled over the side...

Take one large metal bucket full of damaged crabs, broken starfish, dehydrated clams and fish guts, pound them into a squishy pulp. Add enough cut price supermarket bread to hold it together and head for the beach.