4 WINNING MIXES...

As with any element of fishing, giving yourself too many options often leads to confusion. To make things as simple as possible Darren has four mixes he relies on. “I only use one mix each session but, before I go to the venue, I will consider the depth and species I am after and then create the blend.

1. . Bream – shallow water

“Although bream are a greedy species, I keep the food content low because I want to force them into quickly taking my hookbait. “I use an even blend of Bait-Tech Pro Natural Dark and Pro Natural Bream and put the latter through a flour sieve to remove all the big particles. When blended together they create a dark brown feed that is packed with Brasem attractant. I add a handful of casters and dead maggots so that there are a few hookbait samples. This means the one on the hook doesn’t look so suspicious.”

2. Bream – deep water

“It is important that the balls of groundbait get to the bottom intact when fishing for bream. If they break up on the way down they will create a cloud that will attract smaller silvers and the target fish on the deck won’t actually get much of the food. “With this in mind you need to use a groundbait that is sticky and binds well to keep the balls firmly together until they hit bottom. I use an even mix of Bait-Tech Pro Natural Bream and Pro Natural Extra. I also include some heavy baits such as chopped worm to help the balls sink quickly.”

3. Roach

“Quality roach absolutely love hemp so it is important your mix contains lots of it. BaitTech Pro Natural Fine contains that key ingredient and Pro Natural Dark makes the mix darker. This mix has no Brasem because roach don’t really like it.”

4. . Mixed silvers – deep water

“As when fishing for bream, it is important that all of the bait gets down to the deck. But to give me a chance of catching a mix of roach, skimmers, perch and gudgeon I use a blend that has ingredients they will all want. “The best blend for this type of fishing is without doubt Bait-Tech Pro Natural Dark and Pro Natural Extra. It gets to the bottom quickly and is full of flavours and aromas that will appeal to all species.”