You can’t afford to ignore Neil McKinnon’s simple yet effective bait trick as spring takes hold
BREAM and skimmer fishing used to be centred around using groundbait and wriggly loose offerings such as maggots and worms.
The idea of going down a more commercially-minded bait route seemed ridiculous, but all that has changed drastically in recent years.
A species with a penchant for soft baits, bream have become sticklers for a 4mm expander presented over a bed of dampened 2mm micros.
But there are limitations to this approach, especially at this time of year when a mixture of catapult and cup-feeding tends to score best.
Go exclusively with a cup and you’re denied the opportunity to create noise by rattling bait in with a catapult, reducing the chances of alerting hungry fish that are initially sat elsewhere.
On the flip side, the tough texture of 4mm and 6mm pellets straight from a bag simply isn’t appealing to bream and skimmers. They prefer something that they can hoover up with minimal effort in spring.
Finding that sweet spot in the middle is the key to unlocking your peg’s full potential as the temperatures climb slowly, and Neil McKinnon reckons he has the answer in his armoury.
The Preston Innovations-backed star and former Fish O’Mania champion has targeted silvers on countless occasions in recent years and has always noticed a change in their feeding habits come spring.
“Bream and skimmers feed in all conditions, but there’s no doubt that their appetite ramps up a few notches at this time of the year,” explained Neil.
“They’re looking out for food that they fancy, and they will travel to find it. Pellets are now unbeatable on commercials, but how you use them is the key to making the most of a session.
“Almost every angler that uses pellets will wet their 2mms to soften them, but very few of them do the same with the bigger 4mm versions.
“They’re missing a trick, because doing this creates a bait that nothing else can rival for its effectiveness.”
Big benefits
Neil’s modified bait has several things that help to stack the odds in your favour.
“I simply pour enough water on to the pellets so that they are just about covered and then allow them to absorb it,” he said.
“After 20 minutes you’ll have pellets that are softening and starting to fuse together a little, and it’s then time to tip them out into a bowl and mix them so that they all break apart into individual baits.
“You’re left with pellets that are hea
