Bait Presentation!?!

[Mr_Green]

its probaly the most important factor in whether or not u catch a fish, and sometimes i dont always get it right... i dont fish with matchmen or even experinced anglers all the time so its hard 2 pick up pointers visually!! ...so how do u present ur bait on ur hook? im veery interested..ill start:
Lug: now i hook 3 lug head first up over the eye of the hook and bind the bodies with bait elastic to the hook body...proven effective
Mackeral: Little strip or a diamond tip off
Rag: feed hook thro the mouth and bring hook out half way down its body
Sandeel: same as rag, except if spinnin with them, when spinnin i hook it thro the lip
Razor: Usually tip off lug with it, but i try and make a fat juicy bait with the elastic
Crab: Try and make it look like it does in the magazines
These are the most popular baits ( i stand 2 b corrected ).. how do u do yours?

[petekd]

Similar to above although lip hooked sandeel for spinning with will result in a lot of snaffled baits.... I prefer to pass hook through mouth and out through gills before nicking in the eel 1/3-1/2 way down and securing with some elastic.

When using a strip of mackerel, I remove a substantial amount of flesh from it, leaving the strip maybe 2mm thick. It moves better in the tide and is easier for smaller species to pick up and swallow.

I mostly use razorfish for bass/cod both big gobbed species.... I usually make a sausage out of it with bait elastic and then use a baiting needle to thread it over the hook.

Baiting needles are essential for perfect worm presentation.

I think an important thing to bear in mind is your target species. It must be able to pick up and swallow your bait with ease or you will miss fish.

[teacher]

Pennel rigs are a good way of keeping bait intact for longer.

[MC]

i cut the head and tail off the sandeels as it stops them spinning when being retrieved

[BigPhil]

cutting sandeels at the head end also releases more scent with the blood in the gills etc etc, i almost always keep the head end at the bend of the hook, apart from when spinning or gilling on the boat

[fenitbob]

Float fishing for mackeral and pollock use a scissors to cut a very thin sliver of mackeral the more silvery the skin the better make sure the point of the hook sticks out on the skin side.

I don't ever use whipping thread on worms I just try to ensure that the hook goes in one end and out the other with no little nicks in the body along the way they last along time that way i find.

[roger de dodger]

cut a stip of sqid slightly longer than the hook and about an inch wide put it on the hook and slide it up over eye now it will be hanging down the hook then thread on lug and wrap the sqid around it and wip it with elastic this protects the lug during the cast and also makes it last longer when small whiting are pulling the lug off before cod ect get a sniff at it

[KK]

Always hook 2-3 lug through there behind first and try my very best not to burst them thread them up the line and then when there all on push them right down the hook and make a nice big compact juicy bait this can br tipped with a small piece of squid, mackeral skin, or mussell this time of year. Always found bounding a piece of mackeral and mussell together mackeral skin faceing out works great for coalies if ya wana catch them. Rag i thread up the hook and line leaving 2-3 inchs at the bottom of the hook dangling or most times going in the bend of the hook. I do this for bass as they can see the hook in clear water. Crap is de-shelled and wrapped loads letting all the juices be squezed out and keeping it on the hook.

[m.b3]

its probaly the most important factor in whether or not u catch a fish, and sometimes i dont always get it right... i dont fish with matchmen or even experinced anglers all the time so its hard 2 pick up pointers visually!! ...so how do u present ur bait on ur hook? im veery interested..ill start:
Lug: now i hook 3 lug head first up over the eye of the hook and bind the bodies with bait elastic to the hook body...proven effective
Mackeral: Little strip or a diamond tip off
Rag: feed hook thro the mouth and bring hook out half way down its body
Sandeel: same as rag, except if spinnin with them, when spinnin i hook it thro the lip
Razor: Usually tip off lug with it, but i try and make a fat juicy bait with the elastic
Crab: Try and make it look like it does in the magazines
These are the most popular baits ( i stand 2 b corrected ).. how do u do yours?

there isn't necessarily a right way to present bait but moreso lots of ways! sometimes baiting up a certain way will entice fish to take a bait over another. the trick is to try different ways until u start to find ways that work for you. rag for example can be head hooked, threaded up the line or cut into sections. sometimes a single worm threaded up the hook will work, at other times u you may need several. n sometimes it dosent matter because the fish don't care!

[Mr_Green]

when ur dealin with fickle feeding fish it can be a nightmare... but what u say is right...altho after a good lash out the bait will be altered in some way lol...

[m.b3]

try casting a rig out and then retrieve straight away. u will then see how your bait looks after a cast. it can be quite disheartening as too just how bad it can look! keep changing until u find a way u are happy with. it can make the difference.

[Breathe the o2]

[quote="m.b3"]try casting a rig out and then retrieve straight away. u will then see how your bait looks after a cast. it can be quite disheartening as too just how bad it can look! keep changing until u find a way u are happy with. it can make the difference

Thats very true! Do any of you use impact shields?

[m.b3]

impact shields for head hooked worms, big pennell baits or wishbones. they do a very good job! impact lead is handier and fine for standard baits like sandeel, crab and fully threaded worms.