Base mix shelf life

[Deano]

I have recently caught a few fish on a base mix that I put together 2 yrs ago.... I have done this as well in the past even taking a pretty good hit on a water that others had prebaiting with my relatively old bait.Although the base mix is always stored in air tight buckets it just makes me wonder how long you could keep a base mix for before it starts to lose it effectiveness.You read that people like to use the freshest base mix possible but as the ingredients are powdered I reckon as long as you keep moisture out they should have a good shelf life and seem to stay effective for a good couple of years. Come on bait buffs give us an answer...lol....

[blankmaster]

Originally Posted by Deano

I have recently caught a few fish on a base mix that I put together 2 yrs ago.... I have done this as well in the past even taking a pretty good hit on a water that others had prebaiting with my relatively old bait.Although the base mix is always stored in air tight buckets it just makes me wonder how long you could keep a base mix for before it starts to lose it effectiveness.You read that people like to use the freshest base mix possible but as the ingredients are powdered I reckon as long as you keep moisture out they should have a good shelf life and seem to stay effective for a good couple of years. Come on bait buffs give us an answer...lol....

if you,ve had it in airtight buckets i would have thought it would be ok myself ..
ive used base mix as old as the stuff your using and still caught fish on it so it cant be all that bad ...

tbh personally i think folk go a bit **** about bait freshness and stuff .
taking into account that carp and other fish will eat the most nasty,smelly, horrible,stuff of the bottom of a lake... but saying that i would use any old rubbish

even if the protein content of the bait has changed
i doubt very much the fish hovers over the bait thinking "that fishmeals protein content is lower now because its 18 month old " so im not gonna eat it !!!!

obviously i wouldnt use stuff that was years old but 2 years or so in a air tight container ....

no problem get it rolled

just my 2p,s worth !!!


blankmaster

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Deano

I have recently caught a few fish on a base mix that I put together 2 yrs ago.... I have done this as well in the past even taking a pretty good hit on a water that others had prebaiting with my relatively old bait.Although the base mix is always stored in air tight buckets it just makes me wonder how long you could keep a base mix for before it starts to lose it effectiveness.You read that people like to use the freshest base mix possible but as the ingredients are powdered I reckon as long as you keep moisture out they should have a good shelf life and seem to stay effective for a good couple of years. Come on bait buffs give us an answer...lol....

I personaly think 2 years is a long time mate. If you opened a fresh base mix and then opened your 2year old one at the same time you would certainly notice the difference by smell appearence and touch. Alot also depends on how much bait your fishing over. if it's a few hundred baits etc.. i don't think you'l conclusively find an answer but if you are fishing over quantity i pretty sure the fresh will out fish the old stuff in the long term. The other thing depends on what your base is made up of as certain ingredients need to be kept as fresh as poss.In my personal opinion mate i wouldn't use it as you don't no what effects it's having on the fish.Short term /a few hundred baits you'l never know.Long term 20/30kilos do you want to risk it.

[Deano]

Originally Posted by scotty

I personaly think 2 years is a long time mate. If you opened a fresh base mix and then opened your 2year old one at the same time you would certainly notice the difference by smell appearence and touch. Alot also depends on how much bait your fishing over. if it's a few hundred baits etc.. i don't think you'l conclusively find an answer but if you are fishing over quantity i pretty sure the fresh will out fish the old stuff in the long term. The other thing depends on what your base is made up of as certain ingredients need to be kept as fresh as poss.In my personal opinion mate i wouldn't use it as you don't no what effects it's having on the fish.Short term /a few hundred baits you'l never know.Long term 20/30kilos do you want to risk it.

Thanks for that scotty....its good job I have hardly any left now...I do try and use fresh gear but I have still caught on the old gear even after a little prebait so they will still eat it.As you say we dont really want to risk the fishes health. Just out of interest do you reckon some bait firms still try and shift gear of this age or do they just bin it....
Cheers
Dean

[skilledhandz]

How can you expect the carp to grow when you feed them crap bait with low nutition.Im sure there are plenty of human foods that would look ok after two years but would you eat them?I moved away from shelfies on the principle of nutrition and preservatives.I will only feed the carp quality bait although i would probaly catch a lot on low nutrition as well.Catching them does its own damage so feeding them crap doesnt help with repair and growth.We spend endless money on tackle ect and then try to get away with low cost bait.I fished the local Meols pond on and off for years and noticed how the carp never got any bigger and the answer is its matchman orientated feeding maggots and crap bait ect.The better nutrition will eventually pay off with better quality fish.You no it makes sense.

[Deano]

Originally Posted by skilledhandz

How can you expect the carp to grow when you feed them crap bait with low nutition.Im sure there are plenty of human foods that would look ok after two years but would you eat them?I moved away from shelfies on the principle of nutrition and preservatives.I will only feed the carp quality bait although i would probaly catch a lot on low nutrition as well.Catching them does its own damage so feeding them crap doesnt help with repair and growth.We spend endless money on tackle ect and then try to get away with low cost bait.I fished the local Meols pond on and off for years and noticed how the carp never got any bigger and the answer is its matchman orientated feeding maggots and crap bait ect.The better nutrition will eventually pay off with better quality fish.You no it makes sense.

How do you know that the bait in question is low nutrition... Lets just say when it was put together it wasnt a soya/semo mix... I am a great believer in quality bait catching quality fish and always have been.As no scientific tests have been carried out on the base mix in question which incidentally was a decent HNV bait to start with how do we know how much this HNV quality has been compromised.. Although if someone of scotty's knowledge reckons it aint what it should be then I will probably ensure all bait is rolled before it gets to this age again BUT we still have no concrete evidence that the bait is 'crap'...
As for spending more on tackle than bait you aint seen my gear...lol....its not that bad really....

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Deano

Thanks for that scotty....its good job I have hardly any left now...I do try and use fresh gear but I have still caught on the old gear even after a little prebait so they will still eat it.As you say we dont really want to risk the fishes health. Just out of interest do you reckon some bait firms still try and shift gear of this age or do they just bin it....
Cheers
Dean

i would think most firms would get rid than risk any come backs mate.The amount of stuff i throw away is criminal you just can't have it lying around plus you need to be organised when rolling bulk as any difference in base mixes IE: old combined with new and all that would i'm sure give you more problems than enough.So for me fresh is best because you need the same quality & consistencys every time.

[Julian Grattidge]

In terms of how long it would remain effective, I think you would need to break the mix down into the various ingredients and then look at each one individually. There may be some parts that would remain relatively unaltered, but some ingredients/additives do drop off quite quickly.

The fact that you’ve had a hit on an old bait is no surprise if it was quality to start off with – a good old bait might still be preferable to a newer crap bait - but the question you have to ask yourself is how many fish might you have caught if the base mix was only a month old?

I never tend to use anything that’s been in the freezer more than a few months, and would not use dry ingredients older than say ten months. At the end of the day I always like it fresh, and wherever possible will obtain bait hot off the press (or rolling table!).

J

[skilledhandz]

Deano,my post is related to bait and anglers in general not targeted at the original post directly.No one can no without tests what nutrition is still active and what isnt.Therefore if you use fresh bait each time you fish you are aware of the nutrition quality.If food is left for any period of time first of all the mineral and vitamin level drop followed by the protein and so on.This is a part of carp angling that more lads need to read up on.Tim Paisley wrote a great book (forgot its name,some one remind me) with a section related to nutrition in carp baits and there requirements in relashion to proteins(limiting aminos),carbs and lipids.

[Deano]

Wish I'd never posted now...lol.... On a serious note from now on I think its best to keep it fresh...
Cheers lads...

[skilledhandz]

Its a good thread mate and the less experienced lads can learn and the main winners are the carp.

[Deano]

Originally Posted by skilledhandz

Its a good thread mate and the less experienced lads can learn and the main winners are the carp.

yeh thats true mate.I like to have a little dabble in the bait side of things and its great catching on your own gear that you have put together...although it would probably be easier to buy some ready rolled...lol....but you can put a good mix together for just a few quid a kilo and save a little and still give the fish a quality meal...

[scotty]

Originally Posted by Deano

yeh thats true mate.I like to have a little dabble in the bait side of things and its great catching on your own gear that you have put together...although it would probably be easier to buy some ready rolled...lol....but you can put a good mix together for just a few quid a kilo and save a little and still give the fish a quality meal...

Nothing wrong with the thread mate the only way to find out for sure would be for you to list all your base mix ingredients.( only joking ) Keep dabbling with your own mixes mate you obviously catch a few so it must keep you buzzing.

[Deano]

Originally Posted by scotty

Nothing wrong with the thread mate the only way to find out for sure would be for you to list all your base mix ingredients.( only joking ) Keep dabbling with your own mixes mate you obviously catch a few so it must keep you buzzing.

yeh i have had a few on me own gear mate...and as she keeps me to a budget I try and keep the cost down..lol.., although saying that theres plenty of good gear around at a very good price.... I'll pm you me mix later.....lol....