| Snail Snacks | ||||
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The natural diet of most coarse fish comprises invertebrates, although fish eggs, fry and tadpoles are also eaten with gusto, and on well-fished venues anglers’ baits are important nutritionally. Molluscs of various types are rich, nutritious food for coarse fish. They vary in size from the large, two-shelled swan mussels to minute pea mussels, although the majority of species are gastropods - water-snails to you and me – which carry one, usually coiled shell. They tend to live on or under hard surfaces in lakes and ponds, each using its specialised mouthparts to rasp away at attached vegetation, and they are common in flowing water, too. Some snail species can also use the surface tension to cling to, enabling them to hitch a free ride and drift, upside-down, from one part of the fishery to another. Stillwater fisheries that produce large fish naturally are almost always rich in molluscs. Despite their ‘cling-on’ abilities and, sometimes, the daylight habit of hiding under stones, fish will pluck snails free or dig them up. Fish have no difficulty actually eating them because their pairs of throat teeth crush the shells on the way down the hatch! It’s very rare that anglers use actual snails as bait, although de-shelled swan mussels were regarded as excellent baits, notably for tench, and cockles (albeit a marine mollusc) are good for several species. Some man-made baits resemble snails, including prepared hempseed and even maple peas, but that they will have their own, distinctive smells and tastes. However, baits and groundbaits containing ground, dried water snails are certainly attractive to fish and tap into their innate ability to recognise the food as tasty and nutritious. Top Tip The Marukyu range includes groundbaits and boilies which contain ‘tanishi’, or ground water snails. They are highly effective, especially during the summer months when fish will be actively searching for this type of food. EFG 140 & EFG 142 are big fish groundbaits. EFG 142 with a couple of capfuls of SFA 420 Crayfish and Sanagi makes a fabntastic stick mix. The addition of SFA 420 makes this mix PVA friendly. |