Freshwater Baits - Part 2 - Groundbait & Pellets

Continuing from the previous part on freshwater fishing baits. I'll elaborate a little further about the use of groundbaits & fish pellets.

Bomb brand groundbait is popular here.

Generally, commercial groundbaits & pellets are made from the same materials. It's usual ingredients are dried fish, bread crumbs, flour, rice husks & seeds all grind into powder form. Some manufacturers even add some flavoring enhancers to entice fish's appetite. To make pellets, the powder goes through a machine to turn them into pellets of various sizes. Popular sizes are 2mm & 6mm used for coarse fishing. Groundbait & pellet bait are very popular at payponds. Some of the species that can be caught with groundbait consistently are tilapia, pacu, catfish & carps.

Groundbait Preparation

Commercial groundbaits are easily available at most tackle & aquarium shops. They come in different brands, different packing sizes but most common are in the 1kg packs. I would prepare them in the order below:

All preparations to be done at fishing area. You'll need water from the pond to mix the groundbait (dedak). NEVER use tap water, the chlorine will push the fishes away.
Pour the groundbait into a small pale or plastic container. Assuming I am only using one pack. Don't pour the entire pack in yet, leave about 1/3 in the bag just in case you put too much water in.
Use your hands to scoop small amount of water & gently sprinkle over the groundbait. Be patience, all you want is just to wet the groundbait powder, not submerge it.
Start mixing the groundbait powder with your hands in a circular motion. Mix it well so it would turn slightly soggy & sticky but not completely into a slur. You still want to feel the rough powder.
Try to form balls out of it, if it breaks apart too easily, add a little bit more water & continue mixing.
A well prepared groundbait (dedak) would be sticky enough to hold it's form when submerged into water but still able to release a trail of oil slick. Test this in another pale of water.

Some anglers may choose to add some additional flavoring like coconut milk, bird seeds & etc but most times this is unnecessary. Adding groundbait from different brands may be more productive.

Depending on your rig & presentation, there are several ways to rig groundbait.
Refer to Basic Bottom Rig.
Refer to Umbrella Rig.

Pellet Preparation

The best pellet baits for fishing are those commercial pellets sold to fish farms. This has a higher oil & fish meal content which the fishes love to eat. Look for pellets that are darker (brown) in coloration as well as having a clear coat of oil on the surface. I would prepare them in the order below.

All preparations to be done at fishing area. You'll need water from the pond to soak the pellets. NEVER use tap water, the chlorine will push the fishes away.
Pour the pellets, all or 1/2 a bag into a pale or plastic container. Take a cup of water & pour it in. Completely submerging the pellets.
Wait for about 1min. Remove all water.
Let the pellets slowly expand while the moisture seeps into the core of each pellet. This can take anywhere from 20 to 30mins. Be patience.
Take a pellet, squeeze it gently. If it has a spongy like feel to it & won't break apart easily, then it's ready for the hook.

Some anglers may choose to soak the pellets with additional flavoring but is not necessary. Adding some groundbait to the pellets may be more productive.

Depending on your rig & presentation, there are several ways to rig pellets.
Refer to Umbrella Rig.
Refer to Floating Rig.

UPDATE: 20th November 2012
Further to the pellet topic. I have been using pellets more often for freshwater paypond fishing since it's easily transportable. You can actually turn pellets into groundbait or form into dough balls by soaking the pellets with more water till it turns into paste. What I'm doing nowadays is to soak pellets for 1min, remove water & let the pellets expand for 20mins. For faster expansion, soak pellets with boiling water & let it soak for 30 seconds. Then I add some groundbait powder onto the pellets for added flavoring. This is for float fishing for smaller species like Tilapia, Lampam & baby Pacu.