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Bait Boats and Deadbaiting

Ian Wakeford

Bait Boats should not be considered as devices that can only reach distances but can be used to position baits next to features that are a bit tricky to cast to. I bought an Angling Technics Bait boat in 1997 and have been using it on most trips to see what effect it has had upon my fishing.

Firstly there are a few do's and don'ts when using a bait boat. Some waters forbid them, and some are not sure what to do about them. Bans and general bad feeling have usually been caused by abuse by anglers of a very valuable piece of equipment. Chasing ducks and dropping baits in front of other anglers (although out of their casting range) will only wind people up. So keep bait boats within a sensible hinterland.

When using a bait Boat for the first time you will probably get in a bit of a mess. The wind will probably be howling, and you will have picked a swim that is either rocky or a big drop to the water. Bait Boats need to be treated with a bit of care, so launch them from gently sloping beachy type swims, and do not send them out in really choppy water. Force 7-8 and 6 inch waves are about their limit.

The Angling Technics Bait boat has two hoppers, one on each side sealed by a trap door. A deadbait can fit inside a hopper, if you are free lining then two baits can be towed out, and each can be dropped independently at different locations. However if you are using a paternoster rig or large lead then it is best to put the rest of the rig in the other hopper.

Angling Technics Bait Boat, dropping a bait against a reed bed.

Just to prove it works, an unknown 20lb 6oz Pike from a gravel bar 140 yards out.

When you have loaded your bait and rig into the bait boat there are a few things that you need to think about.  If you are fishing at more than 100 yards you should have binoculars at the ready.  (At 200 yards a bait bait look like a coot).  Also if its foggy they have a habit of disappearing, and at sunrise the bright sun makes them difficult to see.  All of this is important, because if you are navigating a £400 piece of hardware around reedbeds and sunken trees you do not want it  to get stuck or have to go swimming in the middle of winter to get it.  An Angling Technics Bait boat has a range of about 400 yards, but in reality I have rarely used it at beyond 150 yards. 

As the Bait Boat is driven out its best to prop your rod up at an angle or hold onto it, line does tend to bed down and this will interfere with its ability to drive out.  So you need to keep paying attention to the spool.  When the bait boat is nearing its destination, if you have a bait runner reel its best to engage the bait runner, or alternatively let the bait boat back wind the reel for a few yards.  This will ensure that the line tightens up, before dropping the bait.  If you have the bait in one hopper and a lead in the other, drop the bait first, quickly followed by the rest of the rig.  This avoids any tangles.

I have not found that a bait boat catches me any more fish, but what I have found is that I catch different fish to the repeat captures you get from fishing the same swims.   They are definitely worth it for pike fishing, I find that on pressurised waters the bigger and more experienced fish tend to move off into places that are unfishable by conventional means.

For further information click here. Angling Technics