Fishing With Hemp Bait

Tripping the light fantastic

We all know what hemp is, and how it can be used. Another rather potent use for the magic seed is in baiting fish. Introduced into the UK by those Europeans (allegedly Belgians were the first to realise its 'magical' powers), hemp seeds provide an alternative to more 'traditional' forms of fish baiting. Used as groundbait or hookbait (or both!) the little hemp seed is known to produce some really magical hauls given the right conditions.

Properly attached to the hook, the hemp seed is a sturdy little blighter, and not having to re-bait can save an hour or more in a decent day's fishing.

Cooking it up

Cooking hemp the night before using it will greatly ease the job of hooking it. If you don't believe me then go and try it. When you come back, read this page again, nod sagely and then wonder why you didn't listen.

It needs to be cooked. Or at the very, very least soaked overnight before your fishing adventure. Cooking allows the seeds to be split in such a way to allow the hook to pass through the soft bit in the middle, and not through your thumb. We'll have another article covering this aspect of the process in the future.

Uses of Hemp Bait

You can either hook the hemp seed or use them as groundbait (probably with a mixture of other ingredients, though). A combination of the two may be the most effective use, though as always with fishing experimentation is the key to your success. Try it out and let us know how you get on!

How does it work?

Well, this is currently under discussion.

Some believe that the hemp seed effectively drugs the fish, making it more susceptible to the bait on the end of your hook. This, combined with the effect of giving the fish the 'munchies' - hunger pangs that some narcotics induces - means that your catch is much more likely to end up in your box.

Others believe that hemp is just plain nutrtious, and fish, being instinctive creatures, know this and eat away. Humans feel this way about it too, and if you look at any health shop you'll see shelves of the stuff waiting to come home with you.

Finally it is thought that the seed itself looks quite a lot like the tiny snails that some fish enjoy munching on. A few of those marching around can send a fish quite mental, and he chomps away accordingly.

Whatever the reason, hemp has become much more popular in recent years; demand is growing, monster catches are being reported, and basically it seems to work. It isn't such a problem that we don't know why.

Article Added: 2007-05-09 11:54:45     Editor: Lee