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P a g e | 17 These changes only need to be subtle and the jumping through hoops in no time for its tasty frequency will depend on just how often you meal. However, if I started to beat the dog every fish. time it started to eat the steak, pretty quickly the dog would come to associate eating the In my view, I would say if you are out twice a steak with an extremely unpleasant experience! week, and especially if concentrating on one No matter how appealing the steak may be, it small stretch of a river, then a little change every would certainly not go near it and likely opt for four to six weeks should be enough to prevent the safer option of only eating the beans. over-caution. You can do this by taking something out as much as by putting something That little analogy basically explains my in. A complete change of flavour profile is not thoughts on how a barbel, or any fish for that necessary, and in fact may work against you in matter, will eventually come to associate tastes having to re-educate the barbel to accept a new and scents. Initially with something good to eat flavour. Making subtle little changes is far better but equally, in time, to become something it than dramatic changes to your baits flavour. associates with an unpleasant experience. You may well say, ‘Well, I’m not bothered about the Continual reliance on one flavour profile will, I one’s I’ve caught’ and fair enough! But just am sure, eventually become a danger signal. I watch the birds on your lawn - when one sees or worry that a fish caught previously, and perceives danger, and takes flight, the rest do sometimes more than once, will spook off at the not wait to find out why they just go! It is the now recognisable scent, in turn spooking other same with fish - spook one, and you spook the (uncaught) barbel present in the swim. These lot! may take their cue from the spooked individual and leave. This will also happen more rapidly It is so easy to ‘blow’ a bait, by allowing barbel when over-flavouring your bait, the danger to associate the bait, even a very well signal becoming all the more obvious in a constructed one, with danger. If something shorter space of time. provokes caution in a fish, I am certain it will give off signals, even if it does not bolt, to other I firmly believe many a good bait has been fish in the area. Maybe it is body language? discarded an angler who is seeing his results Pheromones? Both? Who knows, but I am start to drop; when all that was needed was a certain that it happens.*1 slight tweak to the flavour profile to see it perform again. I also believe it is just as easy to The bait educate a barbel to something that is Leaving aside additives, there are two dangerous, as to something that is of benefit. I ingredients within the nutritional profile of any will give you this analogy! bait that I consider essential, I mentioned these If I gave a dog the choice of a nice juicy steak, or earlier – fat and protein. How much of these to a bowl of beans every day, I guarantee it would include in your bait? I would suggest comes that eat the steak every time and I could have it it down to what you want from your fishing. I 1 *That is a scientific fact. Schreckstoff, the alarm substance of neural activity has also revealed that Schreckstoff in fish, is a mixture ► Chondroitin, a glycosaminoglycan, is components activate the same region of the primary a component of the alarm substance ► Skin extract olfactory processing centre -the medio-dorsal posterior activates the mediodorsal posterior and lateral anterior region of the olfactory bulb - which has been shown to olfactory bulb ► Purified chondroitin activates the detect fear signals in many fish species. [Editor] mediodorsal posterior bulb. The chemicals emitted differ, indicating to nearby fish anything from mild alarm to actual, physical harm. Imaging