Enterprise Tackle Pellet Skins

Enterprise Tackle Pellet & Corn Skins

Enterprise Pellet Skin

Over the past couple of year’s I’ve found that the Enterprise Tackle Pellet & Corn Skins have increasingly become an invaluable part of my carp fishing armory. I first used them to help present dog chow (chum mixer for the Euro’s) as a surface bait for some nice koi that had become especially wary of floating bread. Since the chow soon soaked up water the cups ensured that the pellet did not disintegrate or sink too quickly. After a while they would eventually begin to sink slowly so I found soaking the pellets in a little vegetable or hemp oil helped to make them remain buoyant for a while longer. Adding a small split shot to the hooklink an inch behind the hook also allowed them to be fished as a pop-up creating yet another presentation option.

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A nice koi free-lined off the surface on an oiled pellet

It didn’t take me long to explore some other ideas that also proved the potential for these simple but clever pieces of kit. Since then I’ve found that the pellet & corn skins can be used to present a wide range of baits. The choices are almost limitless and I’m sure my list can easily be expanded upon. This past winter I fished an area that had seen a lot pressure from anglers. As many were fishing sweetcorn on the hook it was inevitable that the carp soon wised up which resulted in lightning fast bites and empty corn skins. This gave me a good opportunity to use the pellet cups which meant I could quickly and easily change between different baits. While sweetcorn was taken only hesitantly a change to peanuts, pepperami, dog chow or other baits soon had the tip on the feeder rod being pulled hard around in some solid hook-ups. As soon as the bites slowed down after two or three fish a quick change soon had them going again! This success also gave me the confidence to try some other novel bait ideas including a couple that were more on a whim but worked way better than expected. This included stuffing a piece of gummy worm candy into a pellet skin which the carp simply inhaled!

Rig Options…

Pellet Cups 001-1It’s really very easy to mount the pellet skin on a hair. Just form a hair loop and pull it through the pellet cup before adding a hair stop to keep it in place. Now all you need do is simply push in your bait.

In the photo on the right I show three different rigs. #1 Top right is an ‘oiled’ Dog Chow pellet in a Cup mounted on a soft braid hook link (PB 15lb Chameleon) with a hair aligner on a #8 PB Anti Eject Hook. Typically I would add a small split shot or piece of tungsten putty just behind the hook to counter balance it when fished as a pop-up. #2 In the middle is a Pellet Cup with a piece of foam (its actually the round green window insulating foam you can buy at hardware stores in a coil). I made a simple loop from some braid, looped it around the hook and back through the loop and then mounted the pellet cup. The hook is then tied to 6 or 8lb mainline depending on the size of fish I expect to encounter. I’ve used this very successfully when fishing chum (dog chow) mixers as floaters for surface fishing. #3 Bottom right is just a simple mono hair & hook link tied on a PB #8 KD Wide Gape hook. I’ve trimmed down and inserted a dry roasted peanut into the cup and when fished with a feeder packed with dry bread crumbs and ground peanuts its an absolute carp magnet!

Get Creative!

ET63-corn-skins-adSome baits like peanuts need a little trimming to make sure they sit securely in place. It’s also easy to make a variety of flavored pastes that can then be smeared or pushed into the pellet cup creating a deadly presentation. A few bread crusts or dough pastry from the freezer section at the supermarket can be mixed with cheese, peanut butter, Nutella, Marmite etc to create a firm but pliable texture. If it is too dry just add a little margarine or vegetable oil and work together till you get a nice consistency. Luncheon meat is a deadly but often little used bait for carp. It is difficult to keep on a hair or hook but squeezing some into a pellet cup keeps it in place for ages. Peperami sticks are very easy to use and a small section can be cut off and pushed into the pellet skin while a few free samples are thrown into the swim. Lastly the ‘skins’ & ‘cups’ can also be mounted directly on a hook making them ideal for float or feeder fishing.

 

Just a few of the baits I’ve tried successfully…

Pellet Cup BaitsBoilie Paste

Cored out boilies

Halibut & Other Pellets

Dog Chow

Peanut Butter, Nutella etc

Marmite or Vegemite

Raisins, Sultanas – can be soaked in flavors or alcohol.

Cheese & other pastes

Peanuts – Plain, Dry Roasted etc

Pepparami

Chick Peas & Various Peas & Beans

Luncheon Meat & Spam

Cheese – soft or hard

Gummy Bears or Worms – carp love the fruity flavor!

Foam Inserts to create a pop-up or floater

 

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Success on a Peanut!

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