Fish Pellet Rigging

In lakes and ponds where the use of fish pellets is common practice,
the fish might be so used to this kind of food that it is difficult
to catch them on any other type of bait.

In this case it is important to find out if the target fish eats
the pellets at the surface or as they slowly sink.

The easiest way to make the often very hard fish pellets soft enough
to put on your hook is to quickly scald them with boiling water.
Just after this they should be put in a plastic bag, sealed,
and left in the fridge over night!

If the target fish eats from the surface, the pellets have to be dry and hard.
This makes it difficult to attach them to your hook, but not impossible.

The quickest and by far the easiest way to attach a pellet to the hook
is by using small (1 - 2 mm) slices of common valve rubber
(used in bicycle tyre valves). These small rubber bands are then
put on the fish pellet with the hook under it.

One way to get the band over the pellet is by first putting the band
on the closed jaws of a "Leatherman" or similar tool. Open the jaws
and insert the fish pellet, then slide/roll the pellet and band off the jaws of the tool.