Expander Pellets – do we overcomplicate things?

[TF_JonniTimms]

With so many expanders now on the market, its an absolute nightmare deciding on what pellets to use, you hear so many things why certain brands are better than others in various different areas.

Anyway, whats your favourite expander pellet, size and why? And do we REALLY need to worry about which we are using as long as it stays on the hook? which i find to be the biggest problem with expanders.

I have loads of different types of expanders in my bait cupboard, and i like to think they all have a use, but looking through them today, i think i am just overcomplicating things. Do they really differ so much they have their own individual use?

Sometimes i am extremely glad most commercials demand you use their feed pellets as all i usually have to decide is micro/4/6mm etc.

I also have the dilemma that all the expanders i prepare, regardless of brand seem to be very slimey, and differ VERY little in colour, they all seem to be a poor shade of grey, nothing like the prepared pellets here… https://www.total-fishing.com/TackleReviews.aspx?Category=coarse&ID=Expander_Pellets

The fin perfect pellets i have especially come out nothing like the colour shown there!

[TF_spotter1707]

I’ve settled on the sonu baits or the new generation ringer brands in 6mm size. I just pump them twice & leave them for 20 seconds each time. I then put them into a bait box, cover them with fresh lake water & leave them for about 1/2 hour. Experiment with the pump times & final soaking. I quite often put a water solubule additive in the pumping water, but always put them in clean lake water. I tend to agree about complicating things & think the simplest way is as I’ve described. I also find feeding pumped expanders fed when fishing paste works really well.
Regards Peter

[TF_Hillbilly]

Most of my pellet fishing is done feeding either 2 or 4mm Skrettings pellets so I simply use their 4 and 6mm expanders as hookbait because they are a very similar colour. My simple rule is to fish 4mm over 2mm and 6mm over 4mm. This way my hook bait is always marginally bigger than the feed pellets even when they have fully soaked on the lake bed.

[TF_nick_the_2nd]

The problem I have with all brands of expanders I find is the inconsistency between different batches.

This is not so important on the pole as you are not casting the bait, but on the waggler it can be a problem finding a pellet that will stay on the hook. I will buy one brand (and they all seem to suffer from this problem so won’t single any out), and they cast and stay on well. Then buy some more a few months later and they are too soft and it doesn’t seem to matter how I prepare them they do not stay on the hook well so end up trying some other type.

At the moment for hookers I am using GOT in 4mm and 6mm as these have been one of the most consistent in quality, Ringers Next Generation 6mm as these come up in size halfway between the GOT 4 and 6mm and cast well on the waggler, plus Sonubaits in 8mm when I want a big pellet.

If Im feeding expanders I will use Skettings as they are cheap, last batch of these I found very soft when prepared so are not using these as hookers on the wag but are OK on the pole. If I only used expanders on the pole I would just buy these.

All the pellets I have tried catch fish OK and I wouldn’t single one out as the best.

Are you confused now? ~think

[TF_Steve Lockett]

There are only a few different types of expanders, I believe. These are then rebranded by different manufacturers and sold as their own product. Perhaps this will go some way to explaining why your expanders all look similar when prepared Jonni?

I think some companies do use a lesser quality expander, and these will be harder to prepare properly. If you get a good one, they can be pumped or soaked and left in water for quite a long time before they break down.
By quite a long time, I’m talking three or four hours and they will still be useable. Although perhaps not for rod and line fishing, only on the pole.

If you get good quality expanders, try pumping them and then taking them out of the water after ten minutes. These will still feel a little tough, but will stay on the hook better.

If your expanders split when you try to hook them, you probably need to change brand.

I have used and like:
GOT baits, Yorkshire Baits, Van Den Eynde RS Elites and the old Ringers’ (Van Den Eynde days).
Got some new Ringers’ to try, but won’t be looking at them until next Monday…

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