HELP WITH EXPANDER PELLETS

[TF_CROFTYA]

Hi Guys
I am having trouble with my 6mm expanders floating ! have tried many brands but get the same problem , 4mm seem ok just the 6mm .
How do you guys prepare your expanders ? any info would be gratefull

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

I only use expanders on the hook for that reason I feed hard pellets.

[TF_pedro1098]

fill your expander pump 3/4 full of water,drop in your expanders then repeat pump/air release 4 or 5 times,once they have sunk to the bottom i have a small container,use the same water from the pump,tip the expanders in the pot with the same water,never failed me,or repeat the above & leave in fridge over night.

[TF_fishcatcher4]

before you start fishing mate put them in just enough water to cover them in your container.this seems to stop them floating,every now and then i will give them a stir as well.

[TF_Johnny Mac]

I use SonuBait Fin Perfect 6mm. Pump them 3 or 4 times when you get to your peg, they’ll be ready at the all-in. Keep them covered with water, if you have problems with any floating (which you shouldn’t) just give them a squeeze before hooking.

[TF_Waveney One]

I had a problem on Saturday with some Bait-Tech 6mm. I prepared the exactly the same as some Bait-Tech 4mm which didn’t sink.

What I do is pump them on the peg 3 or 4 times until they have all sunk covered with enough water to let them absorb enough for them to get soft. After 4 minutes for the 4 mm I drain off the water and 6 mins for the 6 mm I check that they are soft and drain off the water.

Saturday, I made sure that they were out of the sun all day but the 4mm still sunk after a 6 hour match and the 6 mm floated after 5 hours when I tried to feed some. I had to re-pump them but they were already too soft to stay on the hook well by that stage anyway. The only thing to do is to do a new batch.

Another thing that I discovered is even if you leave them in water, apart from going too soft to be of any use they will float eventually. I discovered this when pumped some at home and left them 24 hours in the pump.

[TF_vacuman]

Different pellets and even different batches of the same brands behave differently. The simple fact is that if you remove the pellets from the water before they are fully expanded, if they are not surrounded by water they will take in air.

After years of doing mine the same way i saw something in a recent mag that I tried and works well for me, especially on ‘difficult’ pellets (for example, floating carp & Koi pellets, those green ones from the pet stores).

Basically, as before i would 1/4 fill my pump with water (and any flavours etc.) then add about the same volume of pellets). Pump until they all sink. Previously I would then leave until fully expanded, drain any remaining water and leave in the fridge overnight. This sometimes resulted in some pellets sucking in some air again. Now, I pump until they sink, wait just a few minutes then tip the lot into a sandwich bag. Squeeze so there’s no air trapped in the bag and then, without letting air in, invert the bag and squeeze gently to drain out most of the liquid. Then seal the bag and leave overnight in the fridge.

What happens is that the expansion process completes and, as there’s no air and only a little liquid, the pellets stay slightly compressed and much firmer than previously.

Needs some practice as some pellets will start to expand again and suck in air but most stay in excellent shape and are so firm they can be easily catapulted. This is useful on difficult waters where the fish feed best up in the water but hard pellets sink quickly and draw them down. Exapnders sink very slowly keeping the fish feeding confidently in the upper layers.

Those 6mm carp pellets I mentioned cost only £2.50/kg and make up about at least 4-5 pints feed pellet. Takes some time if you would need to do that many, usually a pint (50 pence worth) is enough on my local waters.

You can also do this with ‘mixer’s – great for waters where floating baits are banned. Simply hair rig with a korum spike and fire out 2-3 regularly – a boyant dipper float is needed. To avoid risking any still being floaters, tip from the sandwich bag into a baitbox of water, pour off any floaters, then drain again – ready for the whistle. being about equal to a 12mm pellet you can get away with bigger hooks and typically, heavier line. Try it on your local carp water. Baits don’t come much cheaper than a box of Chum.

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