Fake baits still get written off by some anglers, but they catch plenty of fish. Imitation corn, rubber pellets and artificial bread have all earned their place in many anglers fishing because they do a job, and in the right situation they can be every bit as effective as the real thing. Carp, tench, barbel and bream will all take them readily enough when they are fished properly.
Predator anglers have trusted artificial baits for years, and the principle is no different here. A bait still has to land where fish are feeding, look right in the water and behave naturally enough to be accepted. Get that part right and the fish is not going to stop and question whether the hookbait is real.
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Why use fake baits?
When smaller nuisance fish can peck away at the bait, a fake more resilient bait makes sense. A soft hookbait can be stripped, broken down or pulled out of place in no time, while an imitation one keeps fishing. That is often enough on its own to make it worth using when you are trying to target the better fish.
Many are buoyant too, which gives you more control over the presentation. You can fish them popped up so they sit proud of the bottom or use them to create a critically balanced or neutrally buoyant hookbait that settles more gently and behaves more naturally when mouthed. Over soft silt, light debris or sparse weed, that can be a real edge.
They also come into their own where softer baits are awkward to fish. Artificial bread is the obvious example. It gives you the same look as crust, but in a form that casts well and stays on the hook far better, which is a huge help when you are trying to reach surface-feeding carp at range.
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Why fish take them
Fish do not need much convincing if the bait looks right and is amongst bait what they are already eating. Shape, colour and presentation do most of the work. Once a fake bait is introduced among free offerings, it can be taken just as naturally as the real thing.
That is why imitation baits are no different to anything else in one important sense. Put one in the wrong place and it will do nothing. Fish it where they are feeding, match it to the loosefeed and it becomes a very different proposition.
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Adding attraction
Most fake baits are made to look right rather than smell right, so it often pays to back them up with a bit of attraction. Some anglers soak them in liquid flavourings, which can help for a while, but that tends to fade with time in the water.
Fishing them over the real thing usually makes more sense. Fake corn over a few grains of the real stuff is the classic example, but the same applies with pellets, hemp, groundbait or a small PVA bag. You keep all the toughness and visual appeal of the artificial hookbait, while the feed around it adds the smell and food signals that help complete the picture.
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