Dave's How To - Hemp & Tares

This entry was posted on 4th September, 2017

The best time to use the hemp and tare combination is from August through September. The starting signal to look for is when elderberry bushes are ripe with fruit, then you know that roach in particular are likely to switch onto to seed baits. That is not to say you will only catch roach! I’ve used hemp and tares on rivers for big catches of dace, chub and even barbel. But mainly the venues where seed baits work wonders are clear water reservoirs and lakes, along with canals and drains.

WHAT YOU NEED  If you manage to feed a pint of hemp in a session you should end up with a good netful of fish, because this bait works best fed little and often. You only need to put in around 20 grains every cast to get fish competing, although it can take a while to build a swim up. A good trick here is to kick off with a couple of balls of non-fishmeal groundbait, laced with some casters, loose feeding hemp over the top. The groundbait and casters gain attention faster, then you can quickly wean the roach onto hemp.

The only problem with hemp is it’s tricky and time consuming to mount on a hook, which is why tares are so often used with it. Tares are larger but when cooked they have much softer skins, so it’s far easier to impale this bait on a hook.

Tares are not difficult to prepare by the way. Soak them in water for 12 hours in a saucepan, then drain the cold water off, replace with boiling water and leave for 2 to 3 hours. It also helps if you stir some bicarbonate of soda into the hot water, which helps to darken the seeds down so they look more like hemp.

After tares have swollen to full size and softened up, drain any excess moisture off and leave the bait in a shallow tray for an hour or so, preferably outside. This airing turns the tares much darker, after which they can be bagged up or stored in a bait box. You can then keep them fresh in a fridge for a few days, or store indefinitely in a freezer.

As for hemp seed, I normally use it ready prepared straight from a tin or bag. You can conveniently buy it this way from any Angling Direct store, although you have the option of preparing hemp seed yourself by boiling and simmering in a saucepan. If you do this it’s best to check others in your house don’t mind the strong, oily aroma that will be left lingering in the kitchen!

The only other major requirements for a hemp and tare fishing session are some fine tipped pole floats, along with some fine to medium wire hooks. Use size 16 or 18 hooks for tares and a smaller size 20 if you want to try hemp or a smaller tare as hook bait.



HOW IT WORKS  On a typical hemping session I will usually introduce two or three balls of a roach orientated groundbait, well laced with casters. Over this I will sparingly loose feed a few casters and some hemp. The plan is to begin with maggot or caster hook baits, which normally pull bites almost instantly from small fish like roach, perch and skimmers. As soon as any net sized fish turn up, it’s time to switch to feeding hemp exclusively and to try a tare on the hook.

Use a full depth rig to begin with, making sure your pole float has a sensitive tip and small evenly strung micro shot on a long, fine diameter hook length. Lay the tackle in straight and hold the float on a tight line so the hook bait sinks slowly. It helps if your pole float has a wire stem because this will help to cock it smoothly when the tackle is laid in.

Bites often come on the drop with this method, or just after the rig has settled. It’s also a good idea to have a shallow rig handy as well, because as the swim is built up with constant loose feeding, the fish often rise higher up in the water as they compete for the constant trickle of hemp.

Finally, if you happen to see a ripe elderberry bush on the way to your swim, grab a handful of the soft black berries and mix these in with your tares. Roach absolutely love this rich fruit and bites are usually even more positive, as long as you keep feeding hemp regularly.