How to use berley to attract fish when fishing

So, you've mastered the knot tying process for fishing, and you already know how to catch live bait, so now what? You need to know how to attract fish with berley... this animated tutorial from Marinews will show you how to use berley to attract fish when fishing. Just watch the simple animation to improve your berley fishing skills.

Berley is one way to attract fish to your location. Most of the anglers just don’t know how, where and when to berley—so they just didn't bother with it. There are many different techniques to attract a variety of fish and it doesn't matter whether you are working a gutter, sand spit or rip, using berley will attracted fish to your baits.

The trick to successful berleying is to have the correct combination of ingredients. Some of the different ingredients and combinations in berley that attracted fish species caught off the beach are: bread, chicken layer pellets, dog or cat food (larger pellets), pilchards, prawn heads and shells, fish frames, wheat, bread crumbs, tuna oil and bran.

Make sure that the consistency of the berley is such that it releases a little at a time and not all at once. Also, use the flow or current of the water to your advantage (don't take the fish away from where you are fishing) and control the timing of when and how often the berley is released. Don't over-do berley as your aim is not to feed them until they want no more; you only want to attract them to the area and encourage them to take your bait. Remember, the largest object that should float down that berley trail is your bait with a hook in it.

If you have never used berley off the beach before, choose where you are going to fish first and then select the correct place to anchor the berley bag. If you don't take care you could find that the berley will take the fish away from where you are fishing. Things you need to assess are the direction of the water flow, wind direction and water clarity.