The Soar Tackle Lowdown: Classic Van Den Eynde Canal Combo
A Mix of Two Legends
This is a canal groundbait combination that is still used today and has truly stood the test of time.
Marcel Van Den Eynde Supercup and Special are both 'legends' in their own right working exceptionally well on their own, but when combined, they can give you more control over how your groundbait behaves in your swim.
With simple mixing ratios you can taylor your groundbait to work for you, attracting fish in to your swim and most importantly on many tough canals 'Not over feeding' them.
Below you will find the mixes I've learnt over the years
The Two Mixes
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Supercup: A low-food-value mix with a distinct sweet scent that silverfish, Roach, and Skimmers love. Because it holds very little food, you can top up regularly with small nuggets to keep fish lingering in your swim without the risk of overfeeding.
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Special: Has little to no feed content but is incredibly versatile. It has its own distinct aroma, a sandy feel in the hand, and takes on a surprising amount of water. Mixed on its own, you can use it to create a top-to-bottom cloud that breaks open the second it hits the water surface and hangs right through the water column.
Combining Supercup & Special
Two simple goundbaits in your bag will give you loads of different options. On their own or by combining the two gives you more control over how the groundbait behaves in the water.
1. 60/40 Mix (60% Supercup / 40% Special)
Supercup is slightly more binding than Special, so a 60% Supercup to 40% Special mix will hold together long enough to start breaking up mid-water. You can fine-tune this for different depths simply by varying how much you squeeze the mix in your hand.
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The Idea: This creates a brilliant vertical spread of attraction up and down the canal slope. Supercup provides just enough bind to carry a little loose feed like squatts to hold fish, while Special adds a breakdown cloud for passing fish to home in on.
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Silty Bottoms: Canals are often silty, and the last thing you want is a hard ball of groundbait driving straight into the soft silt and burying itself. This mix gives you enough weight to drop through the tow and reach the deck without sinking into the silt, creating the perfect carpet area on top of the bed.
2. Far-Bank "Sandcastle" Mix (70% Special / 30% Supercup)
Flipping the ratios to 70% Special and 30% Supercup creates a soft mix that is ideal for fishing the far-bank shallow water.
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The Idea: Designed for potting across when you want loose, fast-acting groundbait. Often referred to as "sandcastling," this soft mix breaks up just below the surface, spreading and settling gently on top of any silt on the far shelf. There is still just enough binding power to carry a few loose squatts or a touch of finely chopped worm in shallow water. Depending on the venue, this could be for a scratching bit-line or right up to an overhanging vegetation line for a big billy on chopped worm. Hit and hold! Jobby!
How to Adjust for Extra Tow
It's always worth having a bag of Turbo with you for tackling a deep or towing canal.
Keeping things simple, Turbo is a fine, sticky mix originally designed for the bigger canals over in Europe. By combining Supercup and Turbo, you can create a mix that will combat the tow yet still break up quickly.
More Turbo = more bind. Similar to my guide on using Supercup on rivers, a 50/50 mix works brilliant here—giving enough weight and bind while keeping that essential breakdown speed on the deck.