The Soar Tackle Lowdown: VDE River Ace Groundbait Guide
Another classic that has stood the test of time, Marcel Van Den Eynde River Ace was specifically designed for the unique challenges of UK river fishing. If you are fishing deep or flowing water and need a bait that can carry a good amount of loose feed and stays exactly where it hits the deck, this is a top choice.
On Its Own
Straight out of the bag, River Ace is a fine-textured mix available in either natural brown or black. It is a heavy mix with a slightly sweet aroma. Marcel himself described it as the "river cousin" of the famous Turbo Classic. While they share similar colours and smell, River Ace takes on much more water than Turbo, which naturally makes it a significantly heavier and more binding mix.
Target Species
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Primary: Roach, Dace, Chub, and Barbel.
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Secondary: Quality river Bream.
My Mixes & Combinations
Because River Ace has high binding power, it can easily be used for making custom mixes to better suit the swim in front of you. Following similar ideas to my other mixes, you can blend it with other VDE groundbaits to speed up the breakdown time or add different attraction elements.
1. A Good Mix for Medium to Pacy Flows
If I am heading to a venue with a bit more flow like the River Trent, with a medium to pacy flow and around 8ft or so of depth, I will happily use River Ace straight out of the bag. However, I do like to tweak it a little by adding some crushed hemp:
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1kg River Ace + 1/4 pint of pre-soaked crushed hemp.
Load this mix with a handful of hemp and casters. It has plenty of bind to let you ball it in confidently, knowing it will break up on the deck and hold your loose feed within your swim to run a float line over.
2. Steady Flow Mix for Silvers
Another mix you could use when you find a steady to medium flow and need a mix that breaks open a bit faster but can still carry loose feed to the bottom:
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60% River Ace + 40% VDE Superblack (or Supercup / G5).
Superblack adds a little more Roach appeal, while Supercup and G5 are a little bit sweeter. Adding these lighter mixes helps speed up the breakdown time. If I need a little activity, I’ll add crushed hemp and loose feed hemp, and casters over the top.
3. Little-Known Roach Mix (River Ace + DM)
Another brilliant but underutilized combination for river silverfish is blending River Ace with VDE DM (historically known as Pigeon Sh*t):
Mixing River Ace with DM adds more particles plus a unique, almost cloudy element that Roach seem to absolutely love, while the River Ace provides the binding to keep the active particles working right on the deck.
4. River Feeder Mix (Barbel & Big Fish)
River Ace isn't just for balling in on the stick float or pole line; it works incredibly well as a binder for cage feeder fishing in stronger flows:
Its stickiness allows you to load up a cage feeder with a heavy mix of particles like hemp, sweetcorn, and even small pellets. It will hold everything together through the cast and the drop, letting out an attractive cloud of small and large particles only once it hits the riverbed.
Additives
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For Roach & Dace: Always look at adding pre-soaked Crushed Hemp to your mix.
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For River Bream: Add a good sprinkle of VDE Brasem powder to boost the sweetness.
Tactical Mixing Guide
| Venue / Condition | The Mix | The Goal |
| Medium to Pacy Flows | Neat River Ace + Pre-soaked Crushed Hemp | Great for balling in hemp and casters to build a bed of particles on the deck to run a float line over. |
| Steady Flows | 60% River Ace + 40% VDE Superblack | Speeds up the breakdown, darkens the mix, and adds sweetness for Roach/Chub. |
| Active River Roach | River Ace + VDE DM | Combines the bind of River Ace with the active attraction of DM. |
| River Feeder (Barbel/Chub) | Neat River Ace (as a plug/binder) | Holds particle loose feed like corn, hemp, and small pellets in a cage feeder. |
My Top Tip: Don't Rush the Mix
Always take your time when wetting up River Ace. Because it takes on so much water and has high binding power, adding too much water too quickly will leave you with a completely useless "sticky mess."
Add your water gradually in stages, letting it stand for 5–10 minutes between drinks to fully absorb. Once you are happy with the mix, always run it through a riddle. This aerates the mix and ensures there are no dense, sticky lumps. A whisk can work well with these sticky mixes as it helps break up any lumps.
Product Links
Find River Ace and the other system components mentioned above through the links below:
Preparing for a river sesson? Get in touch with us at Soar Tackle if you need help dialing in your river mixes for the local pegs!