The angler can also mix additives to the groundbait to alter its firmness in order to control the rate of bait release or breakdown once in the water.

Then, gently take one of your three rods, and bait your hook; casting it over your ground-bait, and gently and secretly draw it to you till the lead rests about the middle of the ground-bait... Groundbait is a mixture of various natural ingredients, for example fishmeal, bread crumbs, vanilla sugar, hemp seeds or oil,[2] maize and other ingredients, which are then moistened with water and formed into bait balls, which are then cast into the water at the fishing spot as an "appetizer".

When the line is cast out, the feeder disperses its contents right near the bait, attracting fish from a wider area specifically towards the hook location.

The combined mass of the feeder and its contents also serves the function of a sinker, as well as adding momentum to the terminal tackles and hence allowing a greater casting distance.

The BBC have used the term to describe popular TV shows, placed immediately before newscasts or broadcasts of a socially pertinent nature, to draw in viewers.