| Everyone has their favourite fishing baits and this is | | | | for particular reasons. Think of the success of particle |
| especially so when it comes to carp baits and flavours. | | | | baits composed mainly of starch or low protein |
| But in the far more competitive carp fishing scenarios, | | | | nutritional value for proof of this phenomenon, even |
| the big question is, "Are your 'favourite baits' actually | | | | against the use of modern popular 'commercial quality |
| costing you more or bigger fish?!" It costs most carp | | | | food baits.' Whatever you do, it is best to keep the |
| fishermen quite a sacrifice in time and money to go | | | | odds of success in your favour. You may even be |
| carp fishing these days. You really want to put the | | | | one of the first anglers on your water on a new bait. |
| odds as high in your favour as possible. Unfortunately | | | | But this does not insure you against failure if your |
| this does not always mean simply buying the | | | | target fish gets caught first by another angler on the |
| successful anglers bait from the last session on a | | | | same bait! For example, I can think of one prime |
| water. But why is this? Surely commercial carp baits | | | | example where famous big fish angler, Dave Lane |
| are the best option for your success and confidence, | | | | baited up for months in an area of a large lake that |
| having been rigorously tested and proven and almost | | | | was easily accessible to all anglers fishing the lake. He |
| inevitably having already caught the big fish from your | | | | was in pursuit of another fifty pound carp at the time. |
| water. Did it ever occur to anglers that one guy's | | | | He did the work, did the watercraft, and prepared the |
| favourite bait may indeed be exactly the same bait as | | | | swim, feeding in a commercially made "Mainline" boilie |
| another guy prefers to use also? But perhaps he's not | | | | bait, regularly, to get the big fish feeding confidently in |
| alone and there are very many other anglers all fishing | | | | the swim. Then just when conditions were ideal to |
| the same water with the same 'favourite bait.' Now | | | | catch the fish in the swim, another angler caught that |
| are all anglers equal? No. Therefore somewhere along | | | | fish on the same bait Dave had been worked so hard |
| the line one or a handful of more talented, experienced, | | | | to establish. That devastated Dave's hopes of |
| driven and motivated or time rich anglers will be | | | | catching that fish that season. But carp fishing is like |
| befitting the most from the use of all the other anglers | | | | that when you are dead set on using a bait which |
| using and baiting up with the same bait. Feeding a | | | | anyone has access to and in a swim anyone has |
| swim with ground bait or 'chum' (where allowable,) at | | | | access to. The next season, Dave resorted to fishing |
| the start of a fishing session, is the universally used | | | | in a very carefully prepared swim, carefully cut out of |
| 'method' for the majority of carp anglers these days. | | | | the bushes so forming a 'hidden' swim. Again he baited |
| However, much of this bait does not necessarily | | | | up for months as before and did succeed in catching |
| actually contribute to the capture of fish by any | | | | that fifty pound carp. But in your fishing, why should |
| particular angler who has baited up at that time. In fact, | | | | you bait up for others to catch fish on the bait you are |
| this baiting-up will almost certainly benefit the angler | | | | using? Surely this is going to affect your results. |
| who follows him into that swim if he does not catch | | | | Catching fish on a bait that anyone can use is like a |
| and has fished sensibly. Timing and conditions play | | | | lottery because you could do all the work putting in |
| such a large part in fishing too. Carp cannot always be | | | | loads of bait and time to catch the biggest fish. Then |
| caught 'to order' as it were! Some anglers catches will | | | | anyone else who happens along using your |
| certainly suffer as a result of fish getting caught by | | | | commercially available bait can exploit the situation |
| other anglers and this is very obvious where a | | | | perhaps inadvertently and totally ignorant of your |
| commercially made 'going bait' like those from bigger | | | | efforts and catch the biggest fish. As you can see, this |
| bait companies like "Nash," "Mainline" or "Nutrabaits" are | | | | can happen all the time in carp fishing. You do not |
| used. On most well stocked carp waters, almost any | | | | always know if you are fishing over other anglers' |
| bait that has effective feeding triggers, appetite | | | | boilies, pellets, particles or other baits and how that |
| stimulators or other means of exciting carp into | | | | may have affected your catches, or fish activity and |
| feeding, will work. Not only this, but it has been shown | | | | behaviour, or even presence in your chosen swim. But |
| that even on many waters where the latest high | | | | if your aim is to catch the biggest fish in a water, it can |
| protein or modern 'nutritionally balanced' boilie baits | | | | really make sense to absolutely ensure that your bait |
| have been used for years, low quality carbohydrate | | | | is totally unique. Even to the extent of using ingredients |
| baits can still dominate catches, if enough quantities are | | | | that the average fellow angler fishing your water |
| applied. This may seem like a strange occurrence | | | | would never think of using. If you simply make |
| given the theoretical 'superiority' of balanced nutritional | | | | homemade pastes or dough baits and your normal |
| baits. However, there are variables of many kinds in | | | | fishing session results in even just one fish rather than |
| actual carp fishing reality, aquatic situations and | | | | a 'blank' session, surely the attention to detail with bait |
| nutritional dynamics which most average anglers are | | | | is worth it. The greatest 'edge' of an angler's bait is the |
| not aware of. For example, how much of a carp diet | | | | fact that ideally, it has not already caught or hooked |
| actually benefits from the energy provided by cheap | | | | the fish you are aiming to catch. Sure big fish get |
| carbohydrate baits used in quantity, when compared | | | | hooked on the same bait on repeated occasions, but |
| to lesser amounts of nutritionally superior baits. How | | | | this is not putting odds in your favour and you do want |
| much does carp stock density and availability and | | | | the odds in your favour right?! The author has many |
| benefits of natural food affect fishing results. How | | | | more fishing and bait 'edges' up his sleeve. Every single |
| much does anglers daily baiting-up with high | | | | one can have a huge impact on catches. (Warning: |
| carbohydrate baits and protein or other balanced | | | | This article is protected by copyright.) By Tim |
| nutritional baits affect the feeding behaviour of carp in | | | | Richardson. For the unique and acclaimed new |
| pressured watered where angling activity seriously | | | | massive expert bait making 'bible' ebook / book: "BIG |
| impacts upon 'natural' carp behaviour? Baits of even | | | | CARP BAIT SECRETS! |
| low quality can dominate a water for periods of time | | | | |