| Too many anglers simply make baits from corn flour, | | | | ‘ideal’ bulk protein and fat providers. Shellfish |
| or semolina, or ordinary soya bean flour with added | | | | themselves ingest the two important omega 3 groups, |
| flavours… They often have NO IDEA what fantastic | | | | (‘EPA’ and ‘DHA’) through the food |
| catches they are missing out on by not using much | | | | chain, from algae and ‘phytoplankton.’ Plants |
| more nutritional and attractive ingredients! * Examples | | | | tend to supply more of the omega 6 group, and it can |
| of nutritional carbohydrate ingredients great for use in | | | | help to combine the two together in bait. For optimum |
| fishing baits: * Beans, ground-up. * Peas, ground. * | | | | growth and balance, carp require linolenic essential |
| Lentils, ground. * sweet lupin seeds ground. * Nuts, | | | | fatty acids at 0.5 to 2.5 % of dry feed / bait mix. From |
| ground. * Seeds, ground. * Full fat soya flour. * Maize | | | | this, carp can synthesize longer chain essential fatty |
| meal. * ‘Sluis CLO.’ * Dog biscuits, ground. * Cat | | | | acids such as: eicosapentaenoic acid (‘EPA’ |
| biscuits, ground. * Grains, ground grains and toasted. * | | | | 20:5n 3), and docosahexaenoic acid (‘EHA’ |
| Seeds, ground seeds and toasted. Mixing | | | | 22:6n 3). Fish need these highly unsaturated fatty acids, |
| carbohydrate ingredients together with other nutritional | | | | (‘HUFAs’) n 3 omega 3 and ‘HUFA’ n 6 |
| bait ingredients, provides a more nutritional bait profile, | | | | omega 6 of the fatty acid families. Sea foods are |
| and enhanced attraction. They can even boost the | | | | perfect ingredients for this role as they are highly |
| attraction of protein and fats providing even more | | | | digestible and more readily broken down than red |
| energy when carp eat your baits. Examples of great | | | | meats or poultry. Carp need ‘long chain essential |
| combinations to add to your nutritional bait include: * 4 | | | | fatty acids’. These are: gamma-linoleic acid and |
| Mixed toasted kinds of seeds, like sesame, pumpkin, | | | | gamma-linolenic acid (‘GLAs.’) For example: |
| sunflower and hemp. * 4 Mixed toasted nuts, like | | | | ‘C22 and C221 found in shrimp and krill meals. In the |
| peanuts, walnuts, brazils, and hazels. * The importance | | | | mid-1980’s, one particular UK carp bait |
| of fats in baits: Introduction: Lipids (fats or oils) are | | | | manufacturer supplied fish meal boilie base mixes |
| esters of glycerol and fatty acids and their associated | | | | containing high levels of oils with added food source |
| organic groups. Carp aquaculture often the fish and | | | | oils. This combination allied with feeding of lakes with |
| shellfish oils. They are among the most essentially | | | | large quantities of this bait, produced amazing results |
| nutritious food sources carp in carp farming. With the | | | | over a very short period of time on many waters, |
| dwindling availability of supplies of wild fish for foods, | | | | because the nutritional value of the bait was preferably |
| the substitution of fish oil with omega 3 | | | | attractive to many baits of the time. * Wheatgerm in |
| (docosahexaenoic acid; ‘DHA’) derived from | | | | carp baits: Many fishermen hook more fish on baits |
| the fermentation of algae, is sufficient to sustain | | | | made with wheatgerm in the winter; but why is this? |
| growth in aquaculture. For carp baits, inclusion of lipids | | | | Commercial aquaculture feeds often contain |
| at 5 % of dry mix, or about 3 to 4 milliliters per egg, is | | | | wheatgerm at about 10 % of the dry feed mix to |
| enough to meet carp dietary needs For example 10 to | | | | provide more easily digestible energy in cold water |
| 20 milliliters of ‘pure high-grade salmon oil’ per | | | | temperatures. Winter, colder water formulas often |
| pound of dry boilie base mix. This is a very highly | | | | have a reduced protein content of fish meal for |
| nutritional source, and is recommended by carp anglers | | | | example, but with the addition of wheatgerm. |
| as one of the very best oil source attractors. For a | | | | Wheatgerm has been proven in scientific tests to |
| good oils balance, try mixing equal amounts of plant | | | | have a role in dietary fat and cholesterol assimilation: |
| and fish or shellfish oils together. Compared to proteins | | | | plasma lipids and cholesterol were significantly |
| and carbohydrates, carp derive the greatest amount | | | | decreased by addition of these two wheat |
| of energy from fats, but fats are actually extremely | | | | components in diets of rats. Many substances that |
| important in maximizing energy from carbohydrates | | | | reduce harmful cholesterol in a carp’s body can be |
| and protein too. They are involved in many essential | | | | put into bait, are very healthy, and are very attractive |
| processes and indeed the fats which carp need for | | | | to carp as a result. These act to keep the liver and |
| life are termed ‘essential fatty acids’. Carp | | | | circulation healthy, among many other helpful roles. A |
| utilize a balance, for example, of monounsaturates, | | | | word about ‘bad’ cholesterol or ‘saturated |
| polyunsaturates and saturated fats. They all have their | | | | fatty acids.’ In the correct ratio with, for example, |
| individual roles regarding regulation and availability of | | | | monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, |
| ‘energy’ circulation, in the form of cholesterol, | | | | these are helpful in the carp’s body for energy |
| blood sugars, and liver stored ‘energy’ as | | | | production. They are broken down by enzymes |
| glycogen. Carp cannot synthesize ‘essential fatty | | | | (globular proteins), in successive two-carbon fragments |
| acids’ in their body, and so these must be | | | | called ‘acetates’. These then oxidize in the cells |
| consumed in their diet. This means, in effect, that they | | | | to produce energy, which is used or stored using |
| are highly attractive to carp when used in fishing baits. | | | | adenosine triphosphate. Cod liver oil is a great carp bait |
| * The carp essential ‘Omegas’ series: In simple | | | | additive. It contains a profile very much like the famous |
| terms the most important groups of oils to put into | | | | carp attractor fenugreek ‘extract.’ it contains a |
| your baits, are the two groups of polyunsaturated | | | | volatile oil, and two or more ‘alkaloids.’ Many |
| (essential) fatty acids (‘PUFAs’); Omega 3, and | | | | alkaloids are especially powerful carp attractors and |
| Omega 6. The more important, where deficiencies | | | | many can be used for effective homemade fishing |
| cause carp health problems, are the omega 3’s: * | | | | baits for many species. Trigonelline and choline in the |
| Alpha-linolenic acid (‘ALA.’) * Docosahexaenoic | | | | cod liver oil accelerate the release of energy from the |
| acid (‘DHA.’) * Eicosapentaenoic acid | | | | carp’s liver, and reduce glycogen deposition. Fish |
| (‘EHA’) or (‘EPA.’) Once consumed, the | | | | seem to really enjoy these effects, and getting caught |
| ALA is converted to EHA / EPA; these are the most | | | | on bait containing these substances! (Cod liver oil is |
| readily utilized in the carp’s body. Typical omega 3 | | | | one of the richest sources of vitamins A and D in the |
| sources used in baits include fish and shellfish oils, cod | | | | world too!) * Lecithins to improve the attractiveness |
| liver oil, hemp oil, flaxseed oil, sesame seed oil, mixed | | | | and digestibility of your baits: In winter, it is |
| nut oil etc. While omega 3’s are mainly found in fish | | | | recommended to drop oil levels slightly in your baits, |
| oils, the omega 6’s are mainly found in vegetable | | | | and add an emulsifying lecithin. These make your oils |
| sources. Important ones in the series for bait are: * | | | | into a water-soluble emulsion, making it much easier, |
| Gamma-linolenic acid (‘GLA.’) * Arachidonic acid. | | | | very importantly, for the carp to digest your bait more |
| Examples of omega 6 sources for bait use are: grains, | | | | effectively for energy. Lecithins are very interesting |
| eggs, poultry, seeds, nuts, and other common | | | | ingredients. The newer ‘enzymatically |
| vegetable oils etc. (Hemp oil is an obvious choice, | | | | hydrolyzed’ ones have the best properties, including |
| containing all the carp essential 3 to 9-omega series!) | | | | certain extra activity on other ingredients: * Higher |
| It’s important to balance them, either in a single oil | | | | ‘surface’ activity. * Better emulsifying properties. |
| form, like hemp oil, or a mixture of oils with different | | | | * Excellent emulsion stability, ('oil-in water dispensability.') |
| omegas in your bait. Different omegas have different | | | | * Ability to interact with starch. * Different kinds of |
| effects in a carp’s body, for example omega 6 | | | | interactions with proteins. * Lecithins are derived from |
| promotes inflammation and omega-3 reduces | | | | vegetable oil seeds, soya bean oil, and egg yolks. They |
| inflammation. (Some omegas regulate the others.) * | | | | contain choline (a ‘pre-cursor’ to betaine which |
| Examples of omega rich ingredients ideal for use in | | | | assists natural lecithin production in the carp, reduces |
| baits include: * Hemp oil. * Sesame seed oil. * Canola | | | | cholesterol levels in the liver, and is a major source of |
| (rapeseed oil.) * Chia seeds. * Flaxseeds (linseeds.) * | | | | the essential amino acid in the carp, methionine) fats, |
| Niger seeds. * Soya oil. * Nut oils. * Pumpkin seed oils | | | | inositol (essential at the cellular level for good |
| ground-up seeds. * Evening primrose oil. * Emulsified | | | | functioning, especially in the intestine for digestion), and |
| pilchard oil. * Emulsified herring oil. * Ground canary | | | | essential fatty acids. Lecithins and wheatgerm are just |
| seeds, like millet. * Crustacean oils. * Tiger nut oil. Hemp | | | | 2 ingredients that can make all the difference, to |
| oil is also rich in omega 9, as well as ‘EHAs’ and | | | | produce great winter carp fishing results. It truly pays |
| ‘GLAs’ too. It’s nature’s most nutritious | | | | to discover as many bait edges as you can, for this |
| oil! Fish love it! Niger seed, for example, is used by | | | | colder season! The author has many more fishing and |
| many bait companies, at, around 5 % or more, of their | | | | bait ‘edges’ up his sleeve. Every single one can |
| boilie mix; it is 40 % beneficial oils and 18 % protein! | | | | have a huge impact on catches. (Warning: This article |
| Vegetable, shellfish and fish oils great for healthy | | | | is protected by copyright, but reprints with a link are |
| growing carp and are also very attractive. When | | | | OK.) By Tim Richardson. ‘The thinking angler’s |
| higher levels of these are used in aquaculture feeds, | | | | fishing author and expert bait making guru.’ For |
| vitamin E is supplemented because too much fat can | | | | more expert bait making information and ‘cutting |
| cause vitamin E deficiency in carp! Most fish meals | | | | edge’ techniques see the expert acclaimed new |
| and shellfish meals that are ideal for use in carp baits | | | | ebook / book: “BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS! |
| are low in fat, at 1 % to 5 %, and therefore make an | | | | |