| * Many thoughts exist on making baits and so many | | | | baits with ‘raw’ undiluted flavors around 1980... I |
| ideas and opinions contradict each other. So how to | | | | caught all night, trebling my catch rate at that time. But I |
| find the truth about what really works?! | | | | used this bait only over 6 weeks, as 90 % of the carp |
| Well, for example, in creating recipes for an instantly | | | | were smaller ones 6 pounds to 16 pounds. Very nice |
| attractive carp or catfish bait, (these very often work | | | | catches despite this. |
| for both species) people argue over ingredients, and | | | | I tried this approach on a giant water in the south of |
| how baits actually trigger that crucial fish feeding | | | | France (Lac Du Salagou) about 15 years ago. I hooked |
| response. | | | | a fish only 15 minutes after arriving. It was gigantic too, |
| A good sign when designing your homemade bait is | | | | and emptied my reel, snapped the line, leaving my |
| that it instantly attracts the attention of a wide range | | | | friends laughing, in a mixture of amazed shock and |
| of species. This might be great if you want to target all | | | | jealous relief that I did not land it!!! I’d gradually |
| these others, but your bait might be attracting ‘bait | | | | stripped off down to my underpants and waded out |
| fish’ around your hook bait that will attract the | | | | 30 yards to chest deep water too! (I wonder if the |
| much bigger predatory, or curious catfish, or carp. | | | | video they took of the action still exists – eh Mr |
| Such baits vary from just 2 ingredients and a flavour, | | | | Grimes!?) I still wonder about that fish…. |
| to the most advanced produced by fish nutritionists | | | | Please be warned: Be aware that highly flavored |
| and biochemists. But for each extreme, there are | | | | instant attractor type baits can badly ‘backfire on |
| ideas and principles common to each, so let’s start | | | | you’ and actually be extremely repellant to many |
| by looking at what makes a ‘simple bait’: | | | | big carp on some waters, owing to high pH factors |
| To begin with, the simplest baits often utilize cheaper | | | | etc, and also where it has been used on a water, by |
| bulk ingredients as basic as wheat or corn flour, with a | | | | many anglers, for quite some time. |
| ‘high energy value’ but a low protein content. | | | | The biggest, most wary of fish can be terrified of over |
| Such baits may seem easy to distinguish from the | | | | flavoured baits and even the average artificially |
| ‘balanced nutritional profile’ protein based baits, | | | | flavored bait simply because it recognizes that signal |
| but things overlap: Each type works and seems to | | | | as related to danger! You may wonder why you |
| contradict each other’s theory of why they should | | | | almost never even hook a bigger fish on such a bait at |
| work at all! | | | | certain waters. Remember, the aim of the bait is to get |
| And perhaps the key is less to do with the effort and | | | | a carp to pick up the bait as confidently as possible, as |
| energy cost to the carp, of eating your bait, versus its | | | | this gives the greatest chance of obtain a solid hook |
| bio – energy reward for doing so. But more to do | | | | hold! |
| with exploiting methods of initial feeding response | | | | I took a quality milk protein and wheat germ bait to the |
| stimulation and initial bait small, taste and palatability. For | | | | famous ‘Rainbow Lake’ in France, and made a |
| example, we all know that food that is very nutritious | | | | terrible mistake by putting the recommended synthetic |
| can be repellent because of its strong taste or smell; | | | | flavor in it, instead of leaving it out completely! This bait |
| some people hate fish, or garlic, or certain | | | | produced NO takes at all, and I ended up catching fish |
| vegetables… | | | | around 50 pounds on other bait with no flavor |
| So what are the theoretical origins of carp baits made | | | | instead!… |
| from ‘humble’ low protein and economical | | | | The Japanese and American scientists have both |
| ‘carbohydrate’ ingredients, after all, we all know | | | | proven that carp instinctively prefer a protein instead |
| sweet corn is one of the greatest carp baits of all | | | | for a Carbohydrate based food. |
| time, even catching a British record or two, but is | | | | In one of a series of similar tests producing similar |
| primarily a sweet low protein carbohydrate food? | | | | results, a carp diet was supplemented with a |
| Traditionally the best known low protein flavor | | | | carbohydrate food. The carp regularly ate this food for |
| attractor ‘commercial bait’ (used world wide) is | | | | only one week before stopping. This particular food |
| probably is Rich worth’s or Rod Hutchinson’s | | | | was ignored for a total of 26 weeks, but when a |
| ‘Tutti Fruiti’ flavor / boilie. Fish love certain | | | | protein based food was then offered, it was eaten |
| alcohols / combinations far more than others and a | | | | immediately! |
| cheap semolina / soya flour base mix were ideal to | | | | The Japanese probably lead the world in knowledge |
| carry this attractor label, and work anywhere. | | | | of carp nutrition and carp attractors, with over a |
| However, flavors were originally used in baits to | | | | thousand years of history in carp breeding, testing and |
| change their TASTE, when catch results achieved on | | | | so on. |
| the low nutrition baits were slowing down, and NOT | | | | I’ve read that in many tests carp are induced into |
| because flavors actually worked as attractors in their | | | | feeding less nutritional food, by adding PLANT |
| own right! (Although they have evolved to become so | | | | EXTRACTS and NOT SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL |
| today.) | | | | FLAVORS. For example, I’ve seen fenugreek |
| There are still many cheaper flavors, sold as ‘carp | | | | extract used, and this is a component of the |
| attractors’ that are really only ‘labels’ for | | | | extremely successful commercially produced |
| your base mix, and do not have much in them that will | | | | ‘maple’ flavor. You must assume that these |
| trigger carp into feeding on your bait! Carp can be | | | | scientists are at the top of this whole game, so if |
| fooled for quite a while though; A very successful UK | | | | they’re using it in tests as a carp feeding trigger it |
| angler (Andy Little) who was the first to land thirty 30 | | | | probably great to use in bait! |
| pound carp in a season, did this: he began catching by | | | | I also got the impression reading about the writings of |
| feeding a high nutritional value bait into the lake | | | | the famous milk protein bait pioneer, Fred Wilton, that |
| (SAVAY), and as time and catches grew, his bait ran | | | | these baits were EQUALLY as effective or perhaps |
| out. | | | | even MORE so, when synthetic flavours were NOT |
| So, he put the same flavor label (strawberry?) in a | | | | used in them! (So give it a go!) |
| cheaper, low protein, high carbohydrate base mix, and | | | | Once, about 16 years ago, I was catching some good |
| he continued to catch successfully for some time. The | | | | carp using very successful instant attractor baits, when |
| carp had associated the flavor ‘label’ with | | | | the carp started head and shouldering, ‘en |
| nutritional benefit, and were fooled into carrying on | | | | mass’, straight out of my swim, without returning; |
| eating the new bait – despite its lack of food | | | | someone had just put out a large quantity of his own |
| nutrition benefits! | | | | secret ‘High Nutritional Value’ bait (based on |
| This category of basic dry mix consists mainly of high | | | | anchovy and sardine fishmeal), and the carp had |
| carbohydrate ingredients which also roll and bind | | | | shown their preference immediately! This taught me a |
| together easily. A basic combination of 50 / 50 % | | | | BIG lesson about the advantages of really |
| semolina flour and soya flour is the most commonly | | | | understanding essential carp nutrition in bait and how |
| used base, although this has often added nutritional | | | | carp feeding behaviour can be manipulated by using |
| factors added like vitamins and minerals, cheap | | | | the right bait at the right time on a particular water!!! |
| fishmeal, an amino acid source like corn steep liquor for | | | | In some circumstances where there is sufficient baits |
| added attraction etc. | | | | of nutritional quality, fish mass population / density/ |
| These baits are often highly coloured with | | | | competition with other species / natural food supply |
| ‘fluorescent’ edible dyes to get carp to see | | | | etc, low protein carbohydrate baits can still continue to |
| them more quickly and easily, black, pink and white and | | | | be effective, and consistently catch almost all the fish |
| background contrasting colors are often ones I’ve | | | | in a lake: The key seems to be in, if enough large |
| done well on when I’ve made these baits. | | | | quantities of a particular bait are introduced, and the |
| You have to ask how carp see these colors in water | | | | attractors, e.g., chemical flavour labels are changed |
| at different light intensities, of day / night, water clarity | | | | regularly enough, then they will continue to be |
| etc, and to come to your own conclusions. White | | | | successful. |
| seems good as anything, and I’ve caught plenty of | | | | One outstanding example of this happening on a water |
| good carp on this. | | | | where quality protein and balanced nutritional profile |
| Other ingredients are added to give a ‘variety’ | | | | baits had been used for many years there, was at the |
| or initial difference to the bait, as a carbohydrate bait | | | | famous UK water; Darenth. In one season most of the |
| can ‘blow’ very quickly compared to high | | | | waters biggest carp were landed on a carbohydrate |
| nutrition baits on some water, for example a difficult, | | | | bait based on full fat semolina and soya flour. |
| low stock density, high natural food / exceptionally high | | | | It may seem surprising, but then perhaps the fish |
| water quality lake. It can take much work in pre – | | | | treated it as a low energy cost food source as over 1 |
| baiting for example, to keep ahead of the carp’s | | | | tonne was put in and it was used consistently by the |
| natural wariness having been caught on these baits, | | | | majority of the anglers on fishing the at that time! Only |
| and even to get them to eat such baits initially!.. | | | | when the anglers’ fashions changed and they tried |
| You can change your bait characteristics; type of | | | | other types of baits in large quantities did this trend in |
| attractors, color, rate of attraction leak - off, ‘crunch | | | | results on ‘instant baits’ reduce. |
| factor’, etc. Instant attractor baits are often highly | | | | They do work well however and on a bait of a similar |
| coloured and ‘over - flavored’ with sometimes | | | | design, the old French “Rainbow Lake” record |
| with natural juice incorporated flavors; solvent based | | | | carp of 76 pounds was landed in 2006. |
| flavors (e.g., acetates and similar groups of chemicals), | | | | There are increasingly more countries and waters |
| or alcohol and oil based flavors for example, and | | | | where ‘carp bait selectivity’ is now a common |
| attractive extracts like that of fermented fish /shellfish. | | | | occurrence owing to intensive fishing pressure on carp; |
| Changing the flavors, especially of ‘non solvent’ | | | | they can eat foods selectively while ignoring or |
| based ones, can keep the bait working purely on the | | | | preferring certain baits above others! |
| basis of flavor attraction. (Some say these baits work | | | | Worldwide carp do seem to literally eat almost |
| by ‘simulating’ the carp’s natural food signals, | | | | anything used as bait. Overall, however, the majority of |
| ionizing the area of water around the bait but there is | | | | the heaviest carp caught in the UK seem to be caught |
| far more to this and it is a very advanced area to | | | | on nutritionally based baits, but questions still arise |
| really begin to understand.) | | | | concerning those captures by ‘instant attractor |
| Cheaper ingredients, like ground cereals or bean | | | | baits’ and why they can ‘trip – up’ many |
| derived flours and meals, make this style of bait cost | | | | of the biggest carp at times… after all, carp are only |
| effective, simple, and very quick to produce. Years | | | | conditioned by anglers and THEIR habits and |
| ago I used to soak my baits in a mixture of pure ethyl | | | | preferences! |
| alcohol flavors, oil based flavor extracts and liquid | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait |
| ‘Robin Red’ extract. The main cost was flavors | | | | ‘edges’ up his sleeve. Every single one can |
| and added attractors and they keep working when | | | | have a huge impact on catches. (Warning: This article |
| changed regularly although I always use a liquid protein | | | | is protected by copyright, but reprints with a link are |
| source as a bait soak / and in the bait as I have found | | | | OK.) |
| carp caught by doing this are often much bigger!! | | | | By Tim Richardson. ‘The thinking angler’s fishing |
| I recall the first time I experimented with overloading | | | | author and expert bait making guru. |