| It's exciting and fun to make your own bait. | | | | bait really catches lots of fish and you want |
| So why not and go fishing and catch fish on | | | | to make another batch! (This even goes as far |
| your very own bait! It adds a special great | | | | as which shop or supplier all your |
| feeling of satisfaction to your catches! If | | | | ingredients come from; it pays to be |
| you've never made your own bait before, it | | | | consistent with these details.) |
| can be like a door of new possibilities and | | | | |
| potential being opened wide for you. You'll | | | | The easiest way to make a dough bait or |
| discover there's no going back! | | | | boilie mix is to purchase a proprietary one |
| | | | in pound or kilogram weight from a commercial |
| A dough, paste or boilie bait will catch many | | | | fishing bait supplier. You know that the bait |
| different species of fish and very big ones | | | | will bind together, roll into baits for |
| at that. They are very easy to make too, | | | | boilie making and hopefully catch you some |
| although more advanced baits designed to | | | | fish. |
| seriously select the biggest fish are very | | | | |
| often able to catch you far more fish overall | | | | The big drawback of using proprietary baits |
| than just a 'basic' bait. | | | | is often you don not know precisely what |
| | | | ingredients are in the bait in what amounts |
| A bewildering variety of different | | | | and ratios. This might seem unimportant, but |
| ingredients, additives and flavours can make | | | | if you are targeting big fish, this is |
| your baits more attractive to individual | | | | crucial. The best rule of thumb for good |
| species more than others. Let's look at the | | | | baits of any description perhaps, is to pack |
| basics of making a bait that will catch you | | | | them with high levels of liquid protein amino |
| catfish or carp but many other species too! | | | | acid supplements. |
| | | | |
| Most dough, paste and boilie baits are made | | | | These can be purchased from chemists or drug |
| with eggs as a major binder substance to bind | | | | stores and are used for body building in |
| together usually dry flours, meals and | | | | drinks. Fish have essential requirements for |
| powders to form the bait dough. 'Boilies' are | | | | certain amino acids and many of their most |
| simply dough baits boiled in water for a | | | | essential are supplied in abundance in these |
| short period of time enough to make a | | | | supplements. There are many proprietary forms |
| protective surface on the bait to make it | | | | starting with 'Minamino' and bait suppliers |
| last longer and be thrown out at range to | | | | have various different versions at many |
| 'free bait' swims at range. | | | | concentrations often with added oils, |
| | | | flavours etc. |
| They do not necessarily deter small fish, but | | | | |
| normally ensure you have your hook bait | | | | This supplement is most effective when soaked |
| intact when you reel in your rig after it | | | | into your bait after boiling. In the case of |
| being in the water for a number of hours. | | | | dough, I would add as much as possible, for |
| The main question I get is about how to make | | | | example making your dough with a 50 - 50 |
| a bait bind and roll well. This is because | | | | percent mixture of eggs and 'Minamino.' |
| your bait needs to last long enough in the | | | | |
| water to survive attentions of 'pest smaller | | | | Some of the simplest dough mixes are of |
| fish' while waiting for bigger ones to eat | | | | ordinary white flour with an equal amount of |
| your bait. | | | | ground up sausage meat, or trout pellets, or |
| | | | ground up dry dog biscuits or canned cat food |
| 'Rolling' is about the making of usually | | | | or fish for example. These combinations can |
| round shapes for dough baits to be boiled, | | | | be used individually or added together to |
| but boiling is not always a necessary | | | | make them more complex baits. |
| procedure by any means. In fact I recommend | | | | |
| not boiling baits to wherever possible as | | | | To each of these combinations just add eggs |
| this actually locks in perhaps 70% or more of | | | | and your sweetener at perhaps 5 milliliters |
| the initial bait attraction which by | | | | per 4 large eggs and perhaps your flavour and |
| definition really needs to be water soluble | | | | away you go. If your bait is too wet, just |
| for fish to readily detect and respond | | | | add more dry flour. Added semolina, maize |
| quickly to. | | | | meal or ground rice is commonly used as an |
| | | | added binder material. If your mix is too |
| It is funny to notice that having boiled | | | | dry, just add more eggs with sweetener and |
| baits and even destroyed much of the initial | | | | flavour if desired. |
| attraction nutrition and soluble effect of | | | | |
| the bait, that many anglers now have to soak | | | | One thing about pet foods is they are very |
| them in extra soluble liquids, additives and | | | | cost effective, are designed to make animals |
| flavours etc, just to make them do what they | | | | very much want to eat them and are often very |
| would do far better when not boiled! | | | | highly nutritious and complex balances of |
| | | | essential nutrients and food groups of |
| Making a basic bait: | | | | essential dietary ingredients, often with |
| | | | added enzyme or bacteria to make them more |
| To begin with the first principle to make a | | | | attractive and digestible. Ground up bird |
| dough is always add dry ingredients (as a | | | | foods make excellent baits on their own with |
| combined single powder, gradually mixing them | | | | added eggs and sweetener. Often the cost of a |
| into the combined mixed wet ingredients | | | | flavour is not necessary at all for good |
| including eggs. | | | | results. |
| | | | |
| Always write down the amounts of ingredients | | | | The key with baits very often is the ability |
| in your first batch mixed to make things very | | | | to ground bait your swim regularly sometimes |
| easy and quicker to repeat successfully. | | | | even with very large quantities of bait, |
| | | | either in advance or while fishing. This |
| For example, crack 4 large hen eggs into a | | | | helps your fish recognise your bait as food |
| bowl. Whisk them up with your chosen flavour | | | | and really gets the smells and attraction |
| and sweetener, perhaps 5 milliliters of | | | | into the water to pull in the fish. This has |
| strawberry flavour, with a tablespoon full of | | | | a massive impact upon your results, |
| honey. By adding the dry powder, a large | | | | especially for catching the bigger fish. |
| spoon full at a time to the liquid mixture | | | | |
| gradually, you can see exactly how much dry | | | | If the bigger fish are your thing, them far |
| powder mixes with your liquid so you can make | | | | more involved bait components and more |
| this stage very quick subsequently. | | | | complex design considerations can really |
| | | | guarantee results more than basic baits like |
| The level of dry powder mix to liquid mix can | | | | these. |
| change between different ingredients used in | | | | |
| different mixes because their absorbency or | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait |
| solubility will be different, so it may take | | | | 'edges' up his sleeve. Every single one can |
| more or less liquid to mix into a bread like | | | | have a huge impact on catches. (Warning: This |
| dough for bait making. | | | | article is protected by copyright.) |
| | | | |
| So you see how keeping note of exactly what | | | | By Tim Richardson. 'The thinking angler's |
| you use really helps, especially when your | | | | fishing author and expert bait making guru. |