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