Make your own caro baits

Also see make your own

Just how easy is it to make a very economical homemade big carp bait that really works instantly, and is ideal for winter fishing? Read on for more details and a free winter recipe!

The first idea is also probably the most conventional one and this involves making a base mix powder using 8 ounces of de-fatted soya flour and wheat flour or semolina; the wheat flour is soluble while the semolina is not strictly-speaking. I mention water solubility because it is of such importance at this time and this property often indicates the ability of the ingredient or additive to be digested in cold conditions by carp.

You might wonder why bait digestion matter to carp, especially in winter. For instance, if you use the usual full-fat soya or normal fat-inclusive green lipped mussel extract additive for instance, you are using additives and ingredients that are coated in a layer of pretty indigestible fat.

This means that your cold-water carp cannot truly access the food value of the bait in order to benefit from them. But just as importantly, using fatty ingredients in effect locks-up those vital water-soluble nutritionally stimulating and attractive elements in your baits, that prevent them working to full effect for consistent catches.

You would do well perhaps to add some liquid lecithin at least; to help with bait digestion. You will find an effective high PC grade actual feed-triggering one, from Phil at Carpfishingpellets online, (ask him for more details!)

Going back to your simple carbohydrate bait, you might now have created cheap dry carbohydrate-based powder base mix, but not much is going to turn your fish on if this is all you use. Many anglers would traditionally add raised levels of a flavour for winter baits, along with perhaps 2 millilitres of an intense sweetener to enhance the flavour elements and improve bait palatability and attraction. Use of 3 to 5 millilitres of the ever popular Tutti Fruitti or Scopex flavours, or Bun Spice, pineapple, cranberry or whatever flavour (or flavours combination) you prefer, is one starting point.

Of course you may prefer to just use flavour components, like butyric acid, or even a related solvent, at perhaps just 1 or 2 drops per pound dosage. Essential oils are very effective and again successful doses are very specific to each oil as their bioactive potencies differ very much! (For instance garlic oil may often be used in much greater doses than clove oil.)

Liquid betaine is a nutritional additive feeding trigger great for winter use instead of fish, or certain vegetable oils. (Obviously some oils are far more viscous than others in water temperatures under around 4 degrees; try testing some in your fridge before using in your baits!)

Additional liquid foods in your bait, such as those with liquid liver, spleen, gut mucus etc, are richly packed with stimulatory enzymes and amino acids. The range of such products is amazing these days showing not simply the use of liquid food triggers work but they work very well indeed with other components in synergistic ways, such as flavours, citrus fruit oils etc. One of the very best of all is the Ccmoore Feedstim XP (So get on it quick!) Simply mix around 4 large eggs to your liquid ingredients, mix your powders all together well and add your powders to the liquids and bingo!

So now you have a very cheap low nutritional value but easily digestible bait that is has some significant water-soluble nutritional stimulation and attraction; that Mr Carp might well take a fancy to even in low temperatures with Mr Frost about and a North wind howling! Sure other aspects of bait come into play, but such a bait used as over-flavoured single baits or for use in PVA bags with specialised low oil pellets, or in stick mixes crumbled and so on, will certainly catch you fish!

There is a whole array of very exceptional feeding triggers, additives, taste enhancers and palatability improving substances and so on that can be included that will definitely improve your fish feeding responses and longevity of bait success but this is something to get started with. If you need more information on bait making just keep reading on!