I've had a number of guys ask me recently about bait ingredients and basic bait making skills. I must admit I am surprised at the amount of anglers who are almost scared to death of the idea of making their own baits. I know it's a bit of a minefield when it comes to base mixes and ingredients, but let's face it, none of us can actually say we know exactly what the fish prefers or tastes. Our senses are far less acute than that of a carp's and the first mistake made by many is to drastically over-flavour our baits.
My fishing is very varied due to my line of work, so, bearing this in mind, I require numerous baits for different situations. The need for a quick-acting bait with high solubility will obviously not hold the fish in the swim for very long periods, but will almost certainly provide me with action far quicker. This bait I would take to a day ticket venue for example. This bait would of course be as far as I am concerned pretty useless on a very low-stocked, hard pressured water where prebaiting and a high quality, long lasting bait would be the requirement to keep them interested. Let's look at putting together a very basic day ticket hookbait, high in attraction and colour.
With the massive amount of ingredients available to us now through either our local tackle shops or feed stores and even the supermarket, there is no need for us to go to the bankside with a bait in which we have no confidence and that has cost the earth to make. The first thing to do is ensure the wife has left the building and is unaware you are about to use all her best kitchen equipment or first get a divorce!
Once this had been done, clear yourself a decent working area with plenty of worktop space. We're going to put together a pound of baits now. So, you will need to first crack 4 large eggs into a good-sized mixing bowl. Whisk these thoroughly with a fork. Now we're ready to start applying the ingredients. You have many options here: you could purchase a ready-mixed base mix from one of the major bait distributors or you could have a go at making your own.
For this example we'll take a basic 50/50 base mix from Nutrabaits. We need to first add our flavours and oils to the eggs. This can be done using a medicine spoon for example. These are usually 2.5ml & 5ml in size. It's always best to start with the recommended dosage on the side of the bottle and experiment when you get the hang of it.
Firstly, we add our main flavour. I've used plum for this bait. Using the measuring spoon add 5ml of the plum flavour to the liquid eggs. Now we add our other liquid ingredients one by one using the measuring spoon.
Here is the ingredients list I have used for this very basic but effective base mix which I have caught on all year round on many waters.
Perfect Plum
4 eggs 16oz 50/50 base mix 5ml Plum 2ml Fruit Cajouser 10ml Multimino 2gm Betain 1ml N-butryc Acid 2gm Red colour
Once this has been done we need to colour the bait. So we add the red colour to the eggs, stirring in properly. We're now ready to start adding the dry base mix ingredients. Firstly, you'll need to weigh out the correct amount of base mix required, ie. 1lb for this mix. Gently trickle the dry base mix into the eggs stirring all the time with a fork or using a hand mixer. You will notice the eggs thicken as you add the base mix to them. Keep doing this until you have a nice pliable paste. If it appears too sticky then leave it for about ten minutes to absorb all the ingredients. The mix should not be too sticky or soft. But, if it's too dry the baits will crack whilst you roll them.
We're now ready to roll the baits. Add a lump to your gun and apply the correct nozzle for your chosen baits. Using the gun we can now form a sausage to put into the rolling table. I have used a short base rolling table from Gardner here. Once you have a nicely formed sausage then place this onto the rolling table. Place the top onto the rolling table and ease the two sections together whilst sliding them apart. You should now be left with a row of nicely-formed baits.
You can now either boil or steam the baits. As many magazines have already talked about boiling I thought I would show you the process of steaming them instead. I place the rolled baits into the steamer, in a rice tray. Again this part is your choice but I like to steam them for about 2 minutes. Once this has been done, remove the baits and place them onto a towel to dry off. At this point the baits will still be relatively soft to the touch. Leave them on a towel for a few hours to harden and then either place into a bag and freeze or allow them to air-dry on a towel or tray in a dry area of the house.
There are obviously many base mixes and liquids available and it's totally up to you to find one you feel confident in. I have spent many hours just reading journals on feed and articles related to fish stimulants etc and it can be very confusing with so many people telling you that their base mix works better than someone else's. Bear in mind that because one person has luck with a particular bait on their water does not mean it will be as effective on your chosen water. You must unfortunately find this out for yourself! This for me is part of the enjoyment and an integral part of my tactics is to formulate a bait for a particular venue.
I choose to make my own baits as this forms a great part of the enjoyment of carp angling to me. I would also add that it means I am able to have a very personal bait on any water I choose to fish. Above all, don't be scared to experiment with new ingredients as you may well find a very effective bait personal to you. Have fun!
