| * Have you ever wondered why one ‘lucky | | | | catches! |
| guy’ seems to catch the biggest fish again | | | | 11. If you use ‘boilies’ rather than paste |
| and again, while the majority of other fishermen | | | | or dough baits, try chopping edges off your hook |
| just seem to get the average catches? Why is | | | | baits as if other fish have been ‘playing with |
| that? * | | | | your bait and taking small chunks out of it; this |
| Many of us would love to catch those big catfish, | | | | can really make the bigger fish ‘feel’ |
| carp, bass, trout etc, every time we go fishing. It | | | | safer when they sample your hook baits - try |
| may just be that the guy is a genius angler, but | | | | piecing your hook baits right through to release |
| real fishing success is often simply about using bait | | | | the maximum attraction even from the center of |
| that is more effective than most other anglers | | | | your bait; it really works! |
| baits at getting round fishes natural fears and | | | | 12. Try wrapping your bait and your hook (except |
| resistance to eating it!... | | | | the point) in a paste or dough. Try a mixture of |
| But how can we achieve this? Well here’s a | | | | ordinary flour, marmite, parmesan cheese, garlic |
| few of some of the best most proven methods | | | | granules, curry spices, sea salt, eggs and liquid |
| of increasing your catches, especially for carp and | | | | amino acids - this mixture is pure |
| catfish, but can be applied very effectively to | | | | ‘dynamite’ and really makes them bite! |
| many other species: | | | | 13. One of the most successful paste / dough |
| 1. Try taking a look at the most popular baits | | | | baits of recent times is made from a mixture of |
| where you fish and eliminate any similarity your | | | | fish meal and a couple of pre-digested ingredients |
| homemade bait has with them. This especially | | | | like pre-digested, liver powder, fish meals, |
| applies to your own unique fishing bait recipe or | | | | pre-digested yeast powder or pre-digested |
| formulas. This removes the fishes ‘danger | | | | shellfish extracts. Try binding them together with |
| reference points’. This gives your bait a | | | | just ordinary flour and loads of liquid amino acids / |
| massive ‘edge’ because the fish will not | | | | protein food supplement. |
| associate your bait with danger, anything like as | | | | The addition of corn steep liquor powder or liquid, |
| much as with the baits everyone else are using - | | | | and pure betaine is a massive boost to the power |
| after all , the whole point of a bait is simply to | | | | of attraction. (But use no eggs, or water in the |
| fool the fish into taking a hook into it’s mouth! | | | | mix; just ‘liquid protein’ amino acids. (A |
| 2. Make your bait different sizes, odd shapes, | | | | body building supplement.) This can be used as |
| density, colors, flavors, with different attractors | | | | bait ‘soaks ‘and dips for pellets and boilies |
| and additives, the more different to the usual bait | | | | too. Experiment with different proportions to get |
| the fish experience, the more effective your bait | | | | your dough / pate to hold and last on your hook |
| will be potentially be. Making your own bait puts | | | | for different times. When you ‘bait up’ or |
| the odds back in your favor and the power back | | | | ‘chum your swim with free baits like this, to |
| into your hands - literally! | | | | attract the fish - hold on to your rods!!! |
| 3. Absolutely pack your baits with “powerful | | | | 14. Add natural ingredients to your bait, for |
| ‘free amino acids’ (the type bodybuilders | | | | example, bird foods contain all kinds of fantastic |
| use as a liquid protein food supplement.) Even if | | | | foods fish love, like insects, seeds, grubs and |
| you’re making a proprietary bait using a | | | | worms. Many times, these encourage smaller fish |
| ‘commercial base mix’ that anyone can | | | | to find your bait, and these can lead the bigger |
| purchase, this will really set your bait apart and | | | | ones to your hook. Spirulina is a great attractor |
| make it preferable to fish! | | | | that attracts natural aquatic animals to your baits. |
| 4. Pack bait with minerals, vitamins and trace | | | | These gather and form a brilliant natural ‘free |
| elements - get a health tonic supplement from | | | | bait’ so attracting fish ‘naturally! |
| your local drug store. Very few people realize that | | | | 15. Add a ‘crunch factor’ to your bait - |
| these are in fact amazing attractors in their own | | | | many fish have food detectors inside their gills, |
| right! An astounding edge is to massively increase | | | | and allowing fish to experience eating your bait like |
| the attractiveness and soluble nutritional message | | | | it was natural food, e.g., like shrimps or snails or |
| leaking from your bait, by soaking your hook bait | | | | mussels, is a great way to ‘turn them |
| in a mixture if fresh liquidized sweet corn, | | | | on’ and get more confident feeding and more |
| molasses and liquid protein food (so-called | | | | bites! |
| ‘free amino acids.) | | | | The ‘chitin’ in this hard material is also a |
| 5. It has been proven that when tested carp | | | | massive natural dietary requirement for carp, |
| were provided with a number of complete foods | | | | essential for healthy liver function, healthy blood, |
| providing all their nutritional requirements, | | | | and repair and growth of skeletal structures. It is |
| preferred the food that had been sweetened. E.g., | | | | also high in nitrogen; an important building block of |
| try sweetening honey and molasses, fruit sugar | | | | protein, also essential for repair, growth and other |
| (fructose), or saccharin. | | | | processes and functions in carp. |
| 6. Add Sea salt to your bait - this is one of the | | | | 16. If you use ‘boilies’ for carp catfish, |
| most proven and unbelievable fish feeding | | | | etc there is a simple method of improving them: |
| triggers, and a great nutritional taste enhancer full | | | | If you buy your baits frozen in a bag, then open |
| of minerals. Nearly every animal and fish cannot | | | | them up and let them defrost and ‘warm up |
| live without salt! | | | | for 3-4 days in advance of fishing. This gives |
| 7. For many fish including catfish and carp, pack | | | | bacterial enzymes the time to start breaking |
| your bait with fresh good quality digestible protein | | | | down your baits and releasing very attractive |
| - it doesn’t need to be a large proportion, no | | | | alcohols, sugars and amino acids for example. It |
| more than a third of your bait. Ingredients such | | | | really works well for better catches and can even |
| as trout pellet powder, meat and poultry meals, | | | | promote quicker bites! Making and adapting your |
| blood meal, fish meals and shellfish meals and liver | | | | own and readymade shop - bought baits to make |
| powder are great. | | | | them different to the rest, and far more |
| Add energy rich carbohydrates to provide | | | | effective than normal is a science, and a very |
| balanced nutrition and binding. For example, soya | | | | satisfying 'art'. When you have armed yourself |
| flour, semolina, or even ordinary white or brown | | | | with a range of great baits, the confidence you |
| wheat flour. For carp try adding some wheat | | | | feel is awesome and especially satisfying when |
| germ it has excellent properties! | | | | you’ve designed them made your own |
| 8. Add a small amount of oil to your bait for a | | | | homemade baits yourself; and they catch your |
| balanced nutritional value. For catfish this could be | | | | next ‘personal best!’ |
| you favorite fish oil. For carp the best is probably | | | | I could show you many real life examples of how |
| pure cold pressed hemp oil; it’s natures | | | | using edges like these and others, have resulted in |
| ‘super food’ and is one of the richest and | | | | fantastic big fish catches. |
| most healthy and nutritional oils known to man | | | | I love researching and writing about fishing bait |
| and fish! | | | | because it is one of the fastest short-cuts to |
| 9. Give your bait some protein that’s been | | | | success! I am into bait in a big way, having even |
| ‘pre-digested’ or ‘hydrolyzed.’ | | | | researched the subject with a PhD biochemist to |
| This is easily achieved by adding a small amount | | | | reveal the reasons why and how baits really work |
| of proprietary powder, like pre-digested liver, fish | | | | to catch fish. I’ve found that a little bait |
| meal or shellfish extracts to your bait; available | | | | knowledge can catch you more fish, but the |
| from bait companies all across the worldwide web. | | | | more you know - the more consistent your |
| This method is incredibly effective, improving the | | | | catches can become - and the more big fish you |
| fish attractive ‘amino acid profile of your bait. | | | | catch! |
| Fish are extremely efficient at detecting and | | | | The truly amazing thing is, ANY angler can |
| utilizing amino acids, and you may well find that | | | | achieve truly amazing catches with just enough of |
| with the higher the rate of inclusion of these | | | | the right bait knowledge! Then other anglers will |
| highly fish digestible ingredients, your catches and | | | | wonder what his ‘secret to success’ is... |
| numbers of bigger fish soar too! | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait |
| 10. Allow your bait to ‘cure’ for 3-4 days | | | | ‘edges’ up his sleeve. Every single one |
| prior to use; this allows your bait to start to | | | | can have a huge impact on improving your |
| ferment and lets bacterial enzymes release | | | | catches. (Warning: This article is protected by |
| alcohols, sugars and increase the level of | | | | copyright, but reprints are OK with a link.) |
| pre-digested proteins in your bait; all amazingly | | | | By Tim Richardson. ‘The thinking angler’s |
| extremely good fish feeding triggers and | | | | expert bait making guru. |
| attractors. See the difference this makes to your | | | | |