| Everyone has their favourite fishing baits | | | | water for periods of time for particular |
| and this is especially so when it comes to | | | | reasons. Think of the success of particle |
| carp baits and flavours. But in the far more | | | | baits composed mainly of starch or low |
| competitive carp fishing scenarios, the big | | | | protein nutritional value for proof of this |
| question is, "Are your 'favourite baits' | | | | phenomenon, even against the use of modern |
| actually costing you more or bigger fish?!" | | | | popular 'commercial quality food baits.' |
| | | | |
| It costs most carp fishermen quite a | | | | Whatever you do, it is best to keep the odds |
| sacrifice in time and money to go carp | | | | of success in your favour. You may even be |
| fishing these days. You really want to put | | | | one of the first anglers on your water on a |
| the odds as high in your favour as possible. | | | | new bait. But this does not insure you |
| Unfortunately this does not always mean | | | | against failure if your target fish gets |
| simply buying the successful anglers bait | | | | caught first by another angler on the same |
| from the last session on a water. But why is | | | | bait! |
| this? Surely commercial carp baits are the | | | | |
| best option for your success and confidence, | | | | For example, I can think of one prime example |
| having been rigorously tested and proven and | | | | where famous big fish angler, Dave Lane |
| almost inevitably having already caught the | | | | baited up for months in an area of a large |
| big fish from your water. | | | | lake that was easily accessible to all |
| | | | anglers fishing the lake. He was in pursuit |
| Did it ever occur to anglers that one guy's | | | | of another fifty pound carp at the time. |
| favourite bait may indeed be exactly the same | | | | |
| bait as another guy prefers to use also? But | | | | He did the work, did the watercraft, and |
| perhaps he's not alone and there are very | | | | prepared the swim, feeding in a commercially |
| many other anglers all fishing the same water | | | | made "Mainline" boilie bait, regularly, to |
| with the same 'favourite bait.' Now are all | | | | get the big fish feeding confidently in the |
| anglers equal? No. Therefore somewhere along | | | | swim. Then just when conditions were ideal to |
| the line one or a handful of more talented, | | | | catch the fish in the swim, another angler |
| experienced, driven and motivated or time | | | | caught that fish on the same bait Dave had |
| rich anglers will be befitting the most from | | | | been worked so hard to establish. |
| the use of all the other anglers using and | | | | |
| baiting up with the same bait. | | | | That devastated Dave's hopes of catching that |
| | | | fish that season. But carp fishing is like |
| Feeding a swim with ground bait or 'chum' | | | | that when you are dead set on using a bait |
| (where allowable,) at the start of a fishing | | | | which anyone has access to and in a swim |
| session, is the universally used 'method' for | | | | anyone has access to. The next season, Dave |
| the majority of carp anglers these days. | | | | resorted to fishing in a very carefully |
| However, much of this bait does not | | | | prepared swim, carefully cut out of the |
| necessarily actually contribute to the | | | | bushes so forming a 'hidden' swim. Again he |
| capture of fish by any particular angler who | | | | baited up for months as before and did |
| has baited up at that time. In fact, this | | | | succeed in catching that fifty pound carp. |
| baiting-up will almost certainly benefit the | | | | |
| angler who follows him into that swim if he | | | | But in your fishing, why should you bait up |
| does not catch and has fished sensibly. | | | | for others to catch fish on the bait you are |
| Timing and conditions play such a large part | | | | using? Surely this is going to affect your |
| in fishing too. Carp cannot always be caught | | | | results. Catching fish on a bait that anyone |
| 'to order' as it were! | | | | can use is like a lottery because you could |
| | | | do all the work putting in loads of bait and |
| Some anglers catches will certainly suffer as | | | | time to catch the biggest fish. Then anyone |
| a result of fish getting caught by other | | | | else who happens along using your |
| anglers and this is very obvious where a | | | | commercially available bait can exploit the |
| commercially made 'going bait' like those | | | | situation perhaps inadvertently and totally |
| from bigger bait companies like "Nash," | | | | ignorant of your efforts and catch the |
| "Mainline" or "Nutrabaits" are used. | | | | biggest fish. |
| | | | |
| On most well stocked carp waters, almost any | | | | As you can see, this can happen all the time |
| bait that has effective feeding triggers, | | | | in carp fishing. You do not always know if |
| appetite stimulators or other means of | | | | you are fishing over other anglers' boilies, |
| exciting carp into feeding, will work. Not | | | | pellets, particles or other baits and how |
| only this, but it has been shown that even on | | | | that may have affected your catches, or fish |
| many waters where the latest high protein or | | | | activity and behaviour, or even presence in |
| modern 'nutritionally balanced' boilie baits | | | | your chosen swim. But if your aim is to catch |
| have been used for years, low quality | | | | the biggest fish in a water, it can really |
| carbohydrate baits can still dominate | | | | make sense to absolutely ensure that your |
| catches, if enough quantities are applied. | | | | bait is totally unique. Even to the extent of |
| | | | using ingredients that the average fellow |
| This may seem like a strange occurrence given | | | | angler fishing your water would never think |
| the theoretical 'superiority' of balanced | | | | of using. |
| nutritional baits. However, there are | | | | |
| variables of many kinds in actual carp | | | | If you simply make homemade pastes or dough |
| fishing reality, aquatic situations and | | | | baits and your normal fishing session results |
| nutritional dynamics which most average | | | | in even just one fish rather than a 'blank' |
| anglers are not aware of. For example, how | | | | session, surely the attention to detail with |
| much of a carp diet actually benefits from | | | | bait is worth it. |
| the energy provided by cheap carbohydrate | | | | |
| baits used in quantity, when compared to | | | | The greatest 'edge' of an angler's bait is |
| lesser amounts of nutritionally superior | | | | the fact that ideally, it has not already |
| baits. | | | | caught or hooked the fish you are aiming to |
| | | | catch. Sure big fish get hooked on the same |
| How much does carp stock density and | | | | bait on repeated occasions, but this is not |
| availability and benefits of natural food | | | | putting odds in your favour and you do want |
| affect fishing results. How much does anglers | | | | the odds in your favour right?! |
| daily baiting-up with high carbohydrate baits | | | | |
| and protein or other balanced nutritional | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait |
| baits affect the feeding behaviour of carp in | | | | 'edges' up his sleeve. Every single one can |
| pressured watered where angling activity | | | | have a huge impact on catches. (Warning: This |
| seriously impacts upon 'natural' carp | | | | article is protected by copyright.) |
| behaviour? | | | | |
| | | | By Tim Richardson. |
| Baits of even low quality can dominate a | | | | |