Choosing the right bait for your carp fishing session can mean the difference between success and failure. Carp will eat almost anything that they find while foraging about on the lake bed. I have heard tales of carp being caught on all manner of baits. By far the most convenient is the 'boilie', which is also most suited to today's hook links. There are many other types of bait other than boilies that are all good and on the right day they should not be overlooked.
Boiled Baits
Boiled baits or boilies are balls of soft paste basically made from semolina, eggs and various flavours and colouring. The paste is rolled into balls and boiled in a pan until they become hard. There is an almost endless selection of ready made boilies available, but they do tend to be a bit expensive. The most economical way to use boilies is to make your own
You can find many recipes for making your own boilies here.
Other dry ingredients can be added to the semolina to form different base mixes. Below we look at a couple of others:
Fishmeal Boilies
These have fishmeal added to the base mix. Fishmeal is basically bi-products from fish ie bones, skin and blood. Fishmeal can be purchased from most tackle/bait suppliers and most pet/animal feed outlets.
Birdseed Boilies
These have whole and ground birdseed (particles) added to the base mix, for example hemp and tares, etc. Particles can be purchased wholesale from most animal feed suppliers.
Particle Baits
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Bird Seed
Any birdseed be used either on the hook or as a groundbait. The particles must be soaked at least overnight and then boiled for between half an hour to one hour before use. The seed can be left in the boiling juice and stored in an air-tight container to ferment if you wish. After a day or two, the particles will start to react with the sugars in the particles and give off an aroma similar to alcohol. This pungent bait is very effective for attracting carp.
Pulses
Pulses make excellent carp bait, especially the larger types including, kidney beans, chick peas and butter beans. Prepare pulses in the same manner as birdseed, only use once softened correctly.
Nuts
Most nuts make excellent carp bait. Just like boilies nuts stay on the hook well and will survive distance casting. Nuts also offer good protection against nuisance fish and crayfish.
Tiger nuts
Many anglers prefer to use tiger nuts instead of boilies. Personally I have not found them to be as good but they do work and are worth a go. Soak the tiger nuts at least overnight and then boil for one hour. They are best left to ferment in their own boiling juice for a couple of days before use.
Peanuts
Peanuts are another excellent carp bait. Only use human grade peanuts as animal feed ones are difficult for carp to digest.
Large unsalted American peanuts are the best and can be purchased at any supermarket. Soak overnight and boil for half an hour before use. Like most particles peanuts work best when fermented first. Loose feed sparingly as they have very little nutritional value once boiled.
Meat Baits
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Many processed and raw meats can be used when fishing for carp. Processed meat is readily available and can be kept in your tackle box for years if un-opened.
Luncheon Meat and Spam
I always keep a tin of this in my kit. It can be cut into cubes and used on the hook or hair or offered as loose feed. Conveniently tinned and long-lasting, it is loved by carp all over the world.
Sausage Meat
Sausage meat is another great carp bait. It can be flavoured and coloured and can be mixed with semolina to stiffen it up. Try your local butcher for some sausage seasoning that he uses to make sausages as this makes an excellent attractor. Roll into balls or small sausages and bury the hook inside them.
Salami
All salami sausage makes great carp bait but the vacuum packed, snack sausages like Peperami are easy and will keep for a long time so always have one stored with your tackle!.
Cut the salami into chunks about half an inch square and use on the hair or straight on your hook. Use for loose feeding as well.
Tinned Dog or Cat Food
Although fairly soft tinned pet food should never be over looked, when manufactured additives that make the meat more tasty and nutritional are added which are just as appealing to fish as they are to pets.
Make sure to buy chunky tinned pet food as it is the meaty chunks that you will need. Simply pick out one of the lumps of meat from the jelly and use it straight on the your hook. To use as a loose feed take a handful and rinse the jelly off to release the meaty chunks.
Liver
Liver from the supermarket or butcher makes a surprisingly effective bait for catching carp. I have used liver in its raw state, slightly browned in a pan but not cooked, with some garlic and spices and as the main ingredient in boiles. Liver is full of amino-acids and proteins making it an extremely attractive dish for a feeding carp.
When used raw cut the liver into cubes of around half an inch and use directly on your hook without the hair.
I found the best way to use liver as a bait was to include it as an ingredient in boiles. After a bit of experimentation I concocted my own boilie mix that for over 10 years has caught more carp than any other bait I have tried. The recipe to make these boilies is really simple and uses nothing more than every day household ingredients. No matter where you live in the world you can give these a go, I guarantee you it will be well worth the effort! By the way, keep this little know 'wonder' bait to yourself!
Steak
Steak is rapidly becoming a popular bait here in the UK and carp seem to love it!
Good quality fresh steak from your local butcher is the best. Cut into cubes around half an inch and use directly on your hook.
Try putting some cubes of steak into a bag and adding colourings or flavourings and shake to mix, this can make the meat even more attractive. Herbs and spices from your kitchen cupboards work just as well as shop bought flavourings.
Fish Baits
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All fish and shellfish make great carp baits but steer clear of anything to soft and squishy as they won't stay on your hook for very long!
Prawns
Large cooked prawns are the best to use. Simply shell them and break into large pieces then use directly on your hook. Naturally preserved seafood offer a convenient alternative that will keep in your tackle box for years.
Cockles
Cockles work extremely well when fished over a bed of hemp. Cockles can be very soft so you will need to hook them through the tough foot to avoid losing them from your hook! with a waggler set-up at close range.
Mussels
Use mussels in the same way as cockles making sure to hook the through bit so you won't loose the when you cast.
Swan Mussels
Swan mussels account for a large part of a carps diet and are present in waters all over Europe.
If you are lucky enough to come across one of these large shellfish while fishing remove it from its shell and use directly on your hook.
Swan mussels are present all over the UK. Occasionally they can be found growing on discarded fishing line in the margins. The best way to find them is to rake the silt in the margins. Once found, split the mussel open and cut the hinges to remove the flesh. Hook through the orange foot. Although they are very soft they can withstand a good cast if hooked correctly.
Crayfish or Crawfish
Crayfish, or crawfish as they are know in other parts of the world are present in many waters and make very good natural carp baits. Use like on your hook.
Other Baits
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Don't be afraid to experiment, many household foods make excellent baits and are well worth a try.
Potatoes
A firm favorite for carp fishing during the Seventies and Eighties but now mainly overlooked.
Par-boiled new potatoes work very well. The tinned variety, because they involve no pre-cooking, are the most convenient and will also keep for years in your tackle bag.
Use directly on your hook or hair.
Paste Baits
Paste baits are a mixture of dry ingredients like soya flour, semolina, maize meal, etc. These are mixed with egg and flavoured and coloured. However, unlike the boilie, the mixed is not rolled and cooked. It is a bait that is not used much today but still works well on any water and if made correctly, can be stiff enough to withstand the attentions of nuisance fish.
Cheese
The smellier the better! Cheese can be either kneaded into a paste on its own or mixed with bread and then kneaded. Cubes of cheese can be used on the hook and were once highly regarded as carp bait.
Maggot
Maggots can be very effective for carp, both on the hook and as loose feed. Although it is best to bear in mind that when used on the hook, nuisance fish can be a problem. For loose feeding buy a pint or two of maggots and pour boiling water over them. The maggots will stretch and die, thus stopping them disappearing into the silt. This method means that a large bed of bait can be put down and it will not wriggle away.
Worms
This bait has been around since the beginning of time! No self-respecting carp will pass a decent worm by, the problem is, nor will any other fish. Best fished with a very light ledger weight.
Sweet corn or Maize
The original particle for carp. A big hit in the Seventies and early Eighties, but the carp on many waters have become wary of the bait. For this reason, many new coloured and flavoured varieties are available from tackle shops. They can be used on the hook or as loose feed.
Hemp Seed
Hemp is best used as a loose feed for carp although with patience a few of these particles can be threaded onto a hair or even glued to a polystyrene ball. I would highly recommend using this as a ground bait as it is one of the best carp attractors you can get hold of. Boil gently until the seeds split before use.
Bread and Floating Baits
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If it's edible and dry give it a go, you have nothing to loose!
Bread Crust
You can do a lot worse than pop into the bakers and buy a fresh uncut loaf on the way to your session. I am never without a loaf of bread and always have a spare rod set up with a controller float and ready-baited with a cube of bread crust. Watch for tell-tale signs of surface feeding carp, especially in lily-pads. Keep an eye out for movement in the lily-pads, this usually means there is a large, carp-size fish in amongst them. A piece of crust cast near to such an area will normally result in a take. To hook pieces of crust, thread the hook through the bread and pass it round it, then back through again. Alternatively, you can buy bait bands for attaching it.
Bread Paste
Bread paste is best made from a loaf that is a few days old. Tear out the inside of the loaf and knead, adding water if it is a little too dry. The paste can be rolled into balls and used straight on the hook.
Bread Flake
A very soft bait, but still very good nevertheless. Tear out small flakes from the inside of the loaf. Pinch one corner of these flakes and pass the hooks through that point, it should stay on the hook a little longer.
Dry Pet Food and Mixer Biscuits
A lot of carp have been taken with mixers and they are a favourite of mine. Put some mixers in a bag and splash with water before use. Can be drilled and threaded on a hair or attached with a shop-bought bait band.
Trout Pellets
Trout pellets can be bought either floating or sinking and work in much the same way as Chum mixers. It is not necessary to wet them before use. Can be a deadly bait on fisheries with new stocks of carp, as they are not unlike the food that they are reared on. Trout pellets are very rich in fish oils and break down fairly quickly, so making an excellent attractor. Hook in the same manner as mixers.
Marshmallows
Keep an eye out for the mini-sized marshmallows at your local supermarket. They make an excellent floater that the carp love. Although they are very soft, they will stay on the hook for a very long time. These can also be fished as a pop-up with ledger methods.