| Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned bait | | | | then it is very much easier to select a range of bait |
| maker there is always more you can learn and the | | | | ingredients, additives, special enhancers, palatants, |
| potential to discover new secrets is always ongoing | | | | flavours, digestion boosters, addictive and |
| because even top fish scientists admit they are far | | | | habit-forming substances etc with absolute |
| from knowing it all! To improve your readymade baits | | | | confidence! To write about bait in depth takes a |
| or be able to make homemade baits that perform | | | | depth of personal experience and catches from |
| equally or even better than the vast majority of | | | | experimenting with bait substances and various |
| readymade baits takes technical knowledge and loads | | | | combinations and levels etc over many years and my |
| of field testing on a range of waters right through | | | | bait making days began for me around the age of 7 |
| the year. But one thing is for sure - we all have to | | | | back in the early seventies. Many new bait |
| start somewhere - so why not start with big fish bait | | | | substances are available now that really seriously |
| and read on for more! | | | | boost catch results and because these substances |
| The history of the modern phenomenon of boilie | | | | are so potent you do not need to use much of |
| making could be said to go back many hundreds of | | | | them. |
| years or thousands of year because high protein | | | | In the old days milk protein baits were used very |
| baits have been used in fishing for millennia. A guy | | | | sparingly by most anglers because for one thing they |
| called Fred Wilton did something unusual in that he | | | | were very high in protein so the fish did not need to |
| took the essential needs of carp in particular and build | | | | eat many before getting full; and anyway, they |
| his boilie and paste baits on essential fish needs to | | | | worked instantly on the vast majority of waters. |
| maximise possibilities that fish would need to | | | | When fish meal baits came into prominence it was |
| consume his baits to top up their natural foods right | | | | the relatively new tactic of dumping many kilograms |
| through the year if possible. I personally think that | | | | of boilies into a swim to draw and hold the fish. |
| high nutritive baits are just one option and I combine | | | | Please do not get the idea that you need to make |
| aspects of very instantly attractive and addictive | | | | hundreds of kilograms of homemade boilies to catch |
| substances chosen very specifically in my homemade | | | | big fish because just a handful of extremely potent |
| baits and in fact do not aim to make a complete | | | | homemade baits are always be just as good as any |
| so-called food bait with balanced amino acids etc | | | | pricy readymade bait when you fish them in the right |
| because it is simply not that vital to do this to catch | | | | spot with a suitable rig! |
| fish - even against baits made like this! | | | | The major reason why you can have absolute |
| There was a time when caseins were the basis of | | | | confidence in your own unique homemade baits is |
| high nutritive fishing baits, backed up by other | | | | because preferably you will have studied the fish in |
| caseinates plus other ingredients and additives to | | | | detail in terms of the many factors that you can |
| supply a broader range of nutrition and additional | | | | potentially exploit to manipulate their feeding modes, |
| stimulation and attraction, such as liver and yeast | | | | feeding habits, feeding intensity and location and so |
| powders and so on. Very many anglers were hooked | | | | on. I spent a very long time putting this information |
| on the idea of using baits based on milk protein | | | | all into one place to make this far quicker and easier |
| ingredients, from the sixties until the rising popularity | | | | to understand, put into practice in formulating and |
| of fish meal baits utilising soluble fish protein etc that | | | | making your own unique baits to catch outstanding |
| occurred around the middle of the early to the mid | | | | fish again and again. Now I will provide you with a |
| nineteen-nineties - at least in my area of the UK | | | | simple homemade bait recipe for big fish that will kick |
| which was Essex. Fish meals were more in favour in | | | | start you on the bait-making road - or will give you |
| part because they were much cheaper than the | | | | something a little bit different if you already have |
| increasingly costly milk proteins, but also because | | | | some experience! |
| things like the cheaper bird food baits prove that you | | | | This bait is not rocket science but explaining science |
| do not need to spend a fortune to make highly | | | | behind aspects of it could be quite involved but |
| successful HNV or balanced nutrition baits. | | | | needless to say this starter bait will catch big fish! |
| Although fish meal baits came more into prominence | | | | The bulk of the bait is low temperature fish meal |
| in the nineties, bird food and milk protein type HNV | | | | with a few binding additions and extras to boost |
| baits were not the only forms of nutritional baits as | | | | other things such as nutritional value, bait palatability, |
| there are endless variation, and the success of | | | | improve digestion and bait performance, and to make |
| flavour-over-dosed baits and fake baits show that | | | | the bait a little different to standard readymade baits! |
| many other options also exist. Fish such as carp or | | | | It should be stated here that this is not an absolute |
| catfish can be trained like dogs or humans for that | | | | bait and it is flexible in amounts, used or other |
| matter to come back for more food when it is | | | | additions, or ingredient availability and according to |
| introduced to them regularly. Where baits contain | | | | your pocket (or your own preferences; it is certainly |
| particularly stimulating nutrition and bioactive factors | | | | not optimised in terms of digestion for example, but |
| then baits can be extremely successful - even if you | | | | it will catch big fish (of that there is no doubt!) |
| are only an average angler. HNV type baits can be an | | | | 7 ounces of low temperature fish meal. |
| excellent leveller of results even against better more | | | | 2 ounces of calcium caseinate. |
| talented and experienced anglers when you regularly | | | | 1 ounce of 90 mesh casein. |
| apply them over time - which is a major reason I | | | | 2 ounces of CLO. |
| prefer to make my own unique economical ones and | | | | 1 ounce of blood plasma. |
| because this is a long-proven big fish tactic for both | | | | 1 ounce of hydrolysed poultry protein. |
| big carp and catfish and other species too! | | | | 1 ounce of blue cheese powder. |
| Maybe as a beginner you have heard of a few baits | | | | 1 ounce of chopped fennel seeds. |
| and ingredients but the very best point to begin your | | | | This bait can be made with betaine and liquid eggs |
| bait making designs from is the fish. Learning about | | | | with Minamino or other liquid foods etc such as home |
| fish might sound boring until you know a bit more and | | | | liquidised liver and anchovy extract for instance; and |
| seriously begin to appreciate the massive power it | | | | a low level of oil too is a very beneficial (such as |
| can give you in your fishing even against better more | | | | walnut oil.) As for flavours, palatants, sweeteners or |
| experienced more talented anglers - for the rest of | | | | labels etc you might choose an essential oil of your |
| your life. Like in the old saying knowledge is power, | | | | choice or even natural orange extract in sunflower oil |
| but in this case knowledge of fish senses, internal | | | | (just to be different) from the local supermarket. |
| processes and how bait substances can exploit and | | | | Suppliers are many but the blood plasma plus a few |
| manipulate and boost such things like digestion and | | | | of the other things mentioned are supplied by CC |
| energy for instance is extremely well proven to lead | | | | Moore on line. (For further information on making, |
| to catches of very many big fish that make other | | | | adapting, designing and boosting your baits see my |
| anglers jealous! | | | | website Baitbigfish right now! |
| When you begin bait making learning about fish first | | | | |