| * Giving carp the energy and nutritional | | | | chemistry is pretty involved, but similar atoms are |
| requirements they need in your fishing baits to | | | | arranged in different structural ways in fatty |
| make them irresistible! * | | | | acids, oils, esters, sugars, alcohols and other similar |
| Carp have an extremely developed and efficient | | | | carp attractive groups. These groups definitely |
| metabolism of amino acids from protein foods | | | | appear to enhance one another when used in |
| and natural sources; and so this indicates amino | | | | combination in carp baits. |
| acids are probably among the most important | | | | The beneficial replication of natural fermentation |
| essential nutrients in the healthy carp diet, and our | | | | processes: |
| carp fishing baits too! | | | | Carp seem especially naturally attracted to |
| In carp bait making, you need to provide the | | | | fermentation processes, and these need to be |
| maximum digestible levels of amino acids from | | | | utilised in bait to produce sugars and alcohols and |
| protein ingredients to attract carp most efficiently | | | | 'side effects'. The curing and effective |
| and effectively, using various methods. | | | | pre-digesting of such baits that produce easy to |
| Sugars used in bait are perhaps most effective | | | | absorb, simple sugars like glucose, make energy |
| not for their energy content, but because carp | | | | source absorption in the gut faster and more |
| prefer a bait that has been sweetened over an | | | | efficient. |
| unsweetened one, even when all dietary needs | | | | 'Vanillin' of the synthetic 'Vanilla flavour' fame, |
| have been met in an unsweetened bait! This has | | | | belongs to the same functional group as the |
| been proven in exhaustive fish feeding trials. | | | | alcohols and has similar attractive effects on carp! |
| Carp are 'omnivorous' and can digest fair amounts | | | | The synthetic 'Vanilla' used as flavour in chocolate, |
| of carbohydrates at well over 20 % of a bait | | | | (rather than the expensive natural vanillin extract), |
| content. | | | | was an 'isomer' of eugenol of clove oil extract |
| Many other 'Cyprindae' fish can also live on such a | | | | fame. |
| mixed diet, such as roach, rudd, bream, chub. Our | | | | More recently 'vanilla' as a flavour is made from |
| practice of offering 'free' baits into the swim being | | | | the fermentation of wood extract lignin called |
| fished helps attract carp feeding attention, not | | | | 'Talin' which gives a 'richer' flavour, than oil based |
| only by the bait attraction itself, but also by the | | | | flavours. I prefer to use pure natural extracts, in |
| activity of smaller fish bigger ones like catfish or | | | | combination with other natural flavours like |
| tench. | | | | iso-eugenol from cloves as natural baits have |
| It is a scientifically proven fact, that natural | | | | better nutrition and 'feel-good' effects. |
| sweeteners like: glucose, sucrose fructose, milk | | | | I believe that the more artificially processed an |
| sugars, (lactose,) molasses, brown sugar, honey, | | | | ingredient is, the less value to the carp it usually |
| liquorice root extract, thaumatin etc, and artificial | | | | has, as in the case of wheat or maize flours |
| sweeteners like sodium saccharin and aspartame, | | | | which are often simply a carrier for an attractor |
| are carp truly scientifically and catch proven | | | | or flavors combination. |
| feeding triggers! | | | | Really attractive long-term carp baits have |
| Like salt and amino acids, sweeteners may work | | | | everything to do with maximising nutritional value |
| by ionizing the water in ways that carp especially | | | | within your bait! |
| prefer and can easily detect. Flavours affect the | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait |
| pH of carp baits and may also ionize the water | | | | 'edges' up his sleeve. Every single one can have a |
| surrounding carp baits, so making them enticing to | | | | huge impact on catches. (Warning: This article is |
| carp. | | | | protected by copyright, but reprints with a link |
| It's also possible that alcohols flavours, with the | | | | are OK.) |
| addition of sweeteners in baits make baits far | | | | By Tim Richardson. 'The thinking angler's fishing |
| more effective. So why is this? Well, this area of | | | | author and expert bait making guru. |