| Anyone can catch carp but it is only a small | | | | would expect for their size, especially in regards |
| proportion of anglers that catch the biggest fish | | | | to common carp. |
| most frequently! To become one of this special | | | | I have also found over the years that using a |
| group is the goal of countless carp anglers today. | | | | much more water soluble meat bait in a large size |
| Here are a few very well proven innovative bait | | | | on a hair immediately by the hook, and alongside |
| tips that you and your carp will find highly | | | | a boilie or pop-up bait has worked wonders for |
| stimulating! | | | | tripping up many wary carp over thirty and forty |
| Firstly, how many of you use meat baits? | | | | pounds. I evolved this further and often make |
| Luncheon meat, spam, turkey grill, ham and similar | | | | homemade balanced protein pastes which are |
| meat baits were exceptionally popular baits in the | | | | peppered (literally) and liberally, with small pieces |
| past before boilies and pellets became all the rage | | | | of luncheon meat and even tiny chopped bits of |
| and very many famous carp anglers learnt their | | | | worms and sea foods such as mussels, scallops, |
| trade using this along with bread, sweetcorn, | | | | prawns, squid, and others. |
| specially-prepared high protein pastes, trout pellets | | | | I often made homemade pastes using many |
| and other fish and bird and pet food baits. | | | | forms of oily fish like tinned salmon, anchovies |
| I ask this question because this is a neglected | | | | and sardines, mackerel and herring, tuna and cod |
| area in carp fishing today, now so many anglers | | | | roe and other goodies. I place my paste actually |
| exclusively are using baits like boilies, pellets, | | | | around the hook and around baits on the hair rig |
| natural baits and particles like maggots, fake | | | | too. This works so well in obscuring the hook |
| plastic boilies and rubber sweetcorn. Among the | | | | from wary eyes and when it breaks down leave |
| best aspects of meat baits is they are very | | | | an irresistible pile of tiny food items that really |
| easily available, are alternative baits that carp do | | | | trigger feeding and seriously improve numbers of |
| not see all the time and so learn to deal better | | | | bites from big wary fish. |
| with and do not fear to the extent of many | | | | A variation on this is to prepare homemade balls |
| other bait formats. | | | | of ground bait that have been super-boosted with |
| One of the best features of meat baits such as | | | | very well chosen forms of amino acid-rich |
| luncheon meat is that it has an unusual rubbery | | | | ingredients and additves which often make the |
| texture, is high in attractive oils, yet is water | | | | soluble and digestible content of many readymade |
| soluble, is nutritious and can be flavoured too. | | | | baits look pretty impotent by comparison! I could |
| Various bait companies offer flavoured luncheon | | | | add things like nucleotide enhancers, amino-rich |
| meat and similar products. Everyone knows | | | | palatants and complexes of many kinds, flavoured |
| luncheon met is a proven bait for lots of species | | | | oils, essential oils and many other liquids and |
| including carp, catfish and barbel in specimen sizes. | | | | additves. |
| There is lots you can do with it to improve | | | | I generally use the very most potent products I |
| results that the majority of anglers forget. | | | | can source especially when it comes to making |
| For instance you can exploit various brands in | | | | homemade hook baits and PVA bag type mixes. |
| your free-baiting so it is far more effective, | | | | Soaking luncheon meat baits in cubes and |
| rather like using very soluble ground baits like tiny | | | | cylinders etc (in various sizes) for a few days, in |
| pellets. All you need to do is use a few different | | | | special preparations really works! You might just |
| brands and see which spam and luncheon meats | | | | go for conventional additives hat carp get to |
| have more or less water content, fat content and | | | | experience all the time and may begin to be wise |
| actual meat content. Usually a guide to this is the | | | | to, such as marine halibut pellet oil, tiger nut oil and |
| order and percentage of such ingredients in order | | | | extract. Take it from me that adding aniseed oil |
| stated on the label, with the largest ingredients | | | | and fennel oil to meats makes all the difference in |
| per volume stated first. This means that some | | | | colder temperatures as well as being excellent for |
| meats with have far more water or fat in them | | | | summer use in high levels! |
| compared to other and also less meat. The ones | | | | I especially recommend you try always to be as |
| with more meat are often much less water | | | | different and alternative as possible in preparation |
| soluble and are best for resilient hook baits, while | | | | of your baits because it is this that multiplies your |
| the more water and fat-filled ones make for | | | | catches of the bigger, older most experienced |
| excellent free baits. | | | | and wary carp, most of all! For starters you might |
| One of the big plusses about meats is you can | | | | make a liquid soak using Ccmoore Marine Amino |
| cut them instantly into any size and shape you | | | | Compound with Feedstim CP or Odyssey XP |
| like and so make them harder for carp for | | | | liquid. |
| instance to deal with. The various brands also | | | | I used to use Rod Hutchinson Shellfish Sense |
| vary in their relative densities and buoyancies and | | | | Appeal or Nash Strawberry or Peach palatants |
| this can all be used in various ways to your | | | | but I have found methods to make my own |
| advantage to hook many more fish. I began | | | | unique amino acid complexes from fermented |
| fishing luncheon meat in the Seventies by actually | | | | liver and natural flavour compounds among other |
| fishing tiny cubes on the point of a size 10 hook | | | | goodies that save me an absolute fortune in |
| and using a light running lead rig, a hook link of | | | | homemade bait and I very rarely use readymade |
| only 3 or 4 inches, a tight line and a very light | | | | baits. |
| indicator on the line with the rod pointing straight | | | | I use things like kelp, yeasts and Robin Red to |
| at the lead. This produced so many carp for me | | | | make my own homemade liquid extracts using |
| compared to other methods that I still use | | | | various special techniques to make such things |
| variants of it using various baits in my fishing for | | | | even more potently bioactive. I am keen on |
| carp today. | | | | many flavours and flavour components although I |
| As meat can be cut, various specialist and | | | | research them all as much as possible in terms of |
| homemade tools can be used to generate | | | | their possible bioactivity and past track record, as |
| uniform or odd-shaped free baits. I really favour | | | | well as sourcing ones not known by the majority |
| using 2 different brands of luncheon meat for | | | | through my horticultural and health food trade |
| instance within my ground baits and PVA bag | | | | contacts developed over 30 years and more. |
| mixes and big carp love it! I have always found | | | | One product I really do rate at the top of my list |
| that using nearly square or rectangular baits are | | | | for productivity and great value is the hydrolysed |
| much harder for carp to deal with and eject than | | | | salmon protein from CW Baits. This used with a |
| all those uniformly round shaped baits that the | | | | combination of their natural flavours, pure salmon |
| majority use. In the Eighties I used to cut my | | | | oil, betaine HCL and liquid lecithins is a great |
| boilies into squares and in so doing it made them | | | | starting point liquid for all homemade bait |
| smaller. Strangely enough, this resulted in captures | | | | enthusiasts as well as those anglers wishing to |
| of many carp that had not been caught for a long | | | | differentiate and boost their readymade baits! |
| time, some often with smaller mouths than you | | | | Good luck and tight lines! |