Simple or Complicated?
I have been in the carp bait business for getting on for five decades, and in that time I have been able to test and use all manner of different baits with which to catch carp. My first boilie recipe was dead simple, a birdfood bait based upon Robin Red, Nectarblend and wheat gluten as a binder. The attraction came not just from the ingredients, of which the Robin Red was the most significant, but also from the attractors namely
Geoff Kemp's Perfume Spray and Hutchinson's Maplecream. The bait was more or less instant, first time out the missus and I enjoyed fishing the like of when was beyond our wildest dreams; indeed the first fish we caught was a long 20lb-Leney pictured.
As if that wasn't enough, Tat caught her first twenty on the same bait a year or so later. This recipe was sneeringly regarded as a poor one as it did not comply with the whole concept of nutritional recognition, which was rapidly becoming the go to concept for carp baits. Generally speaking, at the time pure birdfood baits were regarded as inferior when compared to the high protein HNV baits that were thought of as the Gold Standard at the time. Birdfood baits were thought to stop working after a few visits: the fact that out bait recipe continued to catch fish a
year or so after we first tried it gives a lie to that!
That said there was a growing support for better baits based upon proteins such as Casein and Lactalbumin, while fishmeal baits were evolving quickly following HNV guidelines. There was no escaping the fact that more nutritional base mixes were gaining a lot of followers and I had been tempted by the claims made by some fairly influential anglers for a much more complex bait, a so-called High Nutritional Value (HNV) bait. I dipped a cautious toe in the HNV waters, as our Robin Red bait was working pretty well.
Some anglers took the HNV concept to another (higher) level using complex milk proteins rather than fishmeals. Here is a recipe for one such mix:
15% Rennet Casein
15% Acid Casein
10% Lactalbumin
10% Whey Protein concentrate
20% CPSP90
20% Red Factor
10% Robin Red
10% Vitamelo (or equivalent)
Use liquid foods to add you own personal signature to your bait. The Sanchi Tamari Soy Sauce (pictured) is a terrific liquid food. I use litres of the stuff, both as a glug or bait soak, as a binder for paste baits and also in with the eggs when making boiled baits.
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My good friends Bill Cottam and Tim Paisley were partners in the groundbreaking commercial company Nutrabaits and their launch product line included a pure Milk Protein base mix, Hi Nu Val. Look at the ingredients listed on the label.
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This is a 500g mix of 8mm Hi Nu Val boilies. Back in the day I used this bait to the exclusion of all others, especially on
Salamander Lake, where I had outstanding results flavouring it with Black Pepper Essential oil. I started using it in about 1985/6 and it was a resounding success. That said, pure milks are horrendously expensive, and Mrs T. guarded the family coffers most carefully!
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Red Band® for fishing
Vendor:HAITH'S to HOMERegular price From £4.48Regular priceUnit price per£4.48Sale price From £4.48 -
ROBIN RED® (HB) - Hook bait (Lure) Mix
Vendor:HAITH'S to HOMERegular price From £8.99Regular priceUnit price per£8.99Sale price From £8.99 -
Nectarblend
Vendor:HAITH'S to HOMERegular price From £4.87Regular priceUnit price per£4.87Sale price From £4.87 -
Haith's® CLO (Cod Liver Oil)
Vendor:HAITH'S to HOMERegular price From £6.99Regular priceUnit price per£6.99Sale price From £6.99
I have developed a fairly keen instinct for what works in a bait and what doesn't. Many anglers are now coming round to the idea that flavours pure and simple, as not as attractive as once was the case. I am not sure where they get this idea from, but it is not one that I share completely. There are some flavours that are still outstanding attractors and the trade is always developing new ideas to stay ahead of the game and many of these new wave attractors are excellent. These small pop-ups from Handcraft Hookbaits have rewarded many a carp angler with amazing results.
