The rising cost of raw ingredients and energy has caused the price of boilies to increase significantly in recent years, so there is a financial benefit to making your own. The main downside is the time and effort involved, but by thinking outside the box we can cut this to a minimum.
Boilie making kits
Many bait companies sell a kit that lets you replicate their best-selling boilie exactly. These normally consist of the dry ingredients and a matching bottle of the liquid attractants. All you need to do is supply the eggs and you have everything you need. These kits are the ideal place to start as you have a proven recipe with no concerns about whether it will mix well or catch fish.
These kits are useful even if you want to just make your own hookbaits, as you can alter their shape, size, colour and buoyancy. I do this a lot to get perfect hookbaits for each venue I fish. Keep a small amount of the paste to one side and use this as a wrap to further boost your baits.
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN BOILIES YOU CAN LOOK AT SOME READY-MADE ONES IN OUR BUYER'S GUIDE.
Do something different
Think how many round, hard baits fish see every day on busy venues. By making your own you can offer the fish an alternative. Increasingly, I have been looking at using baits with certain additives, or perhaps higher protein levels, at different times of the year. This has proven to be a promising approach and something that I will be experimenting more with.
CARP CAN BE CAUGHT ON A VARIETY OF BAITS, CHECK OUT SOME OF THE BEST IN THIS EXPERT ARTICLE.
Cut the cost
If I were thinking about mounting a serious campaign on a venue with regular prebaiting then it would certainly make sense to use a bait that is as different as possible to what others are using. By making my own I could also cut the cost considerably – a big factor these days. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to make your own formulas. A good starting point is to look up recipes in some of the classic carp fishing books. There are some simple winners to be found in their pages.
My base mix consists of just three ingredients, mixed together in equal amounts. This produces a bait that is easy to make and which can be used with a wide range of additives, both savoury and sweet. Keep concentrated additives to a minimum, as you don’t want to risk over-powering the flavour. Whether making your own bait is worth the time and effort is something that only you can decide. It isn’t something I do all of the time, but it is a useful skill to have, and one that lets you think outside the box.
THE BEST LIQUIDS AND ADDITIVES ARE GREAT FOR ADDING EXTRA ATTRACTION TO YOUR BAITS.
Steps to make your boilies
Mix together equal volumes of White Fishmeal, Semolina and CLO birdfood. Crack three eggs into a bowl. Add a spoonful of molasses and Crab Extract per egg used. Next, mix all of the eggs and liquid ingredients/flavours together well with a fork. Slowly start to add the powder mix to the liquid, while stirring all the time.
Leave the paste to stand for 10 minutes to allow all of the liquid to be absorbed. Roll some paste into long sausage then cut this into bait-sized lumps. Roll each lump of paste in the palm of your hand to make a lovely round bait. Boil the baits for 90 seconds in small batches and leave to dry on a piece of kitchen towel.
