Boilies are the carp angler’s No1 bait. They’re deadly, but also a minefield of flavours, colours, shapes and sizes that makes deciding which one to use on a given day a time-consuming affair.
Of course, most anglers have their favourites, and many are even ‘bait testers’ who get their own rolled-up boilies on the cheap.
But for those of us who can’t decide, what boilies should we be using? Does it even matter – surely they all work, right?
I’ve been using boilies for more than 20 years and can safely say that a lot of the baits from the big-name brands do the job perfectly.
But the main thing I’ve noticed on some waters is a distinct preference for either savoury, fishy baits or nutty, sweet baits.
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SAVOURY FISHMEALS
Big carp love a rich fishmeal bait, and for good reason. It provides them with everything they need to pack on the pounds.
Historically, the warmer months have been the time to introduce these protein-rich baits, because the strong fish oils leach off into the water column more readily and the fish find them easier to digest.
Over the years, however, manufacturers have overcome this with the use of low temperature fishmeals in baits such as Sticky’s Krill, so they can be used all year round, albeit in smaller quantities when the weather is cold.
Fishmeal boilies are often devastating on waters that have been fed a lot of high oil pellets, because their colour and make-up resembles this feed.
They’re also the preferred choice for many who choose to target large, natural waters, where consistent prebaiting is often required to draw fish to an area.
The natural ingredients and subtle colour of a lot of high-quality fishmeal baits on the market these days means that fish generally respond quickly to them, so it doesn’t take long to establish a bait on a new water.
Fishmeals can be complemented with all manner of additional additives, and tuna oil, salmon oil and chilli powders are all firm favourites.
SWEET AND NUTTY
Sweet milk protein baits, such as Mainline’s Cell, Sticky Manilla or Dynamite’s Monster Tiger Nut, are often considered to be the banker winter choice for most carpers, but they work all year round too! In fact, some waters are dominated by these baits and it’s quite evident that the fish certainly do have a sweet tooth on specific waters.
Commonly not as protein-packed as fishmeal alternatives, these baits are arguably easier for the fish to digest, so they can be fed in higher quantities.
They often work well on venues that see a lot of particle seed mixes introduced, and waters that are dominated by the incredibly effective tiger nut.
Their paler appearance gives these baits an appealing look on the bottom, almost looking washed-out.
They can be pimped up with all manner of additional flavourings, from hemp/nut oils to even alcoholic drinks like Malibu.
WHAT ABOUT SIZES?
Boilie size is an important puzzle that the carper has to solve. How do you decide? Speak to most high-profile carpers and many will admit that they prefer a smaller 12mm-14mm hookbait.
The caveat to this, however, is that smaller baits are more likely to get picked up by nuisance fish like bream.
As a general rule, in a spod mix, feeding a mixture of sizes is better, because it keeps the fish guessing, making it harder for them to eject your rig.
When feeding with a throwing stick, on the other hand, consistency is the key to getting an even spread of bait out there, so stick to 16mm or 18mm baits.
SHELF-LIFES VS FREEZER BAITS
In the modern day, this question has lost a lot of its relevance. Historically, some of the preservatives used in shelf-life baits were chemicals, but now they’re mostly natural ingredients.
This means that preference between the two is now down to personal choice.
Freezer baits are generally softer and easier for the fish to digest, but the same effect can be achieved by heavily glugging or soaking your shelf-lifes.
If you’re going on a planned session and want bait, then buy freezer bait.
If you’re more of an off-the-cuff angler, then keep some shelf-lifes in the car.
WHY NOT TRY A LURE BAIT
For short sessions, an instant bait that’ll catch the carp’s attention while not overfeeding is a great choice.
Historically, Richworth’s Tutti Frutti fitted this description perfectly, and they still catch more than their fair share.
Nash’s Citruz is a fairly recent newcomer to this ‘lure’ boilie market and has already taken some huge fish.
Super bright and mega attractive, they scream out for the carp to investigate, even when fed in small quantities –the perfect solution on those days where they are spending most of their time searching around instead of actively heads-down feeding.
