How would you like to know how to get your fishing bait on the cheap, from the local supermarket? You can occasionally find some gems tucked away on a shelf at your local supermarket. By the time it gets to late summer most fish would have had enough of the ordinary bait so what if you could go round your local Morrisons or Sainsburys armed with ?10, could you find an alternative. Fishing at ponds in particular and with tench and carp on my mind here are some alternatives that I think would work.
First I came to chickpeas. Dried chickpeas used to be very fashionable carp bait, but now they no longer feature and at 69p they looked a bargain. This time though I was going to go overboard and buy a bottle of oyster sauce. Soak the peas over night, then let them simmer for about an hour, then soak them in the oyster sauce for a day. This makes the peas go a darker colour when soaked.
Next came the baked beans in tomato sauce. Try to find a brand with a high salt content. Forget the healthy choice, fish like their food salty, so I would buy a bag of salt as well and sprinkle on the beans.
Salted peanuts were next on the isle, cashew nuts are also good for carp bait but as I was looking for cheap bait I went with the salted peanuts. Soak the peanuts in salty water for two days, then simmer for about 30 minutes. Attach a couple of whole nuts to your hook, with a mesh bag containing crushed nuts should do the trick.
Tuna flakes in oil. Tuna flakes in oil as apposed to brine is best as this is good to make a ground from. This works well for bream so I do not see any reason for not trying it for carp and tench.
Sweet corn. Sweet corn is just as good for fish as it is for us. Sometimes the bright colours can put the fish off so its always a good idea to have a tin of black cake die. Put a teaspoon of die into the sweet corn and stir in well. Leave over night to soak, This should change the colour and will not scare off the fish.
Dog Chews and Dog Food. Everyone knows how good dog chews and dog food can be. Frolic is very good for barbell, its very tough so it will stay on the hook when casting. A packet of bacon flavoured dog chews are also a good thing to have in tour bait tin, they can be cut up into small pieces to look like pellets. Last thing on my list is a tin of dog food, a chicken flavoured large sausage. This could be flavoured up with some spicy curry powder for extra zing.
Well thats it for now, time to put this lot to the test, good luck.
If you would like to increase the chance of catching more fish in your next excursion, you might want to consider making your own fish bait. Why? If you look at the store bought baits, there are only a few brands. Imagine going to your favorite fishing hole and the majority of the baits cast into the water are from the same company.
The fish won't have much of a choice but being attracted to the same store bought bait. Now imagine if you brought along fish bait that you made yourself. Your bait will stick out like a sore thumb from the other baits and the fish will seek you out.
Making your own fish bait is not only easy, it is fun and cheap. You can make the bait with your children and share the fun the next day catching fish knowing that you made the bait yourself. You can make pounds of bait for literally pennies and keep the unused portion in the freezer for months.
There is going to be some experimentation on your part. However, I have included the more popular ingredients and descriptions found in homemade baits. When you are making your bait, make sure to write everything down because if you fill your stringer full of fish, you want to be able to duplicate the winning formula.
Most of the following ingredients can be found at a well stocked grocer and feel free to experiment with other ingredients not listed below. Also, these ingredients are commonly found in trout baits so I would like to advise you that you will probably have more success utilizing these ingredients for catching trout.
Also, this list is not the end all be all of ingredients. Do not use all the ingredients listed below in one formula. For example, there are 2 food colorings listed. Use only one of the two when developing a formula because if you used both colorings listed, you will get a different color. Use only 3 or 4 and then test. Add more ingredients to test for effectiveness.
1) Uncooked oatmeal - popular as a base (keeps all the ingredients together in a doughy mixture)
2) White bread - also popular as a base
3) Water - required in most cases to help make the mixture workable
4) Garlic salt - found in most store bought baits (probably a good idea if you used it also)
5) Garlic powder - similar to salt but may alter the fish attractant properties
6) Mini marshmallows - also found in store bought baits (helpful for flotation purposes)
7) Can of tuna - found in many homemade bait recipes. Maybe the old timers know something.
8) Anise oil extract - almost a requirement for trout bait
9) Red food coloring - it seems color attracts along with smell and taste
10) Yellow food coloring - same
11) Cheese - I've seen recipes with American and especially Velveeta cheese
12) Ziploc bags - great for mixing your ingredients, storage, and taking to fishing hole.
I hope this information gives you a great head start in developing your own homemade secret fish bait. Just remember to have fun.
Both Jeff Ryall & Darren Takenaga are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jeff Ryall has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fishing, Cars and Aquarium Fish. Jeff Ryall runs a sports website that focuses on information about sport and sport related products. You can enjoy reading tips, tricks and techniques about golf at his site at. Jeff Ryall's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Darren Takenaga has sinced written about articles on various topics from Interior Design, Education and Network Marketing. Darren Takenaga is an outdoor enthusiast, and avid angler. Visit http://www.MakeYourOwnFishBait.com and http://www.CatfishBaitAndTips.com to discover secret fish bait recipes to fill your stringer full of fish. Email: darren.takenaga@gmail.com You may a. Darren Takenaga's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.