| Few carp anglers really know the true origins of high | | | | pastes specials I used casein and Casilan which I |
| protein boilies and amino acid based pastes but | | | | bought from the local chemists along with Minamino |
| knowing some of the basic and more advanced | | | | the now legendary soluble protein liquid. |
| information about them can help you get a better take | | | | Back in the seventies and eighties the secrecy |
| on what they are, how to exploit them in different | | | | surrounding carp baits was so far beyond what new |
| forms and how to make your own effective | | | | anglers today could ever imagine. Sometimes on the |
| homemade baits and improved and adapted | | | | bank other anglers when discussing baits would use |
| readymade bait - so why not read on now to find out | | | | code words and this kind of fear-driven scarcity |
| more! | | | | mindedness made you feel alienated if you were not in |
| You might say that boilies have been around a bit | | | | that particular clique. |
| longer than the last 50 years. Although Fred Wilton, the | | | | Although I was too young to get the details of HNV |
| originator of modern HNV bait formulation was | | | | baits when first published by Fred Wilton and missed |
| apparently already using boiled paste baits in the sixties | | | | out the earlier information on amino acids and paste |
| or before, sin a way similar baits have been used in | | | | making. The treatment that many probably mentally ill |
| many countries for hundreds if not thousands of years | | | | secretive anglers had dished out to me made me |
| prior to this. In the 1600s Izaak Walton described a | | | | even more determined to find out the truth on my |
| carp paste bait based on cat meat or rabbit meat that | | | | own. I made friends and allies in various fields such as |
| incorporated bean flour and was sweetened using | | | | in pharmacies and body-building suppliers and in the pet |
| clarified honey or sugar, bound with wool and was | | | | food and aquarium feed trades and later had a friend |
| preserved for as long as a year using virgin wax. | | | | who needed help fetching and carrying wholesale |
| Although I do not know much about the digestibility of | | | | health foods imported from all over the world. |
| rabbit or cat meat, I do know that many beans contain | | | | Very soon that I was competing successfully against |
| substantially more digestible protein than durum wheat | | | | the Fred Wilton HNV type guys who fished my local |
| semolina or maize meal for instance. I find it fascinating | | | | Essex waters and Darenth and other Kent waters |
| that bean (or pulse) flour was specified instead of | | | | where some of the house-hold names were making |
| barley or another form of grain flour! | | | | their names back in the day. I soon realised that |
| It seems that the discovery of digestible higher protein | | | | flavours in both liquid and powder and other formats |
| baits was well-known centuries ago. If you look east to | | | | could be exploited in some very unusual ways and in |
| Asia higher protein feeds and high protein natural foods | | | | the end I predominantly made my homemade baits |
| used for baits and for feeding cultured fish also figure | | | | without milk proteins and instead used protein-rich |
| highly over the centuries and soya bean is still in major | | | | extracts and meals of other more economical kinds. |
| use increasingly so all around the world. | | | | Around 1983 or 1984 readymade boilies came on the |
| When I got into catching bigger carp in the early | | | | scene so those who wished could use baits straight |
| eighties I noticed not merely the newer boilie powder | | | | from the bag instead of mixing them up at home or on |
| mixes in 10 ounce bags for sale in fishing shops, | | | | the bank. These baits although having an alternative |
| following the success of the amino acid paste | | | | proteinous base were very much instant attractor |
| powders sold in 10 ounce bags. I also noticed that | | | | types of baits and their catches suffered significantly |
| certain particles were on sale including tic beans | | | | when the first flush of success had worn off when in |
| among others. I assessed quite a few of these beans | | | | effect they had had their day and had blown. On the |
| in terms of aspects such as protein levels, soluble fibre, | | | | waters I fished that did not take many months and |
| betaine levels and other nutritional and bioactive | | | | soon those newer anglers who had started carp |
| factors and it seems that the majority of anglers are | | | | fishing on the back of this new development and |
| missing out on great baits that are simply not in fashion | | | | depended on these new baits were begging for tips |
| today. | | | | on making their own baits and later on they were |
| I went through a long phase of fishing over haricot | | | | making their own unique baits using base mixes and |
| beans and red kidney beans for instance cooked in | | | | ingredients etc from not only Richworth and Rod |
| loads of curry powders and various plant extracts | | | | Hutchinson but many other suppliers. |
| such as liquidised brassicas and other things that most | | | | Of course with increasing competition from all sides |
| people would find surprising - and did very well too. I did | | | | companies like Richworth have massively upped their |
| well on quite a few well researched fruits that I bought | | | | game today - even to the degree of using their own |
| in dehydrated form and re-hydrated in various | | | | bore-hole so they use relatively uncontaminated water |
| innovative ways. These and many other ideas were | | | | instead of mains tap water in bait production. Actually I |
| incorporated within many of my homemade baits over | | | | am not sure why all commercial boilies made |
| the years. For instance I used chick pea flour instead | | | | commercially are not fast steamed these days - |
| of soya flour and this works well with a few added | | | | protein baits were always far more effective with the |
| additions to perk it up. Soya flour is a universally-used | | | | least cooking possible (if any at all) but boiling also |
| cheap bait ingredient so for me that was one to avoid | | | | damages and washes out so much in a bait. |
| and find replacements for. | | | | These days I find that using refined protein-rich highly |
| Bait is not all about protein though and baits catch fish | | | | digestible extracts in high doses in relatively moderately |
| long-term without being sorted for limiting amino acids; | | | | protein-rich economical homemade base mixes works |
| after all, how many foods are you hooked on that are | | | | fine. This includes fishing against all the commercial |
| not sorted for amino acids?! Protein baits have so | | | | readymade baits I have tested my homemade baits |
| many factors you can adjust and manipulate or omit | | | | against in the past 5 years. My focus is far more on |
| or enhance or whatever you like. Back in the | | | | exploiting totally unique and new or little-used bioactive |
| seventies I used loads of different meats in canned | | | | substances these days. |
| forms and fresh and I found the fresh pork used in | | | | Many anglers get hung up too much on protein levels |
| certain local brands of pork pies caught loads more | | | | and potential digestion. This is without them truly |
| fish than any of the tinned spams, luncheon meats, | | | | appreciating that other factors can be equally if not |
| hams and bacon grill and chicken products I tried. | | | | even more important because frankly fish are not |
| These days casein or rather various grades and | | | | merely turned onto feeding by amino acids alone! For |
| forms of this are milk fraction or extract are used in | | | | instance the success of tiger nuts is not just due to |
| many commercial baits but it is not usually used in the | | | | them being rich in 2 particularly essential amino acids |
| kind of levels and proportions it used to be used at in | | | | significant in attraction and feeding stimulation. |
| the very high protein milk protein bait days. Fred Wilton | | | | Very many other factors are at play too in regards to |
| based his protein baits around milk proteins and | | | | instant energy hits, enhanced palatability and its |
| particularly caseins and other caseinates. When you | | | | impacts on repeated consumption impacts. Also for |
| see how many essential amino acids and high levels of | | | | example there is the potent internal action of its very |
| them that carp need that are present in caseins you | | | | high levels of special soluble fibre and the various |
| can see why he chose this and indeed many basal | | | | ways tiger nut substances all impact upon carp |
| test feeds for fish and other animals often utilise | | | | internally boosting digestion, metabolism and through-put |
| casein. | | | | etc which is of really massive importance. |
| Different caseins are used in baits for various reasons | | | | Such things are far over and above any so-called |
| and for various purposes but compared to calcium | | | | crunch factor which so many anglers think is important |
| caseinate and sodium caseinate they are denser and | | | | but is so very highly over-rated even by many higher |
| less soluble in performance. Caseins have many | | | | profile anglers who have just not done their |
| aspects about them that lend them to bait making. For | | | | homework! (For further information on making, |
| example instead of using wheat flour, soya flour, maize | | | | adapting, designing and boosting your baits see my |
| flour or semolina to bind my early sausage meat | | | | website Baitbigfish right now! |