hutch

Like the others there is nothing like a good quality fishmeal to help the carp meet it's dietary requirements to keep them healthy. I have been on a water where they didn't really respond to fishmeals when I was there originally but I returned for a session last year and had 3 on a fish/liver bait. By flavour I guess you are meaning the overall smell of the bait ? , carp don't detect smell like humans do (some would argue they don't even smell as such but have a function is the equivalent), yes there some great mixes out there based on some of the above but they offer very little back to the fish in the way of nutritional value, there main function is for quick leakage of liquid based attractors. There greatest expanse of energy is when they feed so they will keep picking baits up that they think are food in hope it is giving them something back, but they wise up to the fact that they get nothing back from certain items eventually. Also fruit and nut flavours can work on a fishmeal bait, some of the best fishmeals have a fruit flavour added to them BFM with cranberry springs to mind. Never used these as they are not much more than glycerine and flavour with a dye added, just like the activators (before you ask I have seen lab analysis on the activators and there isn't really much to them unless you like paying for water). That word again smell, it is how they smell to you as a human not the fish (how baits smell to humans is like a bait company jedi mind trick 😁), on a giving the fish something back argument there is nothing in use in the bait industry that betters some of the fish/krill/squid based meals on nutritional value for the fish. Also although you seem to be doing well at the minute and I hope you milk it for ever fish you can, from my experience these types of bait can tail off alot quicker. Also its down to how much you feel flavours play in the great bait puzzle, most offer very little . Due to the lack of nutritional value in most of the above mixes they mainly disappear straight down the poop chute and end up getting crapped out all over your mat The best anglers on here you will find have 1 bait they have complete trust in and they keep to it, if your on 1 water and tend to stay on that water keeping to 1 bait and not over complicating it will work better than changing all the time to what is in vogue. That said if you are fishing multiple waters then a high attract bait can pay dividends. Was lead to something recently Nick that suggested that they really struggle with the complex carbs that appear in some baits and there main sources of energy come from lipids and certain protein conversion, was from a good source but left me scratching my head so make of it what you will.

This one could spin in ever decreasing circles for ever. People making bait expands to a massive circle not just big companies any more, the problem from smaller start ups will be pressure from there buyers to have a shelf life option the required finance to get it right will out way the quick fix fill it full of potassium sorbate option, bigger companies have invested a little bit of time and money to get this right (some will still cut corners to hit price though) looking at alternative methods of making it work. Some one mentioned dates on some shelf life's and im guessing these are using a process that just prolongs the life of the bait to a point where the buyer will have used it. There are companies that alter there mixes by reducing the amount of the volatile ingredients that cause it go off (are shelf life's different to freezer baits if your doing this they are), improving there system for removing the moisture and like Nick suggests a good dip in sugar would probably get long enough out of them. For every company doing it right there is probably 2 doing it wrong, there are some baits I have seen pictures of that shouldn't be allowed to be put in the water, stories of lake owners netting there lakes and scoping up kilos and kilos of none broken down bait is not a good place to be in, if the lake water can't break them down what are the doing to the fishes digestive tract. I have also seen lab analysis on company X bait, which is aimed at colder water and is said to contain a high lipid content than there fishmeal offerings but the lab report on the shelf life version showed percentages nowhere near what they had published in a mag. So the mag values must have been for the freezer bait option.

The buoyancy in krill meal generally depends on how much shrimp meal its been cut with, I have seen baits that are pushing towards 20% with the right quality meal, in a commercial bait I doubt there is any more than 5% in there, like Pete Springate I currently use it at 10% in my current mix.

I used to think this way and i'm sure some people/companies do it better than others but there are some scary baits appearing on the market that are not much more than a lump of cereal meals and being preserved using preservatives that are no better than the ones from yester year. As with tackle there are money men floating round in the bait industry for a fast buck.

Some really good posts on this one and covered a lot of what I would have put. But I will through this in although i don't believe they require nutritionally anything different maybe there feeding elements are more sensitive/acute to specific elements, so outside of what has already been mentioned like calcium and sweet based ingredients/liquids, possibly certain organic acids (original scopex & banana flavours were based on n butyric both known for catching out commons), aniseed EO is another one. Never knew that Vic learn something new every day, with that in mind maybe a bait that has a good balance of carbs and protein would catch them out more as oppose to one that is mainly designed for its protein levels.

Stretch your budget a little and read this. probably one of the most inspirational carp books you will pick up http://www.littleegretpress.com/index.php?action=viewbook&id=162

Must be a lot of upset carp that live in lakes that have had dye added to stop weed growth as that is predominantly blue.

That's a belter that one chill

Apologies that link appears to be broken unless you copy and paste it directly into a new tab or browser window and it is to late to edit the post. If anyone does want the pdf i can send them a direct link

As one angler I doubt you would cause fish to go belly up so you would never see an issue, the issues highlighted are based around the long term use of preserved shelf life's on the aquatic environment of a water and also long term effects on the fish that are constantly exposed to preserved food. Alot of the big companies process for making ready mades has altered, I think Nash reduce the amount of the ingredients that cause the bait to go off then put them through some form of advanced drying process to achieve the shelf life status. But alot of places are still going down the Potassium Sorbate based route using excess quantities to preserve longer. Th other question about shelf life's, is down to the place you buy them from, how long has that bag been sat on the shelf, there are people that have known boilies to be sat in tackle shops for years, for me even a shelf life has a shelf life if you see what i mean

I will leave these here, a link for the German paper that was done in 2008 if anyone is interested and the views from a very well known angler that has spent many years in and around the bait industry Acute toxicity of preservative chemicals in organic baits used in carp, Cyprinus carpio, recreational fishing Also knowing one of Nick's previous places of employment that handle several large bait firms contracts im sure he has seen some of the processes first hand. As for me I don't trust anyone of the big players in the bait making industry the big boys are constantly coming up with gimmicks to extract our money

Pigeon Conditioner, probably the most uk wide outlet i could find Pigeon Conditioner I would say nearly every basemix out there has soya and semo at some level in it as they have function soya fats/oil and veg protein content and semo for its properties to bind doesn't offer anything nutritional really but has a function, the lines are very blurred these days as to what is an out and out mix of 1 variety or another, I would ignore the pigeon holing and look for a balanced solution, my main mix currently contains elements of all 3. No hard or fast rules here just the limits of your imagination, for example liver works brilliant in a birdfood bait but works in a fishmeal equally as well. Fruit flavours have been used in fishmeals for years and so on. Hope that clears a few things up for you.

Pet shop or farm shop should sell pigeon conditioner The baileys can be a very good digestive aid so not all bad Bait and seasons most of it is old wives tales mate, balance is the key to any recipe when wanting to use it all year round, what you have there will catch all year round in IMO, they will still eat fishmeal even during the coldest temperatures the problem is during the periods when the water is colder there metabolism slows right down which means if they eat a lot of fishmeal type products it takes them a lot longer to digest. Mr Hearn suggested as long as 2 weeks when he experimented with his pond fish. Also there diet seems to switch it more carbs/fats based due to the fact they get a faster energy hit from this type of ingredient. So using your recipe if your really worried reduce the trout pellet content by 10-15% and use a combination of the soya, semo and baileys in equal measures to replace it and you have a winterised version :).

I was just trying to make a mix out of what you already had, If you have any questions about making a proper base mix feel free to ask there are others on here not just me that will be able to help. Spotted Fin, CC Moore, Haiths, British Aqua Feeds (my current main supplier), Feed Stimulants in Holland are all sources of good quality ingredients. Outside of that good asain supermarkets or farm supply stores are good places to source ingredients

Boil as usual, 1.5minutes will probably get them firm enough, less if you want them softer longer if you want them harder. Some birdfoods/CLO (my preference) does have breadcrumb as part of its make up as well as seeds etc ..., birdfoods have added benefit through there natural oil content, veg protein that some of them contain plus it helps with binding as well as giving your bait a bit of texture.

This is a very rough guide, which won't have you spending a lot of money to get you started. 40% Blitzed Trout pellets (down to a Powder) 10% Micronized Wheat (Baileys Number 1) 20% Soya Flour 20% Semolina 10% Blitzed Bread or Birdfood if you can get some. Use eggs then add the liquidised corn until you get a bound ball, I'm a bit unsure of the inclusion rate of liquidised sweetcorn as I have never used it and other people I have asked have used either corn syrup or Nash sweet corn extract. Might be worth draining some of water off the liquidised corn you will probably get somewhere around 50ml - 100ml of it in (pure guess work)

From a quick look the mix is to dry and course and lacks binding properties by the look of it, forget the cornflakes, sugar, half the poppy seeds (if you must use them). What other sources have you got for ingredients be that bait firm, farm shop, supermarket etc.

Ive heard good things about the Korum Digitals Korum Digital Scales More matchman tax than carp tax

All Fluorocarbons are desgined to be used for stiff or semi stiff rigs the more supple ones are designed to be used if the bottom is a not quite clean as due to fluoros natural stiffness it can sit up on uneven bottoms, its a selling feature that fluorocarbons are invisible in water but that only applies in the more clearer waters as its the light penetrating it that makes it invisible, if your lake has choddy or silty bottom then it collects debris an becomes slightly more visible. For bottom bait rigs it works best IMO with conventual D style rigs rather than a conventional hair style type of rig.

My personal preferred method but not what the OP was asking so I didn't mention it.

This any use to you http://www.carpology.net/articles/rigs/tie-a-soft-hair-to-a-stiff-section-of-hooklink

I have been using size 8 fox zig/floater hooks recently with the zig alingas, other people may vary some prefer small hooks others don't

Carp spend most of there time somewhere in the water column depending on weather conditions, zigs allow you to try and fish for them in areas other than the surface or the bottom. Pop ups will work as will foam, with foam it is more likely what it is made up of that makes them take it unflavoured (try listening to the first Frank Warwick carp cast), personally I have had success soaking foam in CC Moore;s Natural Blend (not available any more ), I think Nige soaks his in Essentials Thaumatin-B and I have friends that use Betalin (Both are similar sweet based products) as well with good success rates.

Best thing i can say is read Nige's post in this thread https://www.carp.com/topic/22982-zig-masters/?tab=comments#comment-298559

Was that his 90's rave name Thats what i was getting at, you have given an example where its just the hook section that will reset, for me as long as the hookbait presentation is reset your still fishing, so not all rigs have to fully straighten out to be effective.