So a need of a quick edit, just as I was readying this on the site. News had reached me that NashBait of NashTackle has closed. Now, whatever your thoughts on any company and their baits, and every angler it seems has that opinion, one thing is certain, that should not be forgotten NashBait had helped pave the way, in some cases, perhaps inspire people. The guys at the top, notably Kevin Nash and Gary Bayes, both have stood with the likes of Rod Hutchinson in years past, have been lucky enough to see advancements in the bait world, basically help create them, and with good people too. As much as I pretty much never used their bait, we all need to be aware of what they bought to the table, the awareness they helped to creating bait. Thats is a fact. as the saying goes, things change, shit happens and so forth - it's all true. If you fished using their bait, or even not, wish them well and thank them for your own personal carp fishing memories.
Right, before you dive in, this article may provoke, may have you question - I hope it does. The words laid before you were learned from a) People who know what they are talking about, who don’t push products. b) Not being given the answers. c) Bloody minded research and outside the box thinking. d) Making mistakes with learning from them and e) listening, but not being influenced.
I gave up angling for a year to learn this bait making weirdness, stepping away from what I call ‘tight, average punter baits’. I didn’t want my bait, rolled that way anymore, perfectly round and tight. So, when it came to my bait, I didn’t want to make some wild claims and then see it sit in the lake for days slowly dying, eventually being picked up by a lone inquisitive fish, rather than the attractive ingredients pulling the fish in. For my bait, I wanted water in, attractors out, bait gone, fish on!
It’s a necessary evil to reiterate past posts here; that, my attitude to make bait, derives from the frustration of bait choices available, that have very little or no info about them. For me, I need to know the ins and out of the bait, and as much as luck can play a part, I feel anglers should know their bait, especially if you are a boilie only angler. I want to know which one works better this part of the year as opposed to the later or the next. With seeing anglers at the shelves, scratching their heads, just going with the flow. Why aren’t they asking? It's not their fault, but their confidence and in some cases, indecision, does need a boost, a nudge, and if you are new to the sport, then yes, you are in trouble. Without hesitation, ,unless you are hardcore, then you can thank social media- the ‘echo chamber of delights’. Anglers bust a nut over wanting an edge but will never have one in these circumstances.
Anyone ever had their school report say ‘…he’s easily led’ you’ll know what I’m getting at.
So, whether its a long or short session - we want you to catch, and the size, just doesn’t matter - You will only ever catch what is in front of the rods, and available in the lake at that given time. That my friend is fishing.
My main discussion points are not to influence per say, but some literal food for thought. Before, you dive in, I wanted to start the article at the end, with what I regard as a possible problem:
Issues:
Trends! Are you that angler, with the need to have whats current, or told how to catch a carp? Or is it about looking carpy enough over actually catching carp. Is the importance of carp fishing the latest bits off the shelf, or for want of a better word—‘fashionable’ , having fashionable gear. With that 10 man bivvy, Carlos Fandango Super-Fast Boiling Kettles or even that matte green paint job on your van. Will any of it put more carp on the bank? Really?
No. They won’t.
So why do many anglers insist on having all the gear, with most fishing alone, nobody sees them, and yet, why are they unrelenting on skimping the quality on the actual business end that determines the point of fishing? Whenever you choose a good bait—whether handmade or one of the rarer, quality machine-made ones—you are absolutely paying for knowledge, performance, and reliability. You want actual food in a carp, not a take-out. These are things not every bait maker can guarantee, not even with their best advertising. After all, all that glitters...
When was the last time you saw a Ferrari advert? The answer is, you didn’t.
If I didn’t make bait, there are only two bait makers I would go to (3 at a push), and neither of them sell via a shop - and are possibly the furthest from being as commercial as you can get. I won’t disclose who they are, that’s my angling secret for now, and my advantage of being different and having a greater edge over the next carp angler if and when it ever comes to it.
Next time before you’re about to spend money for the latest fishing gear, stop, and do a bit of bait research instead, ask around properly, not on the social media, enquire about the not so ‘popular’, but ask some questions then hand your green over instead. But do remember, these so called bait experts with influential online videos that crop up don’t count in my eyes. Research with a fish tank, is totally moot. There’s no angling climate or conditions and the tank is 98% of the time devoid of fish. So, these things are also of a very subjective opinion. The tests do not in any way equate to anything, except how is looks in still tap water after 24hrs. If you want to test a bait, put it in a lake and fish it. That’s the proof, to its longevity, how it needs to be fished, are the conditions right for that particular flavour, it’s appearance over time, and aroma if you are fishing silt -makes sense right. Also, social media noddies, are guaranteed to grumble about pricing, with no experience nor knowledge of bait making nor understanding of cost under their belts, especially for small companies. Smaller companies aren’t set up in order to take your cash, they are set up from passion.
So, pointers for consideration.
Handmade ‘vs’ Mass Produced Bait
Carp will eat nearly anything. That’s fact. But when comes to persuading them to eat your boilies, what’s better - handmade or mass-produced machined bait? Sure, a few factory baits are solid/excellent. But, for anglers who really care about bait quality, the answer becomes clear fast, and those in that particular circle, knows that the most popular of baits may not necessarily be the best. Sponsored anglers of popular branded bait companies are successful because in a sense they aren’t doing what the masses follow. Some are rolling their own bait using the sponsors ingredients - they know their stuff, dose rate levels, added extras, maybe with a bit of citric here, maybe some vitamins there. This will in turn put them into the hand made category. Granted they may get sent a few kilo of ‘freebies’, but on the business end they are creating greater success for their catch rate.
You see where this going now?
For those who craft every batch manually, knows that handmade bait can offer several advantages over its mass-produced counterpart. As much as mass produced baits might get a tweak through the seasons to suit, chances are most aren’t because I guess companies won’t deem it viable, so, Mr Average angler carries on, week in week out. But, what if you want to have that edge, and you want more from your bait, what would you need to look for..?
Texture -
Machine-made bait can lack (not all) a more natural looking texture that carp are drawn to, less suspicious looking so to speak. Mass production methods may prioritize efficiency over quality, resulting in mix that alters its form to simply run easier through a machine correctly - resulting in becoming too dense and almost too uniform - that smooth and ‘clean shaven’ look that has been embedded into the angling psyche. For those not aware, the boilie is and was only made round to go through a throwing stick, NOT to look pretty.
Handmade bait can allow for better water solubility and inconsistent texture that enhances flavour dispersion. Again, "Water in, flavour out." Machine-rolled bait may even need a bit of a tickle to manage this
Freshness -
All this banging on about bait freshness - oy vay …really!! - your bait is only as fresh as the time it was made then packed, sat in factory storage, transported perhaps for hours, followed by shop storage or shop shelf display- that could be months. All this coupled with a different ambient temperatures at any given time. But this ‘freshness’ lark isn’t necessarily guaranteed. Even freezer bait has been frozen for a time, it still will still have a life span - even your own food has. These days, company reps are shouting out "stabilizers" over preservatives- yet it’s another buzzword to make you feel the need to buy it for better without an explanation. Overall its a use of re-branding. We have preserves in our own food daily, so its a kind of odd thing to be shouting right? Stabilizers themselves are generally used as a texture/consistency additive, and along the way they’ve become an indirect form of preservation, I could delve deeper into reducing bacteria via stabilizers but this isn’t a science lesson. As handmade bait is usually made in smaller batches, dried, and shipped immediately, that’s a better freshness. But to generalize, bait with or without any form of preserve is at its best around 4 days after its dried out. If baits are frozen, to keep fresher, thawing them out with re-hydration will only put around 80 -85% of moisture back to the bait.
Ingredients with Fish Care in Mind, is it a thing? -
…in some cases maybe, but as mentioned before, is the carp angler concerned about it over whats in the bait, vitamins use for attraction yet also for health and so on? Factory bait are made with cost-efficiency in mind. So, that could possibly mean fillers with little nutritional value. Think of it like fast food: tasty, but not necessarily good long term. Quick to tease, yet not satiating, nor beneficial, but, still gets a bite - for a time.
With more selective ingredients, a bait can be both highly attractive and beneficial to the fish, to indefinitely keep them coming back and choosing a good meal. Carp, as they get bigger, become more sensitive to what they eat, and quality bait can make the difference between a successful session and a wasted few days on the water. So, pumping them full of goodness and keeping them in good condition for the next person to enjoy - surely this should be adhered to.
What I’m saying is, and not to disparage anyone out there, don’t just buy ‘the’ bait just for popularity’s sake to keep up with the Jones’s. Nor with the notion, which seems to be echoed as a selling point too much, that every carp boilie has to have eggshell because of the crunch factor and the calcium intake. Yes, you could see it as a type of supplement addition, but as a selling point, just no. The water our carp swim in provides more than enough calcium and then some, think about it, eggshell was not a natural part of its environment the last time I looked, and if you want a good crunch? Then maybe more seeds should be adhered to during production stage and give them some omega3 to consume in the process. So, my point is make the bait you use count—whether it’s a good machined one or handmade, You (and the carp) won’t regret it.
Small Business Care and Attention -
As an example, when you buy handmade bait from us or another small bait making unit, you’re not just getting a product - you’re supporting a business that cares about it’s craft. A lot of the smaller bait guys are like this, its a passion coupled with intense knowledge and perfected based on real fishing experiences, not just tank tested guff for a reaction from singular ingredients.
On a small scale, making new things take time, we know whats what with ingredients, as new baits are individually crafted from scratch. We aren’t in the habit of re-flavouring the same base mix over and over - it serves no place. Out of ten ideas, eight might fail. The ones that survive? These are subjective to testing, before a choice is made on the outcome of either. As a small business, we can experiment and adapt. Whether it’s adjusting ingredients for seasonal changes or creating special blends based on team or customer feedback. Customizing may take longer in this respect to produce, but some people deem it worth it, especially the more hardcore anglers.
Supporting Local Businesses -
Choosing handmade bait supports local businesses and genuine people behind the product. Yes, factory bait does catch fish, but not everyone wants the same thing, in most cases some people just simply in need a bag of bait for fishing in the warm weather, but, some we know are more particular as we’ve mentioned. What ever the choice, your purchase helps continue to refine the craft and to offer a quality product made with passion and dedication.
What does this mean overall and lead to? It leads to investing in quality, whether it’s bait or otherwise, also it means you are supporting your economy. We’ve all been heard saying support small businesses…well are you? The money you spend doesn’t just sustain a business or any other small venture; it circulates within your community. This idea, known as the velocity of money, means that every pound spent locally helps build stronger businesses, better research and service, and more economic resilience for everyone involved.
My final words…until next time
Yes, I have an opinion, people won’t always agree with me, and that’s fine right, points and views need airing. you’ve just read a fair bit of them. The world of carp bait making holds a lot of myths and yet half truths and much misinformation too, its a mish mash of food science, fish behaviour and a whole lot of trial and error. The subject matter of bait, is huge, there’s always something new I pick up on, I’m constantly learning and when I feel it relevant, I pass info to the team, to help give them an inside look of the bait they use and help gain those small edges.
The team, yeah, THE team….its changed over the years for sure, people come and go, but without any of them, I wouldn’t be this far down the road for sure. I’d probably be looking for an alternative bait, outside the box, none of that popular stuff, or I’d be making just one of my own - keep it simple.
But yeah, THE TEAM…
If you were there - thank you…
If you are here now, either you survived or are present - an even bigger thank you. You know who you are. X
_Jay