Best and Easiest Natural Carp Fishing Baits
Carp fishing is becoming popular these days. Many people try to catch carp but don’t get much impression from this omnivorous creature.
There is a reason why everyone can not catch carp, which we will discuss later. Carp fish are one of the most intelligent freshwater fish, which have the ability to learn, remember routines, and adapt to the environment. Not only that, carp fish can also remember any uncomfortable experience, like being caught by an Angler, and can avoid that situation. I am not kidding, I got this from Google. That means you have to be smarter than a carp if you want to catch any.
There is nothing to worry about, just read this blog and follow it, I hope you will become smarter than a carp while selecting baits.
Through this inclusive guide, I want to disclose all types of useful baits used by many anglers. I will also discuss the eating behavior and bait strategy of carp fish and the best alternatives to their wild food.
But I will not cover any fancy artificial baits; I will only talk about natural baits that you can collect from the store beside your house or even make yourself.
Behavior of carp fish:
There are mainly 5 types of carp that anglers usually target, each of which has its own habits of food and life. However, most of the time you will go fishing, you will target the common carp. This carp is known for its size and strength, and it is the most popular fish of its species. Otherwise, there are herbivorous grass carp, Silver Carp, Bighead Carp, and rarely Black carp. Nevertheless, I will be talking about the ordinary carp, meaning the common carp’s attitude.
The diet of carp largely depends on where they live. These fish naturally find food on the bottom, using their small barbels to dig through mud and gravel to find food. This is because they are omnivores, like humans. They eat a wide variety of foods, including insects, small aquatic animals, and plants. These fish aren’t picky eaters, they’ll go after almost any meal that comes their way.
That’s part of the fun, but it also means they can be a challenge to catch. Summer is the best time for carp fishing. Seeing these fish prefer warm places. If they can find it, they are more active in warmer water than in colder water; they eat more and move more. However, in cold water, they move less and eat less, and try to migrate to the warmer side of the water.
So if you want to catch these fish, you need to find a warm place. It is not that difficult. You can catch them near a pond with a little sunlight; that will be the best place to hook them.
Knowing these details can massively help you improve your carp fishing game. It helps you choose the right bait, use the best fishing methods, and gives you a better chance of landing one of these clever fish. Now, let’s look at some of the top bait options that work best for catching carp.
Best baits to catch Carp Fish
Selecting bait is one of the most important things in carp fishing. So, let me tell you about the baits that you can use to catch carp. You can catch carp generally with two types of bait: natural food and plastic bait.
This blog will be about natural food baits; we will talk about plastic bait in another blog. Natural food baits can make your carp fishing day much better. Natural baits have flavors that plastic baits do not; likewise, most of the baits you can make at home or easily buy from the store.
Breads:
It may look simple, but one of the best baits for carp, also the easiest one. Don’t think it’s easy, it’s not that good. Bread is very effective for them, it can be used for both top and bottom fishing.
Before using bread, you need to see where you are fishing, where the fish eat from, or what their food source is. If you see that they are getting food from humans, then you can use bread because then it will match their habit, and they will eat it. Anyhow, if you see that they don’t eat much food from humans and they are not used to this food, then it is better not to use bread. In such a situation, you can try worms.
Sorry, I’m rambling, not telling you how to use bread. If you want to do surface fishing, then you can catch fish by attaching dry bread to the fishing hook. And if you want to do bottom fishing, then first you need to make a smooth mold by lightly soaking your bread in water so that your hook can sink into the water.
At this stage, you can add some flavour to the bread, else you can add a little sugar. This will help you get maximum results.
Sweet Corns:
You may have eaten sweet corn and maybe even liked it. But have you ever thought that you could catch fish with it? Sweet corn is a popular bait for many anglers around the world. Anglers prefer sweet corn when fishing for carp because it is easy to find, easy to use, and very effective for carp.
It stands out clearly on the bottom of the lake, especially in murky water. Its bright color, soft texture, and natural sweetness of this bait can easily attract passing fish; it also has a sweet taste, which is enough to attract carp. Carp are naturally curious and often eat grains and seeds, so sweet corn feels familiar and safe to them.
The easiest way to fish with sweet corn is to hook it directly. Slide one or two kernels onto your hook so that the point is just visible. It works great for small to medium-sized carp and is ideal for float fishing or lasering. Similarly, if you want a better hookup, you can use a hair rig instead of putting corn directly on the hook. Sweet corn has always given good results in carp fishing, so hopefully it will give you a wildfire result too.
Dough Balls:
Dough balls are one of the oldest and easiest baits used in carp fishing. It can be easily made at home. Dough balls are very popular among traditional and serious anglers, which helps them create something different from the rest. Customizing them with aroma, flavor, and seeds makes them highly effective and attractive to carp.
The soft texture makes them easy for carp to eat, and they also hold up well on the hook when properly seasoned with the right amount of ingredients. From large to small, from lake to river, you can target almost any size carp in any situation. But how do you make one? Let me tell you some proven homemade recipes for making dough balls.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg
- ½ cup flax seeds (crushed) or chia seeds
- ¼ cup millet or bird seed mix (boiled and drained)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- ½ cup water (adjust as needed)
- A few drops of vanilla extract (optional but adds attraction)
Start by mixing the dry ingredients ( cornmeal and flour) in a bowl. Then add the egg, followed by sugar and a few drops of vanilla to give the bait a sweet and nice smell. The key part of this recipe is controlling the moisture. Add water slowly, a little at a time, so the dough doesn’t get too wet.
If you’re using seeds like millet, boil them first until they become soft. Using dry seeds can ruin the smoothness of the bait by soaking up too much water. After boiling, drain the seeds and mix them in with the rest of the dough. If you follow these steps, your dough will turn out smooth, sweet, and perfect for catching carp. Finally, roll it into small balls, and your homemade bait is ready for fishing.
Boilies:
Boils may not be among the natural baits, but I couldn’t help but mention it. There is a cause of becoming Boilies, one of the most popular baits for carp. Boilies are universally recognized as a legendary bait for carp fishing. From beginners to experts, every angler uses boilies regularly to catch fish.
These ready-to-use baits are generally made with Fishmeal, Soy flour, Semolina, Milk proteins, Eggs, Liquid flavors, seeds, and grains, making them a top choice for carp to eat. Another great thing about boilies is that they slowly release scent in the water, drawing carp in from a distance.
There are many types of boilies to use in different situations. The only barrier to using boilies is the price, which is a bit higher in comparison to the other carp baits. However, you will forget about the price after seeing the effectiveness of this bait. You will not be able to completely understand how many more benefits it has if you do not use it. That is why it is most recommended.
Earthworms:
Worms are a natural part of the carp diet, so it makes sense to use them for fishing. Especially in seasons like winter and autumn, when the temperatures are cold, worms become a good choice. You can easily collect worms from bait shops, or dig them up from your garden or lakeside. Stick them on a hook, and your bait is ready. Worms are highly nutritious and easily digestible, and they also have a natural body motion that works great when fishing for carp. Worms do their job in every season, in every situation. So you can give it a try.
Maggots:
Maggots are basically the larval stage of a fly, and a beneficial bait for carp fishing. Maggots are a classic and highly effective bait for catching carp, especially in colder months when fish get lazy and feed less. Their natural movement in the water easily grabs the carp’s attention and triggers a feeding response. Maggots are small, soft, and easy to digest, making them perfect for carps. Most of the time, anglers use them with float rigs, feeder setups where maggots are released slowly, or add them to groundbait mixes to make a powerful feeding area. They are used alone or in bunches on a hook or hair rig for best results. Maggots and worms are both used mostly in the colder seasons, and give a better result. Hopefully give you a better result also.
No one is stopping you from using anything. You can use whatever you like or find convenient. I have given you ideas and told you how to do it. So hopefully, if you follow these things, your fishing experience will be much better. Good luck.
