Hi Paul (or anyone else)...in an earlier thread (which I no longer see) you made the statement in several instances about "properly baiting" or "properly applying baits".....(in the post you also found it funny for the angler to have used 3 different baits in a short period of time)...anywho my question regarding this is:

Do you have a reference or could you explain what you mean by "applying or introducing a bait properly?"

My second question is also along the lines of baiting....you mention on several instances that BFM is a bait you will always be able to fish as it is a "food bait"...my question here is 2 fold....what constitutes a "food bait?" (ignorance on my part says meals/grains etc. are all foods) the 2d part of that question....do you see being able to catch the "same" fish repeatedly with the same bait over time?

Thanks in Advance.

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Buckeye Bob
CAG Member
Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Have a Great Day and Better Tomorrow

Food baits and their application started in the UK with an angler called Fred Wilton way back in 1968. Fred's concept was to put together a bait that was so nutritionally superior to any other bait that the carp would prefer it to any other bait. The theory was based on instinctive drive - that a carp had the ability to recognise a good source of food after eating it. By giving the bait a distinctive label in the form of a smell, the carp would learn after steady introduction over a period of time to associate that smell with the good source of food, and it would then seek it out in preference to nutritionally inferior baits or natural food.
The theory had massive impact, and Fred and his companions had enormous success by literally emptying the lakes they fished.
Since then baits have become more refined, but the basis of the theory still lies with Wilton. The Big Fish Mix I use is a more advanced bait than Wilton's and more nutritional. It also has more complex smell/attractors. I have been using this bait on one water for three years and over that period of time have probably caught 90% of the fish - some several times over. If I continue to fish that water I will still continue to use the same bait and I've no doubt it will keep catching very well. This pattern has been repeated on every water I've fished over the last twenty years. The secret lies in continually introducing the bait in quantity over a period of time - and not changing it. During a summer/autumn I will probably use something like 60kg (dry mix) of boilies on one water. By using that degree of bait it will never lose effectiveness since the carp are eating a lot of risk-free food and therefore do not develop a caution when they come across the hookbait.
I've tried to explain it clearly - but I'm not sure if I have!
Any further questions/issues I'm happy to discuss.
Nice to hear from you Buckeye. Food baits may not be necessary now in the US but in years to come as the numbers of carp anglers grows and pressure on lakes increases, then the food value of baits will become important. Incidentally, the bait company I am a consultant for, Nutrabaits, is starting to distribute some baits across the US I believe.
[This message has been edited by Paul Selman (edited 02-07-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Paul Selman (edited 02-07-2000).]

Thanks Paul....great explanation. Your last paragraph describes part of my motivation coupled with the interest in contributing to the heath of the fish in my local waters and a personal interest in gaining knowledge on my favorite hobby. Although I've fished for carp for many years....the use of groundbaits and pre-baiting are things I've only practiced the last couple of years. Kind of figure the use of proper baits and tecniques is an item of mutual interest and benefit to me and the fish now that "quantities" of food are being introduced instead of just a hookbait.

Your answer however does raise another question. You mention their identification of the bait and your not changing the bait....does changing flavors change this "long term" effectiveness and identity fingerprint of a good base mix?....ie. I notice you and some other anglers I've come to trust mention the use of different flavors. My confidence flavors have always been anise, strawberry, and maple with effectivness varying depending on conditions.

Again, thanks for your time and efforts in what may be considered "basic" questions.

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Buckeye Bob
CAG Member
Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Have a Great Day and Better Tomorrow

This long term food bait approach is now producing spectacular results in the barbel fishing world too. My understanding of the flavour question is that, if you had a stretch of river to yourself, or even a carp lake to yourself, you would need no flavour addition. The base mix is the vital ingredient.
It is competition from other anglers that forces us to create our own 'label', and in this regard you make it as difficult to mimic as possible. The reason is simple. If you use an easily identified flavour such as strawberry, someone else may latch on to it but use it on a poor quality base, or at too high a flavour level. This is what makes a flavour blow. In our barbel fishing, Matthew and I have found that repeat captures are common, although of course not deliberate, because our base mix is top quality and our label has not been divulged to anyone.

Paul's summary of the prebaiting requirement establishing a food bait is totally in line with our findings on rivers with barbel and big chub. There is one point I would like to clarify. I note he uses the Big Fish Mix and has based his comments on that base. Two of my most successful baits have been based on Nutrabaits Hi-Nu-Val, and John Baker's Supamilk, which are high protein milks. Some barbel anglers using similar bases have noted they need far less prebaiting than with other bases such as the BFM. In fact, I have been told by a very successful barbel angler that milk protein based food baits need hardly any prebaiting. Matthew and I did prebait, with excellent results, but was much of that effort wasted. I look forward to comments on this.

Hi Paul....it appears you answered my 2d question regarding flavors/scents in your 1st answer as well...noticed that when I was making some notes...thanks again.

Paul wrote: By giving the bait a distinctive label in the form of a smell

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Buckeye Bob
CAG Member
Buckeye Lake, Ohio
Have a Great Day and Better Tomorrow