Whist sitting contemplating the meaning of life last night by the lake (you have all been there), I was running through the idea of Why we add flavours to base mixes.

Does anyone know of a NATURAL flavour, ie snail, bloodworm etc etc.

After I finish off my bait for this year Im playing with the idea of rolling my own (again) but want to get away from using flavours that seem more at home making the fishermen want to eat them.

I possible I dont want to use any flavour at all, but create or add to an existing base mix. So what needs to go into a base mix, starting from scratch, an all round bait for early season to the end is what I am after.

Bait gurus, your replies please.

Lancs.

Trying getting some snails and bloodworms and getting them in the blender. Doesn't come any more natural than that.

I did use a lobworm extract, many years ago but I have got to admit I did not persevere with it.

Regards Axeman.

Crush up your broken egg shells and add them to the mix as well,it shouldn`t affect the rolling properties but will help to make a bait more permeable and give the carp something to crunch on.

Axe, I was thinking about something like that, and have recently been given a blender, however Im not too sure if it would work to the desired effect.

Multi vitamins, feed enhancers, palatants, additives, what else is there to think about.

I have seen that you can purchase individual ingredients to make your own basemixes,,,has anyone done this.

Lancs,
Alot of bait companies have dropped or reduced their selection of individual base mix components in favour of packaged base mixes probably due to lack of demand and a reluctance amongst anglers to play about and mix their own.
I must admit apart from enhancers and a bit of robin red here and there i don`t bother mixing my own these days tending to use a mixture of prepackage Nutrabaits and Nev Ficklings Lucebaits bases.
Health food shops stock egg & milk powder and Casilan, petfood shops for fishmeals,birdfoods.Pay & weigh type shops for soya flour,semolina,wheat germ.
We had a post a while back from Butt Banger who was knocking up 20kg batchs of dry weight fishmeal bait mix sourced from local shops ,it`s really not that differcult.

[This message has been edited by Kevin Babij (edited 10-09-2000).]

Lancs, try this one if you have a nice air tight tub handy.

Quote Butt Banger 13/06/00

2kg Robin Red
3kg S &A meal
2kg Capelin meal
2kg white fish meal
1kg kelp meal
5kg CLO
1kg Nectarblend
2kg Calf milk
3kg Semo

Mixed with 10ml Salmon oil.1ml Protaste,4ml cranberry NF,15ml minamino.

Ingredients are bought from Quality Baits.(This mix costs £40 for 20kg).

Also can you tell where has a reliable supply of CLO - it seems v. hard to get hold of it lately.

Cheers

Butt Banger

Lancs.

I used to use the SBS range of individual ingredients back in the '80s with no problem other than the hassle.

I have read here, or somewhere else, that there a lot of the 'Top guys' who are using the ready made type bait because they believe that they do not come any better. Now then, that said, I am not neccesarily saying I believe that, because sometimes they would wouldn't they. (Sorry for being cynical)

As Lofty hits upon in the 'Trigga' Topic, I believe that if it were not for people who make their own baits, there would be no forward movement and we would all end up using shop bought baits/believing what we are told. Not good for me.

I would just like to finish with a rather strange observation I READ about many years ago regarding Enzymes.

This writer suggested that the reason that Herons were very good fisher'birds'
is because of the natural Enzymes that were released by the birds' feet, whilst stood in the water, thereby attracting the fish to the area around the feet.

Do not read on if you are a very sensitive person. (or you have just had your dinner)

This guy went on to suggest that a good ingriedient for (Fish) baits might be, erm, how do I say this...Male sperm. This is because it also apparently contains lots of natural enzymes.

I am glad he did not reccommend a large amount of it.

I have never tried this, I must add, but it did open my mind to the possible sources (not sauces) for natural ingredients in baits.

Imagine trying to roll that bait

I did warn you.

Apologeticaly Axeman.

Hmm. Now I understand what pva tube is for...

[This message has been edited by lancj1 (edited 10-09-2000).]

Well we always knew there was the odd tosser or two in the carping fraternity.

Kevin.

Makes one wonder if these 'tossers' are the top lads who are catching all the fish.

Axe