Fishing bait is almost any substance used to attract and catch fish, according to Wikipedia. Depending on the fish species and habitat, specific techniques and fish baits are suggested and /or recommended for making homemade fishing bait.
There is an abundance of fish bait that an angler can choose from. Divided into 2 main categories; artificial bait and natural bait. You also have chumming, ground bait, live food, and home-made fish bait.
Home Made Fish Bait
We are going to focus on home-made (DIY) fish bait today. We will provide you with some recipes for home-made fish bait, as well as review options from the 2 categories of bait. There are endless options and possibilities to catch each species of fish.
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There are DIY fish bait recipes for catfish, trout, carp, bass, bluegill, and others. We have also included a video of myself and my son making our own home-made fish bait. We, unfortunately, do not have exact measurements. We just ‘eyeball’ the dry ingredients.
We mainly use our DIY fish bait for catching trout. In the hatchery trout are fed brown pellets of fish food (which is in our bait). They can not resist it if they find it in the wild. I recommend using a bobber and place it about 2 feet up the line because this bait doesn’t float. Please refrigerate so not molding occurs.
Other Trout Fish Bait
Here is one of the many recipes used to catch trout. These all have all been found in our extensive research on the internet.
3.5 cups of water
1.5 cups of flour
½ cup of sugar
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
2 tbsp strawberry jello
2 tbsp maple syrup
Boil the water and then add all of the other ingredients, mixing well. Set it aside and let it cool enough to be able to handle it. Once it is cooled enough put it in a ziplock bag and refrigerate. It only takes a pinch on the end of your hook.
Easy Dough Bait for Trout
½ cup of sugar
¼ pound of processed cheeses
½ cup of cornmeal
½ cup of flour
Melt the cheese in the microwave and add a couple of tablespoons of water, mix well. Add your dry ingredients and mix well again, it will form a dough. If it is sticky, add a little bit more flour. If it seems too stiff you can add a bit more water, a couple of tablespoons at a time. It a lot like making homemade bread dough. Store in an airtight container. If you see it pulling away from the sides, take it out and knead it until it is smooth.
When you are ready to use the dough form it into small balls, ¼ inch in size. Make sure they are smooth. Put them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Take them out and put them on a plate. Once they dry you can use them to catch your trout. Put the dough ball on the hook and let it slide down to the bend. Voila, you are set to go.
Recipes for Catfish Bait
Here are a couple of recipes, also found in our extensive search on the internet, to try next time you go out to catch catfish.
Catfish Dough Bait
1.5 cups of cornmeal
1 cup of flour
16-20 ounces of Big Red (soda)
Anise Oil
Over medium heat cook the cornmeal, flour and desired amount of Anise oil. Add ¾ of a bottle of the Big Red soda. Stirring constantly until most of the liquid is absorbed. The dough should be stiff and sticky.
This step is extremely important: flour a surface and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes, similar to bread dough. This will allow for gluten to form so that the bait doesn’t just slide off of your hook. Add flour into the dough while kneading until the dough isn’t sticky. You can then put it in a ziplock bag and refrigerate, or roll into little balls and then make sure you refrigerate until you are ready to use
Garlic Weenies
Use a jelly or mason jar for this catfish bait. Cut hotdogs into ½ inch pieces. Put the hot dogs and crushed garlic (jar of fresh crushed from the store) in the jar. Seal the jar tightly and place it in the refrigerator. You can add a couple of pinches of salt, catfish LOVE salt flavor before you head out the door to go fishing.
Bait for catching Bluegill (and other panfish)
Bluegill Bait
½ cup of flour
¾ cup of Mountain Dew
Mix in a bowl with a fork or a whisk until it starts to harden. Then add 1 tablespoon of jello into the bowl.
Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. In this time the bait will finish hardening. Before you go fishing, roll the bait into ¼ inch balls. It is recommended you use the bait balls within 3 days of making them.
Another version of Bluegill Bait Balls
½ cup of flower
Salt
vanilla/almond extract
garlic/onion powder
A bowl or wax paper
Mix flour, a pinch of salt, and approximately 1 teaspoon of onion/garlic powder. Slowly add water and 10-12 drops of vanilla/almond extract. You will want to stir this until you have a doughy mixture.
Next, you want to flatten the dough in the bowl or on the wax paper and microwave for 15 minutes. Turn the dough over and repeat until it is no longer sticky. Be careful!! It will be HOT! Test it to see if you can roll into a ball. You can either make the balls ahead of time or you can place the dough in a plastic ziplock bag and roll as needed while you are fishing.
Recipes for Carp bait
Premium Carp Bait
1 can of creamed corn
2 cups of cornmeal
1 cup of crushed cornflakes
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
Mix the cornmeal and cornstarch in a bowl. Heat the creamed corn until it bubbles then add the sugar. Stir well. Slowly add the cornmeal mix.
When the mixture turns into a thick paste, remove it from the heat. Let it cool for about 5 minutes and then add the crushed cornflakes. Mix well and then let it cool to room temperature.
Cheese Cornflake Recipe
Cornflakes
Cheese powder
Creamy peanut butter
Water
** I apologize that there are no exact measurements ** I would start with about a ½ cup of cornflakes, cheese powder, and peanut butter.
Crush the cornflakes, add the cheese powder and mix together. Next, add in the peanut butter and smash it/mix it together very well. Use a teaspoon of water if needed, until it is soft enough to roll into balls. Put This in the freezer until you are ready to use it.
Instant Carp Bait
1 cup of flour
Wheaties {crushed}
Garlic Salt
Water
Mix flour, Wheaties and garlic salt. Form into small balls. Add water slowly, so that you can form into little balls. Use within 4 days.
There is a large variety of ingredients that you can use to make your own fish bait. There are also many many different recipes all over the internet. If you want to make your own fish bait, all you have to do is a little bit of research. You need to find out what the species you are fishing for, was fed in the hatchery. What their favorite food and flavors are and then you can experiment, fairly cost-effectively. Some of the ingredients you can use are bread, chicken, fish, hot dogs, raw bacon, cheese, raw pork, garlic, and even dog food. Don’t forget you also get the cans of fish food from the store, that you would feed your pet fish, and mix with flour, egg white, and water to make a fish bait right in your kitchen.
To end the article, just a quick refresher on other lures/bait that you can use when you go fishing. Artificial lures of all shapes, sizes, and colors. You also have worms, nightcrawlers, minnows, crickets, and other small insects that will work well as fish bait. So whether you are playing a scientist in your kitchen or purchasing your bait from the store, there are hundreds of thousands to choose from. Happy fishing everyone!
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