Activators
Activators (attractants) are additives to complete food that increase the appetite of fish. Its main function is to lure fish from different directions. They are made in tablet form or in ampoules (liquid form).
The composition of any product includes:
- vegetable oils;
- aromatic components;
- refuse;
- various spices and amino acids;
- components of animal origin.
As a rule, flavorings are added to the main bait in liquid form in small doses, the optimal dosage is 5–7%. Supplements in the form of tablets are used to feed the fishing area.
It is recommended to throw 10 to 15 pieces of bait onto the bait site. They sink to the bottom, slowly dissolve and create a scented pale cloud.
It forces the fish to stay in one place and encourages it to further search for food. When fishing on the river, you need to cast upstream from the fishing spot, since when the attractant dissolves, it forms a thin stream.
It is also recommended to use it in winter, because in cold water the smell spreads much better than in summer. Due to the fact that these additives dissolve almost completely, it is advisable to add them every hour.
How to properly use a bite activator for crucian carp
First you need to understand what smells attract this fish the most. These are mainly natural and sweet aromas. Therefore, attractants with taste perform well:
- strawberries;
- worm;
- garlic;
- corn;
- plums;
- vanilla;
- hemp;
- cake, etc.
Sometimes, in the absence of a bite, completely “exotic” smells begin to work. For example, flavors like cheese, chocolate, a mixture of spices, etc. It is quite difficult to guess what flavor will be attractive to crucian carp. However, if you constantly fish in a particular body of water, then identifying which attractant is more effective is not so difficult. Having decided on the popular smells and aromas, let's talk about how to use the fish activator.
The most commonly used bite activators are the flavors of the presented products.
The most important thing is not to exceed the recommended dosage.
It was noticed that a large number of attractants gathers many crucian carp at the fishing site, but they simply swim next to the bait and are not going to try it. The fact is that the fish is looking for something more tasty than the bait offered.
The optimal dose of added bite activator is 5-7% of the total volume of groundbait or bait. In addition, you need to remember that the effect of its use will only be in fairly warm water, which has warmed up above 15-18°C. This applies to any attractants. If the water is cold, then it is difficult for crucian carp to catch odors even at a very close distance. For many other types of fish, you can successfully use the activator during winter fishing.
As for the types of attractants, sprays are best suited for baits. They are convenient for processing the bait immediately after it has been placed on the hook. You can also use dips. These are liquid substances in which the bait is soaked for a couple of seconds to several hours. Unlike sprays, dips last longer.
For fishing, you can use activators in the form of dips
It is best to add liquid flavors to complementary foods. In this case, it is more rational to first mix the attractant with the water with which you pour the bait mixture than to add it to the finished bait. Another mandatory condition is that the composition of the bait and the activator are combined with each other. That is, if you use a corn-flavored flavor, be sure to add crushed grains of this plant to your complementary foods.
Today, special tablets and balls are also popular among fishing attractants. They are thrown into the fishing spot immediately after feeding the point. Once in the water, they dissolve and form an attractive and fragrant spot for fish.
Natural scents for activators
When choosing an attractant, it should be taken into account that fish prefer natural odors.
Professional fishermen recommend the following odors:
- Garlic. Good for catching carp or bream, dried garlic is used. In summer it is recommended to add no more than 5%, and in winter up to 2%. Garlic tincture is added to the bait for crucian carp.
- Star anise. Excellent for catching any non-predatory fish. It has a bittersweet taste and smell of anise, but not so cloying. Its use gives significantly better results than anise itself.
- Basil with dill. They are used for catching all peace-loving fish, except for the stem, in muddy and overgrown reservoirs.
- Cinnamon. It is added to bait for bream and roach. Can be used at any time of the year and on any body of water.
- Turmeric. Ideal scent for roach fishing. Experienced fishermen advise using it in the summer for small peaceful fish.
- Thyme. It will help you acquire unique specimens; it is effectively suitable for the carp fish family. Used in clean and flowing rivers.
- Coriander. Use powder made from your own ground grains. Already ground coriander loses its aroma during storage. Best suited for catching bream, at any time of the year and on any water.
Homemade products for fishing. Do it yourself
The correct selection of bait and tackle is the key to your future catch. For each period of the year you need to use your own attachments and equipment.
Winter fishing
A bloodworm is an essential accessory for winter fishing. You can buy it or make it yourself.
For this you will need:
- a piece of foam plastic (optimal external dimensions 80x50x4 0 mm);
- hacksaw for metal;
- stationery knife;
- sandpaper.
Stages of work:
- We mark the foam according to size. Cut out the workpiece.
- We retreat 5 mm from two sides (two long ones), 10 mm from the third, draw a rectangle (the fourth side coincides with the end face of the workpiece). Using a knife to a depth of 10 mm, we make a cutout for the lid.
- We retreat 5 mm from each side of the resulting groove and mark the future cavity for the bloodworm. The foam is cut out with a knife. The bottom thickness should be 10 mm.
- A cover with dimensions of 70x40x10 mm is cut out from another piece of foam plastic. It is necessary to make an allowance of 1–2 mm per side. After cutting, the lid is adjusted with sandpaper; it should close tightly.
- Using a drill with a diameter of 0.5 to 1 mm, we make a through hole with our hands through the moth tray and the lid. We connect with wire of the appropriate diameter.
Flavoring. Application
Activators with the following scents are best suited for winter fishing:
- Strawberry.
- With the smell of “tutti-frutti”.
- Star anise.
Based on their experience, experienced fishermen recommend using flavored additives as follows:
- treat the inside of the bloodworm with an aromatic solution;
- You can lightly moisten a clean cloth to wipe your hands;
- 2-3 drops of flavored concentrate per glass of water is enough;
- For 1 kg of bait, use 1/3 of a glass of attractant.
Summer fishing
The choice of aromatic additives for fishing in summer is very diverse:
- vanilla;
- with fruity scents (plum, strawberry, barberry, etc.);
- garlic;
- with a creamy smell;
- caramel smell;
- with a nutty smell;
- herbs and spices (anise, coriander, black or red pepper, dill).
You can make catch activators at home with your own hands.
Making fruit flavoring:
- For 1 liter of water you need to add 3-4 tablespoons of fruit concentrate.
- Place on low heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and leave to cool. The prepared mixture can be added to bait.
It has been observed from experience that crucian carp are more willing to bite on bait with a garlic odor.
It’s very easy to do it yourself:
- For the garlic, squeeze 4-5 cloves of garlic into a bowl. You can replace 3-4 teaspoons with garlic tincture.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of sunflower oil.
- Mix thoroughly.
Of the stories from both experienced fishermen and amateurs, the most popular are: roach, crucian carp, pike, carp. Let's look at how you can make bait for this fish with your own hands.
What attractants are suitable for pike?
The bait is saturated with them - and around it it creates a kind of fragrant cloud that attracts fish. But we are talking specifically about attracting fish interest, and not about arousing feelings of hunger.
However, fish attracted to a particular location by scents are more likely to swallow the bait.
Attractants can be chemical or natural. You can make them yourself, or you can buy them in fishing stores, where they are often offered in the form of a spray - this makes it more convenient to apply to the bait, and there is a chance that the smell will not permeate your hands and all your clothes.
Usually they use all kinds of extracts from plants and animals, in which there is a high concentration of hormones. This is blood, liver, pancreas, genitals, all kinds of herbs and products.
To catch pike, you need special attractants for predatory fish. At the same time, the tastes of pike are very different from the tastes of such a predator as pike perch.
Pike perch loves chemically synthesized aromas. Pike are only interested in natural smells (read more about the predator’s favorite smells). It is worth taking into account how pike usually feed. Read more about pike here.
REFERENCE. This fish loves to ambush. Usually she finds shelter in the algae, from where she looks out for prey. To do this, she needs good vision more than a sense of smell. Nevertheless, smells also attract pike. First of all, it is the smell of fresh blood. For an angler who catches pike with live bait, it makes sense to cut the fish.
Bait for crucian carp
First recipe:
- Pour water into a 200 ml iron container and add 2-3 drops of flavor. Bring to a boil.
- Sprinkle semolina in a thin stream until a thick, homogeneous mixture is obtained. Be sure to stir all the time.
- Remove from heat. The resulting porridge should steam for 5 minutes.
- The cooled porridge must be kneaded for 10 minutes to make it denser.
Second recipe:
- Pour one glass of pearl barley into a 0.5 liter glass container.
- Pour boiling water over it.
- Cover the container with a lid and wrap it well.
- Leave for 3-4 hours for the grains to swell. Care must be taken that they do not turn into mush.
It is advisable to add his favorite scents to the bait for crucian carp:
- based on plant roots (cattail, calamus, egg capsule, reed);
- garlic;
- anise;
- ground dill seeds;
- vanillin;
- cocoa (powder).
Bait for Ring Fishing. Best Recipes
Bream fishing on the Ring found its admirers much earlier than feeder fishing.
Despite significant progress in the fishing industry, today ring fishing continues to enjoy steady popularity.
The feeder for fishing on the Ring is very spacious, and the diameter of the cells is 5 by 5 mm.
The main part of the bait mixture consists of large and medium particles. The ingredients are selected in such a way that the feeder remains filled for a long time.
When fishing with a ring, the feeder lies on the bottom and is rarely raised to be filled with bait, so the mixture should disintegrate slowly.
The Best Recipes for Preparing Bait for Catching Bream on the Ring
The main component in such baits will be boiled porridge. Large grains of cereal slowly penetrate through the cells of the feeder, which allows you to attach fish without changing the mixture.
Cereal Mix | Bait Recipe for Ring Fishing
First you need to take 2 kg of pearl barley and 1 kg of peas. Place the ingredients in a large bowl and cook over low heat for two hours;
Water must be constantly added to keep the contents liquid;
At the end, you need to add easily boiled components: 700 g each of millet, barley and wheat groats;
Cook the resulting mixture for another 15-20 minutes and remove from heat.
Now you need to wait until it cools down and finally thickens. In addition to everything, add 400 g of milk powder to form an appetizing haze. We divide the bait into balls and go fishing.
Wheat - Cake Groundbait. Recipe for Ring Fishing
To prepare this mixture we will need 3 kg of millet and 2 kg of sunflower cake;
The porridge should be brought to such a state that it is more or less edible, but not completely ready;
The cake should be broken into small pieces before adding;
To increase the viscosity of the bait, add 400 g of semolina to it;
The cooled mixture is rolled into balls and placed in a feeder.
Perlovo - Wheat with Rice. Bait Recipe for Ring Fishing
This bait is based on pearl barley and wheat grits.
For 6 kg of dry mixture you need to take 2 kg of pearl barley and the same amount of wheat;
It takes 2.5-3 hours to cook this mixture;
Separately, 800 g of rice should be cooked and added to the bait mixture;
300 g of milk powder and 400 g of semolina will help us increase the viscosity;
To attract the attention of fish, you can add 1 can of corn;
Rice perfectly attracts the attention of bream. In addition, it easily seeps through the mesh cells and attracts fish to the feeder.
Prepare 2 Porridge for Tackle Ring. Video
Roach bait
In the summer, roaches are mainly caught using dough or a red worm.
Dough recipe:
- Grate the boiled potatoes onto a fine grater (can be crushed).
- Add durum wheat flour to a metal container. Proportions are 1 to 1.
- Pour water and cook for about 0.5 hours. Let cool.
- Add an attractant (hemp, vanilla, strawberry, coriander, banana, cumin).
Second option:
- Pour 200 g into a container. flour (rye or wheat).
- Beat in one egg.
- To knead, add milk and 1 tablespoon of honey.
- After kneading, roll into balls of the required size and boil in boiling water.
- Lightly grease with sunflower oil.
Pike bait
Pike is a predator and is mainly caught using artificial baits:
- Oscillating spinners.
- Rotating spinners.
- Silicone baits. They are very effective and well suited for beginner fishermen.
- Wobblers. The most common: walker, shad, shank, rattlin, jerk bait.
- Twisters.
Some tips for successful fishing and a good catch:
- Any activators should be used in small doses. Excessive concentration only fish.
- For each season and type of fish, you should select your own attractant.
- Experiment with flavorings by mixing several types.
- Make “sandwiches” of bait by placing several types on the hook.
- Boiled cereal can be used as a good bait for fish, forming a cloudy aromatic cloud in the water.
Qualitative characteristics
Carp love an abundance of complementary foods and a choice of bait. Females are especially picky; they very carefully approach the food; upon noticing the slightest threat, they retire to rookeries at the bottom of pits - favorite places of peace and relaxation. When purchasing, you need to take into account the compatibility of the components of the bait with the attractant.
Their correct combination is a guarantee of a good catch of a weighty trophy. Activators consist of synthesized pheromones, additives of animal and plant origin. In practice, choosing the right one is not an easy task. There are a huge number of their varieties and manufacturers on the modern market. Many fishermen make similar compositions at home.