Today, carp fishing using a variety of gear with a spring-shaped feeder is very popular. The reason for this is that the bait is placed in the feeder, beginning to actively lure the fish, and sometimes even increase its appetite. It is interesting that carp porridge is used as bait, which is prepared in a special way. If you do something wrong, the chances of catching will be less, or you may even be left without fish.
What should porridge be like?
Carp is a fairly smart fish, so it won’t bite at anything it doesn’t like. Without knowing what the fish prefers, there is no point in preparing large quantities of porridge or any other delicacy that may not be useful at all. If you have decided to cook and do it specifically to please the carp, then you need to take care of all the ingredients used in order not only to attract the fish, but also to do everything possible so that it returns to this bait next time.
As for the ingredients, the best ones are:
- Pearl barley.
- Potato.
- Compound feed.
- Peas.
- Corn.
- Roasted sunflower seeds.
- Flour.
You need to understand that any porridge must be cooked over low heat. It is also important not to forget to stir the delicacy from time to time so that it does not accidentally burn, because the burning smell will be heard from afar and not only will the carp not swim up to the feeder, even the greenery will not be nailed in its direction. This, of course, is all figurative, but the point is that the porridge must be tasty and aromatic if the fisherman really wants to return home with his catch.
An equally important condition is the consistency of the product. Porridge cannot be rare . It’s better to let it be thicker than normal, but just so that it doesn’t flow, because it will simply be smeared across the feeder.
Important! During cooking, you do not need to pour a lot of water into the pan; it is better to add it as needed.
At the same time, you should make sure that the porridge is not overcooked.
If you want the resulting treat to be more flavorful, you can use natural products or special purchased flavors for this purpose. Experienced fishermen, of course, advise taking something natural, and not any chemicals. To give the porridge a rich taste, you can easily use sunflower oil, halva, jam, vanillin and the like.
Read more about cooking peas and catching carp with them.
Tackle for carp fishing
The peculiarity of the gear for carp is that it is made taking into account the possibility of the carp spitting out the bait. This rig gives the fisherman extra time to set the hook. The spring is attached to the fishing line using a shock leader. It is much stronger than fishing line, and takes on all the load that occurs when casting a sinker and bringing fish ashore.
Also, unlike other types of gear (float, top, feeder), gear with a spring allows you to catch carp in places with weak currents.
When choosing gear for carp fishing, you should start, as expected, with the rod.
Select it depending on the size of the expected production. The main characteristics of the selection: stability and massiveness. You can take a bottom rod with a total length of 2-3.5 m, telescopic or plug-in type. The test must be at least 40 g. It doesn’t matter what its cost in the store is - calculate everything according to the volume of your wallet. Move the reel farther away from the rod so that in the event of a possible fight with the fish, the rod does not break.
Coil
Take a spinning one, with a volume of 3500 - 4000, with a rear friction brake. You can purchase a carp reel with a baitrunner. Carefully set up the reel so that during its use there is no line breakage or loss of all gear. The reel must hold at least 100m of fishing line.
fishing line
It is better to use monofilament strong fishing line with an average thickness of 0.3 mm. When fishing at a decent distance, take braids with a load of up to 5 kg.
Spring
Let's consider two types of springs: “donut” and “combine”. The donut spring is made of wire with a diameter of 2 mm.
The internal diameter of the finished spring reaches 20 mm. From three to six hooks are tied around the entire circumference. The spring is filled several times one by one. Due to the weight of the bait, the “donut” does not need additional weight to secure it firmly.
The “harvester” spring is easy to make and convenient to throw. Regular stainless steel is used and twisted into a cone shape. A cambric is put on top. With its help, the leashes are pulled out to the sides. The spring is attached to the cambric thanks to the central leash.
You can buy it in stores or make it yourself.
To begin, take stainless or copper wire with a diameter of 2 mm. Wind it around any pin, for example, a bolt with a diameter of up to 12 mm. You will get a tube approximately 7 cm long. Stretch it by 20 cm and twist it into a circle with a diameter of 2.2 cm. Secure the ends using a soldering iron.
Now we attach six leads to the spring. Take a thick thread or thin fishing line. Prepare a thread 15 cm long.
Having tied it to the spring, make sure that the distance from the spring to the intended hook is up to 6 cm. We tie hooks to each thread, preferably high-quality vanadium or hardened ones. Should be quite sharp. Also keep in mind that they must fit in the fish's mouth.
At the end, we attach the spring itself to the fishing line using a simple tie.
Methods for preparing porridge for spring fishing
It is not difficult to prepare delicious porridge at home. There are several recipes, using which you will be able to implement your plans. Of course, if you don’t want to, you can purchase ready-made mixtures, although opinions differ regarding their effectiveness. Of course, everyone decides for themselves what to do in this case. Next we will talk directly about preparing porridge with your own hands.
To begin with, it is worth saying that although carp is a fish, it will not eat porridge made from old cereal. Therefore, when choosing products, you need to ensure that they are all fresh and of high quality. You need to start with one of the most popular and simplest feedings, which is hominy.
Requirements for bait
The right bait for crucian carp has an attractive taste and smell for the fish.
Its composition depends on the water temperature, that is, on the time of year. For summer fishing, strong scents are used; for cold fishing, an overly strong scent is undesirable.
According to the cooking technology, porridge for fishing is divided into boiled and dry. In the first case, it is boiled, in the second, ready-made mixtures are used. Directly on the pond you can prepare bait for filling the spring from bread pulp, cake or seeds and water.
Preparing porridge for fishing for carp requires more care precisely because the fish will try it. And the overall success in fishing often depends on whether you like the taste of the bait.
Let us formulate general rules for preparing porridge:
- The porridge should contain only those grains and additional components that the fish likes and does not cause rejection.
- It is best to cook porridge over low heat, or even better - in a water bath. Even the faint smell of burnt grain will scare away wary fish.
- The amount of water recommended for cooking regular porridge should be reduced so that the finished bait does not turn out to be too liquid. In our way of fishing, density is everything.
- When planning to prepare bait for fishing at home, use only clean dishes.
- Try to prepare the porridge so that you like it too.
- Don't forget that you need to cook the porridge using flavorings. These can be either natural products or chemical attractants. At the same time, remember that the best dosage is slightly less than the recommended one, because the excessive smell will scare away the carp.
Read the recipe for adding flavoring carefully. Both the time of application and the recommended dose are important.
Attention! Respect the carp as a worthy opponent. Therefore, it is imperative to rinse the cereal before cooking!
Hominy
Many avid fishermen probably know that the diet of carp is always different. Although, there is something that this type of fish will almost always eat. We are talking about corn. That is why, when thinking about bait for the feeder, hominy immediately comes to mind - corn porridge, which smells good and also has a yellow color, which is doubly pleasant, since the fish react well to it, swimming up on their own and “calling” their relatives.
Mamaliga is easy to prepare. However, there are still points that are worth paying special attention to.
Among these:
- It is important to thoroughly wash your hands and dishes before starting the manipulation, because corn absorbs all foreign odors well.
- You need to take no more than 200 grams of cereal. If someone has corn, they can grind it and use it to make porridge.
- Take a deep frying pan into which sunflower oil is poured. And after that, corn grits are fried on it for a couple of minutes. Throughout this time, it should be stirred so that it does not burn. A small amount of wheat flour is added to the frying pan and fried a little more.
- After this, you will need to take another frying pan and pour clean water into it. There are no recommendations regarding the quantity, but in this case you should measure it solely by eye. You will need to add the already fried cereal to this container, wait until it boils, and then turn off the heat and stir the “fish delicacy” all the time.
When the porridge is almost ready, you can add flavoring to it. If food for fish already looks appetizing, then you can do without it.
After cooling, the hominy will need to be divided into two equal parts, each of which should be placed in a separate bag. Next, you need to pour water into two containers and send one bag of porridge into each, which will need to be boiled for about another half hour.
Important! Sometimes hominy turns out to be crumbly and it is difficult to make bait from it. In this case, gelatin should be added during cooking.
There are fishermen who use ordinary cotton wool, but those experienced in this matter do not spare good products for delicacy.
Features of the bite depending on the season
The carp bite can vary greatly depending on the season and weather conditions.
In spring, carp rises from their winter habitats and begins to actively search for food. As soon as the water temperature rises above 10 degrees, carp can even come close to the shores. At this time, baits of animal origin (maggots, worms, bloodworms) are especially successful. After all, this is a special delicacy for carp, and there are already enough small fish in the water at this time. You should not overfeed the fish; bait should be served in small portions. Most often they bite in spring in shallow water, where the water warms up faster.
However, a particularly strong bite begins during the spawning period, when the fish gains weight. Most often, fishermen try to get to fishing spots in the first half of June. However, there are pitfalls here. In summer, carp are very capricious, and it is not so easy to please its preferences.
Here you need to be prepared for anything and have various baits and bait ready: animal and plant origin. The ideal time for fishing in the summer is night. It is at this time that the carp becomes more voracious and can swallow the hook, sucking the bait from the spring. The casting depth on hot days should be from 2 to 5 meters.
In autumn, this pampered fish prefers food of plant origin, so porridge and mash are considered ideal. By this time, you should wisely choose a place for fishing, since as cold weather approaches, the carp becomes less active and descends to depths where the water is even warmer. Here small schools of fish are preparing for the winter.
As a rule, in winter the fishing is much worse than in other seasons. However, it is impossible to say that he does not eat at all. As soon as the water gets a little warmer, the slaves can rise from their hiding places in search of food.
Millet porridge with potatoes
In the case when fishing is planned and a spring feeder will be used, you can make excellent bait from potatoes and millet.
To prepare you will need to stock up on the following ingredients:
- Millet cereal – 200-300 grams.
- Potatoes – 700-800 grams.
- Egg – 1 pc.
- A handful of finely chopped dill.
- A glass of cake or ground seeds.
First, the fisherman will need to boil the potatoes and mash them. At the same time, it is possible to steam or cook the millet. If it was decided to steam it, then the saucepan will need to be well wrapped and placed in a warm place. After this, you will need to mix the cereal and potatoes, and then add the egg and steamed cake, and mix it all well. When the mixture has cooled, add dill to it. You can store porridge of this type in the refrigerator or on the balcony (during the cold season). The good thing about this porridge is that it can be prepared even on the day you go fishing.
Some anglers add worms or bloodworms to the mixture. If possible, this can also be done, which will only improve the overall taste of the bait.
How to Properly Feed the Fishing Point | 11 Tips for Successful Fishing
Feed the area evenly. It is better to prepare bait in excess.
11 Tips for Quality Feeding of Fishing Points:
Add a little flavor;
Add the bait you fish with to your complementary food;
Constantly add bait at the fishing spot;
Consider the current and stir up the water before casting bait;
On a bottom overgrown with algae, use bran, cake, bread crumb;
During a thunderstorm, add slightly undercooked potatoes to the bait;
Throw food against the current with a slingshot, bait spoon, hollow tube or racket, so that you get an abundant feeding spot;
Throw in food without making too much noise;
In spring, add a little more nuts and don't crush them so much. The nut gives off a weak odor, but is a high-calorie treat for carp before spawning;
If the current is strong, mix more sludge into the bait and roll into sausage cylinders instead of balls;
If fruit trees grow near a pond, then add fruits from such trees to the bait.
Pea porridge
Fish like peas in the same way as the delicacies described above. Therefore, you can easily go fishing for carp, taking pea porridge with you. There are a great many ways to prepare it. This often confuses fishermen who don’t know which one to choose.
People experienced in this matter give one good recipe, which, in their opinion, is ideal.
It is as follows:
- The cereal must be soaked in advance. It is advisable to leave it overnight in water, and the latter should be five times more.
- After this, in the same water you will need to put the container with peas on the fire and cook, stirring. If foam forms, it must be removed.
- After 10 minutes, add 1 teaspoon of soda to the mixture and stir the porridge again. At this stage, the peas are already a thick mixture. Having noticed this, you should reduce the heat to the very minimum and pour half a glass of semolina or millet into the same delicacy - the cereal will absorb unnecessary liquid. If this is not done, then the required viscosity will not be achieved.
- Next, the porridge is wrapped in several towels and set aside.
After cooling, the same flavors are added to the mixture. Although, considering that carps have a sweet tooth, you can add sugar or honey to the porridge, if you don’t mind, of course.
At the last stage, the finished porridge must be kneaded well until smooth.
Preparing the dough
Dough is also used as a nozzle, but prepared in a special way and with additives. Moreover, the dough is made both traditionally, from wheat flour, and, for example, from steamed peas with the addition of flour and oatmeal.
Recipe 1:
- Brew wheat flour in boiling water;
- add semolina or cookies;
- knead the dough so that it does not stick to your hands;
- tie it in a gauze bag and place it in boiling water for a few minutes.
Recipe 2:
- knead wheat flour into a stiff dough;
- knead the dough ball under running cold water for 15–20 minutes until all the dirt is washed out of it;
- add hemp or linseed oil and knead again.
Recipe 3. Pea dough:
- Mix ½ cup of boiled peas with ½ cup of steamed oatmeal and a tablespoon of flour;
- knead the dough, make a ton of cake and fry it in vegetable oil;
- knead the resulting pancake with your hands and fry again.
- repeat this several times.
Helpful Tips:
- such as roach, crucian carp or tench, bite well on the dough
- The dough can be kneaded not with water, but with milk, dry baby formula, and even berry juice. A supplement in the form of a raw egg wouldn't hurt either.
- When kneading the dough, it is useful to add cotton wool, then it will stick better to the hook.
- Bleak likes to peck on the dough, and this interferes with catching large fish. To scare away small things, it is recommended to tint the dough, make it darker, since bleak prefers light bait.
Baiting carp: what other options are there?
Experienced fishermen have already somehow become accustomed to certain baits; they know well what to use and when. So, there is one recipe and this is not porridge for carp fishing, but a slightly different delicacy that is good to use in the warm season.
To prepare the mixture you will need to take the following dry ingredients:
- 1 glass of milk powder;
- 150 grams of ground crackers;
- 1 cup of ground sunflower seeds or cake; a few tablespoons of egg powder;
- 200 grams of flour;
- salt;
- sugar.
All these ingredients need to be poured into one bowl, and then mixed thoroughly. We can assume that at this point the bait, which is prepared at home in just a couple of minutes, is ready. All the fisherman needs to do is add a little water on the spot.
Every angler should remember that simple fish treats are a good catch for him. Therefore, if the porridge or other bait is prepared tastelessly, then you should not count on any special trophies.
Description and behavioral characteristics of carp
Carp are predominantly freshwater fish that live in small schools. Moreover, fish gather in such schools, regardless of age, size and weight. They all move in a kind of string, which can stretch for several tens of meters.
Only particularly large specimens can swim separately. Unlike other fish breeds, carps do not hunt at night, but prefer day or light twilight for feeding. The movement of the flock can be affected by weather. So, in a very strong wind, the fish swim in discord and rarely come together.
Carp has its own characteristic behavior that distinguishes this breed from others. Since such individuals move very slowly and often jump out of the water. This feature helps them overcome dams and obstacles in their path.
From millet and rolled oats
This recipe is suitable for “crucian carp killer”. Before cooking porridge, it is advisable to rinse the cereal. For a liter of water you will need:
- A glass of millet;
- 0.3 cups of rolled oats.
The millet is poured with water and brought to readiness over low heat. The result is a homogeneous mass, so it takes a long time to cook, and you should definitely stir the brew, because the millet tends to burn.
It is better to take aluminum cookware; in an enamel pan, burning is almost guaranteed.
When all the water has boiled away and the round millet has boiled and lost its shape, you need to add rolled oats, stir the mass and remove the pan from the heat. For greater effect, add a handful of ready-made carp mixture to the cooled porridge.