Catching carp with boilies, tackle and fishing secrets

Boilies are bait for catching fish in the form of small balls of various colors made from dough. The peculiarity of boilies for fishing is that steaming is used during the preparation process. Aromatics and eggs are also added to the dough. Thanks to this, the bait acquires a special structure. But the most important secret of using boilies is that when biting, careful fish do not come into contact with the hook.

The dough balls can have different sizes. When fishing for roach, small boilies with a diameter of up to 8 mm are used. Catfish are caught using large boilies, the size of which reaches 3 cm. Such boilies spread a thick aroma of meat and attract predators.

The composition most often includes flour or cereals of various cereals, protein additives (protein, fish flour, meat), binding ingredients (gelatin, egg, milk, etc.). Flavors and dyes are also added to boilies. In the case of self-production, it is important to maintain exact proportions, as well as give the balls a round shape and the same size.

This bait is not susceptible to the influence of small fish, since there is a strong crust on the surface of the ball. The bait lies on the bottom and waits until a larger specimen approaches it.

Selection of nozzles depending on the season

in spring

It is best to use boilies that contain fishmeal, or granules with the taste of cuttlefish, shellfish, squid or crab.

In summer

The water temperature rises and fishermen switch to fruity aromas. Lures with combined flavors, such as strawberry fish or cherry fish, also work well. It also bites well on chocolate-flavored baits.

in autumn

the fish tries to gain weight, and flavors such as crayfish or snail are used. The fish also bite on banana-flavored bait.

During the cold season

Various exotic flavors go well, for example kiwi-crayfish.

What kind of fish can you catch with boilies?

Most often, you can catch carp or carp using boilies. But this type of bait is also used when catching crucian carp, roach, silver carp, asp, grass carp, bream, ide and other white fish.

Equipment for catching carp with boilies

Carp equipment for fishing with boilies is the basis for success in fishing. The second component will, of course, be the recipe for making boilies. Although some carp fishing enthusiasts may prioritize in the reverse order. But, you yourself understand that from rearranging the terms..., and so on, according to the text of the saying. Therefore, let's consider both components in more detail.

Tackle for catching carp with boilies, as a rule, consists of a leash with a hook and a hair rig that serves to secure the boilie - that is, a ball of dough prepared according to a special recipe with additives, which will be discussed below.

The most common gear used for fishing in almost all regions is the installation, in which the hair equipment for the boilie is tied directly to the hook.

This is the easiest installation method, but pay attention to these little things:

• The leash should come out of the eye of the hook on the inside of the bend, then the hooking of the tackle will be better.
• Do not start wrapping from the side where the eye ring adjoins the hook; the leash in this place can quickly rub against the sharp edge of the ring.

Fishing can be no less catchy with a “reverse strike” tackle, which is also very common and has many other names, but its mechanism remains unchanged.

The point is that when the carp tries to free itself from the bait, the tackle “hits back” with its sliding part on the eye of the hook, due to which the hook penetrates more deeply into the lip of the hooked carp.

Making this equipment is somewhat more complicated, since it requires making a metal ring that will slide along the shank of the hook. A hair leash for a boilie is attached to the eye of the hook, passed through a ring placed on the shank, and tied to this ring.

The shank of the hook should be arched, that is, slightly bent inward.

The “Multi Rig” has proven itself well, in which the boilie moves in the opposite direction when the carp tries to spit it out or suck it in. In this rig, the hair leash is attached in the form of a loop, and the boilie, with the help of a ring, moves along this loop.

Fishing for carp with rigid rigs has proven itself in those reservoirs where other carp anglers use various braided rigs. For a rigid rig, it is necessary to attach a hair leash to the eye of the hook and pass it through a tube placed on the shank of the hook; the tube must be made of a material that can well fix the hair leash.

The equipment is effective for both pop-up and bottom boilies. Due to the rigidity of the equipment, the carp cannot spit it out.

Types of boilies

There are three main types of boilies for fishing:

• pop-up (for muddy or overgrown bottom);
• sinking (for a clean bottom);
• neutral (suspenders).

Boilies with a large addition of flour are called dusty boilies. When dissolved, a cloud of dust particles is formed around them, attractive to fish. Similar boilies are used for bait.

Equipment for boilies

For fishing with boilies, use a medium or heavy feeder form with a dough of 60 to 100 g; it is important to choose the most reliable feeders. When choosing a reel, you should give preference to a match reel, but a regular spinning reel is also suitable.

For the main line, you should choose regular braid. The thickness of the fishing line is 4 mm. Thin fishing line often cannot withstand casting heavy loads. Excessive thickness of the “sail” in strong side winds.

For leashes, you can use monofilament fishing line. The likelihood of self-cutting in such cases increases. But most often they use braid with a diameter of 0.12 to 0.14 mm with a breaking capacity of more than 10 kg.

When choosing a material, you should give preference to colors that do not stand out lying on the bottom. The hook remains free.

When choosing hooks, you should give preference to products made of thick, dark-colored wire. You can use hooks number 6, 7 or 8. The tip should be bent inward.

To ensure successful self-hooking of carp, round sinkers weighing from 80 to 100 g are used.

Equipment for fishing with boilies

When choosing equipment, the type of boilies is of great importance. The choice of leash depends on the length of the rod; the most commonly used is braided fishing line, which is thinner than the main one.

Transparent fishing line is most often used, but colored models can be used, depending on the water available in the pond.

When choosing a hook, you need to give preference to strong models; the distance between the hook and the boilie can be different. However, it is necessary to expect that when swallowing the ball, the fish can come into contact with the hook.

Depending on the type of fishing rod, the following equipment can be used:

Rod with float:

• fishing line 100 meters;
• rod up to 5 meters in length;
• leash up to 1 meter long;
• weight 8 grams;
• hook number 6 or 7.

Feeder rod:

• rod length up to 4 meters;
• power coil;
• leash up to 80 cm;
• the hook should be equal to the size of the bait.

Also, when choosing the required type of equipment, the type of fish to be hunted is of great importance.

How to put boilies on a hook

There are two main types of mounting a boilie on a hook:

• hair accessories (braided);
• helicopter (helicopter rig).

Hair rig

is the basic installation for boilies. When we knit a leash, we make a loop at the end, which we thread through the boilie using a needle with a hook and stop it with a special stopper. Below is shown how to tie a fisherman's knot for a hair rig and the hair rig itself with a boilie. To ensure a secure connection, heat shrink is added over the cord fastening to the hook.

Boilie rig helicopter

- This is the longest-range of all equipment. When properly manufactured, it allows you to catch fish very effectively over long distances.

During the flight, the first link is the sinker - this is a very important point of this equipment. Therefore, the sinker is often made of an aerodynamic shape, which will undoubtedly contribute to a longer throw and eliminate parasitic vibrations during flight. Fox long cast and “bullet” format weights are used.

Hook mounting

The classic presentation of this type of bait has become hair rigging. This successful combination of equipment technology allowed us to fully reveal the concept of using bait. The hair allows not only to secure the bait efficiently, but also does not give the fish any doubt about the naturalness of the feed. After all, when trying a tasty treat, the carp does not feel the hook and is detected only when the bait is completely absorbed and swallows the food.

Read more about the different ways to attach a boilie to a hook.

Important! To install the balls, special devices are used, needles with a hook and miniature drills, which make mounting through holes in them for threading the hair.

A silicone stopper, which reliably closes the installation, prevents the nozzle from inadvertently falling off during casting and being pulled off by the fish.

Stoppers for boilies

To securely attach boilies to a cord or hair, special boilie stoppers are often used. There are various types of stoppers on sale, but despite their appearance, stoppers are designed to stop a boilie on a cord. The photo below shows some types of popular stoppers for boilies.

Advantages and disadvantages of boilies

First, let's look at the advantages of boilies for fishing:

1. Large and large bait allows you to get a good catch in places where there are a lot of white fish.
2. The average weight of fish caught is increasing.
3. These are the most concentrated baits.
4. Branded boilies contain laxatives, as a result the fish cannot get enough and feel hungry.
5. A large bait may arouse suspicion in a cautious fish, and it will avoid the attractive ball.

Boilies also have disadvantages:

1. When cooking large balls, it is not always possible to cook all the ingredients evenly. And with longer cooking, the lumps of dough begin to disintegrate.
2. Sometimes the crust that forms during drying does not allow attractants to penetrate into the water. The situation can be corrected by punctures on the surface.
3. When using large granules, it is quite difficult to make long casts.
4. A large number of manufacturers has led to the fact that it is possible to purchase low-quality goods at a high price.
5. High price.

Advantages and disadvantages of bait

Speaking about the effectiveness of a particular bait, it is important to understand that much depends on parameters such as the type of reservoir, fishing conditions, temperature and turbidity of the water, etc. But we will try to highlight some universal advantages of using boilies:

• by experimenting with a variety of flavors, you can make even the most capricious fish bite;
• are considered the most concentrated baits;
• annoying little things like bleak will not torment you;
• branded boilies do not saturate the fish, as laxatives are added to them;
• the average weight of fish caught becomes higher.

As for the shortcomings, there are some, but they are few:

• balls with a diameter of up to 1 cm are quite labor-intensive to make at home;
• large granules reduce casting distance;
• a large number of manufacturers has led to the fact that very often you can run into low-quality food;
• significant price.

Boilies for carp

Carp prefers large-sized balls; boilies with a diameter of 14 to 18 mm are allowed. Also, a large bait does not give small fish even the slightest chance of getting hooked.

The predominant colors should be red, purple, white and yellow. Carp is partial to the aromas of honey, strawberries, corn, and tutti-frutti. Sometimes there is a successful bite on boilies with the aroma of cinnamon or red ground pepper. Dips from companies such as Richworth and Mistral have also proven themselves well.

The following baits are used to catch carp:

• Black Jack;
• Pop-Up;
• Premium.

There are not only bait, but also bait, as well as dusting options.

What boilies should you use to catch cupid?

The main difference between catching carp is that the object of its nutrition is mainly plant food and shells. This must be taken into account when choosing boilies. The use of fruity scents when fishing for carp will be most effective.

Indicating specific aromas will not be advisable, since all this must be selected by sampling. The preference for one or another smell in a given fish may differ even depending on the location of the reservoir, not to mention the time of year, day and weather conditions.

Recently, specialized boilies for catching carp have appeared on the market. They are made from seaweed. It is too early to talk about the effectiveness of such an innovation. The bait for our reservoirs is new and untested. There are few reviews about it and everyone is more likely to give preference to proven products.

A general recommendation would be to use corn flavored boilies to start with. When choosing this bait in fishing stores, it is better to buy products from well-known companies. If funds are limited, look where the same balls are sold individually and sample the quantity that you need for your fishing.

For example, let’s take the “line” of bait and groundbait from one manufacturer:

• Bait-tech Tropical Fruits Mixed floating boilies as the main bait.
• ST Baits Sweetcorn Original Pellets mixed with Bait-tech Super Sweetcorn Natural corn or other aromatics.
• All bait is flavored with Bait-tech Liquid Corn or Bait-tech Liquid Green Lipped Mussel flavoring. We feed the chosen place, throw bait there and wait for a bite.

In general, this bait is a good thing, especially if you select all the components correctly. A boilie with an attractive smell, attractive color, excellent taste, and an appetite enhancer will not leave any fish indifferent. This is a great way to select an individual composition as accurately as possible for each individual fishing trip, which will undoubtedly increase the chances of its successful completion.

Boilies for crucian carp

To catch this fish, floating balls ranging in size from 6 to 8 mm are most often used. You can also use neutral ones. Since crucian carp lives in muddy reservoirs, you should give preference to products of red, yellow or orange color. Crucian carp prefers the aroma of dill, garlic, scopex, strawberries and tutti-frutti.

Crucian carp is considered to have a sweet tooth, so sweet flavors and powdered sugar can be included in the composition. This is especially true during the period when the water temperature rises to 20 °C and above.

Among store-bought boilies for crucian carp, the products of the following companies give the best results.

FunFishing

The products provided by the brand have a wide selection of flavors, including fish, shellfish, and larvae. Such boilies are best used in the autumn, when the fish are fattening.

Mailine

The manufacturer offers a large selection of boilies of different sizes. The company's products are also known for their large number of aromas that are attractive not only to crucian carp, but also to other fish.

CC More

This is an English company that has chosen bottom fishing as its specialization. Among the products there are interesting options for connecting a hook with a boilie using various rubber bands, glue or tubes.

How to catch bream with boilies?

The main habitat of bream is the river. In artificial or stagnant reservoirs it is launched by people. Let's consider one of the most difficult options for catching bream - on the river. For bream, boilies of smaller diameter are generally used than for other types of fish, since, anatomically, the mouth of a bream has a smaller diameter.

Most often, boilies are taken (from 6 to 16 mm) depending on the size of the fish that is found in a given river; the more specimens there are in the reservoir, the larger the ball should be. If your goal is to catch a trophy specimen, but if not, then it is more advisable to use smaller diameters - from 6 to 10 mm. But this does not mean that a trophy specimen cannot bite on it.

As an example, let’s consider the option of specific baits, baits and equipment for catching bream on the river. The most effective equipment will be a feeder feeder. We select the weight depending on the speed of the current - the higher it is, the heavier the feeder.

For bait we use:

• Richworth mini match boilie Bloodworm (motil) 6mm.
• Richworth midi boilie Crab & Mussel (crab, mussel, bivalve shell) 10mm.
• Richworth “SUPER METHOD XL FISH” groundbait has a viscous consistency and is not washed out of the feeder so quickly in the current.
• It is possible to use other scents that are selected experimentally.

Boilies for carp

This type of fish is distinguished by its intelligence, suspicion and caution. The carp also has excellent eyesight. It is also worth considering that when fishing, the fish exhibits strong resistance.

When choosing flavorings, you should not choose bright aromas, as this may scare off a cautious member of the carp family. If the water temperature is not very high, fruit aromas are not used, as they will not give a positive result. You can also add raw liver to your homemade boilie.

The consistency of the ball should be such that it dissolves in water a quarter of an hour after casting. If the boilie has been stored for a very long time, then the top crust is trimmed a little.

It is also worth adding pieces of boilies to the bait mixture so that the carp gets used to the taste a little.

Most often used for carp

boilies from the following companies:

• Master Carp;
• Van Daf;
• Dynamite Baits.

Among all the aromas, the fish prefers nuts, anise, vanilla, plum, scolex, and sea cocktail.

Boilies for bream

In spring it is worth using small nozzles, and in summer and autumn it is allowed to use balls with a diameter of up to 15 mm. In the summer, you should give preference to the aromas of hemp seeds or strawberries. In autumn or spring, it is better to choose the smell of earthworms.

If the water is stagnant, then you should use red or yellow balls, the size of which does not exceed 1 cm.

For bream it is better to use floating boilies. Before you start fishing, the bream is fed. You can use feeders.

You can include sugar and ground sunflower seeds in your homemade boilie. It is also better to use egg powder instead of eggs.

Types of the most popular

boilies for bream:

• Corn Toppers;
• Two-Tone;
• Fluoro Wafters.

All of these attachments are floating. There is a large selection of scents, sizes and colors. Bream prefers such tastes as corn, honey, strawberry, banana, melon and others.

Feeder gear and equipment for catching bream with boilies

To catch bream with boilies, you will need regular feeder gear and a special type of equipment called a “hair rig.”

We will present the characteristics of the gear that you can use when purchasing gear.

Rod: Medium class feeder rod, length from 3.4 to 3.6 m. Casting equipment up to 60 – 70 grams. If you have a heavy feeder, then a heavy class rod (Heavy), length from 3.3 to 3.9 m. Casting equipment up to 100 grams.

Reel: In principle, for fishing with feeder gear, a regular spinning reel behind the rear friction brake is suitable. But it is better to use match reels. This is explained by the fact that match reels have a high gear ratio, we can very quickly reel in the feeder and re-throw it. This is very important, since fishing with feeder gear is very intense.

What equipment is needed for catching bream with boilies?

To fish with boilies, you need special equipment, which fishermen call hairline. This is a special way of knitting a leash.

General scheme:

General scheme

Instead of a sinker, you can use a feeder with bait. Particular attention to the leash, below in the zoom:

Hair rig for carp fishing

Boilies for catfish

Catfishing begins when the water warms up by more than 10 °C. During this period, the catfish begins to hunt not only at night, but also during the day. Over time, the catfish switches to its usual mode and hunts mainly at night. The predator feeds on mollusks, birds, snails, and leeches. He is also attracted by the aromas of squid, mussels, and other sea inhabitants.

Catching catfish with boilies is possible in shallow reservoirs with clean water and a large number of bottom fish. It is very important to let the catfish get used to the bait. For this purpose bait is used. For this purpose, it is best to use seafood or pieces of dead fish. You can also feed them with earthworms.

Boilies for catfish should contain the following components:

• fish oil;
• garlic (a little);
• liver;
• blood of birds or animals (can be replaced with bleeding meat).

When making it yourself, it is worth making large balls, several millimeters larger than those for carp. Place several pieces at a time on braided hair.

The most popular boilies for catching catfish:

• Paka (Black, White, Red);
• Dynamite Baits;
• Lion Baits SPORT;
• Fun Fishing;
• Starbaits.

You can use both sinking and floating baits. Catfish prefers the aroma of fish, sea cocktail, chocolate, vanilla, anise and other aromas. Often the composition contains dry blood, which attracts predators. For catfish, red, orange or brown balls are used.

Making your own boilies

Not every fisherman can afford to purchase expensive balls from advertised manufacturers. And it’s not always possible to “get into” the taste preferences of the inhabitants of a particular body of water. Therefore, if you have the desire and opportunity, you can make bait yourself. Moreover, this matter is not difficult.

Composition recommendations

If you break down each granule into its component components, they will all be aimed at performing specific tasks. Some additives provide nutritional value, others provide structure and the necessary taste, others provide aroma, and others provide color.

The following components are used as the basis for making bait:

1. Semolina and soy flour. This base includes a mixture of carbohydrates and protein of plant origin. Being low in nutrition, it is excellent for short-term fishing and exploring a new body of water, because over time the carp will understand that this food does not satiate it, does not bring energy, and will refuse it. All kinds of fruit flavors are best combined with this base. You can increase the nutritional value by adding corn flour to the original mixture. Balls made from this base “work best” in cold water.
2. Flour from fish and various seafood. A base that mainly consists of animal proteins and fats. Its peculiarity is that the fish must first be accustomed to such food. The more often you use granules of this composition, the faster the carp will begin to perceive them as natural food. Such balls have a loose structure, so they quickly get wet in water and become prey for small things. Do not use them in cold water or in bodies of water with strong currents.
3. Birdseed. This base well replenishes the energy losses of carp, as it consists mainly of carbohydrates, fats and proteins of plant origin. If you add semolina flour and fruit flavors to the mixture, you will get a fast-acting bait. Together with fishmeal and animal aromas, you will get a perfectly balanced bait for long-term fishing.

In order to bind all the components together, they use chicken eggs, starch, and casein. Food coloring is used to give the desired color.

Cooking steps

Regardless of which ingredients you decide to use, the cooking process will consist of the following steps:

• First you need to prepare all the dry

  
  Components. Grind the large ingredients and mix everything into a homogeneous cereal.

• In a separate container, prepare the liquid component of the mixture. Mix eggs, dye, flavoring, etc.
• Stirring constantly, pour the dry base into the liquid base.
• Knead the dough. It should be homogeneous and elastic. Shouldn't be too liquid. The required consistency is achieved by adjusting the amount of liquid in the mixture.
• You need to make several sausages from the dough. Their diameter depends on what kind of fish you are going to catch. Then the sausages are cut into cubes, from which balls are formed.
• The final stage is heat treatment and subsequent drying.

Adviсe:

• To ensure that the dough reaches the desired consistency, strictly follow the recipe. Maintain the required proportions of dry and liquid ingredients.
• If you want the balls to be covered with a hard crust, leave them to dry in the fresh air.
• To prevent the nozzle from becoming moldy or sour, store it in the freezer.

DIY boilies

Do-it-yourself boilies have a lot of advantages. Usually the fisherman knows which bait is in demand among the fish of a particular region. This is the most important reason why homemade baits are more effective.

For production, one part of bird feed and one part of semolina or corn flour are used (finely ground cereal can also be used). The entire mixture should be ground in a coffee grinder. This mixture makes up 45% of the total dough. It is also necessary to add soy flour (45%) and fish or bone meal (5%). Per kilogram of dry mixture, give 10 drops of oil (sunflower or flax seed), and 5 teaspoons of a mixture of ground cinnamon, cumin and chopped (or dry) garlic. To add viscosity, add 1 raw chicken egg per 100 g of the mixture. You can add different food colors.

Form smooth balls from the thoroughly kneaded dough. They are dipped into boiling water and removed with a slotted spoon immediately after they float to the surface. The finished boilies are laid out separately and dried for several days.

The catchability depends on the consistency and taste of the boilies. It is very important to maintain balance. Various spices and seafood also work well. You can also include nut flour in the composition. Fiber or starch can be included to increase viscosity.

Food stimulants have proven themselves very well. These are dry substances that give the bait the taste of fish, sweets, fruits, and meat. You should not give more than 50 g of spices or 100 g of stimulants per 1 kg of mixture.

Recently, oils such as dill, peanut, anise or hemp are increasingly used to prepare bait. The optimal concentration is achieved experimentally. You can add a few drops of the substance to the dough, or dip the bait in oil before use.

Artificial flavorings can have an unpleasant bitter or acrid taste and may repel fish. For this reason, you should not exceed the concentration of the active substance.

Recipe for bait with cake

Compound:

• 150 g wheat flour:
• 2 raw eggs;
• 50 g sunflower seed cake.

Knead the dough into a tight dough, roll it into a thin sausage and cut into even pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and cook in boiling water.

Do-it-yourself boilies for carp

Boilies for carp can also be made at home using a set of standard and publicly available ingredients that are affordable to every fisherman. Initially, you will need to stock up on semolina or corn flour, have a couple of fresh chicken eggs, purchase a concentrated attractant, of which there is plenty in fishing stores today to suit every taste, and choose a food coloring based on the desired color of the final product. The dough made from flour with the addition of eggs is stirred in water until it reaches a consistency that allows it to not spread out after molding the dough into shapes, maintaining the structure of a ball or cylinder.

Important! Table salt is included in the finished mass to impart preservation properties.

After the next mixing, an attractant is added. After this operation, the dough is made into the required sizes and dried at room temperature for a couple of hours. After drying, the workpieces are immersed in boiling water. The exposure time in boiling water depends on the requirements for subsequent buoyancy properties. The sinking product is cooked longer than the suspended or floating version. As a rule, dipping for one and a half to two minutes makes the material sink. Shorter periods of time allow the bait to stay in the water column.

After boiling, the balls are dried in the open air and the already dried ones are painted, subsequently frozen or packed in an airtight bag. Recipes for boilies for catching carp differ to a large extent only in the use of different kinds of aromas, cooking time and color of the finished product.