Do-it-yourself bait: pros and cons
Making effective bait requires serious theoretical knowledge and practical fishing skills. Therefore, the ability to solve this problem yourself is highly valued in the fishing community.
Pros and cons of prepared bait
The advantages of making your own bait mixture include:
Possibility of strict quality control and maintaining the required proportions of ingredients;
In fishing areas, the use of expensive components included in branded mixtures is not justified, so the fisherman can optimize costs;
If necessary, bait can be quickly produced without visiting specialized stores;
Making the mixture yourself allows you to achieve unity in the fishing process at all stages.
Of course, the “homemade version of bait” is not without its drawbacks:
Regular bait attracts not only bream, but also a variety of other carp fish, including roach and rudd;
Manufacturing requires time;
Finding the right recipe can take a long time.
What is the difference between store-bought and homemade?
Professionals take part in the creation of branded mixtures, so the branded mixture concentrates the experience of real masters.
The use of home recipes deprives the fisherman of the opportunity to experience the advanced developments of the fishing industry.
In addition, the modern chemical industry does not stand still and is constantly inventing new synthetic substances that have an enhanced effect on the taste buds of fish.
The composition of branded mixtures is strictly controlled, and the quality of the ingredients is characterized by consistency, so the fisherman always knows exactly how much water to add and what the physical and chemical properties of the bait will be.
What is the advantage of making your own bait over buying it?
Making the mixture yourself allows the fisherman, through experimentation, to better understand the taste preferences of bream and achieve higher levels of skill.
In this case, preparing bait turns into creativity.
In addition, excessive dependence on the store and brands not only reduces the independence of the fisherman, but also hits the pocket. In some cases, the use of expensive anabolic steroids and amino acids does not affect anything other than the final price of the mixture.
How to catch bream in the fall and prepare working bait
Autumn fishing for bream is a long-awaited and productive time for most bream, as this season is famous for its trophic specimens and excellent bites. Scattered summer fish in the fall turn into huge schools, which, with the right search, can be stopped at the pier, which gives an excellent catch.
The variety of fishing methods this season will delight floaters and bottom fishers, providing a full-fledged game for experimenting with fastenings and all kinds of equipment options. And using baits of different types and orientations can only improve the result. Just how to combine all these factors into a practical component and use the trophy potential of the season, the angler will learn by reading the information, immersing the reader in the specifics of catching bream in the fall.
A description of promising fishing spots, the necessary main and auxiliary equipment, as well as the secrets of the composition of bait fish will allow you to competently prepare for promising seasonal expeditions for bream trophies.
Peculiarities of bream behavior in autumn
In September, bream actually behaves like in summer, when in shallow water it prepares its own food, swimming in warm water and eating protein-rich food in the form of all kinds of shells, mayflies and insect larvae, without being afraid to eat. thinner vegetation at the same time underwater.
With the onset of October, cold weather dramatically changes the behavior of bream, forcing them to gather in large schools and search for food along common routes, migrating intensively within the reservoir.
Increasing competition in the herd for food resources and the upcoming winter, forcing them to accumulate energy, will lead the fish to warmth, which will last until the ice melts. And as you know, the estrus period is the golden time of fishing, giving not only expectations, but also real significant results.
The end point of the bream's migration routes leads to deep wintering grounds, where the fish remain until spring. By determining the migration routes of the schools, the angler will be able to ensure a stable bite during the two autumn months.
Weather dependent
Bream, like all other fish, is susceptible to weather changes and certain phenomena occurring in the reservoir. Autumn bream fishing largely depends on a drop in pressure, due to which the bream suspends its active food production for an indefinite period of time. Morning frosts do not bode well, resulting in freezing of the water surface on reservoirs.
Prolonged and heavy rains lead to an increase in water levels in rivers and lakes, which leads to the washing away of coastal sediments, increasing the turbidity of the water and thus stopping the bream from biting until the suspension has completely settled. Strong winds negatively affect fish activity by raising high waves and thereby mixing cold surface waters with their warmer horizons. In the process of adapting to the new temperature, the fish also stops feeding, and at this time becomes cautious and quite picky.
Important: bream likes to stabilize atmospheric pressure at 740-750 atmospheres with partly cloudy skies and moderate winds.
Under these conditions, the fish remain active even after sunset, continuing to feed at night.
Best fishing time
In the warm autumn, bream continues to fish according to the summer schedule, entering schools early and continuing to fish from dawn until 9-10 in the morning. Then their bites stop and can only be stopped at dusk. You shouldn’t count on catching bream during the day; the fish get stuck in nearby holes and are not active.
With the beginning of migration, the summer regime completely changes. Bream now feed after sunrise until midday. From noon to night, bream is rare and only small specimens appear in the catch, but as night falls, the bream increases in size and bream trophies are caught in late autumn, starry skies and full moons are quite common.
Important: as a rule, night bites last up to 3-4 hours, and then there is a period without fish until dawn.
This fishing principle is valid until frost, when fish stop falling into holes and underwater ditches.
Where to look for bream in autumn
The onset of calendar autumn does not affect the habitats of bream. During the day they remain alone at the bottom, in tears and holes near feeding areas, leaving them early in the morning. Shallows to shore or shallows to schools of shells.
Feeder bait for bream: the best recipes
Using bait when fishing on a feeder has several purposes:
Firstly, attract fish to the fishing spot;
Secondly, stimulate appetite. It is extremely important to ensure that the fish are not oversaturated with the mixture.
The feeder fishing technique requires the use of mixtures with special physical and chemical properties.
Ideally, bait balls should collapse immediately after falling to the bottom of the reservoir, but such viscosity is not always achieved.
The presence of current, the depth of the fishing spot and the density of the mixture in the feeder affect the selection of the optimal viscosity.
Another problem is the difference in the specific gravity of clean feeding balls and the mixture placed in the feeders.
The required viscosity can be achieved through experiments on the shore of a reservoir. After the rig falls to the bottom, with a sharp movement, begin reeling to the shore.
If the feeder moves easily, then most likely the lump of bait fell apart before falling to the bottom. Therefore, the viscosity must be increased until the feeder is released during the process of reeling the equipment to the shore.
The composition of the mixture also depends on the fishing conditions and preferences of the bream in a particular reservoir.
Homemade bait recipes
For bream you need to prepare a lot of bait .
You should always have some supply with you, since fishing can be activated and you will have to feed the future trophy with something. When fishing with a donk and a feeder, use feeder weights, and when fishing with a float, make balls. In specialized stores, ready-made bait is sold, but it is not cheap, and given the fact that you need a lot of it, the pleasure can hit your pocket. The simplest and cheapest option is to prepare bait at home.
The best ways to cook homemade catch bait:
Excellent bait, attracts bream during feeder fishing. It works ideally in the fall (it’s convenient to fill the feeder weight with donks) and in the winter when fishing from ice.
Recipe No. 1:
- Boil oatmeal and millet over low heat During cooking, you need to make sure that the mixture does not burn, as there will be an unpleasant smell.
- Further preparation continues at the fishing site.
- Clay or sand is added to the porridge so that the cereal holds its shape.
- to the finished mixture .
- Small balls - 5-6 pieces - are molded from the resulting mixture
Recipe No. 2:
Super bait, works well as bait. You can prepare the mixture with your own hands even on the day of fishing; it is ready in 1 hour.
- The bait is done immediately before fishing.
- Mix bran , sunflower cake, corn sticks or flakes, coffee drink, bloodworms and maggots in a bowl.
- Water from a pond and clay are added to this mixture, and everything is kneaded until it becomes a thick dough. You can let the bait sit for a few minutes.
- Then the balls are molded and thrown into the water. While fishing, you can make very small balls and throw them into the water to keep the fish in place.
Recipe No. 3:
An old grandfather's bait that makes bream bite even in ponds with no current.
- On the shore of the reservoir, the following ingredients are mixed in one bowl: steamed peas, bran, flax seeds (fried), egg powder, fresh grated beets, worms, maggots, clay.
- After kneading, balls are made and sent into the water.
Experienced fishermen always experiment with bream food.
But there are universal mixtures that work under almost any conditions. Recipe:
- In a saucepan you need to boil 3-3.3 cups of water.
- Add 2.5 cups of pearl barley to boiling water It must be cooked until half cooked.
- After the pearl barley swells, millet is added.
- to add flavor .
- The porridge should be cooked until most of the water has evaporated.
- After this, turn off the pan and cover with a lid and leave for 40-45 minutes so that the remaining water is absorbed into the cereal.
- After this time, the porridge must be transferred to another container.
- Add 3 cups each of barley and corn to the warm mixture
- At the fishing spot, you can already add clay and water for better mixing.
Adviсe:
- Barley and millet groats cannot be replaced with anything.
- Instead of barley and corn grits, you can use crackers, cake, and store-bought bait.
When fishing from a boat, for example, using a ring, use regular feeder bait. It has all the necessary elements so that the feeding balls do not disintegrate before they reach the bottom.
Bait for bream on a ring: the best recipes
Fishing for bream with a 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 ring fishing 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 with a 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: 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 bait. 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.
Pearl barley and wheat with rice. Bait recipe for ring fishing
This bait is based on pearl barley and wheat groats.
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.
Preparing 2 porridges for the tackle ring (video)
Recipes
Recipe No. 1. Basic recipe. Editor's Choice
Tested by the site’s author and commentators, go down to the article ↓ to read the reviews of those who have already fished using this bait.
Step-by-step recipe for preparing the best homemade bait for bream with your own hands:
- 2.5-3 glasses of water are poured into the pan and placed on the fire until it boils;
- add 2 cups of pearl barley, mix and cook until noticeable swelling;
- add 1 glass of millet;
- 2 tablespoons unrefined sunflower oil;
- 1 packet of vanillin;
- the porridge is cooked until the millet absorbs most of the water (holes appear from which water bubbles);
- when the moment comes that the millet is covered with holes, turn off the gas and cover with a lid for 30 minutes, the millet should absorb all the remaining water;
- after 30 minutes, the millet will almost completely (95-99%) absorb water, transfer our porridge to a new dry pan;
- add 2 cups of barley grain;
- 2 cups corn grits.
What and with what can be replaced
- It is better not to replace pearl barley and millet with anything; they are inexpensive and very accessible.
- Barley or corn grits can be replaced:
breadcrumbs;
- well ground cake;
- purchased bait for bream with a large fraction.
As you may have noticed, the bait does not contain semolina, flour or other ingredients that can create turbidity, which is very attractive to small fish. If you want the effect of creating a haze, you can add 1 glass of semolina.
Recipe No. 2. For white bream and small bream
At the beginning of summer in June, throughout July and early August, bream really likes the following bait:
- Pour into a saucepan: 1 cup millet and 1 cup oatmeal.
- Pour 4 cups of water into the pan and cook until all the water has completely boiled away.
- Add to the resulting porridge: sunflower seeds; breadcrumbs; flavorings (vanilla, anise).
- Already on the pond, add clay to the bait (only when fishing with a float) and an animal component (chopped worms, maggots, large bloodworms).
Making such bait with your own hands is much easier than recipe No. 1, but it is also quite catchy, especially in the summer.
Recipe No. 3. For the bream
- Take a porridge base based on the first or second recipe (mix 1 cup pearl barley, 1 cup millet (or 1 cup oatmeal) and cook them in 4 liters of water until completely boiled).
- Add semolina while the porridge is still hot and leave to brew for 1-2 hours.
- Then add crushed sunflower seeds (you can use cake) and breadcrumbs.
- You can add flavorings (spicy in spring and autumn), sweet in summer.
- If there are large bream in the fishing area, then add 100 g of sweet corn to the bait. This additive will not be worse for small fish, but it will also arouse the interest of large bream.
Thanks to the addition of a fine dusting fraction (semolina), not only bream, but also roach, silver bream, and crucian carp will come for bait (especially in early spring).
You can also add 200-300 g of ready-made bait with sweet flavors: Dream Fish, Dunaev Premium, Traper, Ultrabaits.
Recipe No. 4. Winter bait
For ice fishing for bream in December, January and early February, black bait with a large addition of animal components works well.
- The basis is the groundbait from the Dunaev Premium store Bream, black in color. Fish are very shy in winter and bright spots on the bottom will greatly frighten them, and black bait copes with the task brilliantly.
- Add 1 part large bloodworm to 3 parts of bait. The closer to the first ice and the last ice, the more bloodworms can be added, bringing the ratio to 2 to 1 (2 parts bait, 1 part bloodworms).
- You can add dill as a flavoring agent, but start fishing without any flavorings at all. They can also spook fish, especially in the dead of winter.
Recipe No. 5. Pea porridge for bream
Pea bait is also a very effective composition for catching silver bream and bream. Unlike other recipes, this one is very different in its spiciness and excludes the addition of sweet additives.
- Soak 3 cups of unshelled peas overnight in a saucepan of water 2 inches above the level of the peas.
- In the morning, drain the water and add 2 cm more fresh water than the surface of the peas and cook until partially cooked so that the peas do not fall apart very easily.
- If your target is a large bream, then you don’t need to crush these peas. If you don’t care what size fish you catch, you can crush it. This will attract roach, silver bream and small bream.
- Add chopped dill and crushed garlic to the bait mixture. These flavors work well on bream, especially in spring and autumn.
Basic principles of catching bream on a feeder. What functions should bait have?
Feeder fishing for bream can be carried out both in the current and in still water.
A special feature of this type of fishing is the combination of the advantages of bottom equipment with the use of ultra-thin installation of equipment.
The bait for bream should be easily released, forming a cloud of turbidity from the smallest particles of the mixture, attracting bream to the bait.
Fishing with a feeder involves constantly moving the feeder and frequently replacing the bait mixture.
Features of feeding bream
The bait mixture for cold water should include protein components such as bloodworms, chopped worms, and maggots. In the warm season, it is best to combine bait with flavorings that give off a sweet smell.
If you plan to fish in the current, it is worth making a thicker consistency so that the ball consisting of fish food does not quickly disintegrate. In stagnant water it is advisable to use a more crumbly additive.
Advice! When fishing in deep-sea areas, it is necessary to add particles of gravel to the feeder so that the bait reaches the bottom surface faster and is washed out more slowly. The color of the granules should be light.
Basic principles of catching bream with a ring
Catching bream with a ring does not involve the use of high-tech gear. A small rod, 70 cm long with an inertial reel and a boat is quite enough.
The feeder is laid here for a long time, and the equipment itself is attached to the cord of the feeder using a special winding ring.
Effective fishing occurs only in fast currents, since the leads of the equipment often get tangled.
Best time to catch bream
In principle, you can catch bream at any time of the year, but knowing the habits and lifestyle of this inhabitant of reservoirs, it is easy to calculate those moments when a fisherman is almost guaranteed a good catch.
Important! The bream feed occurs in the first two months of summer, when the water temperature is +15...+20°C
.
In the spring, with the beginning of the season, bream gather in schools, emerge from the depths closer to the shore, into shallow water and prepare for spawning. The spawning process lasts approximately one month and does not start until the water temperature reaches at least +10°C, so if spring warming occurs later, spawning is also delayed. The appearance of fry from eggs begins after a week or a week and a half, while adult fish try to stay nearby all this time, protecting their offspring from natural enemies.
Then, when the first danger for the younger generation has passed, the “parents” again go to deeper places, where they simply rest for some time. And after this, having completed their main mission, the bream begin to really eat. Fishermen call this time (from about the beginning of June) the zhora period, which is considered ideal for fishing: bream can be caught equally well with any bait that can be used.
Also check out the features of creating your own bait for catching carp and carp.
At the end of July, the intensity of the bite decreases somewhat, but already in August or closer to September, the fish regain their proper appetite. The second stage of active fishing continues until mid-autumn, then, towards winter, a period of calm begins again. As for choosing the optimal time of day for fishing, there are different options here, but if during the day a cautious bream tries to sit out in holes, and it can be difficult to catch it on a hook without using a boat, then at night it often comes almost to the very shore, from where it is easy to reach even with a short cast of the fishing rod.
And finally, about the weather. The best time for fishing is a period of calm and partly cloudy weather or a slight breeze blowing from the southwest (the southern, western, eastern and southeastern directions are considered slightly less successful). The north or northeast wind does not contribute to successful fishing. The same can be said about wind of any direction if its speed exceeds 6 m/s. But such weather is more unfavorable for the fisherman than for the fish.
We recommend reading about the features of fishing for carp.
However, due to a strong wave, the float is in constant motion, which not only prevents the fisherman from recognizing a bite in time, but also leads to constant and sudden movements of the bait itself, and this scares away the cautious bream, so in case of strong wind, an experienced fisherman just needs to replace the float rod with a donkey , and a good catch will not be long in coming.
Hiding in deep holes, bream does not feel discomfort from what is happening on the surface, so it can bite even in strong winds.
What is the difference between feeder bait for bream and bait for ring fishing?
Bait for bream on the feeder consists mainly of medium and small particles.
The main task of feeder mixtures is to create a cloud of turbidity and impart an odor to the fish, but at the same time leave the fish hungry. To make this type of bait, pre-fried and crushed ingredients are used.
Mixtures for ring fishing consist mainly of already cooked porridges, which are supplied with medium-sized and small components.
The viscosity of the bait here is an order of magnitude higher than in the case of a feeder, so the mixture is eroded more slowly by the current and requires replacement less often.
Recipes for preparing bait for feeder fishing
One of the most commonly used gear for catching bream is a feeder. The convenience of a feeder rod is that it allows you to fish at great depths, and is also equipped with special feeders that can deliver bait directly to the place chosen for fishing.
Important! Depending on the season, when fishing in cold and warm water, different bait compositions are used.
The composition of the bait intended for feeders is not much different from the bait thrown into a reservoir when fishing with a float rod. Unless it is worth taking into account the characteristics of the reservoir, the presence and speed of the current.
Inexpensive, effective baits used in feeder fishing are most often called:
- bran;
- makukha;
- Salapin porridge.
In addition, if the bite is weak, you can also add a raw or boiled chicken egg. We must not forget about large ingredients, binders, and flavorings.
Off-season bait
There are many recipes for bait for bream. Many of them are suitable for any season. All recipes are quite simple and require minimal investment of money and time.
Read more
How to properly clean crucian carp
Groundbait with Hercules flakes.
Ingredients:
- oat flakes: 100 g;
- millet: 200 g;
- breadcrumbs: 50 g;
- finely ground sunflower seeds: 50 g;
- vanilla sugar: 15 g.
Cooking instructions:
- Boil the millet together with oatmeal until tender, avoiding burning. Cool.
- At the fishing spot, add breadcrumbs, sunflower kernels, and vanilla sugar to the mixture.
- Bring to the desired consistency using river soil and clay from the fishing spot.
Video: how to prepare the right rolled oats for fishing
Complementary feeding from bran and grain flakes
Ingredients:
- compound feed: 100 g;
- corn flakes: 100 g;
- oat flakes: 100 g;
- sunflower cake: 50 g;
- ground coffee beans: 20 g;
- bloodworm or maggot.
The bait is prepared directly at the fishing site. To do this, mix feed, flakes, animal ingredients, coffee and sunflower cake in a container. Add water from the reservoir. Bring to the desired thickness using clay. Let sit for 10–15 minutes.