How to make dough for fishing: recipes, what you can add and how to cook

Dough is one of the most popular baits among anglers, which is actively used when catching peaceful fish.

Typically, this attachment is best suited for rigs such as a feeder or float rod. As an attachment, the dough can be actively used not only raw, but also boiled, rubberized, kneaded, or baked.

This attachment is perfect for catching fish such as carp, bleak, ide, rudd, bream, crucian carp and roach. It is worth noting that it is suitable for catching other species of peaceful fish that are not predators.

Fishing dough is suitable for catching roach, rudd, crucian carp, bream and other peaceful fish

There are many different, different from each other, recipes that allow you to make tasty, viscous, airy or, conversely, airy dough for fishing. In addition, if you don’t want to make such a bait yourself, with your own hands, it can be purchased ready-made in almost any fishing store.

Many anglers prefer raw dough due to the fact that it is an excellent, catchy and effective material for baiting a hook.

Store-bought fishing dough

Description of fishing test

Dough is a common and popular bait among fishermen, which is actively used when catching peaceful fish species. This is because it is affordable and also easy to prepare. In addition, if the need arises, it can be improved. When catching different types of fish, various additives are added to it, special flavors that enhance the smell and taste, as well as other additional components.

Depending on the manufacturing method chosen by the fisherman, there are several different types of dough, which are actively used as bait for catching fish. Conventionally, such a nozzle could be:

1. Raw. Mixed with water or (in very rare cases) with other liquids. This bait is easy to prepare and its consistency is not much different from ordinary dough, which is used in cooking.

   
   Rubber dough for fishing

2. Boiled . Compared to raw bait, this bait, due to heat treatment, has a different consistency. During its preparation, it is necessary to boil the rolled, small balls of dough in boiling water.
3. Steamed (cooked in a water bath)). This method of preparing dough, in most cases, is used when, instead of wheat flour, other ingredients are taken that contain a small amount of gluten. Gluten, or as it is also called, gluten, is a special substance due to which the dough acquires an elastic and elastic consistency. As a rule, this cooking method is used when corn flour is used as the starting ingredient.

   
   Flavorings for dough - the recipe almost always includes them in the composition

In order for such a bait to be the most catchy, a variety of flavors, dyes, and additives are added to it. It is worth noting that small fractions of other ingredients (semolina and so on) are often used when preparing the dough.

On a note! To prevent the boiled balls from sticking to each other during transportation and use, they must be treated with vegetable oil. To do this, the pre-prepared nozzle must be dipped into a container filled with oil.

Advantages and disadvantages

The dough is very famous and popular among fishermen and is often used to catch peace-loving fish. After all, this bait has a high level of catchability, especially if fishing is carried out in cool water. However, it, like any other bait that is used when fishing, has both its certain advantages and some disadvantages. The advantages of such bait include:

• after casting, turbidity appears around the bait, which actively attracts fish to the fishing spot;
• the angler can always change the size of the bait on the hook, at his discretion, adjusting it to catch a certain type of fish;
• this bait is compatible with a large number of different flavors and additives;
• simplicity and speed of preparation (making such a nozzle is much easier than getting worms or purchasing bloodworms);
• the possibility of using dyes (dyes should be used extremely carefully, because they can both improve or negate the level of bites);
• ease of transportation, versatility of use (unused dough can be stored in the freezer for a long time or it can be rolled out into small pieces, dried, and then used as ordinary bait).

  
  Fishing dough can be stored for a long time

The main disadvantage of this attachment is its unreliable, weak fixation on the hook. It can easily fly off the tackle during a strong cast or when hooking. Therefore, to avoid such problems, it is recommended to use special hooks and dough with a more viscous, rubbery and thick consistency.

In addition, such bait, especially when it is hot outside in summer, is poorly stored and begins to deteriorate quickly. If stored improperly, it dries out instantly and gradually begins to lose its properties.

Reference! To better hold the dough balls on the hook, you can add a small amount of ordinary cotton wool to it. This attachment can be used for long, power casts. In addition, during fishing, small fish will not be able to knock such bait off the hook.

What to consider when preparing the nozzle

To improve the catchability of the dough, various flavors, dyes, and additives can be added to it during preparation.

Thanks to the use of such additional components, it is possible to change not only the taste, color, and smell, but also the consistency of the dough. In addition, the addition of additional ingredients can affect the behavior of the bait directly under water (flowability, solubility).

The most attractive effect that a dough bait can have that attracts the attention of fish is its flowability. In order for it to have this effect, the ball rolled from the dough must be dipped in breadcrumbs before placing it on the hook. Thanks to this, when the nozzle is under water, it has the effect of flowability, as well as dust, which actively attracts underwater inhabitants of reservoirs.

Use of sugar and salt

When preparing bait, it is recommended to constantly add salt and sugar to it. After all, most underwater inhabitants prefer sweetened baits. Salt in this case acts as a preservative. However, when preparing such bait, it should not be over-salted. Ingredients such as salt and granulated sugar are best added to the dough in soluble form. For example, they can first be dissolved in a liquid (water), and then added directly to the flour.

Use of flavorings

Flavorings used during fishing can be dry or, on the contrary, liquid. Liquid flavorings must be added to the dough itself immediately before it is kneaded. Dry dips need to be mixed directly with flour before adding liquid.

During the preparation of the nozzle, various seasonings and spices can be used as special flavoring agents. For example, to improve catchability, you can add anise, cinnamon, dill, vanillin, honey or coriander.

In addition, a variety of essential oils and essences are perfect for preparing such bait. If necessary, you can purchase special flavored additives in online stores.

Flavorings - an additive that improves the quality of bite

Adding factions

To make the bait used more attractive to the fish, various small fractions can be added to it during cooking. For example, the bait will be more catchy if you additionally use breadcrumbs, semolina, and wheat bran when preparing it. In addition, some fishermen add coconut flakes to make the bait more catchy.

Application of dyes

To color a nozzle made from dough, you can use any food coloring. They need to be added to the flour immediately before kneading or added directly with the liquid. The most catchy pieces of dough are those that are pink, reddish, orange, and yellow in color.

Note! After preparing the dough, it is recommended to put it in a cool place or in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Thanks to this, its consistency will become firmer and also much more elastic.

Recipes - top 3 universal ways to make fishing dough

How to make the most catchy dough for fishing? Which recipe should you choose for making this bait yourself? It is impossible to give a definite answer to this question.

After all, when choosing a recipe for preparing such a bait, the type of fish, as well as the habits of the underwater inhabitants on which the fishing will be carried out, are taken into account. However, you need to remember that in different bodies of water, the same type of fish may have different taste preferences.

There are a large number of recipes that allow you to prepare catchy, most effective dough for catching fish. However, you need to remember that in each region of the country, and in different bodies of water, some recipes for this bait may be catchy, while others may not.

Recipe for fishing dough based on flour

It is the simplest and most famous, common recipe for preparing bait. To make such a nozzle, you need to take a little flour and pour it into a container. Then you need to add a small amount of water and mix the contents in the container. Then the resulting dough must be kneaded until its mass becomes homogeneous.

Dough in a syringe with anise

Garlic dough for fishing - ingredients and recipe

Flour must be mixed with water. Then you need to add a small amount of cinnamon, sugar, and salt to the resulting substance. This recipe allows the use of additional flavorings, for example, honey, cocoa, chopped dill, garlic juice. This bait is most suitable for catching fish such as bream.

Chatter-garlic dough for fishing - video recipe for catching carp, crucian carp:

Recipe for boiled dough for fishing based on wheat flour

This recipe calls for the use of wheat flour, as well as milk, egg yolks and honey. In this case, the dough is kneaded not with water, but with milk.

Then the remaining ingredients are added to it. At the next stage of preparation, you need to make small balls from the dough, after which they should be boiled. To prevent the balls from sticking to each other, they need to be greased with sunflower oil. In appearance, this bait is somewhat similar to boilies. It is perfect for catching fish that belong to the carp family.

Dough boilies

How to make your own dough for winter fishing - a recipe for bait for fishing in winter

To have a successful, large catch of fish in winter, you should not use a large amount of flavorings when preparing bait. In this case, it should actively attract and hold fish at the fishing site, and not scare them away. To make catchable winter bait in the form of dough, you need to take the following ingredients:

• sugar;
• milk (1/3 cup);
• salt;
• wheat flour);
• garlic.

To prepare the dough for winter fishing, you need to add warmed milk to the container. Then you should add one pinch of salt and sugar. Then you need to gradually add a small amount of flour into the container. Flour is added until the substance in the container acquires a jelly-like consistency. At the last stage of cooking, add 1 clove of chopped garlic to the container.

On a note! Unlike the use of bait of animal origin during winter fishing, when using dough, the hook must be completely hidden in the bait. Indeed, when using, for example, bloodworms, the sting of the hook is left a little open.

How to properly knead the dough for winter fishing:

Catching dough for catching crucian carp.

This bait is well suited for both crucian carp and any peaceful fish. You can fish with this dough all year round. To prepare, we need ingredients that are found in any home. First of all, take a raw egg and separate the yolk from it. After which the yolk must be stirred. Then add one teaspoon of honey to the stirred yolk.

And the next ingredient will be vanillin. Vanillin will be needed just a little bit. Add it to the tip of the knife.

If you have problems with vanillin, you can replace it with vanilla sugar.

Don't forget to stir everything thoroughly. This amount of dough may be enough for several fishing trips. Add flour to the resulting mixture. Flour should be added in small portions. Stirring at the same time. You should get a so-called “tight” state. To begin with, it is more convenient to stir with a fork, and then you can use your hands.

The dough is considered ready when it stops sticking to your hands.

If you are going to fish not only with a float, but also with a donk, then it is better to add more flour. And stir until the dough for your fishing becomes very tight.

If you are interested in recipes for other baits for catching crucian carp. You can learn about them from the article - Bait for crucian carp. Simple recipes for bait for crucian carp and crucian carp.

Bait recipe for fishing in spring and autumn

To successfully catch fish in early spring (starting from April), it is preferable to use the so-called batter. It is prepared using water and flour. Flavorings can also be added to the bait in small quantities. However, in this case, flavors and additives must be used carefully so that they do not scare away the fish. In order to place such bait on a hook, a syringe is used.

For fishing in the fall, it is recommended to use bait made from wheat and corn flour. To prepare it you need to take:

• 2/3 wheat flour;
• 1/3 corn flour;
• sugar (2 teaspoons);
• vanillin (1-2 sachets).

First you need to add water, sugar and vanillin to the container. Then you need to mix the flour together and add it to the container. Then you need to knead the dough and roll it into small balls. At the next stage, the balls need to be boiled in water until they begin to float. After this, you need to remove them using a slotted spoon and dry them. However, they should not be overdried. The consistency of the bait should allow it to be placed on the hook without any problems.

Semolina dough for fishing in a syringe - video recipe:

How to properly set a hook

In order to place dense dough on the hook, you need to tear off a small piece and roll it into a ball with a diameter of 2-3 mm with your fingers. Next, put the ball on the hook as much as possible so that the sharp part is not visible. The liquid dough is held together by its viscosity and can be applied to the hook even with a syringe. It should be noted that the hook tip may be covered with bait, or may be open.

The main thing is that there is enough bait and the fish notice it. At the moment of swallowing, the fish does not notice the details. The denser the consistency of the bait, the better it stays on the hook. But the fish prefers soft and loose food, so keeping it on the hook is problematic. To do this, add cotton wool to the dough.

Important! The size of the fishing spring depends on the size of the prey. For crucian carp, springs 5 ​​cm long and about 2 cm in diameter are used.

To combine the dough with cotton wool, you need:

• roll out the dough into a thin layer;
• apply a small amount of cotton wool to it;
• roll the ingredients into a tube;
• knead.

At the same time, the dough remains soft, and thin fibers of cotton wool securely hold it on the hook. To better hold the bait, “dough-spring” hooks are also used. These hooks have an additional element in the form of a barrel spring. Its coils hold the soft nozzle. To clean the spring from bait residues, you should have a special brush.

Recipe for making dough for fishing in summer

The dough is perfect for catching different types of fish in the summer. To prepare the most catchy bait you will need the following ingredients:

• milk powder (2 parts);
• semolina (3 parts);
• corn flour (2 parts);
• soy flour (1 part);
• cake (2 parts);
• chicken eggs (per 500 grams of dry mixture - 10 pieces).

To prepare such bait, you need to take eggs and place them in a container. If liquid flavorings are to be used, they must be added directly to the eggs. Dry flavorings are added to flour. Then the prepared dry mixture must be placed in the egg solution and mixed. From the kneaded total mass you need to form balls. Some experienced anglers recommend using strawberry flavoring (1-2 drops added directly to the eggs before mixing).

How to make washed indestructible rubber dough for fishing - video recipe:

Semolina dough for crucian carp with garlic

In most cases, semolina serves as the basis for garlic dough. The semolina bait turns out to be quite viscous, but at the same time gentle, which makes the fish bite more confident.

When kneading semolina dough, use only warm water. This makes the bait more uniform and sticky.

In order for the soft bait to stay on the hook better, cotton wool is often added to its composition. This additive is especially relevant when fishing in the current, when the dough is washed out quite quickly.

Recipe for crucian carp dough with garlic for a standing pond

Dough for crucian carp with garlic, which will work stably in stagnant bodies of water, is easy to make with your own hands. To do this you will need the following ingredients:

• Semolina - 50 g;
• Powdered milk - one teaspoon;
• Unrefined sunflower oil - one teaspoon;
• Two cloves of garlic;
• About 50 ml of clean, warm water;
• Yellow food coloring.

The garlic dressing is prepared in several stages:

1. Semolina, milk powder and powdered food coloring are poured into a glass and mixed thoroughly with a spoon;
2. Water is poured into the resulting mixture;
3. The contents of the glass are thoroughly mixed again until a homogeneous mass is obtained;
4. Sunflower oil is added to the resulting mass and mixed;
5. Knead the resulting dough in your hands, if necessary, adding a little more semolina.

When the dough acquires a thick, homogeneous mass, add finely chopped garlic cloves and knead again.

It is advisable to prepare the bait several hours before fishing so that it absorbs the garlic aroma well.

Garlic dough for fishing for crucian carp for fishing in the current

Few fishermen know how to make dough for crucian carp with garlic for fishing in the current. For this you will need:

• Semolina - 50 g;
• Oatmeal (oat flour) - 50 g;
• Unrefined sunflower oil - two teaspoons;
• A little cotton wool;
• About 100 ml of clean, warm water;
• Four cloves of garlic.

The cooking process is divided into several stages:

1. Semolina and oatmeal are poured into a glass and mixed;
2. Warm water is added to the resulting composition and the contents of the glass are mixed again;
3. Add unrefined sunflower oil to the resulting mass;
4. The contents of the glass are mixed again;
5. The resulting dough is thoroughly kneaded in your hands, while adding a little cotton wool to it;
6. Chopped garlic cloves are added to the dough.

If you prepare dough for crucian carp with garlic according to this recipe, it will stay securely on the hook and will not wash out for a long time, even in a strong current. If necessary, such a nozzle can be painted in a bright color by adding food coloring to the composition.

Recipe for baits based on dough for catching different types of fish

To catch large, mature fish (bream, carp), it is preferable to use dough with garlic. When preparing it, add a small amount of garlic juice to a container with flour and water. After this, the resulting mixture must be thoroughly mixed.

To catch crucian carp, it is best to use the so-called ideal semolina dough, in which semolina is used instead of flour.

Pea dough is perfect for catching fish such as bream. In addition, you can catch crucian carp and carp with it. To prepare it you need to take peas and boil them. Then you need to mash the peas so that their consistency resembles porridge. At the next stage, the resulting gruel must be added to the finished dough, made from water and flour in the proportion of 1 part of the gruel to 2/3 of the dough.

Fishing dough - how to make and how to use

The dough is a very effective attachment. Its attractiveness to fish is sometimes simply surprising. It happens that in cool water, i.e. in autumn, winter and spring, white fish do not take bloodworms and caddis flies, but are caught on the dough. And very active. What is the special appeal of the test? How to make it correctly and how to fish with it...

How to make fishing dough

Making dough for fish is not difficult. You need to deliver a small supply of flour, a 20 mg syringe and a small container - a 250 ml glass - to the pond. Ingredients: flour and water.

During manufacturing, the main thing is to maintain the necessary proportions to obtain the desired viscosity. On the one hand, the dough should be as soft as possible, and therefore attractive to fish. On the other hand, it should not fall off the hook when casting, if it is properly wound on the hook. You need to make the optimal viscosity.

This is the best way to prepare dough for fishing. A little flour is poured into a glass, then water is added little by little, portion by portion, with constant stirring. This action lasts 5 - 10 minutes, and the dough for fishing is ready.

A syringe is used

It is better to use the test with a syringe. It is better to pull the dough into it using vacuum. But a pump is not needed. The piston is removed from the syringe, the open part of the syringe is inserted into the dough, and on the other side a vacuum is created with the mouth.

If the dough is of optimal density, i.e. If it is sufficiently liquid, it should be able to be drawn into the syringe without any problems. But when squeezing out, the dough continues to crawl out of the syringe when it is not needed. Therefore, you definitely need to stock up on a medical needle cap.

Cooking options

An alternative to flour is semolina. It makes semolina mash. You just need to knead and leave it for longer - about 20 minutes. But in terms of catchability, ordinary wheat flour is still better.

You can add smell and attractants to the dough. It is possible that it will turn out well, as long as you don’t overdo it. But for cold water, an additional pungent odor is often not necessary; it interrupts the bite. While the plain dough continues to catch fish well. Having a supply of flour, you can experiment with the attractiveness by making a portion separately.

Dough in cold water

Often fishermen in cold water do not use vegetable baits at all, sensibly believing that at this time nothing will be better for fishing than bloodworms, worms and maggots. According to the theory, fish in cool water will be primarily interested in living creatures, which are much more nutritious.

But there are no absolute rules in fishing, and that’s what makes it interesting. Despite everything, fish in cool water are often caught better with dough than with bloodworms. Moreover, the effectiveness of the test is surprising - the bites of roach, bream, and crucian carp are greedy. Can be repeated for a long time, i.e. the flock remains in place and is clearly interested in the bait.

Why do fish like dough?

What is the reason why fish dough is so attractive? There are probably several reasons.

• Firstly, the dough is more noticeable. It leaves behind a cloudy and odorous trail for fish, attracting it from afar. The bait is very small, however, it is a good bait for fish, dissolving, often falling off the hook, gradually creating a cloudy cloud. This results in microfeeder fishing.
• Secondly, dough is easily digestible compared to living creatures. Perhaps in cold water the fish will pass by hard corn or harsh pearl barley, slippery pellets of bread. But the very soft, half-dissolved dough, apparently, is just a delicacy for the fish, like candy. After all, it is known that fish prefer soft fluffy bait rather than hard and slippery ones.

How to hook dough

When inserting the dough, you should not leave the tip open. This bait will quickly wash itself and slide off the hook, gradually exposing the sting.

In most cases, the dough is squeezed out of the syringe and at the same time wrapped around the hook - around the hook, tip and shank in several turns.

If the dough is made and set correctly, then it stays on the hook not only when casting, but also withstands not one but two bites. After the first one, the remnants should provoke a second one.

Fishing Features

For catching larger fish, when you have to wait for a bite, it may be more advisable to use a more viscous dough. Then it is more convenient to make pellets from it and apply it with your fingers.

Often an effective sandwich is dough with livestock. The first one to bait the hook is the larva. And then, the dough is wound higher, covering the sting, but so that the larva does not stick and remains mobile. It makes an excellent bait for bream.

It is advisable to choose a thin hook for fishing with dough, with a short shank, and white. The size should be small so that the dough winding holds better. The shape depends on the fish being caught - now there are many hooks for their intended purpose, for bream, roach, crucian carp.

When to catch

When compared with other attachments, the dough is especially effective in cold water. In the off-season, when the weather is bad, sunfish often stay on the shallows among the already (or not yet) green thickets. In such conditions, with the help of the test you can detect schools of roach or crucian carp trails. While other baits are not in demand.

But in the summer you shouldn’t forget this bait, especially when the bite is excellent. Because this bait causes a greedy bite and adds excitement with its presence.

Fish serving techniques

The main method of catching is on the fall. Or by weight, casting past the bait and swimming through the feeding spot. Or wiring around the bait point. This is a very effective maneuver, since the fish often circles not far from the baited point, periodically running at it to steal...

A distributed load is used on the fly rod. And sometimes it is better to use a light jig instead of sinkers when fishing by weight.

Frequent recasting during active biting is the main technique for using the test when fishing. The fishing spot is saturated with aroma, the fish more actively takes the tasty soft bait.

Other popular fishing dough recipes

An effective bait is dough made with sunflower oil. To prepare such bait, you need to take a few drops of sunflower oil (refined) and add it to a mixture of water and flour. Then the resulting lump of bait must be kneaded and formed into balls.

High catchability is demonstrated by bait made from sunflower seeds. To prepare it, you need to take dried sunflower seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder. Then the resulting substance must be added to a container with water and flour and kneaded. Instead of seeds, you can actively use sunflower cake.

Do-it-yourself puffed dough for fishing - preparation and recipe for a cook (ottoman) for catching roach, bream, carp and other peaceful fish:

Dough with cake

As you know, sunflower cake, or ground seeds, is very popular with fish such as crucian carp, carp, roach, and bream, and this should be used by adding ground cake to the dough.
The dough should be thick, and adjust the amount of ground cake experimentally. Add the cake directly while fishing.

Good analogues to this recipe are adding unrefined sunflower oil or anise oil, which also have an attractive aroma for fish. But you need to add a minimum, since too strong an aroma can simply scare away the fish.

You can also try kneading the dough not with regular water, but with juice from canned corn.

Fishing rules

The dough is an excellent bait for catching white fish. It is perfect for catching bleak, tench, rudd, roach, as well as crucian carp. Before use, it must be thoroughly kneaded. Then you need to pinch off a small piece from the total mass and form it into a ball.

Dough attachment in the form of a boilie

It is placed on the hook so that its sting is hidden. In addition, the dough can be used in combination with baits of animal origin (maggots, bloodworms). Such a sandwich of different baits often attracts neat, cautious fish and large bream.

Important! To eliminate the possibility of quickly losing the bait after casting, it is recommended to use special hooks. A special device resembling a spring is placed on their forend. It holds the bait on the hook and prevents it from slipping during long casts or hooks.

Fishing with dough in spring

Dough phenomenon

Floaters look forward to the beginning of April, as this is one of the shortest, but at the same time exciting periods of open water fishing. As the water masses become warmer and warmer, the feeding activity of fish preparing for spawning increases, and their biting becomes more active.

Traditional spring float baits that work flawlessly in most bodies of water are bloodworms, worms, maggots and caddis flies. Few fishermen prefer other baits, and there is no need to talk about vegetable baits. According to popular belief, they are generally ineffective in cold water. For many years I myself preferred a similar selection of fishing lures. But the experiments have shown that there is nothing obvious in fishing, and today the first place in the ranking of my spring baits is occupied by the simplest batter, prepared from flour and water right at the fishing site, and then tucked into a syringe.

Its efficiency is highest immediately after the ice melts, when fishing is not yet very effective, since the fish are inactive and it takes time for it to recover after the ice melts and adapt to the changed conditions in the reservoir. The same applies to rivers.

In recent years, I have increasingly started fishing in open water since the appearance of edges in lakes that are sufficient for full-fledged float fishing. In this case, the dough becomes one of the most desirable delicacies of “white” fish. The most active inhabitants of reservoirs at this time of year bite on it: rudd and roach, and a little later, silver bream and bream. As the weather gets warmer at the end of April - beginning of May, other fish are found in lakes and the mouths of small rivers: crucian carp, tench, bleak, etc. And more than once it was observed that when changing baits, the bite often died down, and if it continued, then more fish were caught. smaller than dough.

Reflecting on the reason for this phenomenon, I came to a very contradictory conclusion. On the one hand, the aquatic vegetation that “peaceful” fish feed on is just beginning to sprout. There are practically no insects and aquatic invertebrates. It is logical to assume that the dough should not prevail over the bloodworm or worm.

On the other hand, dough, especially liquid dough, is a delicate, easily digestible product that causes less mistrust among fish, especially in reservoirs with high fishing pressure. It has an attractive smell, is clearly visible in water and leaves a cloudy trace when immersed. Perhaps there are other reasons for its attractiveness, due to the characteristics of specific water bodies, the nutritional value of the dough, which affects the balance of fish nutrition, etc. In general, I discovered the spring phenomenon of the test and intend to continue the practice of using it. Especially considering the fact that when fishing it performs such an important function as cutting off unwanted fish from the bait: small perches, ruffs, etc.

Read: How to prepare boilies yourself? Recipes for effective attachments

Preparing the dough

A batter made from water and flour is a win-win working option. You can add flavorings to it in minimal quantities, using them in bait. In general, there is a good spring rule: use a minimum of odorous substances, which can sometimes cause the opposite effect, discouraging fish adapting to spring conditions from wanting to feed.

A worthy alternative to flour dough can be semolina, prepared according to the same principle right at the fishing site. But before use, you should let the mash sit longer so that the grains swell and form a single mass. This bait holds the hook more firmly, but this does not mean that the fish will bite better. More often than not, it's just the opposite.

The consistency of the dough, especially when the bite is weak, should be such that, on the one hand, it is as liquid as possible, and on the other, it stays on the hook. This can only be achieved through experience. If you do not have sufficient skills, you should adhere to the following algorithm. Pour flour into a container, and then slowly add small portions of water to it, stirring constantly.

The mass should be homogeneous, without grains. You can use the batter by wrapping it around a hook with a stick, but it is better to use a 20 ml medical syringe for these purposes. It’s more convenient, faster, and you don’t have to get dirty. The syringe is easy to fill. The piston is removed from it, after which the body is placed in the dough and the mass is drawn into the container with the mouth. If the consistency is correct, this will not require much effort; the operation will take seconds. There is one more detail left to take care of. Even from a lying syringe, as a result of the constant pressure created when squeezing the mass onto the hook, the dough will flow out. To avoid this, after wrapping the dough around the hook, close the hole with a needle connecting cap, which should be prepared in advance by breaking off the needle itself.

Usually, a couple of filled 20-ml syringes are enough for one fishing trip, but it doesn’t hurt to have some flour or semolina in reserve. After all, there are unexpected expenses.

Read: Catching roach in spring

Dough hooks

Nowadays they are producing more and more profile hooks, among which there are also “dough hooks”, but I believe that when choosing, you need to follow a different path. First, take into account the size and type of fish you intend to catch. Secondly, take into account your own physical characteristics and age. Let's say a large fisherman with big hands or an elderly person finds it difficult to work with small hooks. Therefore, it is more important to focus on the key characteristics of the required hooks.

I often use hooks made of white (matching the color of the dough) or yellow metal, with a short or medium length shank. I select the shape of the hook, focusing on the intended fishing objects. A roach hook is different from a crucian hook.

I do not share the opinion that the dough should be hooked exclusively by hooking it. It holds more firmly when it wraps around the fore-end at the same time, prying up the sting as well. Accordingly, a hook with a narrow hook is preferable, on which the dough does not spread horizontally and does not slide off the hook. With this option, even in the case of a single bite, it is possible not to rush to re-cast the equipment, since the fish can be tempted by the remains of the dough on the hook and repeat the attack.

I believe that during a period of weak bite, a hook completely covered with dough will be more effective than one whose parts are free from bait. I most often form the dumplings in an irregular shape, which is less alarming to the fish. However, this is not an axiom. Sometimes, even when catching fairly large fish, it is more useful to use a tiny hook, the tip of which is covered only with a small amount of rolled batter. Therefore, it is worth having different hooks in the box for such fishing.

Submitting the test

Properly mounted dough can withstand casts of any distance, so you can fish with it at different distances. However, in spring fishing is most often carried out short. The main thing is to correctly decide on the choice of location. On reservoirs, “windows” among dry vegetation are attractive, especially in shallow backwaters sheltered from the winds, where fish head en masse to feed and prepare for spawning. On rivers, fish enter the mouths of shallow tributaries and ascend them. Long casts or retrieves are not required in such situations, so the batter placed on the hook is subject to minimal impact before falling into the water.

In spring, bait does not have a significant effect on fishing performance. It happens that in the bait “spot” the fish either do not want to take the bait at all, or quickly lose interest in it. In such situations, the fishing sector should be expanded. It is enough to cast just 1-2 m to the side, and the fish begins to bite again. It is useful to stretch the equipment thrown further than the stern spot along the stern spot. The movement of the bait, leaving behind a nutritious turbidity, excites the fish. In such cases, the dough should be wound more tightly onto the hook in advance so that it allows such manipulations.

Read: Pike fishing in spring

You have to change the batter bait quite often because it doesn’t hold well on the hook. However, there is no need to wind new dough after each unsuccessful cast. If the dough that has been in the water has partially slid off the hook, but the tip is closed, there is no need to change the bait.

The advantage of the test is that, although it is not a universal bait, it goes well with bait, especially maggot. With this option, the nutrient mass supported from below by the larva stays on the hook much longer. And if you want to create a “sandwich” from dough and bloodworms, then first you should put the bloodworms on the hook, and then the dough. Then the larvae will spin more freely and will not stick to the dough, which will gradually slide down.

An additional bonus of this combination can be the caught predatory fish, primarily perches, which not only hang around in the same waters hoping to make a profit, but sometimes occupy them in large schools. “pressing” or displacing “white” fish. Therefore, if they start to get hooked with such a “sandwich”, if you wish, you can switch to catching them by abandoning the test and using only bloodworms.

Changing the consistency of the dough (for example, making it thicker) can have a significant impact on fishing performance. In the spring, the use of a denser mass may be justified, but fish, especially the ubiquitous roach, sometimes bite on it much less often. Unless when catching larger fish, such as tench, crucian carp, and bream, when it is desirable to keep the bait in the water longer in anticipation of a bite, you should resort to making dense pellets of dough.

In the spring, with the right choice of fishing location, good equipment and even minimal skills, a rare fisherman is left without a catch. And when the fish, even if not briskly, still bites on bloodworms or bread crumbs, the thought of changing something does not arise. In such a situation, only a few people remember the test. I still recommend trying it where you have not used it before. Who knows, maybe the dough will become the “best”, which is the “enemy of the good”.

in spring