1. Easily digested – the quicker it’s digested the sooner the carp need to eat again.
2. Low flavour level (that will surprise some!) – if I am presenting baits where I know the carp to be then I don’t need high flavour content. I have watched fish move from an area away from heavily flavoured baits when they don’t want to feed. They will tolerate low level flavoured baits being in the swim though and eat them when ready.
3. Soluble ingredients – to assist the leach of the natural subtle attractors.
4. Minimal fat/oil content – they struggle to digest fat in the cold weather which can make them ill and certainly makes it a longer period of time before they need to eat again.
5. Subtle colour if the bird life is troublesome – speaks for itself but I prefer subtle baits when everyone else is using ‘in your face baits’.
6. Food content instead of simple flavour carrier ingredients – if the bait has been out for a couple of days before the carp are inclined to feed or indeed come across the bait I want a food parcel awaiting them – not a washed out bit of pasta!
7. Essential Oil(s) – retain taste in the bait if not picked up early in the session.
8. Easily obtained – no good getting a bait going that you can’t get hold of easily.
9. Matching add–ons – I like to be able to get matching pop-ups, pellets and the like.
Hope this helps!
Shaun Harrison, Quest Baits.
