Top Carp bait from the supermarket?

It’s not just your chosen bait supplier or local tackle shop that can provide you with top quality bait. Often adopting a different bait tactic can make all the difference. Picking up some alternative baits from your local supermarket could bring you success. I often add a stock of the following food items to my basket from my local supermarket. They particularly come into their own on waters that have bait bans.

1. Luncheon Meat

This all time classic bait is sometimes forgotten by the younger generation. For those of us who have been carp fishing a while this will bring the memories of the old days. When we would catch carp on huge cubes of Luncheon meat straight on the hook. Luncheon meat is still a great bait on many waters as a recent session showed me when I could not get a bite until a switch to luncheon meat and caught 5 fish in 2 hours!

2. Sweetcorn

If any bait was going to be the king of all carp baits I would go for Sweetcorn. Effective bait on any water pretty much with out exception. Carp just love it and can bring great results no matter which bait application is used from pure hookbait to heavy particle baiting. This bait is so good they even go for the imitation plastic baits.

3. Tuna

We like to eat it so you can not be surprised that the carp love it too. This is a must have ingredient in all of my method and spod mixes, reassuringly fishy. Go for Tuna in sunflower oil for the best results.

4. Bread

Blended, crusty or moulded around the hook, bread is versatile bait. It gives you many options for bait presentation and application. My favourite has to be thick floating crust, not many carp can resist it on the warm sunny days. A word of warning on fishing floating crust! be prepared to get unwanted attention from the local water fowl they can put pay to any chance you had of catching.

5. Peperami

This small conveniently packaged spicy sausage has brought me a few fish particularly in the colder months, but definitely worth trying. There are a few versions of the spicy sausage now but I have not tried the new hotter versions.

6. Pedigree Chum Mixers

These are an all time classic floating carp bait. They are very cheap and the fish love them. For the best results glue them to the shank of your hook or hair rig them on a tight D-rig setup. Free offerings can be catapulted around or placed in a small PVA mesh bag with a stone and fired out. The later method can avoid your baits been hovered up by the local water fowl before the fish have even had a chance to get to them.

7. Cheese

A bait that is often over looked these days in preference to the modern carp baits, but can be effective on some waters particularly where there are bollie bans in place.

8. Cat meat

The small chunky variety give a strong smell and are very attractive as hook baits. They can be a little difficult to get the correct hook bait presentation, but can give amazing result for only 25 pence.

9. Chick Peas

A tin of chick peas provide a great hook bait, particularly when fished in combination with particles such as hemp and groats. If you are planning to fish them in isolation look at adding a flavour to them or dipping in a bait soak.

10. Scrimp Paste

This paste is not found in all supermarkets but if you have a Chinese supermarket near you, it will be there in convenient tubs. Beware that this stuff smells like death and the smell will get every where. But for wrapping around any hook bait for additional attraction it is great.

11. Oyster sauce

Another top bait from the Chinese cookery school. This is an excellent bait dip or additive to your method mix.

12. Prawns

Straight on the hair a fresh prawn can be a great bait.

13. Sardines

A good oily fishy additive to a stick or method mix.

14. Anchovy

Another good oily fishy additive to a stick or Method mix

15. Golden syrup

I have used this in the past as a bait sweetener or mixed up with maize for great sticky hook baits.

16. Brazil nuts

Make sure that you prepare them correctly as they will need a soak for at least 24 hours and then a quick boil for 20 / 30 minutes before they are ready to use as hook baits.

17. Peanuts

These nuts can be devastating on a water however I have found fish can easily get pre-occupied with them and ignore everything else. Again make sure you prepare these correctly they will need a 12/18 hours soak and a 20 / 30 minutes boil before use.

18. Custard powder

I have had some anglers swear that custard is a great ingredient for ground baits, stick mixes and spod mixes. Very sweet smelling and creates a huge cloud on hitting the water.

19. Condensed Milk

Adding a tin of condensed milk to your spod mix will create you a great bait cloud.

Conclusion

Often moving your bait tactics and trying something different from the carp angler next door fishing the latest new bollie flavour can give you an advantage. Something I think all of us should think about?