| Flavours catch fish period! But how many catch more | | | | popularity was about to really explode, along came |
| fishermen than fish? The idea of a flavour dispersing | | | | one particular method. |
| through the water and attracting fish following its trail | | | | Basically it was fishing a 'bolt rig' set-up with a highly |
| and increasing concentration to its source and finding | | | | flavoured 'low nutritional' boilie bait which often was a |
| your hook baits, is taken for granted now. How many | | | | 'popped-up' bait which was totally revolutionary at the |
| anglers have not heard of the world famous 'Tutti | | | | time for the vast majority of the anglers. |
| Fruitti' flavour? How many anglers realise that actually | | | | Only a few of us who had thought of using dog |
| using a bait flavour is a method in itself? | | | | biscuits off the lake bottom, perhaps even directly 'off |
| When fishermen think of fishing bait flavours they | | | | the lead,' were using anything similarly effective. |
| often think of the ester, ethyl alcohol or solvent based | | | | A 'back-stop' was used on the line to stop the fishing |
| types which were originally familiar and popularly used | | | | weight from running up the line as a fish picked up the |
| in baits the original dough, paste and boilie mixtures of | | | | bait and moved off with it in its mouth. This was very |
| the past. Such flavours as strawberry and vanilla are | | | | effective at hooking the fish as the line running freely |
| still used by anglers making their own baits, even today. | | | | through the lead weight on the line stopped suddenly at |
| However, today many flavours are vastly more than | | | | the back stop and jerked the hook firmly into the fish's |
| combinations of esters for example, that have proven | | | | mouth. |
| by trial and error to catch more fish than many others | | | | The availability of the new readymade highly flavoured |
| tested. Even the powdered flavoured ingredients like | | | | boilies and the very effective combination of a heavy |
| the milk shake powders are flavours containing many | | | | lead, hair rig, back stop and better rig materials and |
| different components. | | | | hooks like the chemically sharpened 'Kamasan' hooks |
| Some flavours are actually far more soluble, actively | | | | made this a very easy period to take up carp fishing |
| 'mobile' and more volatile in water than you might | | | | with high expectation of easy quick fish rewards. |
| imagine and extremely powerful carp feeding triggers | | | | The readymade baits were of a kind of 'neutral' nature |
| in their own right. Some perform far better in summer | | | | as the base mix did not carry a flavour and appeared |
| than winter. Some stand out even really producing | | | | quite bland. In fact these baits were even available in |
| more fish with high pressure and low water | | | | unflavoured form so that you could add your own |
| temperatures. | | | | choice of flavour to them by soaking neat flavour |
| Some of the very few most well known original top | | | | directly into them and leveraging the freezing in and |
| flavors are even 'enzyme active' and can contain | | | | absorbing effect of defrosting baits. |
| extremely low levels of very special chemicals which | | | | Or you could simply put some flavour into a bag of |
| would actually be poisonous if used in higher levels. But | | | | neutral baits, shake it about to disperse the flavours |
| then this is the case with most of the powerful | | | | and go fishing. It's just the same today when you want |
| 'mind-altering' drugs known today. | | | | to flavour a bag of pellets. |
| There are many secrets of flavours well beyond the | | | | The effect went further in that you could now buy |
| scope of any but the biochemist or marine biologist. | | | | many of the flavours used in the readymade boilies |
| The key point about flavours is that the very best can | | | | themselves. With these you could add even more |
| actually change the, condition of various nerve | | | | flavour to really over flavour your baits or make |
| pathways sending signals to the brain, fish brain | | | | interesting alternative or unique bait flavour |
| chemistry, mood and behaviour to one of; "let's move | | | | combinations. You could buy readymade floating or |
| and look for food and eat right now!" | | | | 'pop-up' baits in various flavours too. |
| Here is one basic example before we go into an | | | | 'Pop-up baits were used to fish the hook and bait off |
| introduction into fishing flavours. 'The extremely sweet | | | | the lake bed to make them even more obvious and |
| protein called 'Talin' is very significant in connection with | | | | enticing to the fish. Also in all probability, these were |
| nerve pathways and special signalling 'gating' | | | | very likely to be taken first if you had baited your swim |
| mechanisms which in the end affect brain activity and | | | | with lots of 'free baits' to attract the fish into the swim. |
| fish behaviour for example. 'Talin' is an integral part of | | | | This method really multiplied catches. |
| many modern specialist carp bait 'flavours' with good | | | | These baits were a revolution in themselves and |
| reason. But more of this later... | | | | literally ripped carp waters apart at the time and |
| Certainly in the UK and Europe, flavourings seem to be | | | | where they had not been used before. |
| inextricably linked especially to carp baits and I think this | | | | At this time most fishermen were coming from an age |
| is largely due to the following reasons: | | | | where you had to make your own baits whether |
| Many anglers assume that if he likes the flavour them | | | | boilies or pastes, because there was simply no |
| the fish will too, but carp sensory systems are so | | | | alternative, although there were already more and |
| different to ours in such significant ways that this | | | | more boilie base mixes coming onto the market for |
| assumption is obviously wrong in the most general of | | | | making homemade baits. |
| senses! | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait 'edges' up |
| In the early 1980's era readymade boilie baits for carp | | | | his sleeve. Every single one can have a huge impact |
| fishing baits were really only just hitting the market with | | | | on catches. (Warning: This article is protected by |
| "Richworth's" right at the start of the big | | | | copyright.) |
| commercialization of carp fishing. Just as carp fishing | | | | By Tim Richardson. |