Homemade dough baits?

[Leo Nguyen]

I'm curious, have anyone tried the homemade baits out of dough, combined with flour, sugar (white granule and brown), vanilla extract (with combination of rum/orange/grape flavoring), salt, water, and color sparklers.

There are many recipes on the web that claimed to be very effective in catching gills, but I'm more curious about anyone of us every play with such dough baits? The recipes mimic the attractants used to catch carps, and mask human's oil during handling.

I know when I ground up nightcrawlers and redworms, soak the flies and artificial lures, spoons, and spinners, I get hammer a tad harder than plain flies and lures. So, could the sugar, salt, and flavoring ring the dinner bell for the gills more effectively? Insights anyone?

[Johnny wilkins]

Extra scents and particles (physical bits) that give visual and odor DO help. In our competitions we use a ground bait mixture to attract fish to the area and hold them in a small area. Once you have many fish in a smaller area - the increased activity of the fish themselves makes the fish stupid. Well at least dumber than they would have been if there were no other fish around. For bluegills- I think the scent thing is o.k. - but their sight is the top by far. Most people think of dough baits on the hook - I know that the attractants are much more powerful (off) the hook - and your fishing will be off-the-hook if you can bunch fish in an area. They get stupid because then they compete - like people at a Black Friday sale - buying things they don't want or can't afford. [ I know this because I get stupid when I get in the Black Friday sale]...

Once you have them attracted and now - shifted their gears to "interested" or even better 'competing for food' - if your bait moves naturally and is easy for them to eat - moving in the water naturally - you can really catch a ton of fish. Rubbing it on lures instead of live bait... eh - well, you know how I would feel in that regards - I have never been fooled by a plastic burger - yet.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

f course you never know for certain what is going to work, do you? People have been catching bluegill on dough baits (and many other non-natural things) for a long time. A traditional favorite here in the South, where I live, is bread squished into a small wad on a hook.

I tend to agree with Johnny, however. This isn't thier natural food and they most likely take it because they are in competition and would probably hit anything. This has as much to do with the seasons and the number of 'gill in the waters as anything. Another old method heard of here in southern pond fishing is summarized by this comment: "The best place to fish is under a piece of cornbread."

This goes to Johnny's mention of feeding, or "chumming" as most people would call it. AS the floating cornbread breaks down it fills the water with a cloud of bits and particles that attract smaller fish. The commotion attracts the larger fish - and so on. Where there are lots of fish in a smallish area, they are accustomed to snapping at whatever comes along, to use Johnny's 'Black Friday' analogy. By attracting them this way, you stack the odds in your favor.

I can tell you that the wiley, backwater river fish I go after don't give a passing glance to such things.

By contrast, I'd think that where the fish are not heavily preyed upon, where their numbers are high in other words, dough baits might be an effective tool.

[Leo Nguyen]

Chumming is a great method to use, how ever, this neck of the waters, chumming is definitely a no-no. However, it doesn't mean that I can't accidentally drop over some corn bread I brought for lunch..Okay..that's evil.

But good idea none the less. Best to make them stupid with some side dishes before hitting them with the main dishes: the hooks.

[Johnny wilkins]

Would it be illegal if it was attached to the same line you were fishing? - See if you can copy and paste the rules - I might have a legal fix where you are at...

[Leo Nguyen]

Here's the DFG regulations: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/FreshFish-Mar2011/ccr-t14-ch1.html and http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/FreshFish-Mar2011/ccr-t14-ch2-art... , then look at the Chumming section.

[Johnny wilkins]

By the way - the top pastes come from Taiwan and are some of the primary baits used in their competitions - I went up against pastes in China in a competition. Now - these fish are used to the pastes and they eat this all the time. So- because the paste works in China - doesn't mean the fish here need to crave it or like it at all - but it is worth a try.

[Johnny wilkins]

There is a method where the hook rides out on top of a ground bait for the purpose of catching carp & catfish.

I am not quite sure you could convince your conservation officers that you weren't chumming - but under the letter of the law, it would be "on the hook".

You could have this on the hook until it breaks apart and then fish over the top of it :15 minutes later with your bluegill equipment - but  again - if you get an officer and they interpret it their way - you are sunk. Now- if you are catching carp - usually they won't care.

[Leo Nguyen]

I know the method you're talking about. The Hair Rig right? That is now legal throughout the nation, back since 1996 I believe. I do use the hair rig method for the carps and cats, using cut baits as well. I also use the dual hooks method through a dropshot rig, where the top one use a wad of huge attractant bait, while the bottom is the primary killer hook with a smaller floater (2" sub-leader line from the main leader).

[Johnny wilkins]

The "method" is called the method feeder - the hook rides on Top and is actually pressed into the bait. Technically - it is ON the hook since you want to bury your hook into the top of that bait ball. Also Hair Rig is not illegal and is one of the primary methods used by large carp anglers - this method feeder does work very well - but not as well as a hook and float - this is proven out in our competitions the majority of the time. It is a rare day when this method will out fish the float.

[Leo Nguyen]

Interesting. I will definitely ask the local DFG warden around here to make sure it's legal to use. Thanks for the photo. It will be a valuable too to catch the carps around here, since there's hardly any predator hunting for those boys in these water. The wardens wouldn't mind.

[Johnny wilkins]

Yes-

If you can approve that rig - where your hook is in the bait (which matches regulations) - and you show them you are fishing for carp - (I would get it in writing from your local/regional rep)- tell him you want to follow regs and your target species.

Me personally - I would catch-and-release if you have a good carp pond - won't matter though either way you will have fantastic world class fishing with some big, powerful fish.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

So its illegal to feed the fish, Leo? I'd be dropping a lot of cornbread over the side, in that case. Don't call me evil, call me butter fingers.