When they say times have changed...even in the world of carpfishing, things are quite different from the old days, when the baits par excellence were only boilies and corn.
Nowadays, instead, different types of baits are used: from a wide variety of grains to plastic baits and flour. Most importantly, a new bait that is particularly popular is the pellet.
Pellets were originally produced by feed companies only for fish farms, and I still remember that the only pellets that could be procured were trout pellets, used for trout farms. Slowly, the leading companies in the market began to market first corn steep liquor and hemp pellets, then came those with maize and halibut and to this day there are so many different types on the market.
Why use this type of bait in carpfishing? How does it work in the water?
Here we can start by shedding some light on the different types of bait used. Talking about the level of attraction, a boilie no matter how good will never be as effective and especially as fast as a bait, however, a flake in the water will undoubtedly have a faster action even if it is short-lived. Why? This depends on the density: needless to say, on the bottom, a bed of bait preyed upon by a school of fish is brushed away in no time, and often the passage followed by a tailing of a medium-sized cyprinid is enough to make it disappear in no time. To recap: with boilies, which are compact and heavy baits, we will have a slow and steady attraction over time but with a low-intensity lure signal, while with a bait the lure will be high-intensity but short-lived. The pellet is probably the right compromise precisely because, depending on the type chosen, it is able to release a good lure signal relatively quickly and is effective for longer.
Even here, however, we need to make some clarity, because while the choice used to be really limited, we now find everything on the market.There are "extruded" or rapid pellets with melt times ranging to a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes, others with a maximum duration of a couple of hours, and still others (usually rich in fish oils) that can last several hours in the water.
But pay attention: the tightness of a pellet in water varies greatly depending on the water temperature and the activity of small fish.
Returning to the type of pellet, we can choose between:
- Extruded" or quick pellet easily recognizable because it is cylindrical and particularly long shaped. This is composed of coarse-grained flours and micro-ingredients such as those made with corn or corn steep liquor, which I personally love because they are very versatile.
- Medium-length pellets, which are often produced and marketed as premium lines, i.e., pelleted feed available in various flavorings that are cylindrical in shape but short in length.
- Slow-melt pellets (which for me are the best) with a good percentage of fishmeal inside, additivated with fish and/or vegetable oils.
In order to optimize the relationship between attraction timing and durability in the water, I personally have always used and recommended using pellet mixtures according to their characteristics and size, so as to have both fast and long-lasting action in fishing.
Practical example: if I am going to use fish boilies or fish priming a fish pellet, I prepare a mixture of pellets by including both fast and oily ones (halibut type or similar) and maybe add an intermediate action one like at Robin Red, obviously diversifying the diameters. Then, if we want to add the icing on the cake, we place the mixture in a bucket or sturdy bag and add a good dip or fish oil, then shake it all up and let it sit for a few hours.
Another excellent mixture I make by placing in a bucket some quick corn pellets,d el intermediate action corn steep liquor pellets and some slow hemp pellets. All of this can be dipped with corn steep liquor or hemp oil. If I then want a great spod mix I add drained grains and that's it.
These are just two examples of mixtures that can be made but the possibilities are really many, precisely because the market really offers different types of pellets.
We mentioned a little while ago the possibility of pellet priming... and yes, for several years now there have been those who do it and let's say that the credit for this change is to be attributed to the cousin Feeder where pellet priming is the norm. In carpfishing, if until some time ago pellets were used only in the classic pva bag or net, now there are already drilled pellets available that are suitable for this purpose. Of course, we are talking about long-lasting pellets, since they are designed for priming.
Among you there may be those who have tried or would like to try making their own pellets at home, but how to do it? It's simpler than you think: take your chosen flour mix, perhaps the same mix you used to make your boilies, prepare the liquid part with your additives (such as liquid food, betaine, nhdc, flavoring, coloring, etc.), 2-3 eggs maximum per kg of dry mix and some water (without chlorine). Now start kneading, continuing to add water until the desired consistency is reached. Let the dough rest, then extrude it with the gun at least in three different sizes on a long wooden board. Finally you can cut your pellets and steam them or dry them directly, if you are in the middle of summer .
In conclusion, the pellet is an integral part of the bag of baits that a good carp angler has at his disposal and it would be a shame not to take advantage of this type of bait so performant.
Daniele Annovi
Team Molino Zombini
