Boilies

[Metroguy99]

Ever use things called boilies? Talked to some UK carp guys and they said thats their prime bait. They have secret ingredients,flavors and everything. I got some recipes too. Just wondering if anyone around here happend to use them? My usual bait is bread balls but this sounds like an interesting change.

[metrojoe]

I made boilies once and they seem to work fairly well. I made a simple, some what plain recipe, but I'm sure with a little experimenting a guy could find something that works well. Don't they use some sort of special rigging for them boilies in the UK? I only carp fish once maybe twice a year and I really like the "Ultimate Carp Bait Recipe" I still have a batch in the freezer from last year.

[Toad]

Very few American carp anglers use boilies, though in heavier fished waters, they're often a superior bait-- which explains their European predominance. Anglers use them as both chum and hookbait. In some European waters, they've been banned, because anglers have overchummed, leaving bottoms of lakes littered with uneaten baits which may eventually harm water quality.

In a nutshell, boilies are a hardened paste bait, made so to keep smaller fish (panfish, etc.) from nibbling away your offering gradually. Basically, anglers take a ball of soft paste, roll it in raw egg, then "boil" it in water for a few minutes, which produces a tough outer skin that resists the attentions of nuisance fish.

Beyond the basic recipe, all sorts of different flavors or colors can be added-- tutti-fruiti, sour cream, fish-extract, you name it. Most anglers choose brighter colors, such as red, orange or chartreuse. Some even color them in metallic finishes. Color, though, is a secondary consideration next to flavor. Some anglers even add vitamin and mineral supplements, which they believe carp seek for their nutritional value. This is, of course, debatable.

What is important is the means of presenting boilies. You absolutely must learn to use a hair rig, which we've explained before. Easiest way to tie a hair is to snell a #6 to #8 octopus hook, leaving a 6-inch section of tag end. Also, don't use a wiry monofilament, but rather, choose a softer suppler line like Dacron or a superbraid, which won't abrade a carp's mouth, which is exceedingly sensitive. Rather than reading a ponderous description of this whole works, I'd suggest taking a look at the info laid down by the Carp Angler's Group (CAG). Great resource filled with wonderful descriptions and illustrations. Enjoy your fishing .

-a friend,

Cory Schmidt

[sightfisher]

Toad

When using a hair rig as opposed to a regular 'hook in bait' method do you have to give the fish a few extra seconds before setting the hook? Also do you notice more catches when using a hair rig even on unpressured carp waters?

[Toad]

sightfisher,

With a hair rig, no, it's absolutely not necessary to give the fish extra time to inhale the bait. Carp nearly always breath a bait into the back of their mouths, where their pharyngeal teeth begin to "chew." Hair rigging will absolutely increase your hooking percentages, even in less pressured waters. It's all to do with how carp eat and the perfect position of the hook relative to this. A hair rigged hook can't help but find flesh, as it is always fully exposed and sliding along the inner lip on a hookset, or when carp attempt to reject a bait-- always ready to penetrate flesh. Beautiful rig that every carper should use.

-a friend called Toad

[riverrat56]

Can someone post a picture of a hair rig, or give a really detailed description of how to use and bait one.

Sorry guys, im really slow at this stuff, ive tried doing my own research, but i can never find straight forward information.

RR56

[sightfisher]

In addition to looking at Carp Anglers Group, mentioned by Toad. Take a look at www.carpuniverse.com They have several links to different rigs. The Hair Rig is hard to find, for that go directly to www.carpuniverse.com/shared_pages/show_me.html

Toad, thanks for the info. I tried a hair rig last weekend, but to no avail. I gave up early on it. I need to find 'real' boilie stops or find something better. I tied a bunch of rigs with Tufline. Seems to be soft enough to use, and used #6 octopus hooks. Put a doughball on rig and kept falling off. I'll have to try getting a proper recipe for a boilie or order some from one of the UK sites. What do you use for a boilie stop? I tried a small rubber band piece.

Does anyone know where a pretied hair rig (with boilie stop!) can be purchased without going to a UK site?

Toad do you use a rigging needle? would this be same rigging needle that can be found for minnow rigging treble kits?

[Toad]

sightfisher,

First, you can turn any dougbait into a boilie by simply dipping it into raw egg, then boiling the "ball" for a minute or two, which will harden the outer shell and keep it from dissolving or falling off the hair.

You will, however, need a few basic tools, as you found. One is a bait drill, which allows you to pop a small hole through the center of your hookbait boilies. Obviously, you'll also need a bait needle, though in a pinch, you can simply straighten a finewire Aberdeen style hook (about a #1), then file the barb down a bit. I'd look at the stuff offered by Wacker Baits (they have a HSOforum, and are an American company, out of Illinois, I believe.) Consider their 4-piece Super Grip kit, which includes three sizes of bait needles for different baits, and a good bait drill.

As to hair rig stops, I usually just tie an overhand knot at the end of the rig, slip on the bait, then insert a short 1/2-inch long piece of stick into the knot and secure it. Baits like sweet corn (maize) don't require such a rigid stop (a blade of grass often will suffice). But as you found, heavier baits like boilies do necessitate a solid stop. Short pieces of rubber band, or plastic twist-ties work, too. If you want some additional ideas, again, look at Wacker Baits stuff. Also, consider trying a few of their specialty carp hooks, particularly those by Partridge (F9s) and Kamasan B725s.

Lots of other fun stuff to browse, including novel bite indicators, rod pods, bait bombs (for chumming), and bait floats. This European style of carp fishing has been fine-tuned and crafted into an art over many decades of meticulous effort. Lots of the gear is often met with skepticism by American anglers who see it as overkill. Yet the truth is, it's all meant to make your carp fishing more effective and ultimately more enjoyable. And frankly, carp are in sore need of respect in this country. The reality is, if the mass media fed us carp tournaments, magazines, etc, we'd be infinitely more interested in pursuing this great sportfish. Let's face it, carp make bass seem like a lesser strain of animal .

-a friend called Toad

[ZapBranigan]

To hold on canned corn I have always just carried some toothpicks break off a small piece then after you slide the toothpick in slide the corn back down against the toothpick never had the bait fall off. Actually stays on better than a plain hook. Don't know why but it seems to do so. also a real good guide to these rigs and knots is on the following.

http://shoreangling4u.tripod.com/knotguide/id33.html good diagram easy to follow. You do need a decent bait needle to do it right however.

[PikeTipper]

What kind/size hook do you recommend using for a hair rig?

[ZapBranigan]

I have always used a size 10 hook. You can go a little larger or smaller if the fish you catch are larger or smaller in the area you are at. But I've gotton all sizes on this rig. Nice part of it is you get less pecks at the bait and more pick ups. When the Carp feel the resistance or detect the hook the bait is already in and the hook is dangling free to (Contact US Regarding This Word) in so even a rejection many times still gets a hookset. I have watched guys around me get real subtle bites they didn't even see. I know many of these would have hooked fish from the dangling hook rather than get spit out without hardly a noticable pickup if they had a hair rig on.

Note I made an adjustment to my hair rig link. It was right page wrong knot.

[sightfisher]

Finally tried using a hair rig again today, worked awesome! Was fishing on the mississippi where rice creek comes in. Started fishing with regular hook and corn and missed a few. Then tried the hair rig thinking I couldn't do any worse. Only fished for a half hour more by that time and caught two. Instead of the carp sucking in the bait and spitting it right back out they sucked it in and bam! When they tried to spit it out the exposed hook caught 'em right in the lip. No more frustration when you feel the carp slam it and suddenly there gone. My friend I was with caught a few on regular hook. Had he also tried a hair rig he would of caught a lot more. Used small twig for boilie stop, worked better for me than when I fumbled around with rubber band pieces. thanks again Toad for your help.