How to make bait for catching ‘hoà’ carp, ‘Vinh’ carp and ‘bullhead’ carp in natural lakes, and related services

Each variety of carp has its own distinct biological characteristics. So, if you want to become a professional angler, you’ll need to know how to make specific bait for each variety.

A. HOW TO MAKE BAIT FOR CARP

Apart from the flower carp and bullhead carp, you can use the following methods for making carp bait for all other varieties

1. How to make bait from sweet potato and mung bean flour

The recipe for carp bait using mung bean flour includes the following ingredients:

Ingredients:

• Boiled sweet potato: 800g
• Sweet bread: 1 loaf
• Powdered milk: 100g
• Rice vinegar: 1 small bowl (the kind used for dipping sauces)
• Cow’s head cheese: 2 pieces
• Mung bean flour: 50g
• Tapioca flour: 50g

How to make carp bait:

• Mashed sweet potato
• Crumble the plain flour and sieve it through a fine mesh sieve (the sort commonly used for making porridge for babies)
• Mix the bread, sweet potato and tapioca flour. Note that you do not need to use all the tapioca flour; simply add it gradually whilst mixing until the mixture becomes thick and sticky.
• Place the mixture in a container and pour a little vinegar over the top. Seal the container tightly and leave to ferment for about a week.
• After one week of fermentation, mix in the powdered milk and cheese. Mix thoroughly; if the mixture is too runny, add a little more tapioca starch to make it more pliable.
• Return the mixture to the container and seal the lid tightly. Leave it to ferment for another week, after which it will be ready to use.

Before taking the bait out for fishing, mix in 50g of mung bean flour. Note that when adding the mung bean flour, do so gradually, stirring the mixture as you go until the dough is pliable and not crumbly.

One thing to remember when fermenting the bait is not to leave it in a place that is too hot or exposed to direct sunlight. If left in such conditions, the bait will become watery and spoil.

• Sweet potato bait for carp – find out more here.

2. How to make carp bait from sour rice

This method for making carp bait is a secret formula developed by many professional anglers after years of carp fishing.

Ingredients:

Please ensure you have all the ingredients listed below:

• Fresh chillies: 2
• Sour fermented rice: 1 small rice bowl
• Tomato: 1
• Sponge cake: 1 slice
• Sticky corn cooking water: 1 bowl
• Fresh rice vermicelli: 2kg

How to make carp bait from fermented rice:

• First, blend the fermented rice, chillies, tomato, sweetcorn water and rice vermicelli until smooth. Then mix thoroughly with a spoon.
• Next, place the mixture into a plastic bag, seal it tightly, and leave it to ferment for one day and one night.
• After one day and one night of fermentation, crumble in some sponge cake. Mix everything thoroughly again and leave to ferment for a further half a day.
• When you go fishing, take out just enough bait for your needs and mix in a little flour. Knead until the flour is evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Roll into small balls and hook them onto a few single hooks.
• A handy tip for anglers is to place a small piece of foam at the base of the hook before attaching the bait. The reason for this is that carp are very keen on biting floating bait

B. HOW TO MAKE BAIT FOR SPOTTED CARP

Compared to other varieties of carp, flower carp are harder to hook, so the bait used for flower carp is also specific to this species.

1. Making bait from powdered milk and red sweet potato

For this method of making bait for flower carp, the main ingredient we use is red sweet potato. Below is the standard recipe for preparing the ingredients

Preparing the ingredients:

• Steamed red sweet potato: 1 kg
• Cheese: 1 slice
• Powdered milk: 100g. Please note that you must choose powdered milk that does not contain melamine.
• Sweet bread: 1 loaf. We need to prepare the bread by drying it out, then grinding it into a fine powder.
• White sesame seeds: 1 handful. Roast the sesame seeds until golden, then grind them into a fine powder.

How to make bait for flower carp:

• Using a large saucepan, mix all the ingredients together.
• Next, knead thoroughly and vigorously so that the ingredients bind together.
• Once kneaded, place the mixture into a plastic bag and seal it tightly.
• Leave the mixture to ferment for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Once it has fermented, take a small amount to use each time you go fishing.

A handy tip for anglers is to brush a little butter onto the bait before fishing to make it more attractive to the fish.

C. BAIT FOR VINH CARP

The ingredients you’ll need to prepare Vinh carp bait include:

• Crispy batter: 200g
• Egg-based bird feed: 1 packet
• Wheat flour: 500g
• Ground coffee: 100g

How to make Vinh carp bait:

• Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly.
• Then gradually add 500ml of water and knead until thoroughly combined.
• Knead until very smooth, then shape into a ball.
• Place the bait in a plastic bag, seal it tightly and leave it to ferment for about half a day.

This method for making Vinh carp bait has been widely adopted by anglers and proves highly effective. One thing to bear in mind is that the longer you leave the bait to ferment, the better. So, if you’re not in a rush, you can leave it to ferment for longer than the time we’ve recommended. The longer it ferments, the more fragrant it becomes, and the more likely the fish are to take the bait.

D. HOW TO MAKE ‘BEEF HEAD’ CARP BAIT

1. How to make bait from sponge cake

To make bait for bullhead carp using sponge cake, you’ll need:

• Sponge cake: 1 packet
• Mung bean flour: 300g
• Sweet potato: 600g
• Strawberry essence: 1 bottle
• Con Bo Cười cheese: 2 pieces
• Powdered milk: 100g

How to make bait for bullhead carp:

• Steam the sweet potatoes until just cooked, then mash them until smooth – the smoother the better.
• Grind the bread into a fine crumb.
• Roast the mung bean flour until golden brown
• Mix the sweet potato, bread and mung bean flour together thoroughly.
• Place the mixture in a container and seal it tightly.
• Leave the mixture to ferment for one day. Ensure it is kept in a cool place away from direct sunlight.
• After one day, remove the mixture and stir in strawberry essential oil, powdered milk and cheese until well combined. Mix in just enough to ensure the mixture remains pliable and does not become crumbly.
• Return the mixture to the container and leave it to ferment, tightly sealed, for three weeks.
• After three weeks, add more strawberry essential oil, powdered milk and cheese. This time, however, add three times the amount used the first time. Mix the mixture thoroughly once more.
• Leave to mature for a further 3 weeks, then it’s ready to use. And there you have it – a fragrant bait mixture for catching bullhead carp.

2. How to make bait from rice bran

To make bait for bullhead carp using rice bran, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Finely ground rice bran: 1 kg
• Sour rice: 100g
• Bread: 1 kg
• Sticky rice essential oil: 25ml
• Butter: 25g
• Vanilla: 25ml
• Sponge cake: 200g
• Mr Tho’s condensed milk: 1 tin

How to make carp bait from rice bran

• Crush the bread into crumbs
• Mix all the ingredients together.
• Next, gradually add small amounts of water and knead thoroughly. Knead until the mixture is pliable and can be formed into a ball.
• Place the mixture in a container, seal it tightly, and leave it to ferment for 3 days before use.

You can use these two methods for making bullhead carp bait in both deep and shallow lakes, and they work equally well in winter and summer. With such a rich, aromatic bait, the bullhead carp certainly won’t be able to resist its appeal.

E. BAIT FOR CATFISH IN NATURAL LAKES

Compared to managed fishing lakes, natural lakes are more challenging to fish in, so when fishing in these lakes, you should opt for this type of bait. In this article, we’ll share two simple yet highly effective methods for making bait for carp in natural lakes

1. Natural lake carp bait made from sweet potato

Ingredients required to make natural lake carp bait:

• Boiled sweet potatoes, peeled: 5kg
• ‘Bò Cười’ cheese: 1 tub
• Sweetened yoghurt: 2 tins
• Mr Tho’s condensed milk: 1 tin
• Butter: 1 tin

How to make bait for catching carp in natural lakes:

• Blend the sweet potatoes until smooth, then sieve through a fine sieve.
• Mix the blended sweet potatoes with all the remaining ingredients. Make sure to knead thoroughly so that all the ingredients blend together smoothly.
• Place the mixture in a container and seal it tightly.
• Leave the mixture to ferment for 10 days, after which it is ready for use.

2. Natural lake carp bait made from chicken eggs

To make natural lake carp bait using chicken eggs, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Peeled, boiled potatoes: 1 kg
• ‘Con Bo Cười’ cheese: 4 pieces
• Eggs: 2
• Butter: 50g
• Mr Tho’s condensed milk: 150g
• Powdered milk: 100g

How to make natural carp bait for lakes using chicken eggs:

• Blend the sweet potato until smooth, then sieve it to a fine consistency.
• Mix the sweet potato, yoghurt, condensed milk, egg, cheese and butter together. Mix thoroughly; the smoother the better.
• Place the mixture in a container and seal it tightly.
• Leave to ferment for 4 days.
• After 4 days, take it out and add some full-fat milk powder, mixing thoroughly.
• Leave the mixture to ferment for a further 3 days.
• Once the fermentation period is complete, check the bait; if it has a mild, fragrant aroma and is slightly sour, it is ready.

The above are all the recipes for carp bait, Vinh-style carp bait, natural lake carp bait, flower carp bait and bullhead carp bait that we have compiled over many years of fishing.

We hope you’ll soon become carp fishing experts in the not-too-distant future.

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