# Some new packbait recipes posted....



## Buckeye Bob

For you carpers who may not have tried an oat or chow packbait...I posted up a recipe for each a couple days ago up in the permanent packbait thread. These aren't just generic recipes...they're ones I've used quite a bit and caught a few carp on. The chow, a great cold water bait, will also get you some nice cats too...used to mind em...but, they can be fun too...sometimes.  Best flavor for the chow I've found is the Superior Orangenilla...maybe just most confident in it. Anywho...they're there for anyone interested.

For anyone unsure of what a packbait might be....it's an egg sized ball of "additional" bait (packed around your baited hook) used to add additional attraction to your baited hook....in the case of the chow bait I mentioned above...there's rice added to it...as well as two kinds of chow (trout pellets)...some of these will float up to the surface bringing carp down to ya...if they're suspended above in the water column...they also work well in going downstream and leaving a scent trail for the fish to follow back up stream/river. One thing about a packbait...you've got to make sure it breaks apart...so it can do it's job and fish can get to your hook.

Here's a link to some pics I took while testing some "frozen" balls to see how long they took to break down in the water...gives ya an idea of the attraction powers...if you've got a good bait...notice the bubbling effect that rises to the surface  Makes me hungry just looking at em. In watching those videos the "ball" wasn't breaking as well as it might have....and causing some possible lost fish.

No need to sign in...just click on the pic and it'll open the album:
Frozen Buckeye Blend Break Test Photos 

Good fishing all.


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## Buckeye Bob

Guess I should also add...these are great method mixes as well.

For those unfamiliar with fishing "the method" as Euro style carpers call it....this entails packing the bait around your sinker...or a feeder, photo attached, with your baited hook attached below it on a leader a short distance away. That way your bait isn't hid in the pile...and it's not as important that you have a bait that breaks apart as fast or as well....also nice for some longer casts if necessary. There are a variety of types of feeders...below is just one type.


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## Buckeye Bob

Something I need to remind myself of quite often......Carping (fishing) can be as complicated or as simple as you wish to make it...the key is having fun at what you're doing.

In case you're all wondering why I'm sitting here on Christmas Eve....making these posts  I got "pet" sitting duties here at the house while everyone else is out at my daughters in Zanesville getting ready for the big day. The pets are sleeping...and I can't leave here til morning


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## Buckeye Bob

Regarding using packbaits, method mixes and the other things folks might find new in carping....just like techniques used in other types of fishing it takes practice. One of these days I'm gonna apply "practice" to Corey's lead core trolling for walleyes and saugeyes  anywho...here's a post I made on another carping forum about the biggest issues in using packbaits the first time:
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First off...I'm no packbait expert...but have fished it almost exclusively for several years now having been introduced to it by our CAG Paylake Bretheran in NC. The biggest issue I've noticed...*Quitting out of frustration*...as it almost happened to me....just as with initially starting to use the hair rig...or anything else "new" to me in life. Giving up out of frustration...due to the first times you use it...it won't break...it won't pack....falls off the hook during the backcast....falls off the hook while I'm walking to the bank from my bucket....when I cast it goes everywhere but where the hookbait goes. Resulting in usually giving it up all together...or putting in more than enough binders so it can't break...and packing it on a method feeder. 

*DISCLAIMER*....I'm not saying that method anglers are "failed" pack users...some of the best carpers I know fish the method...and their method mix casts and breaks down as good as the best packbaits I've seen. In fact many of them (including myself at times) use a short 3" hooklength in conjunction with the feeder and after making the method ball...push their hair rigged bait into the side of it. As far as I'm concerned a good method mix and a good packbait are one in the same.

Back to the original question...biggest issue I think is giving up too soon...don't expect instant success in your venture into the use of packbait...(or any of the new things you pick up here on the forum for that matter). Recipes you get off here will generally need tweaked a bit with a little binder or breaker....changing to a cheaper substitute ingredient will usually not work as intended....all ketchups, grits etc are not created equal. It takes time to learn 'how to pack"...sometimes you lightly pack it....other times a bit harder...and even other times you squeeze it with all your strength. Certain baits can only be used for short lob casts...others like a good grit or millet can be cast as hard and as far as any pva or method feeder rig.

Winter time is a great time to practice your pack bait making....use a bucket to test your break times. It's a great time to practice your hands on packing it around your hook bait/pick up, and I'm talking about attached to rod/reel with line/rig...this takes practice when starting the use of packbaits. Just do it over something so it doesn't get momma's carpet dirty (this is also good practice if you ever visit a paylake...don't want to leave any signs of your bait on the ground). It's also a great time to practice your casting packbaits or casting in general....for those of us in the northern states...go out to your ice covered lake (keeping your packbait in the warmth of your vehicle) and pack and cast to your hearts content. Winter can be a very good time to work with all these things....bankside in the summer can be bad time as your desire to catch fish or embarassment when your bait flies everywhere..can cause you to give up too quickly and miss out on a great way to fish. I hadn't fished with baitcaster in years.....lots of time casting on iced over Buckeye Lake 3 winters back got me back to being a relatively effective baitcaster.  

Don't give up....on packbait...or method mixes....or boilies...or Puff pick ups...all are not created equal...it's up to the user to find/make a good one that catches fish....and requires an investment of time, effort and some money (you're gonna throw a lot of baits away in the process of learning) on an anglers part. No instant gratification in most instances.

*PRACTICE CREATES FAMILIARITY AND BRINGS SUCCESS* Have fun with your fishing...try some of these things, *don't give up on em*. We've got a lot of great anglers here who use various methods of carping...and a great vehicle here, the forum, to communicate with....to help us through most/if not all problems we may be having with our carping


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## RiverRat

The best TRUE statement ive ever heard...ive often repeated it to others in Bob's name.

"Carping (fishing) can be as complicated or as simple as you wish to make it....."

I'd also like to add that am NOT a fan of pack baiting, instead prefer to use the METHOD, one of the deadliest "inhancers" to my hookbaits that i know of. I use many different types of feeders, from unweighted to 3 oz. semi-fixed Korda ones. Its one of the best techniques i can attest to my catch rates coupled with my hookbait choices. I have to give Bob FULL credit for my success with the method as hes the one that answered my questions via PM and started me on the right foot with the base additive to my method mix..ive tried and tested it over the last few seasons and its been tweeked to the best of my ability and i do not fish without it if possible, its helped me catch ALL of my biggest fish to date, the other OCC guys are hooked on "method" mixes and have their own kinds....they can attest to my method mixes pulling power and even when fishing in the middle of both of them(like EH 2005) I still out caught them....THANKS BOB!!

Scott


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## Buckeye Bob

Glad it helped ya Scott....here's to many more for you and all the rest of the carpers in Ohio.


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## crappielooker

great read..


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