How to choose the best bait for crucian carp by fishing seasons

To catch peaceful fish species, a feed mixture is required, which can collect a large flock in a limited area. Without this, counting on a good catch of crucian carp is futile. Even if the hunt is not for trophy fish, but for small live bait. The best bait for crucian carp is selected taking into account the characteristics of the reservoir and the season.

Preparation of groundbait should take place in accordance with the natural predilections of the fish. The diet of crucian carp can differ significantly. It all depends on the age of the fish, its habitat and the season. Local fishermen actively use bait for crucian carp, accustoming it to the same porridge.

• The fry feed on the smallest microorganisms that live in the reservoir. At the age of one month, the diet of the little things consists of insect larvae, bloodworms, daphnia and crustaceans. After reaching one year of age, crucians feed on larvae, small crustaceans and annelids.
• Large individuals add more substantial food items to the above dishes. These can be earthworms, leeches, shells. From a young age, in many reservoirs, fishermen taught crucian carp to certain plant components. These include bread crumb, various cereals, dough, etc. Fish often come to those points where the bait is flavored with flavor.

The food of the crucian carp also depends on the season. Since the fish is most often at rest in winter, two main periods should be distinguished.

1. Early spring and late autumn are characterized by low water temperatures. In such conditions, the fish becomes inactive, and it prefers to eat high-calorie animal food. The bait should be low in saturating ingredients. A minimum of bait is added to the fine-fraction base to attract sedentary fish.
2. From late spring to mid-autumn, crucian carp eats actively. Digestion occurs fairly quickly in warm water. Therefore, do not be afraid to overfeed the fish in a large body of water. Boiled cereals, vegetable and animal baits must be added to the dusty components. Smelling additives allow achieving a high concentration of fish on a lured spot.

Bait components

The basic composition of groundbait for crucian carp is in many ways similar to mixtures for other peaceful fish species. Both store food and homemade food should consist of a base and additional components.

Crushed ingredients such as millet, corn, pea, barley and oat flakes can be used as the basis for a working feed.

You can use a store-bought base mix to which special ingredients are added. The following products form an attractive smell in the water for crucian carp:

• vanilla;
• anise;
• caramel;
• Dill;
• garlic;
• chocolate.

In the cold season, small quantities of flavors for catching crucian carp are introduced. Attractants, worms, etc. work best.

During the preparation process, other fillers will be required. Dry bread crumbs are often added to increase the amount of groundbait. They create a trail of turbidity and create a pleasant scent.

Photo 1. Feeding components.

The most important ingredient that attracts crucian carp is sunflower cake. Some anglers buy the valuable product in layers, adding it to a homemade composition in small portions.

To give the finished bait the required consistency and color, different types of soil are used. Sand is added to quickly break up the lump at the bottom. It makes the feed mixture light. To slow down the disintegration of the bait ball, ground clay is added. If the pond has a dark bottom, then it is worth adding low-lying peat to the mixture.

Shop baits against homemade cereals

Anglers specializing in carp fishing often argue about the origin of the feed mixture. Someone finds it easier to work with dry formulations, while others prefer to cook porridge according to an old recipe. Each type of groundbait has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Advice! When choosing a bait mixture, you should take into account the features of the reservoir. Going to an unfamiliar pond or lake, it is useful to ask experienced anglers about the preferences of crucian carp.

Shop formulations are considered a universal bait that can be taken to any body of water.

• The formulation developed is often based on the experience of renowned fishermen and scientific ichthyologists. The composition contains all the important components for luring crucian carp.
• Dry mixes are easy to use, moisturizing occurs within 15-20 minutes, you can mix any amount.
• The use of the finished product allows you to create an attractive spot, both horizontally and vertically.

Photo 2. A variant of the finished groundbait.

However, commercial formulations are not able to accommodate the dietary habits of crucian carp, which have been developed for decades. This pattern is observed in small bodies of water located near villages and villages. In these ponds and lakes, homemade bait for crucian carp comes to the rescue of the fisherman. Somewhere the fish is used to millet, in other regions it loves corn. Often, villagers use compound feed intended for livestock. As a result, equipped townspeople with expensive fishing rods and bait are annoyed as local fishermen drag excellent crucians to coarse tackle with enviable constancy.

Features of bait compositions by seasons

For each season, you need to choose the most optimal feed composition. A store mix that does not take into account the seasonal preferences of fish cannot always help out. Do-it-yourself bait for crucian carp is so good, which allows you to combine the composition even depending on the weather.

Spring bait options

If you didn't manage to bring dry groundbait to the fishing store, then you can prepare one of the proven options yourself. Since the water did not have time to warm up in the spring, it is easiest to attract fish with animal components.

Summer feed compositions

In warm water, crucian carp's appetite becomes excellent. Lean groundbaits are being replaced by plant-based, high-calorie mixtures. A special role is given to carp flavorings.

The simplest dry formulation can be made from the following ingredients:

• crushed fried sunflower seeds - 100 g;
• oat flakes - 100 g;
• bread crumbs - 100 g;
• powdered milk powder - 100 g;
• food for aquarium fish - 10 g;
• sugar - 3 g;
• vanilla - 1 g.

On the pond, the bait is moistened, clay is added to it.

On a note! The more clay you add to the groundbait, the denser the ball will be.

It is enough just to make groundbait from sunflower cake. To do this, take a piece of fresh cake and rub it with vanilla. Then it is moistened and sprinkled with bread crumbs. Large pieces are thrown into the fishing point, where they will gradually swell, attracting the scent of crucian carp. Flavors such as garlic, cumin, dill, and anise can be used in place of vanillin.

Autumn mixes

Protein components must be present in the bait for catching crucian carp in the fall. But the flavors are added in a minimal amount.

• Groundbait based on ground bread crumbs and crushed fried sunflower seeds works effectively in early autumn. Food for aquarium fish and bloodworms are added to the mixture. At the tip of a knife, you can add vanillin to the groundbait. To achieve the required viscosity, the fodder is mixed with the soil and moistened.
• For catching crucian carp in late autumn, bait is made on the basis of crushed sunflower cake and dry daphnia. On the reservoir, you should scoop up a few small shells with a net, which are crushed and introduced into the composition.

Many recipes for bait have been invented for catching crucian carp. Each of them can show their best side if the angler makes the necessary adjustments related to the characteristics of the reservoir and sometimes of the year.