Now any-one who knows me, knows that I will use industry made bait in bulk, and my own bait on the hair. Or if I’m fishing a margin, then just my own bait. It’s called, ‘Weedy Green’ cos its Green and contains Weed. It’s not rocket science. I am a big fan of naturals, but if I have to use some boiled magic, I make my own, usually. I have tried everyone else’s, in search of the philosopher’s stone. Some of its very good, some is nonsense. So, It brings me back to the same arguments time and again, natural or synthetic flavours? What is your stuff then clever clogs, I hear you asking? My Weedy Green is a carefully selected range of natural plant ingredients, some foraged proteins and some bought in creepy crawlies and fresh Bloodworm. On Naturals It’s quite simple for me; there is no boiled bait which can live with a natural in my humble opinion. A crayfish, lobworm, fresh water mussel, bloodworm / joker, or a zebra will out fish boiled magic most of the time. As long as you can present it properly, it can be absolutely deadly. Boiled bait is very popular because its fool proof, buy a bag. Put it in, stick a rig on it, brew up and wait, and wait, wait a bit more and you will get a pick up, or you won’t. So manufactured bait is easy to use, easy to find its sold at a price point which is affordable if not a little rich in price. But we all love it, some of us are addicted to it, and won’t leave the house without our boiled bait of choice. It’s a confidence thing! But what about the Nuts? The Legumes, our beloved nuts which include peanuts, tigers, almonds and Brazil nuts? We also have the Pulses. Peas and beans; the yellow peril is a vegetable of course, the mighty sweetcorn corn. Who would leave on a carp trip without the mighty Sweetcorn? Only a total madman! Creepy crawlies and insect larvae including maggots, casters, bloodworm and joker are also devastating waters at any time of year, but especially in winter or the spring time. Last but not least let us never forget the 2% THC hit of Hemp, which carp adore. 63% Pure Natural Protein by the way. If you’re not on hemp, get on it now!! I like my home made potion. But sadly it’s not openly for sale. It’s sort of peddled by people, a carp fishing black market. I tend to get emails early in the mornings, usually on a Friday morning, 0300 hrs, and texts and calls late at night sometimes from friends talking in hushed voices asking me. “Do I have any weed rolled’? I am expecting the Police to kick the front door down any time now, to enquire about my Weed and who I’m selling it to.

The reason it’s not commercially viable is really simple. It is not viable, trust me I have looked into it several times. It would cost a ridiculous amount of money to re-produce it commercially, unless I stuff it full of man-made chemical signatures that is but if do that, then it’s not what it actually is. Which is 100% natural. The other reason is thus; it does not role well, it contains a lot of plant material which makes it fibrous, and that makes it tricky to manipulate. In fact it’s a pain in the arse sometimes. It does not keep or store very well either, due to the lack of artificial chemicals / preservatives or the usual ‘E’ numbers. So I share it with friends and keep it for my students. It is also no secret that some of the base mix, grows naturally in our British country lanes by the way. I collect my ingredients from various places, I dehydrate it, add a few naturals to it, and blitz it into a green powder, hence. ‘Weedy Green’. I do not use Eggs either, as eggs are not water soluble when they are cooked. On Eggs Try boiling a couple of eggs. Put them in a jug of water and leave them in the shed or a place outside. They will still be there in 6 months’ time, stinking to high heaven, but still there and usually whole. I try not to use eggs in my Weedy Green; they lock in the flavours very effectively and they are not a good source of protean for Carp either. Baby Milk, Calf Milk or Casein on the other hand, is a fantastic, easily digestible source of protean for carp. As are Casters in their final stages of Pupation. So the really dark ones, and yes, it’s also full of liquidized casters. Why go to all the bother of making your own bait? I have Always done it. It’s a ritual, I like it. It keeps me out of trouble. I have confidence in it. Nobody else has it, apart from a few insomniac mates. It works for me and that’s all I need to know. There is no man made, chemical signal in my bait. There is no man made chemical signal in nature, either. (Tip, artificial flavours are typically not harmful. However, I'm not crazy about them, because they don't usually reproduce the natural taste of foods and are often markers for low-quality foods.) Whether natural or artificial, food flavours are made up of molecules that occur naturally and can be synthesized. In general, natural flavours are much more complex than artificial ones, which have far fewer component molecules. Artificial flavours may be more stable than natural ones and certainly are less expensive, so manufacturers prefer them, and many consumers are satisfied with them. There is even a weak case to be made that artificial flavours are safer for consumption because they omit components of natural flavours, which may be slightly toxic. Carp know toxic, from non-toxic, believe me.) My bait is inert from a chemicals point of view, I’m presenting something that carp live in, swim through and play around with naturally. It is a food source which they trust, why wouldn’t they trust it? As such the inspection process is reduced to almost nil on some waters. Why fear something which you sense, taste, swim through and recognise as non-threatening on a daily basis. (Tip, the country lanes foraging thing comes from the fact that, many plants are related. As such the signatures from plants which grow on the land can be very similar to plants which grow in water; sometimes they are almost identical. So it just makes it easier to collect.) Having a girlfriend with a big brain and a ‘Forensic Science Degree’ helps me understand the science behind my bait). In Conclusion I am not anti-shop bought bait. I am anti BULLSHIT! I use certain peoples commercially manufactured bait when I need a lot of the stuff, quickly. I’m very selective and usually ask the manufacturer to tweak their stock bait with certain bits for me. I usually end up paying through the teeth for the tweak, but that’s life. We all need to earn a living. However, you cannot beat natural bait in my humble opinion. If you can present it intelligently, in the right area and at the right time, it can be devastating. I forgot. Fish eggs!!!! An excellent addition to any bait by the way. Carp love Tench eggs. (Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone). Give naturals a little try in any form, and remember, persistence conquers, resistance. Tight Lines TT.