Flavorings and additives in the bait

Use of flavorings

The time when there were a lot of fish in our rivers and lakes, when it pecked at any proposed bait, is passing. The number of fishermen increases, the pressure. In such a situation we have to search and visit remote and hard-to-reach places, use quality bait and various additives for it. Now, to attract and keep fish in the catching point for a long time, to provoke it to nibble, a variety of flavor and aromatic additives – flavoring agents are used.

Conventionally, such additives can be divided into dry and liquid. They are used for preparation of bait, changing its properties and flavoring the bait.

Liquid flavorings

The main purpose of liquid flavorings is to enhance and (or) change the taste and aromatic properties of the bait. They are added when mixing bait in pure form or diluted in water. With increasing the amount of flavoring agent in the bait increases and the radius of influence of dissolved in water odor on the taste buds of fish, therefore, the flavoring agent can attract fish from a greater distance. Such additives can also be conditionally divided into different groups.

The first group is flavored syrups. Sugar or corn syrups. Such sweet and sticky additives not only flavor the bait. They can greatly change its physical properties, make it more sticky, inert, suitable for use on a strong current or in deep places.

In the second group of flavorings can be included not sweet highly concentrated liquids that do not greatly affect the physical properties and do not change the mechanics of the bait, and serve only to enhance its flavor. Such flavorings should be diluted with water or used in small quantities when mixing the bait.

If we talk about the classification of flavors, it makes sense to divide them into sweet and fruity smells, spices, fish and meat. It is generally accepted that in cold water more attractive to fish, and therefore more in demand among anglers, are fish and meat flavors and spices: moth, worm, pepper, anise, coriander, shell or combinations of these flavors. In warm water, sweet and fruity flavors are more relevant: vanilla, caramel, biscuit.

However, this division is conditional and is not accepted by all anglers. In each individual case and in each particular body of water, the preferences of fish are different. There are also all-weather flavors that work equally well in both cold and warm water. Vanilla is a vivid example of such an all-weather flavoring. Vanilla can be added under any conditions.

Above described the classic way of using liquid flavorings – adding to the bait when mixing. There is another method, which is widespread and there is a portion of liquid flavoring added to the bait (feeder) immediately before throwing. What advantages can there be in this? Two points should be emphasized:

1. Strengthening the taste and aroma of the working baiting mixture.
2. Changing the taste and aroma of the working bait mixture.

The reaction of fish to this or that flavor is not known to the angler in advance, adding a strong concentration of flavoring agent when mixing bait can spoil the fishing trip. In unfamiliar places flavoring should be introduced into the bait carefully, in small portions. With this method, flavorings can be alternated, which will give the opportunity to find a flavor that works today and attracts fish better than others. Especially careful to be with flavorings from the category of spices. Garlic flavoring, for example, poured in when mixing the bait, will be very difficult, almost impossible to correct.

Dry flavorings

This type of flavoring is a concentrated flavor and aromatic additive to the bait in the form of powder. Powdered flavorings are designed to enhance the attractiveness of the prepared bait. The most common way of use is to add to the dry mixture before mixing the bait or to add to the already moistened bait before fishing.

The second way of use is to add the flavored powder on top of the bait before filling the feeder. So the enhancement of aromatic properties will be constant throughout the fishing, because the flavoring will not lose its properties and weathered.

There is another very interesting way to use dry flavorings. If you need to “surprise” the fish and give a strong aromatic signal – the powder can be used in the feeder “plug”. Approximately so in a number of cases is served in the bait of millet, oparod or moth. Dial in the feeder part of the bait, knead, poured on top of the flavoring, and then close again with bait. The effect of exploding bomb is guaranteed. In the water, along with the bait from the feeder will be a strong aromatic cloud, which can not only attract, but also keep the fish in the catching point.

This method can be considered universal, and with bait it is worth using dry flavorings with different flavors and select the right one. It is the one that works at the moment. The algorithm is simple. We make a few throws with pepper additive. No response – make a sweet plug or use with each other different flavorings, selecting the right composition.

Flavorings for the nozzle

The common name of the flavoring for bait is dip, which originates from the English verb “Dip” (to dip, dip, dip), and the beginning comes from carp fishing, in which baits before throwing are dipped in a thick flavoring to enhance the taste and smell. Such a generalizing concept in feeder fishing does not seem quite right.

Flavoring of the bait in feeder fishing is not only by dipping it. A more common variant of aromatization of the bait is spraying. For this purpose, a flavoring agent in a special bottle with a sprayer is used. Spray has a more liquid structure than dip, this is due to the fact that when spraying, the flavoring needs to pass through the holes in the cap.

Classification of flavors has a structure similar to flavors for bait. Conditionally, flavors for bait can be divided into sweet and fruity smells (strawberry, plum, tutti-frutti, vanilla, honey), spices (coriander, anise, garlic, pepper, cinnamon), fish (shell, crab), exotic or citrus (orange, tangerine, pineapple). The use of these flavors, in my opinion, has no direct or mandatory dependence on the time of year. Both sweet flavors and spices can work in warm and cold water. Only exotics do not work for me in summer. Its time comes in November.

The modern fishing community is divided into roughly two identical groups. The first completely denies the usefulness and necessity of dips, does not believe in them, and the second recognizes their usefulness and does not go fishing without them. Collections of flavors in the second group are large and very large. Let’s try to understand what such a flavoring can be useful to a fisherman, compare all the positive and negative aspects.

1. When fishing in murky and dirty water, the bait, treated with flavoring, can be detected faster by the fish. This is the first plus.

2. When using moths and/or opahrush in the bait and tackle, the flavor-treated bait will stand out on the bottom among the same moths and opahrush washed with the bait from the feeder, which will bring a bite faster. This is the second plus.

3. If the flavoring is chosen or selected correctly, the fish can hold the treated bait in the mouth a little longer, react faster to the falling or fallen to the bottom bait. This can affect the visualization of the nibble and make it faster in time, confident, clear, aggressive. The bite “on the take” is much more interesting than inarticulate movements of the top, and fishing with such bites becomes more dynamic. This is the third plus in the use of flavorings.

4. Repeatedly noticed in practice that the processed bait takes the “target” fish or larger fish. Small or weedy fish are cut off. This can be considered a fourth plus.

5. Going over flavorings, constantly processing them on the nozzle, lost or reduced time of finding the nozzle in the water. It would seem that the first disadvantage. However, it only matters in periods of active pecking, which is not always the case. In addition, to treat the nozzle flavoring – a matter of two seconds. It bites without additional flavoring – we catch without it. And if not? With dip at least you can try to shake up inactive fish.

6. Flavoring for bait can not fix the situation with the lack of fish. Say, if the point is chosen or the bait is not prepared correctly. But this also can not be attributed to the minus, because the fault is initially on the fisherman and his wrong actions.

Summing up we can draw a clear conclusion that the pluses are really more, and the presence in the fishing bag flavors for bait will not have a negative impact. In this case, it is not necessary to overload yourself with a large set of them. It will be enough to have a few positions on the principle of sweet-spice-fish or exotic (orange, tangerine or pineapple, for example), which on cold water in winter also gives a good result.

With practice I have formed the following algorithm of actions in the use and selection of flavorings for the nozzle. Usually I make the first three or four throws with clean bait. If there is no reaction, I start to process the bait. You can start from any position, with spices or sweet. Two or three throws with vanilla, the next throws with a flavoring from another category. For example, I treat the bait with garlic. If there is a response, this series can be used in depth, that is, use other positions from the category of spices. Flavors of similar and different groups can be mixed with each other and make double or triple compositions from them.

Flavorings with additional effect

Just like dips, flavorings for dipping the bait with an additional effect came to feeder fishing from the carp theme. Such flavorings, in addition to the taste and aromatic effect, contain another attractive element in the form of a colored cloud or smoke. This is where their second name comes from – liquid smoke.

What are the advantages of such flavorings? In essence, it is a mixture of taste, aroma and visual components. Portionally added to the feeder or applied to the nozzle such flavoring gives in the water not only aromatic signal, but also visual. Smell, taste, color – everything affects the fish and makes it show activity.

If we do not take into account the carp, then to a greater extent such a flavoring will be suitable for catching fish in the water column. Chekhon, roach, duckling will concentrate in a fragrant cloud in search of food. This is exactly what an angler needs to be with a good catch. For a long time I was hesitant to use liquid smoke to fish for coho. I tried it – I liked it, it attracts fish instantly!

The visual effect of bait with liquid smoke is long, so the consumption of flavoring will not be very large. Use, however, you need to be careful, it is hard to wash your hands afterwards.

Winter flavors

A strong opinion or statement that when fishing in low temperatures, the smell and taste of bait should be neutral, so as not to scare off fish, has recently undergone strong changes. Many experiments have been made by anglers with bait and concentrated flavorings in cold water. Observations have shown that fish are absolutely not frightened by strong foreign odors under water. Fish are more sensitive to changes in underwater pressure and the amount or level of dissolved oxygen than to the amount of aromatics in the bait.

It was the conclusions from these experiments that prompted the fishing industry to produce special winter flavorings. New formulas of winter flavorings allow them to resist low temperatures for a long time, do not freeze and remain liquid for long hours. The bait moistened with special winter flavors is able not to lose its physical properties for a long time and be suitable for use.

Bottom line

Summing up we can say that flavorings can not only enhance the taste and change the physical properties of bait. They can do a lot of things! Flavorings attract fish to the catching point from a great distance, stimulate appetite and keep fish active. Aromatizers can change the taste color of the bait, the bait treated with aromatizer is more noticeable on the bottom among the live components added to the bait. Flavorings can change the fishing experience, increase the chances of a bite and ultimately make the catch bigger.