Whole Baby Corn as Fishing Bait

Choosing the right type of fishing bait is almost as important as using the proper rod or fishing in the right area. Certain types of bait are more likely to help you catch specific types of fish. For example, when you're looking for catfish or perch, use minnows, worms or flies. There are two fish species especially attracted to whole baby corn. To catch them, you can use two different techniques.

  1. Types of Fish

    • Unlike worms, minnows or flies, you can't use whole baby corn as bait for multiple fish species. There are only two types of fish attracted to whole baby corn: trout and carp. It's unclear exactly why trout and carp find corn so delectable, but it could be because the bright color of the vegetable excites the fish's visual cortex unlike any other bait.

    Preparing the Corn

    • Whether you're using the whole baby corn for chum or as hook bait, you'll have to prepare it before you try to attract carp and trout. Begin by rinsing it thoroughly with cool water and steaming it for a few minutes to release some of the flavor and smell of the vegetable. Soak it in a sweet solution of sugar and water or Kool-Aid for a half-hour to enhance the flavor; trout and carp are attracted to sweet baits.

    Hooking

    • After the baby corn has finished soaking, remove it and dry it off with a clean towel. Although the cob will be soft at this point, sticking a fishing hook through it will be difficult. Use a bait drill to drill a hole through the cob's base that extends almost to the cob's end. Thread your fishing hook with the whole baby corn cob, ensuring that the end of the hook is barely visible.

    Chumming

    • Chumming with whole baby corn requires more work than baiting a hook. Dry the damp corn with a clean towel and then remove the kernels from the small cob with a paring knife or a potato peeler. Break up the kernels in a bowl and allow them to air dry for at least an hour. When you're on the river or lake, spread out the whole baby corn chum in a circle that's about five feet in diameter. Drop your line or net in the middle of the chum circle when you begin seeing the fish snatching the kernels.