Homemade Fishing Bait

The debate over homemade fishing bait versus store-bought bait takes place in canoes and on docks all over the country. Homemade bait has the advantage of being inexpensive, and available on the fly. Mastering a few basic homemade bait recipes can give a beginning bait-maker the confidence to come up with their own concoctions.

  1. Carp Bait

    • Place a can of cat food, a can of drained corn and 1/2 pound of sausage in a large freezer bag. Add the contents of an entire box of Wheaties cereal and seal the bag shut. Smash the bag repeatedly until it forms a paste. The moisture in the cat food, the corn and the sausage will combine with the flour and starches in the cereal to form a pasty, doughlike bait. Store it in the bag for at least two days to ferment, until you're ready to use it.

      To use, pinch off a piece slightly larger than a marble and press it onto your hook.

    Stinky Bacon Bait

    • The success of products such as Uncle Josh's pork frogs has inspired some bacon-based bait recipes. These stinky bacon balls are reputed to work well for bigmouth bass.

      Let a half pound of bacon sit in the sunshine for a few hours. After it's worked up a sweat, stick it in the blender until it's liquified. Add a packet of bread-making yeast, then dump instant pancake mix into the blender, a cup at a time, until it forms a ball. Seal it up and let it ferment for a few days, then hold your nose and open it up. Pour saltwater brine into the jar until it's full, and seal it up till you're ready to use it.

      To use, pinch off a piece slightly larger than a marble and press it onto your hook.

    Old-Fashioned Homemade Bait

    • Digging for night crawlers is probably the easiest live bait you can make from home. If you want to get fancy about it, try using crawdads or even minnows. If you hook them correctly, their natural motions and scent will attract fish.

    Pickled Liver Bait

    • Chop chicken livers into 1/2-inch-wide strips and cover them in a thick layer of garlic salt. Place them into a jar and let them ferment. Add garlic salt every time you open the jar. Use a piece at a time.