How to Make Chum Buckets

For the avid fisherperson or shark watcher, chum buckets are a necessity. However, purchasing prepared chum buckets can make your hobby an expensive habit. Once you make the initial investment in the tools necessary to make a chum bucket the cost to make your favorite bait becomes much more manageable. Always follow proper safety precautions when using a chum bucket to attract the monsters of the sea.

Things You'll Need

• Fish
• 4-gallon plastic bucket with lid
• 5-gallon plastic bucket with lid
• Meat grinder
• Drill with 1/2 -inch bit
• Large freezer
• Nylon cable
• Metal carabiner

Instructions

1. Grind the fish with the meat grinder. For best results, use fish that are local to the body of water you are fishing in.

2. Fill the 4-gallon bucket about three-quarters full. Cover the bucket with the lid and freeze overnight.

3. Drill holes around the perimeter of the 5-gallon bucket in a 4-inch grid.

4. Dump the frozen chum from the 4-gallon bucket into the 5-gallon bucket.

5. Attach the lid to the 5-gallon bucket. Drill a hole near the edge of the lid. Drill another hole in the bucket underneath the hole in the lid so you can hook the carabiner to the bucket.

6. Tie a 12-foot section of nylon cable to the carabiner using a lineman's loop knot (see Resources). Hook the carabiner to the bucket.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when using the drill to make holes in the bucket. Aim the drill away from your body and wear safety glasses.

References

• Chumming Up Sharks
• Shark Bait Study

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Make a Lineman's Loop