How to Make Fish Bait at Home

Make homemade bait for your next fishing trip.

If it's time to get out and do some fishing, there's another option to using artificial lures and flies, which can be tricky to use and downright expensive if you keep catching them in the weeds. Bait, on the other hand, isn't nearly as pricey, and, in addition, it just doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on bait when you can make your own and have a product that will do an effective job of attracting fish.

Things You'll Need

• ½ cup corn syrup
• 6 tbsp. peanut butter
• ½ cup water
• ¼ lb. Limburger or other smelly cheese
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• Plastic storage bags

Instructions

1. Place corn syrup, peanut butter and water in a 2-quart saucepan; mix thoroughly, then heat the mixture over low to medium heat until it becomes a thick liquid. Smooth rather than chunky-style peanut butter will result in an easier-to-use texture.

2. Stir the cheese into the peanut butter mixture and continue cooking over medium heat until the cheese has melted. Practically any kind of cheese will attract fish, but the stronger the odor, the better luck you will have appealing to a fish's keen sense of smell. Let the mixture cool.

3. Mix the flour and the corn meal together and add to the cooled peanut butter/cheese mixture. Knead the mixture by hand until it forms a smooth ball that is almost silky in texture. Place the dough ball in a plastic storage bag and refrigerate itfor several hours.

4. Remove the dough ball from the refrigerator; tear off small pieces of dough and roll these into 1them -inch balls and return to the plastic bag. Refrigerate until it's time to go fishing; keep the bait in a cooler to cut down on the odor and to keep the balls from sticking together.

5. Place a ball on a treble hook and shape it around the hook so it will stay in place when cast into the water. If the fish are hungry, they will be attracted to your bait.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment by varying the recipe by adding other ingredients that might attract fish. You might try mixing in everything from anise to the oil in which tuna fish is packed.

• When making bait, make enough for several fishing expeditions, and keep the unused portions in the refrigerator.

• Make sure that all three hooks are covered with bait on the treble hook before casting into the water; if the fish feels the metal, it will not take the bait.

References

• "Queen of Stink Fish Bait"; Ali Whitaker; 2005

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Fishhoo.com: Fishing tackle suppliers