How to Make Chum for Freshwater Fish

Throw out chum in a specific area to attract fish.

Chumming is the practice of baiting areas with food to attract fish. Typically, chumming refers to ground-up fish and meat, but vegetables and other foods can be used as well. Chumming in saltwater can be dangerous, particularly near shore, because the blood can attract sharks from miles around. In freshwater, however, this is much less of a hazard, and freshwater fish respond to chum just as readily as marine species.

Things You'll Need

• Meat grinder
• Knife
• 1-gallon plastic bags
• Mesh chum bags
• Waterproof rope or cord
• Bait fish (minnows, bluegills, etc.)
• Bread
• Canned corn

Instructions

Meat-based Chum

1. Chop unfrozen or thawed bait fish into small pieces. Place these pieces into a meat grinder and process them, putting the product in a 1-gallon plastic bag. Run old (but not rotting) meat through the meat grinder to supplement the bait fish if you want.

2. Pour water into the plastic bag until the bag is about two-thirds filled with the mixture. Freeze the bag until the mixture is completely solid.

3. Bring the frozen bag to the desired fishing location, keeping it chilled if the distance requires it. Put the frozen chum in mesh chum bags and tie a waterproofed rope or cord to the bag. Lower the chum bag to the depth of the fish you're targeting and begin fishing.

Non-meat Chum

1. Bring a can of corn and a loaf of bread to your fishing spot, along with your equipment. Open the can of corn and pour the juice on several pieces of bread until the pieces are thoroughly soaked. Roll the wet bread into balls and throw them in the water at your desired fishing spot. Let the chum sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the scent spreads throughout the fishing location.

2. Throw roughly 10 grains of corn where you threw the bread and then quickly cast your baited hook in the same location. The fish begin to associate the sound of small splashes, including your hook, with food.

3. Change your location only if you go for an extended period of time without a bite; water currents may be moving the chum, so choose a place where the water is relatively calm for future chumming. Avoid repeatedly chumming in the same location. If the fish suddenly stop biting, then you're likely overfeeding them and should change your location.

Tips & Warnings

• Chum can consist of almost any variety of ingredients, so don't be afraid to experiment. Virtually any meat, including fish, can be used for chum, and many vegetables and other non-meat foods work as well. Specific fish species may prefer some ingredients over others, so look up your targets favorites before processing chum. Trial and error also help discover successful ingredients.

• Some dangerous predatory fish live in fresh waters, such as bull sharks, which have been known to travel up the Mississippi River all the way to Illinois. Use caution when using meat-based chum, especially if you or anyone else is in the water.

References

• Fine Fishing; The Art of Chumming; M.J. Keyes