Pellets

These types of baits are available in tackle shops and farm shops in a huge variety of forms, as well as the trout pellets you will find halibut and salmon pellets too. There are also lots of specially made carp pellets like CSL and bloodworm and hemp, which are now becoming quite popular. Trout, halibut, and salmon pellets have a high oil content and do pull the carp in to your swim. They come in a variety of sizes from 4mm right up to 35mm.  The larger pellets can be attached directly to the hair, the smaller pellets are ideal for PVA bags or dampening down to make a paste by adding hot water for about half an hour, not too much or they will just dissolve.  Pastes can be shop bought or home made. Shop bought pastes come in a huge variety of flavors and I recommend experimenting.  Using different sized pellets in your lose feed means that the break down times of the pellets vary obviously the smaller the pellet the quicker breakdown time. This means that over time there is always feed and attractors in your swim.  It is said that the high oil content boilies are better for summer fishing as they take too long to break down in winter. Having said this there are response pellets which are low in oil content and they come in various flavors to compliment your same flavored boilies. If using pellets in winter try not to overfeed, just use a small amount or try using particles instead.

 

Particles 

There is a massive selection of particle baits available. As with pellets you will find most in tackle shops pre-packed or you can buy bulk from good farm shops very cheaply. One of the most popular particles is hemp. Its rich oily content when cooked attracts the carp, and its small particle size gets them tearing up the bottom.  If your bait is amongst it, there is a good chance of a bite.  Hemp is usually used as an attractor with a larger bait on the hook. It has been known that you can super glue hemp to the hook or hair although I have not tried this.  Other particles include just about any seed, and beans, peas and chick peas and sweetcorn which is by far the old favorite.  Nuts also make excellent particle carp baits, these can include tiger nuts and peanuts. Most nuts and seeds will need to be cooked until soft or soaked for a minimum of 24hrs before use, it essential to get this right because if you don't the particles will swell inside the carps stomach and endanger the fish.  If you are not sure, seek advice from your local tackle shop or bait dealer.  Particles may be banned on some lakes so I recommend checking this before preparing your bait. To prepare my bait I soak for 48 hours. I get a big cool box and add boiled water to my bait making sure it is covered fully as the bait will swell when taking on the water. I then seal the lid and let them soak. The cool box is well insulated and the heat will be kept in for some time. I usually check after 12 hours and top up with more boiled water if required. I repeat the same process after 24 hours. The 48 hour process should be satisfactory for most particles but I do urge you to check if you have any doubts.