The term "Particles" generally refers to any seed, tuber, legume, nut or manmade pellet that is used for bait, whether used on the hook/hair or as a ground bait/chum medium.
The pellets such as Trout Chow, Trout pellets, Halibut pellets, Pakka Pellets (Calf Manna) and Range Cubes etc. need no preparation before using them to attract or catch Carp. Although, they can be soaked in various dips and oil based liquids to give them even more pulling power. They can also be mixed with prepared particles for even more nutritional, attraction/pulling power.
Each type of particle has their own place in your bait bag or bucket as long they are prepared correctly, thus rendering them safe and beneficial for the fish to eat. A big advantage of using particles is the fact that they are very cheap to buy and prepare, which means we can more easily afford to sustain a lengthy baiting campaign.
For more information on the process of baiting, please see the related sections below:
Anglers in many parts of the world have been using properly prepared particles to attract and catch carp for nearly 50 years now, which is a good deal longer than the length of time that boilies have been around. Particles are still a proven carp catching bait after all these years, even on pressured waters, where the carp have seen everything! In certain circles, particles have a reputation for being a small fish approach but it must be said that many carp records here at home and indeed around the world have fallen on just a single grain of Corn/Maize or a Tiger nut for example as a hook bait. We digressed a little above by referring to UK and some European waters; whereas here at home in the USA, all most all baits we may use are new to the carp, so our carp will have zero negative association with particles.
Two major points should be stated here at the front of this section:
1. Follow the preparation instructions very closely if you're purchasing the raw/dry product.
2. Check with your Fish & Game Department's rules governing whether chumming is legal in your state, if in fact that is your plan for the prepared particles. Using these particles as hook baits is usually completely legal although a few states or certain waters within specific states do ban the use of Corn/Maize completely, even as a hook bait. So, do check your local regulations carefully.
Note: It is imperative that all the listed particles (except sweetcorn bought in the can) are soaked in water for 36 hours followed by a boiling time that is noted next to the particle. Some of the particles require a good 35-minute boil to soften them up and to release the natural sugars/amino acids, others just 15 minutes. The following cannot be stressed enough; Please DO NOT skimp on the preparation processes mentioned here in this section.
The following list shows just a few examples of Particles that can be used for Carp fishing that we use regularly to great effect on our US waters. They are readily available from feed stores and even grocery stores in all states.
- Sweetcorn (Canned, so this particle is already cooked)
- Maize (35-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) (30-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Wheat (15-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Barley (20-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Millet (15-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Wild Bird Seed mixes (20-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Hemp Seed (25-minute Boil/Simmer or until they split and white shoots start to show)
- Maple Peas (30-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Peanuts (35-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Kidney Beans (30-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Tiger Nuts (35-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Tares (30-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Groats (5-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Milo (30-minute Boil/Simmer)
- Buckwheat (15-minute Boil/Simmer)
Note: One last note before we get started with the preparation. Don't be tempted to use bug infested or damp and mildew covered particles, throw them away and buy fresh. Your catch rate will thank you for it!
+ PARTICLE PREPARATION TIPS AND NOTES
Follow these instructions and you'll have much success along with very happy and healthy fish:
Important Notice! Extreme care MUST be exercised when boiling particles. Please do not "multi-task" here, nothing less than 100% concentration on this one task is a safe level. Severe injury can result from scalding!
- Decide how much you need to prepare for the session and then rinse the dry particles in water to remove any dust and other foreign debris.
- We typically use plastic 5 gallon buckets with lids from our local hardware store and will fill them just over half full with the particle, then filling the bucket to within an inch of the top with water. Note: Try to avoid using Chlorinated tap water. Use lake or rain water if possible, if you have to use tap water, draw some off in advance and leave outside in the sun for 2 or 3 days so the Chlorine breaks up and dissipates before using it to soak the particles
- The particles will soak up the water and expand in size, in some cases doubling in size. Keep checking the soaking particles every day to make sure the water always covers them because they do soak up a lot of water, you may need to top the water level up.
- Each day pull a few of the particles out of the bucket and cut them in half to see how the soaking process is going. When the particle (seed, legume, nut or tuber) is moist and expanded all the way to the center, it's time to cook it. Note: Each type of particle mentioned in the list above will take different soaking times to become fully moist to its center and fully expanded.
- Cooking the particle can be done in a stove top pan, a Turkey fryer type set-up, or a pressure cooker. We tend to use and prefer the latter two cooking options. A pressure cooker is said to help keep more nutrients within the particle during cooking because it cooks the particle much faster than any other boiling method.
- Adding a heaped tablespoon of sea salt (not iodine laced table salt) during the cooking process can often help trigger a bite.
- When using the stove top pan or Turkey fryer cooking options: bring to vigorous boil stirring the particles in the cooking vessel very often so none of the particles burn on the bottom of the pan; this is particularly important when cooking particles such as Maize/Corn products that release a lot of starch. Once the boil has been established, you can back the heat off a little but keep stirring the particles. If they do burn on the bottom of the pan, throw them away and start again.
- Another major advantage to cooking the particle is that cooking releases the natural sugars and amino acids locked within the particle, these act as attractants and actual feeding triggers in many cases!
- Once the cooking is finished, carefully pour the hot, cooked particles back into your 5-gallon bucket, make sure the particle is covered with the liquid you boiled them in and at this stage, you could add some of your favorite flavor or attractant. Stir the contents well and seal the bucket with the lid until you plan to use the particles.
- We prefer to use the cooked particle within 2 or 3 days of boiling, if not, we split off the particles into 1 gallon zip-lock bags and freeze in the chest freezer.