How to make the perfect carp paste bait

Making the perfect carp paste bait
(Image credit: Future)

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The carp paste bait you buy is the same stuff that makes boilies without having been boiled. Making your own produces a paste that breaks down far quicker, which mimics an old, broken down bait better.

Carp paste bait

For the equivalent of a one egg mix you need 50 ml of liquid. To make N-Gage paste I’m adding 15 ml of dedicated N-Gage additive and 35 ml water to a small bucket. Divide down dosage levels of additives to one sixth of a standard mix so you are replicating your feed bait rather than boosting them (Image credit: Future)

After blending the water and additive, start adding base mix direct to the mix of water and attractors. All base mixes I have tried form a paste without needing an egg to bind them, and paste made with water rather than an egg will break down in water much quicker because it doesn’t have the same strong binding qualities as using an egg.

Carp paste bait

Slowly add the powder and mix thoroughly with a fork exactly as you would when making feed bait (Image credit: Future)

You’ll reach a point where it all suddenly sticks together into a ball. Lightly smear your hands with margarine and then knead a little more base mix into the paste until you have a soft, pliable dough that doesn’t stick all over your hands. It’s better to keep it fractionally on the soft side so it sticks better to hook baits.

Carp paste bait

It should look something like this (Image credit: Future)

Divide the paste ball down into individual egg size lumps and stick them in freezer bags. One lump is normally more than enough per session.

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