The best carp groundbaits - tested

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Looking to catch more carp? The best carp groundbaits can help you do just that. Here are the best options available to anglers today.

Dynamite Baits The Source

£3.95 (900 gr)

Fine consistency groundbait made from Dynamite’s popular ‘The Source’ boilie ingredients. It’s a dark reddish brown in colour with a slightly sweet fishmeal aroma. This rich groundbait absorbs lots of moisture and requires at least two applications of water, swelling up quite considerably. Despite vigorous stirring a few lumps persisted, which had to be eliminated by riddling. This created a fluffy, airy mix, perfect for fast release with open-end feeders, or softer balls of feed. A third dose of water stiffened this groundbait up enough for Method and paste usage, where it breaks down quickly.

SCORE: 26/30

Bait - Tech Karma

£3.40 (1 kg)

Medium brown groundbait flecked with green particles and smelling strongly of fishmeal. Packaging classes Karma as a meaty recipe with a fast breakdown. This fine consistency groundbait mixes easily into a fluffy texture with just one helping of water, while vigorous stirring irons out any lumps. At this stage the mix is perfect for open-end and cage feeders, also for feeding soft balls of cloudy feed. Adding more water creates a slightly firmer mix that can be balled in hard or moulded around Method feeders, although once in the water the groundbait still breaks down fast.

SCORE: 26/30

Sensas Crazy Bait IM5

£3.75 (1 kg)

This Betaine green groundbait contains an IM5 stimulant and is advertised as being super soft and easy to mix. It’s finely textured and went a bit lumpy after initial wetting, requiring a second dose of moisture, swelling up quite considerably. A few lumps still persisted due to the fine nature of this feed, but once riddled or whisked with a groundbait drill it offers a soft texture for standard open-end feeders or cloudy presentation. Adding a third dose of water stiffens this medium green coloured recipe up enough for Method feeder and paste work, giving a reasonably fast breakdown.

SCORE: 26/30

Bait - Tech Special 'G' Gold

£3.40 (1 kg)

Packaging boasts this groundbait contains ‘the most powerful super-soluble fishmeal’. This golden brown feed certainly had a strong fishmeal aroma and it turned a nice golden brown colour after mixing with water. The first mix resulted in a soft, fluffy, lump free texture, ideal for creating a fish attracting cloud when float fishing – or for forming fast breakdown harder balls. Adding extra water, after letting the feed stand for a few minutes, created a much firmer consistency. This was perfect for the Method feeder, also for forming harder balls of feed, and of course paste hook baits.

SCORE: 27/30

Mistral Baits Halibut

£3.49 (1 kg)

Contains crushed high oil halibut pellets, combined with milled crumb, seeds and attractors. This dark brown groundbait is very easy to mix into a soft, fluffy consistency, revealing odd larger particles. It gives off a sweet fishmeal/pellet aroma and after initial treatment is spot on for fast breakdown feeding modes. Adding extra water still doesn’t bind this recipe. It needs some extra pellet powder to make it into a slow breakdown Method mix, or paste for the hook. I found this to be a very good fish attractor and holding feed, either used on its own or bulked out with brown crumb.

SCORE: 27/30

Bag 'Em Pro - Competition Krill Seeker

£3.99 (1 kg)

An orange brown recipe, endorsed by top commercial match angler Neil Machin. Apparently it’s the high krill content that gives this feed its orangey brown colour. Just one mix with water and minimal stirring creates a lovely fluffy, lump free consistency, perfect for a quick breakdown in open-end feeders or for introducing the groundbait in cloudy form. Adding more water makes this feed swell up even more and improves binding for Method feeder or paste fishing. It gives off a strong fishy aroma and continues to break down quite quickly, even when compressed hard.

SCORE: 27/30

Dynamite Baits Swim Stem Green

£3.40 (900 gr)

Incredibly popular dark green groundbait, classed as a Betaine green koi mix. It absorbs lots of water so the first mixing takes a little longer, pumping the fine particles up quite dramatically. This gives a loose consistency and it’s easy to iron out any lumps with vigorous stirring. At this stage you have a soft, strong fishmeal smelling groundbait for cloudy feeding and fast breakdown from open-end or cage feeders. This feed takes on a lot more water in order to get a firmer, binding mix, which is lethal for Method feeder and hook paste. Very versatile and not just for carp!

SCORE: 28/30

Best Buy - Sonubaits Supercrush Green

£5.49 (2 kg)

This crushed koi pellet groundbait has a fluorescent green tinge after mixing with water, requiring very little stirring to create a soft, airy feed – without having to riddle or whisk it with a groundbait drill. In this state you have a strong fishmeal smelling groundbait, ideal for open-end or cage feeders, also for regular feeding in cloudy form. Secondary mixing turns it into a more binding Method feeder, or hard balling groundbait. The breakdown rate can be regulated, depending on how hard this versatile feed is compressed. Best all-rounder, great value and easiest to mix.

SCORE: 30/30

NOTE: All products tested August 2009. All prices correct at the time of going to Press. We do not take responsibility for price or product changes or current availability.