Catching an Indian Carp

PART-2
GROUND BAIT(GENERAL):
Ground baiting is an established practice amongst carp anglers world over and if we consider
theories formulated over years of trials, we will notice varied and contradictory conclusions
coming out as a result. I dont deny the merit of every theory but one should take into account
the variations in fishing conditions and understand that every water body and fish residing
therein have a unique characteristic and so applying a universal practice of ground baiting for
every condition is not practical. It is imperative that one should be able to read any water one
is fishing before deciding on the type and quantity of ground bait. There is a tendency
amongst Indian Anglers to use a lot of exotic herbs for making ground bait and chuck out as
much of ground bait as possible before starting fishing. Most of the time this technique fails
to give desired results.
Over a period of time, while fishing for these major carps of India, I have realized that there
is no one method of ground baiting and it differs for every species of fish and varies with
different conditions. It is almost impossible to assess the condition of a water body on a
cursory visit and decide the type and amount of ground bait. To overcome the above, I have
designed a method which I call Intelligent Ground Baiting and I am sure, once we understand
the factors affecting fish feeding, we will all be able to follow this Intelligent Ground Baiting
technique.
Before discussing the classification of different type of ground baiting and its merits and demerits, lets try and understand factors affecting feeding pattern of these Carps. The most
important part of ground baiting is the selection of a SPOT. Just going beside the water and
chucking out the ground bait is just a waste and should be avoided. I have realized over the
countless hours I had spent beside the water, targeting these wily creatures, that placement of
your hook, within a variance of few feet can change the difference in the bites!
It is an established fact that Carps are not territorial and their feeding habits are akin to cow
grazing in a pasture. Observing a herd of cow grazing in any pasture, a cursory observer will
never find any pattern but if you take a closer look and observe the herd closely you will have
a fair understanding that there are many factors which define the pattern of grazing! Lets us
imagine a green pasture with few trees scattered here and there, few mud holes and few
barren patches. We will find that the herd avoids the barren patches and of course, they will
never graze in the mud holes. On a hot day, you will find them staying near few trees where
the grass is best. The above observations can be the yardstick for defining our spot for ground
baiting for Indian Carps. If we compare any pasture with the water we intend to fish, the trees
are different structures inside water, the gravel bed and plateau are the lush green bed of

grass, the mud holes are the dirty muck area and the barren patch of a pasture is the place
where no food is present.
There are two kinds of waters where one can target a Carp, still water or flowing water.
Ponds, lakes and Dams are still water whereas Rivers, Canal or Nullah are flowing waters.
First of all, we will try and understand the topography of still water. The best place to select
as spot for fishing in still water, is where the wind is bringing all the food. Many
accomplished anglers give a lot of credence to this factor and choose their spot accordingly.
Any streams trickling in such kind of water also bring lot of food along it and thus can be
considered a very promising spot. Any gravel bed or plateau are like gold mines and can
produce a record Carp. Any structure or break is also very promising Spot. Like a Golfer,
intend to hit his ball out of orbit, the tendency of us anglers to fish as far as possible is
irresistible but should be avoided as targeting a carp from fringe or near bank can also be
very productive. Dragging a weight with a depth measuring float can easily reveal the
underwater topography with a bit of practice. If we use braid line, while dragging the weight
over different kind of bottom gives different feel. The weight will slide without effort on any
sandy or soil bed where as there will be resistance if you drag it on a silt bottom. Any gravel
bed will produce a definite chattering vibration. Fish holding spots can also be identified by
observing the fish movement on the surface or bubbles coming on the surface while fishes are
feeding on the bottom.
(video link to be posted)
For flowing water, the feed is also flowing and so selecting a spot is a bit different than the
spot selection in still water. The best place to fish in flowing water is any break where
flowing feed is accumulating. Channels or current, carrying food along it are also excellent
spots. Like still water any gravel bottom or structure can also produce some serious fish.
I will emphasise here that the local knowledge and spending some time beside the water has
no substitute and one should always try and follow this.
Now as we are familiar with our spot selection lets try and understand the philosophy of
ground baiting. As we have discussed before, every water body and every spot has a different
characteristic, ground baiting is not similar everywhere but there are some cardinal rules
which should always be followed. Here are some pointers.

Ground bait should consist of edible items only.

Any rancid or foul smelling ground bait should never be used.
Any material which can contaminate the water or harm the fish should never be used.
Mixing exotic herbs and smelling agents is a good idea but overdoing it will kill your
chances of any catch.
The Ground bait should never be better than your hook bait.
A slight amount of fat, in form of edible oils like peanut oil, mustard oil or coconut
oil is essential.
Sweetener is also an essential part of any ground bait.

All ground baits are basically mixture of some base edible materials like boiled rice, Beaten
Rice or Poha, Oil Cakes, Bread Crumbs, Cake Crumbs, Wheat Flour, Gram Flour, Soybean
Flour, Semi ground nuts and pulses, some sweetener, smelling agents like cardamom, vanilla
essence, and some fat. Mixing some mud from the bank of the water body is also effective in
some conditions. The ratio of above decides the kind of ground bait we want to put in the
water. I prefer using fast dissolving ground bait in case I want to fish the same day. Fast
dissolving smelling ground bait with very less edible items performs wonders when fishes are
on bite and competing for food. Slow dissolving, rich in nutrition with lot of edible items is
an Ideal ground bait for pre-baiting but it should be tapered over time and one should use fast
dissolving ground bait on the day one intends to fish. For attracting lot of small fishes and
start a feeding frenzy, creating a column in the water by throwing small quantities of loose
ground bait gives fabulous results. The final ground bait should be a pleasant smelling
concoction and should create lot of cloud and a trail of oil around it when put in the water.
One can easily experiment with the solvency and cloud creating ability beforehand by putting
a small ball of ground bait in any glass container. While making ball of ground bait, if you
press it loosely, you will find the ball exploding under water due to air trapped inside. If you
want to increase the explosion, pin some holes in your ground bait ball with a pencil like
object and then press the surface gently to close the holes to increase the trapped air inside
the ball.
While ground baiting an area, special care is to be taken to place maximum ground bait in a
localised area. Scattering the ground bait too much reduces the chances of a bite. Big Carps
generally feed on the periphery of the ground baited area so placing the hook on the periphery
of the ground baited area, towards the drift is ideal.
Wheat flour, boiled rice and ground Poha (beaten rice) are very good binders and can be used
effectively to control the solvency of finished ground bait. Boiled Ragi flour, mixed with few
attractant, is also used throughout Southern India to target Mahseer but I have not used it to
target Indian Carp. The use of rice husk known as Konda, is also prevalent in many parts of
our country and can be used as base material.
The best instant ground bait, for most enjoyable fishing is chopped earthworms mixed with
some mud from the bank. This method is very successful for Mirgal and other smaller fishes.
It is a misconception amongst many anglers that ground baiting is not possible in flowing
waters. The best way to use ground baiting in any flowing water is by using very slow
dissolving balls of ground bait or constantly feeding the swim with small quantities of loose
bait.
Below is a table describing many Items used for ground baiting and can be used for designing
a particular mix.
Boiled Rice

Base Material &

Binder

Should be rubbed by
hand before mixing
other ingredients.

Scatters on ground and attracts small

fishes, which in turn disturb the ground
bait and create cloud of small particles,
attracting big Fishes.

Soaked Poha
or Beaten Rice

Base Material

Ground Poha

Binder

Oil Cake

Base material/
Clouding Agent
Base material/
Clouding Agent

Cake Crumbs/
Bread Crumbs

Should be soaked in
such a manner that it
does not become
very soft.
Should be grounded
as fine powder and
mixed with some oil,
Should be soaked
overnight.
Should be used in
small quantities.

Semi Ground
Nuts and
Pulses

Base Materials

Most of the nuts or

pulses have to be
soaked overnight.

Wheat Flour

Binder and
Clouding Agent

Gram/
Soybean flour

Clouding Agent

Should be mixed
with water as semi
liquid and then
mixed with base
material.
Should be mixed
with the base by
gentle rubbing.

Rice Husk or
Konda

Base material/
Clouding Agent

Sugar

Sweetener

Jaggery

Sweetener

Cardamom or
Elaychee

Smelling Agent

Vanilla
Essence
Oils

Smelling Agent

Ground
Biscuits
Milk Powder

Smelling and
Clouding Agent
Clouding Agent

Attractant

Should be soaked
overnight with some
sweetener and
smelling agent.
Should be boiled
with water to make
semi liquid.
Should be mixed
with water to form a
semi liquid.
Should be ground
fine and mixed in the
ground bait.
Should be used
sparingly.
Should be rubbed
with a base material,
before hand
Should be ground
before
Should be mixed last
in the ground bait

Scatters on ground and attracts small

fishes, which in turn disturb the ground
bait and create cloud of small particles,
attracting big Fishes.
A very effective binder which also
releases oil trail very slowly.
A very effective item to make lot of oily
cloud around your ground bait.
When the ground bait breaks or dissolves,
the cake particles rise up and create a
column of cloud around the baited area.
Scatters on ground and attracts small
fishes, which in turn disturb the ground
bait and create cloud of small particles,
attracting big Fishes.
A very good binder and also a clouding
agent.

Creates a cloud of small particles as the

ground bait breaks. With small fishes
feeding, the cloud literally hides the hook
bait.
Creates a cloud of small particles as the
ground bait breaks. With small fishes
feeding, the cloud literally hides the hook
bait.
Attracts and holds big fishes in the
vicinity.
Attracts and holds big fishes in the
vicinity.
The best attractant I know of for Indian
Carps.
A good attractant.
Make a trail and attract big carps.

A very good Clouding agent. This also

rises up and creates a column of cloud.
A very good Clouding agent

The above list is not comprehensive and many of you expert may not agree with me but I
have caught almost all my Carps using these ingredients. It is of advantage to experiment
with different mixes considering the conditions. If the water I am targeting is over fished, I
will use a complex mix otherwise a simple mix is more than enough to catch a good carp.
Using very complicated mixes for places, where there is no pressure of angling is reducing
your chances of any catch.
Lets also bear in mind that these fishes are opportunistic feeder and eat anything which is
nutritious but keeping the composition of the ground bait as close to their natural feed as
possible is the best way to go about. Use of complex, alien smelling ground bait is only
recommended for waters where angling pressure is too much and other anglers are also using
different ground bait over a prolonged period of time.
In such kind of water, where angling pressure is too much, using a design mix, different from
what other anglers are using is the best way to go about it. Carps are known to associate and
avoid certain smells and bringing them to accept some other composition, though it takes
some time, gives amazing results.
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