Many fisherman hook more fish on baits made with wheatgerm in the winter, but why is this?

Commercial aquaculture feeds often contain wheat germ at about 10 % of the dry feed mix to provide more easily digestible energy in cold water temperatures. Winter, colder water formulas often have a reduced protein content of fish meal for example, but with the addition of wheatgerm.

Wheatgerm has been proven in scientific tests to have a role in dietary fat and cholesterol assimilation: plasma lipids and cholesterol were significantly decreased by addition of these two wheat components in diets of rats. Many substances that reduce harmful cholesterol in a carp's body can be put into bait, are very healthy, and are very attractive to carp as a result. These act to keep the liver and circulation healthy, among many other helpful roles.

A word about 'bad' cholesterol or 'saturated fatty acids.' In the correct ratio with, for example, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, these are helpful in the carp's body for energy production. They are broken down by enzymes (globular proteins), in successive two-carbon fragments called 'acetates'. These then oxidise in the cells to produce energy, which is used or stored using adenosine triphosphate.

Cod liver oil is a great carp bait additive. It contains a profile very much like the famous carp attractor fenugreek 'extract.' it contains a volatile oil, and two or more 'alkaloids.'

Many alkaloids are especially powerful carp attractors and many can be used for effective homemade fishing baits for many species. Trigonelline and choline in the cod liver oil accelerate the release of energy from the carp's liver, and reduce glycogen deposition.

Fish seem to really enjoy these effects, and getting caught on bait containing these substances! (Cod liver oil is one of the richest sources of vitamins A and D in the world too!)

Lecithins:

In winter, it is recommended to drop oil levels slightly in your baits, and add an emulsifying lecithin. These make your oils into a water-soluble emulsion, making it much easier, very importantly, for the carp to digest your bait more effectively for energy.

Lecithins are very interesting ingredients. The newer 'enzymatically hydrolyzed' ones have the best properties, including certain extra activity on other ingredients:

* Higher 'surface' activity.

* Better emulsifying properties.

* Excellent emulsion stability, ('oil-in water dispensability.')

* Ability to interact with starch.

* Different kinds of interactions with proteins.

* Lecithins are derived from vegetable oil seeds, soya bean oil, and egg yolks.

They contain choline (a 'pre-cursor' to betaine which assists natural lecithin production in the carp, reduces cholesterol levels in the liver, and is a major source of the essential amino acid in the carp, methionine) fats, inositol (essential at the cellular level for good functioning, especially in the intestine for digestion), and essential fatty acids.

Lecithins and wheatgerm are just 2 ingredients that can make all the difference, to produce great winter carp fishing results. It truly pays to discover as many bait edges as you can, for this colder season!

By Tim Richardson. 'The thinking angler's fishing author' and bait guru.

FOR MORE SEE: http://www.baitbigfish.com