The theory of 'balanced amino acid profile and nutrition' carp baits, has been repeatedly proven by consistent catches of big carp for decades.

Your baits amino acid profile; its content and biological availability to carp digestion, is central to your nutritional bait attraction and success. By refining these things in your baits, on the right fisheries, your big fish catches can really become the stuff most anglers only ever dream of!

The numbers of big carp that get caught on other types of 'boilie' baits have seriously reduced especially in the UK and Europe, where angling pressure has become so high. For numerous reasons, other baits will of course always catch plenty of carp.

Now we get to the interesting bit; the effect of a carps dietary requirement for individual amino acids. This is a variable between individual fish at any point in time!

There are about 13 'essential amino acids' for carp, and the easy definition is: An amino acid that cannot be synthesized in the carps body from internal resources. Therefore, carp must consume them in their diet!

The advantages do not end there. Nutritional bait will often contain a 'complete balanced, nutritional profile,' including essential fats, minerals, vitamins, trace elements, and salt, which are all proven carp attractors.

The individual components of the bait ingredients work together in the bait itself, and in the carp's digestion and assimilation processes. This provides the optimal nutritional bait performance, and benefits in the carp's body.

This multiplies the effect of all the individual bait ingredients for maximized carp attraction, and repeated desire for consumption of your bait.

How do you make your bait release even more carp attracting amino acids? Well, very water soluble, easily 'digested' amino acids are supplied in greater quantities by predigesting your baits, using bacterial action or 'curing' your baits, or by using artificial enzyme activity within your baits.

You can always add more 'free' form liquid amino acids as a bait dip or soak too to really maximize attraction.

To my knowledge, every top commercial bait manufacturer utilizes elements of, or all of these effects! So, if you fish a 'pay lake' where it seems most anglers have been using the same shop-bought bait, try applying your new homemade nutritional bait to give a great competitive edge.

Soon, you'll be the one catching all the biggest carp yourself, although you may need to introduce a very plentiful amount of bait in advance, to get the fish feeding confidently on it.

Such baits can become 'habit-forming,' with seemingly 'addictive' powers over the carp's natural caution.

* A 'bait triangle' effect is at work with high nutritional bait.

Initially, this is where many types of fish will sample your bait to begin with, after its first introduction to a water. Different sizes of carp and bigger fish such as bream, tench and catfish will 'push out' the competing smaller fish.

As the dietary benefits are experienced by fish eating the bait, the fish which have the largest, energy efficiency and dietary requirements push out the lesser size carp, when the bait is repeatedly introduced over a period of time.

At this stage the largest fish tend to 'monopolize' the bait and will eat it in preference to other food and less nutritionally balanced baits.

This is why 'mixing bait ingredient weaknesses' is so powerful; you can catch the biggest fish in a lake, in a very short period of time, by the balancing your bait nutrition and by regular feeding of 'free' baits.

To use these baits most effectively, the very top successful fishermen keep their 'free baits' going into their lake or swim very regularly, and this is especially important in winter fishing. It can require 3 visits to the water every week just to keep the carp searching for bait, feeding confidently on it, and feeling its beneficial effects.

So why bother doing this? Well, this activity can become so productive in terms of catch results; it can actually become addictive as your results just keep improving!

So, it is essential to mix bait ingredients, that have different weaknesses in their essential amino acids distributions; this limits nitrogen loss through 'deamination' and provides the best opportunity for protein utilization in the carp.

In the base mix, I prefer to use the highest levels possible of 'whole protein foods' ingredients and predigested protein food extracts. I also maximize the levels of 'free' aqueous (in solution) amino acids compounds in the bait mix.

A mixed amino acid compound 'bait soak' or dip, complete with naturally derived extracts like spices, attractors like sea salt and natural flavour components like squid extract give the bait a great edge.

The attractional benefits are maximized and enhanced further by important methods that sustain bio-activity within the bait. My baits are normally fermented or 'cured' too, at the very least, to release further nutrition and enhance carp attraction factors.

Why not try making a nutritional carp bait yourself. Yes, bait making involves making mistakes and 'trial and error.' In fact, some of my 'mistakes' have led to some of my most productive baits. Owning your secret nutritional carp bait recipe can be a massive catches and confidence booster!

(Warning: this article is subject to copyright.)

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

For more information see: http://www.baitbigfish.com