Anglers from Nghe An province share their "techniques" for making fishing bait.

(Baonghean.vn) - For professional anglers, the success or failure of a fishing trip depends heavily on bait preparation techniques. Besides a good fishing rod, a good location, and experience in reading the water, bait plays a crucial role in attracting fish. It is considered a true art form by anglers, and not everyone can master it.

Having been involved in fishing for nearly 6 years, Mr. Nguyen Chi Cuong (Block 4, Dong Vinh Ward) believes that bait accounts for almost 60% of the success of a fishing trip. Each type of fish and each fishing spot requires a different bait formula. While black carp prefer bait high in protein and crustaceans, common carp prefer fragrant, sweet bait, and catfish prefer sour bait… therefore, careful selection of ingredients and the correct ratio of bait mixtures are necessary.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Cuong is mixing bait for the fish.

Typically, the main ingredients for bait include worms, snails, cat liver, shrimp, sprouted rice, corn, and roasted rice flour. These substances create scent and stickiness to attract fish, of course, depending on the specific type of fish to choose the appropriate flavor and smell. For example, black carp like crushed snails, crabs, and clams mixed with potato flour and roasted rice flour; silver carp prefer baits with high solubility along with fermented corn and potatoes; and catfish like foul smells, so fermented crabs, snails, and eggs are needed until they become pungent.

That's the general formula applied by the vast majority of anglers; however, after initially using common traditional baits, many people begin to research some special spices that only they know about, considering them a "secret recipe" to add to the main ingredients.

Corn, potatoes, and groundnuts are essential ingredients in preparing fishing bait. The corn kernels are considered ready when they are boiled until cooked and the kernels burst open. They are then fermented for 7 to 14 days to develop the aroma and texture needed to attract fish.

The question of how to use bait effectively is always a top priority for anglers. According to experienced and skilled anglers, when going fishing at a particular lake, it's essential to research beforehand what bait is commonly used by other anglers there, how long the lake has been fishing, and what types of fish are present.

If the fishing pond is newly opened or has only been open for fishing for less than a month, regular bait will still catch fish. However, for ponds that have been open for fishing for a long time, you need to make a different bait than the ones anglers usually use there in order to catch fish, because the fish are already too familiar with the flavors that everyone else has used before.

The ideal bait should have the right consistency to spread widely in the water.

New anglers often catch fish in old lakes because fish are quite intelligent and have conditioned reflexes. Once they sense a scent or taste that could be dangerous, they become wary and stay away. This is when traditional bait recipes often come into play, as their unique scents are very effective in attracting fish in these lakes.

Traditional techniques for making fishing bait remain a mystery to many who enjoy this hobby.

For effective fishing, choosing the right location is crucial. Open, unattended water usually lacks fish, so it's best to cast your line in areas with dense vegetation, thick roots and branches, or protruding rocks. Importantly, the location should be quiet and have minimal foot traffic. If there are shadows of people or fishing rods on the water's surface, the fish will become wary and flee.

When it rains heavily and the wind is strong, fish usually hide and don't dare to feed. On hot, sunny days, due to the intense sunlight, fish also don't come out to look for food. After the rain, when the sun comes out and the air is cool, fish compete to find food, and that's the ideal time to cast your line.

Once you have good bait, anglers also need to know how to choose the right locations and fishing techniques for each type of fish to achieve maximum success.

According to experienced anglers, carp are the most difficult fish to catch among the common species. This is because they are very intelligent and sensitive. Therefore, to attract carp, the bait must be perfect. A good bait should have a fragrant smell like ripe jackfruit, a smooth consistency, and a slightly sweet taste.

When casting bait into the water, you must create a spreading scent to attract carp. Since bait only attracts fish within a narrow range, you need to add more bait to attract them over a wider area. Another important factor is...The next important thing is to be sensitive enough to know when the carp is biting the bait and when it's holding the bait in its mouth, so you can jerk the rod as accurately as possible.

Angler Cao Dinh Trung's catch was a 4.5 kg carp caught at the Ve Vung Dam (Yen Thanh district). This is considered one of the most difficult fish to catch among the commonly caught species today.

There are currently four main types of fishing: bottom fishing, Taiwanese fishing (also known as single hook fishing), snakehead fishing (also known as lure fishing), and sea fishing. Each type of fishing has specific requirements regarding experience, technique, and the types of fish it targets.

Among these, the six-hook rig (consisting of six sharp, barbed hooks) is the most popular due to its high accuracy. With this method, the angler doesn't need to bait the hook; they simply drop the bait into the water, concentrating it in one spot to lure the fish. When a fish bites, it usually brushes against the fishing line, causing the float to move. The angler then jerks the cluster of hooks upwards from the bottom, attaching them to the fish's body.

Following our interesting discoveries about fishing bait, we had the opportunity to see firsthand some of the "powerful" fishing rods currently owned by some renowned anglers in Nghe An, as well as learn about their "fish-catching" techniques. This information will be covered in the next installment of this article.

Thanh Quynh