Bait Application for Carp Fishing - The best method?

Usually, a single hook bait in the water isn't going to bag you many fish. To entice those wary old carp to feed, you are going to need to give them a few free offerings around that hookbait.

But, what is the most effective way to get extra bait out into your swim without scaring the carp off?

This short article is going to look at a few popular ways to get some bait out there as well as listing some of the potential pros and cons for each method. By the end, you should have a good idea of which bait application method will suit your fishing situation best.

As you may have guessed, this method simply involves lobbing your bait out by hand. Nothing could be easier but is it efficient or effective?

Conclusion:

Only good for short distance fishing. The further out you go, the less accurate this method tends to be. You'll also be limited for distance depending on what kind of bait your throwing out.

The catapult is another very simple and an excellent way to get some bait into your swim. It takes a little practice but once the technique has been mastered, bait delivery can definitely be rather effective with this method.

Conclusion:

The catapult is another method that does become a bit more limited once you start to fish at greater distances. It is good for fishing just a little further out than where you can reach by hand. However, for long distances, some of the methods below will be better.

The throwing stick can be an excellent piece of kit in the Carpers arsenal if you just want to put a fairly small amount of bait out with accuracy, one at a time.

Conclusion:

The most obvious drawback of throwing sticks is they would take you a age to get out a large amount of bait. However, this isn't their intention and they are perfect for their intended purpose of getting out a small quantity of bait with accuracy and minimal disturbance.

These two methods are basically the same apart from some slight visual and operational differences: the spomb is more of a bomb looking capsule that opens on impact with the water. The spod is an open-ended rocket shape that simply tips upside down when it hits the water.

Conclusion:

For accurate delivery of large bait quantities, this method is almost perfect. As mentioned, the only downside is the disturbance caused when the spod or spomb hits the lake. However, some argue this has the opposing effect and acts like a "dinner bell" to the carp. If you'd like some tips on how to get the most out of this method, I have written a full article on spodding and spombing here.

The use of bait boats could be debated all day but I'm not going to get into that. All I will say is I am certainly a fan of the bait boat and believe it to be a fantastic way to get a lot of bait out.

Conclusion:

Clearly, I am quite keen on using bait boats to get bait out into your swim. With that being said, they are a luxury and can be costly. If you have the budget, I think its an amazing investment to make for your angling. Read my complete article on using bait boats here.