Spicing it up!

Spices! To us, a mouth-burning sensation that leaves us gasping for water hours after initial contact. For a carp, a seemingly pleasing flurry of attraction that keeps them interested and feeding hour after hour. But why? It’s a difficult one to distinguish why, but like most naturally distinctive additives, GLM and Belachan for example, hot spicy additives stimulate senses within an animals feeding palette and as a result trigger a response. In the case of carp, a positive response is provoked, often leading to a harder feeding reaction.

It’s no wonder why anglers have been including spices in their baits for many years. The easy-to-use ingredients are sometimes the critical dimension to your bait and spicing up those typically bland baits has been a major edge for many years.

Thinking outside of the box can provide you with even greater success and a little edge for yourself that you can use to your advantage on those busy waters that regularly see the same type of baits week in, week out. The world is your oyster when it comes to spicing it up, with vast arrays of products readily available to every angler, experimenting is key to unlocking those secrets.

The following step-by-step sequence outlines a devastating tried and tested Spicy Stick Mix that has been used to great success by a handful of top anglers. Whether you’re targeting pressured day ticket venues, or tricky intimate pools, the spice has the power to fool even the wariest of carp.

The Super Spicy Stick Mix

Step 1: a complimentary base
Spices, unlike other ingredients, boast an extremely distinctive taste and aroma that are suited to certain types of base, especially in boilie and Stick mixes. This can be likened to foods that we would usually consume alongside spices; meats such as pepperoni, chorizo and typical Indian curries. Selecting a complimentary base will provide a satisfying carpet of attraction when making the perfect Stick mix. The Pacific Tuna Bag Mix is an ideal choice, comprising a deep fishy, spicy and salty aroma already, the addition of a few extra ingredients provides a huge boost of attraction.

Step 2: spicing it up!
This is where it really gets interesting, you can get as creative as you like when it comes to spicing the mix up! There is a huge array of spices available in solid (powder) and liquid form. One that is set to be a sure-fire winner is the Hot Chorizo Extract, which is due for release very soon. Alongside this, adding an alternative spicy, in the form of chilli seeds, powders and ingredients that are available through supermarkets and online retailers are sure to add a super spicy label.

By mixing the ingredients up you are proving maximum levels of attraction in different forms, liquids are great for dispersing through the water columns and hugging bottom debris such as silt and weed. All carp love seeds due to the crunch and sensation they provide, so the addition of spicy seeds is great for that added taste and aroma.

Step 3: adding texture
The final step is to add depth and richness to the already super spicy mix, for this, tinned fish or meats straight off the shelf are an awesome way of increasing texture and scent in the Stick mix.

A firm favourite are the super salty anchovy fillets in oil, which can added to the mix and mashed up to create small fish flakes that further compliment the spicy package. Not only does the super oily attraction draw fish down to the bait, but the texture of the fish allows the mix to bind well in order to form the perfect PVA Sticks. If you’re not a fan of using tinned fish, a blended fish alternative such as Liquid Tuna Extract or Whole Krill Extract will be spot-on. Alternative fish products could include tuna or mackerel, which both add distinctive nutrient rich taste and vital omega 3 fish oils to further enhance the pulling power.

A word of warning…
If you’re looking for something a little different to the norm, an edge that you can take and tailor with the inclusion of your very own special ingredients, then the Spicy Stick Mix is well worth a try. With so many great ingredients available out there, it’s a matter of experimenting and finding out what works for you. A word of warning though: certain products can be HOT! So give your hands a good wash in lake water after preparation, enjoy catching!

Putting the spicy stick mix together

Here's how to make one seriously hot stick mix!