Moving beyond my post Culinary Carping, the more adventurous Carp fisherman, sooner or later finds themselves in the kitchen cooking up Carp bait of some form or another. I started cooking before I caught my first Carp this year. I think it is a man thing, There is a lot more satisfaction catching Carp on bait I made than on a few kernels of corn from a can.
I wish I had some secret recipe that knock Carp dead, but I do not. I search the net for recipes, and have used basic recipes. So far my results are mixed, but it is still fun catching Carp using a bait I made. Instead of sharing some secret recipe that I do not have, I thought I would provide a few thoughts from cooking in general that you may not be aware of. Thickeners are a good place to start for those that want to try or use dip baits or gunk baits.
Thickeners besides thickening, do two basic things. They either make your sauce shiny or they make it dull. Generally if you want your dip or gunk to be shiny corn starch is the thickener of choice. If you want your gunk to be dull, flour is a better choice.
There is an old not much used any longer thickener out there, but I have not used it in so long I do not remember if it makes a sauce shiny or dull. It is called Arrowroot. It is also the main ingredient in baby teething crackers. If you do not want a slight flour, or corn flavor in your dip or gunk, arrowroot may be worth a try.
When it comes time to thicken your sauce, there is an easy way to get started. Use cold water, and better yet use water for your clothes iron. Failing that use bottled water, rain water, or lake water. There is some talk on the net about the chlorine and fluoride in tap water, but I am not an expert, and you may know if it makes a difference or not. Put your water in the refrigerator long enough to get it cold before you need it. It works better the colder the water is.
Use a cereal bowl, or other small bowl and add the dry thickener of your choice to a dry bowl. Add a few drops to a teaspoon full of water and mix with your just cleaned (odorless) fingers. If you get clumps, press them against the side of the bowl and they will disappear. If you end up with clumps you can’t get rid of a tea cup sized strainer does the trick. The mix should not be be watery, and it can not sit too long, especially if you use corn starch. Corn starch does not really mix well with water so larger particles will settle to the bottom of the bowl.
Once you have it well mixed, and the sauce is simmering, add it little by little to the simmering sauce. Stir as you add, and do not add too much at one time or it will not thicken correctly. Also take care to bring your sauce to a simmer each time. The corn starch or flour will become clear in your sauce when it reaches a proper temperature. If you are desperate to thicken your gunk, but have no thickener, oatmeal, or crushed soda crackers, and instant potatoes work in a pinch. Of course there thickening power is not as good as the common thickeners. Instant potatoes only stay thick for a few minutes. Sometimes that could be just what you want.
One time saver I found for Carp dip or gunk bait is starting with a jar of something from the store. Already made pineapple, or strawberry preserves are a good starting point. You might also check out ice cream toppings. Check ingredients so you know what they are made out of. Ensure you are paying real ingredients and not some other flavorings made to taste like the real thing. Adding kool-aid to the mix, or baking flavors is also a possibility. One good thing about carefully made Carp bait dip or gunk, if it does not work for Carp, it can be a good ice cream topping…two scoops or three?
