Boilies

CARP BOILIES

Carp boilies are typically made with dairy proteins, semolina, and fish meal. The blend is then combined with eggs for binding. Manufacturers often add attractors to the base mix to make it more appealing to carp. Popular additives include hemp oil, tiger nut liquid and krill glug. As a hard bait, boilies last well without disintegrating in the water.

Carp boilies are ball-shaped because the cylindrical shape makes it easy for fishers to catapult the bait into the desired spot in the water. However, boilies are also available in a dumbell shape, which some anglers believe is an easier design for the fish to get hold of.

Another advantage of boilies is they can be infused with bright colours to attract carp from further away and make it easy for the fish to see the bait in murky waters.

Boiled can also be crushed and added to groundbait, making them a very flexible product.

POP-UPS & WAFTERS

Pop-ups and wafters are floating boilies, which hover above the lakebed. This makes it simple for the fish to find and eat the bait.

Anglers use pop-ups in various situations, one being when there are weeds on the lakebed. One recommended strategy is to use pop-ups together with a regular boilie in a ‘snowman’ rig. The pop-up should be smaller than the standard boilie to make a “critically balanced bait”, easy for carp to bite.

FREEZER VS. SHELF-LIFE

There are two types of boilies to choose from, freezer or shelf life. The shelf-life varieties contain preservatives so that they can be stored at room temperature for long periods.

Boilies without preservatives are known as freezer boilies, as these must be stored short-term in a fridge or long-term in a freezer. Otherwise, they will quickly go off.

Both the frozen and shelf-life carp baits have their pros and cons. Many carp fishers believe shelf-life boilies are less nutritious than freezer bait and less useful.

The downside of freezer boilies is they must be kept frozen to conserve freshness. This can be problematic on a long fishing trip. Despite this disadvantage, freezer boilies are the preferred type for many seasoned anglers.

However, shelf-life brands are gaining popularity. Due to advancements in food technology, shelf-life boilies now have almost the same nutritional content as their frozen counterparts. Their main advantage is they do not need special storage requirements.

Because of the additional nourishment, freezer boilies are usually more expensive than shelf-life varieties.

SIZES

Boilies come in many sizes, from 6 mm micro size to 40 mm boilies. The best size to use depends on the size of fish you want to bait. If you are a beginner going for small carp, boilies up to 10 mm in diameter are a good bet. Medium sizes, measuring around 14-18 mm, are the most favoured for catching medium-sized fish, weighing between 5 and 10 kilograms. It would be best if you only used the bigger sizes for baiting big carp. The smaller sizes are optimal for catching small fish like tench or barbels.

FLAVOURS

Our Urban Bait boilies are available in many flavours, both sweet and savoury. The flavour of savoury boilies is more familiar to fish, making them less likely to suspect the bait, but sweet varieties also have their advantages.

During warm months, a strong-smelling savoury carp bait is a good choice. But during cold months, a sweet flavour may be preferred because fish eat much less in the winter, and a savoury sticky bait will leave them feeling full faster and unlikely to take further bait.

As Urban Bait stockists, we offer boilies containing an excellent blend of high-quality attractors and nutrition to fatten carp and entice them to your hook.