James RickardHow to make soap bait
April 3rd 2009 00:27
One of the easiest things for an angler to make is soap bait.
This a great catfish bait you can make ahead of time and you won't stink up the place doing it.
To make soap bait, all you have to do is put around 1/4 cup (125 ml.) of water in a small sauce pan, add about a quarter cup of sugar, and heat it on the stove with a low flame. Let the sugar dissolve. If you have to do any stirring, that's okay and will probably speed up the sugar but be careful not to splash around.
After the sugar is well dissolved, whittle a bar of Ivory soap into the mix. Ivory is the brand around here. I've heard of using Zote but I have no idea where to buy it. Whatever you use, the main thing is to use a soap that's pure with no deodorants, creams, or additives.
Slowly stir the mix. If you stir too fast, you get too many bubbles. Some bubbles are unavoidable but, they should be smaller than the size of BB's.
After the soap melts and you get a goo about the consistency of hot butter, pour your mixture into a suitable receptacle. Some say use aluminum foil and make blocks around 1/2" thick. I like to make it even easier and just pour the heated soap into an old ice cube tray. If you go this route, it's easier to remove the chunks of bait from the tray if you spray the compartments with a coating of cooking oil.
This a great catfish bait you can make ahead of time and you won't stink up the place doing it.
To make soap bait, all you have to do is put around 1/4 cup (125 ml.) of water in a small sauce pan, add about a quarter cup of sugar, and heat it on the stove with a low flame. Let the sugar dissolve. If you have to do any stirring, that's okay and will probably speed up the sugar but be careful not to splash around.
After the sugar is well dissolved, whittle a bar of Ivory soap into the mix. Ivory is the brand around here. I've heard of using Zote but I have no idea where to buy it. Whatever you use, the main thing is to use a soap that's pure with no deodorants, creams, or additives.
Slowly stir the mix. If you stir too fast, you get too many bubbles. Some bubbles are unavoidable but, they should be smaller than the size of BB's.
After the soap melts and you get a goo about the consistency of hot butter, pour your mixture into a suitable receptacle. Some say use aluminum foil and make blocks around 1/2" thick. I like to make it even easier and just pour the heated soap into an old ice cube tray. If you go this route, it's easier to remove the chunks of bait from the tray if you spray the compartments with a coating of cooking oil.
I don't worry about getting any consistency to my bait sizes. I usually pour some small (shallow) compartment in the tray and some thicker ones also. I've never had a problem getting bites regardless of size. I use a 1/0 hook and I've never gotten anything under a foot or more.
I've also heard you can use garlic instead of sugar. That makes sense although I've never felt like experimenting. If you do, let me know your results!
I've also heard you can use garlic instead of sugar. That makes sense although I've never felt like experimenting. If you do, let me know your results!
That's all there is to it. It's quick, easy, and you don't have to worry about stinking up the house. Further, the clean up is fairly easy and you may not have to use dish washing soap if you simply throw everything into the kitchen sink when you're through. PLUS, this stuff stays on the hook much better than chicken liver!
When you're finished, you should end up with something like this.
Until next time--watch your line and watch yourself!
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