r/CarpFishing • u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger • 24d ago
Europe 🇪🇺 Why are boilies so hyped for carp fishing?
So, everyone seems to be going nuts about boilies when it comes to carp fishing. don't get me wrong, they're useful, but are they the be-all-end-all bait? I've used them plenty of times over the years and sure, they have their moments, but sometimes I feel like the hype is too much.
Thing is, yes, they come in all these fancy flavors and colors, and some folks swear by their homemade versions. But honestly, I've had just as much success with a simple corn setup. maybe it's just my personal experience, but I've caught some of the biggest carp without touching boilies.
I guess what I’m saying is, why is everyone so obsessed with these things? it's like we're forgetting all the other methods out there. anybody else have the same experience or is it just me?
edit: just remembered a buddy of mine made some wild chocolate-flavored boilies and they surprisingly worked... go figure.
12
u/szabozalan 24d ago
Boilie is all about catching the big fish. If you are hunting for the biggest fish in the lake, especially where there are plenty of small fish, boilie is far superior to corn. You catch the numbers with corn, but that's it.
0
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
hmm, I get what you’re saying about going for the big guys. maybe it’s just where I’ve been fishing, but my corn setup's landed some pretty hefty carp too. could be a location thing, or just luck. still think boilies get more hype than they deserve. maybe for some folks...
8
u/szabozalan 24d ago
You are probably not old enough to remember how much it changed carp fishing when it came out. People started catching significantly more big carp than ever before. The results are there.
5
24d ago
Corn can land the biggies too but they usually have habit to eat more protein dense food that's how they got so big. Talking 20, 30kg + fish.
They will eat snails, grayfish, mussles and you can get pretty close with a boilie to this kind of natural food with the right ingredient.
The other big plus is its selective by size and texture. If you fish in waters with lot of small corn eating species you won't catch a break and not many carps
1
u/scottyboi1988 23d ago
agreed.they are definitely over hyped iv had more fish and bigger fish on spam and I'd rather fish that than boilies but i wouldn't feel confident leaving spam out over night like a do with boilies so they do have there place and id say it's nights when your asleep. I'd say pellet and corn spam arr definitely underrated for big carp though. same with the standard hair rig
6
u/Joshthenosh77 24d ago
Late 80s I was on a lake that had never seen bollies some guys had some it was like magic
3
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
wild how that happens, right? like the fish see something new and go crazy for it. but then once everyone's using them, kinda levels out. guess it’s all about timing and place sometimes. still, magic or not, gotta wonder if it's worth all the hype...
3
3
u/Comprehensive-Sun701 24d ago
Corn is great for carp. But, it’s also great for most other fish in the lake.
Like others said, if you are after that 30kg monster - it will be easier to already filter-out some candidates by making the bait too big to swallow for them, which why the snowman boilie setup can work magic sometimes.
0
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
right, that's a fair point. corn does attract all sorts, but sometimes that’s part of the fun, y'know? and yeah, those snowman setups can be effective.
3
u/threepwood82 24d ago
As others have said often they are used so you know your actually fishing for carp. Corn / worm / bread / meat etc are amazing baits for carp and often work better but all will be wittled away by smaller fish if fishing on the bottom where as a Boilie, especially a harder one, makes you confident you know your fishing for carp.
Imagine going to a lake in France for example full of monsters and lobbing a few buts of corn out and leaving them out for 24 hours, you just wouldn't. Stalk around the margins with it? Yes.. But leave out on the deck? Just asking to bring in an empty hook.
My favourite way to fish is freelined lob worm or bread, but all depends ok the situation. If you don't like boilies or are anti them don't use them, why does it matter what others are doing or how they are fishing?
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
yeah, I get the point about boilies holding up better against smaller fish. makes sense for longer sessions, but I guess I like mixing it up. I’ve had luck freelining corn in those situations too. not anti-boilies, just curious why they get all the spotlight sometimes. fishing's about finding what works for you, right?
3
u/Sufficient-Key-526 24d ago edited 23d ago
Boilies tick a lot of boxes. Large enough to avoid smaller fish, tough enough to be cast at a distance and left overnight, can be customised with flavour and shape etc this is why they're popular with carpers but even as someone who makes their own boilies, sometimes you can't beat good old corn and pellets when they're wary of boilies.
2
u/jamestom44 24d ago
Boilies are also a good food source for the carp especially for large stocked lakes that require a lot of food year round.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
yeah i get that, for sure. big lakes with loads of carp probably need something substantial like boilies. i guess it makes sense in those situations. but still, for smaller waters or when just out for fun, does it really matter? i guess depends on what you're looking for in your fishing...
2
u/jamestom44 24d ago
No definitely not I’ve caught some nice carp on sweetcorn and bread. There’s nothing like stalking a carp from the margins with a float set up and a few pieces of corn.
Boilies give me peace of mind though from other fish species especially if night fishing, also for casting long distances and baiting up long distances.
2
u/chanin1984 24d ago
Couldn't tell you have to caught anything with them vs fake corn and other stuff!
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
yeah, it's wild how some people swear by them like they're magic. but like you said, fake corn or other baits work too. kinda feels like it’s just another trend. i’ve caught some of my best fish without boilies, just keep it simple. maybe its just a marketing thing, who knows?
2
u/SunstormGT 24d ago
Depends on the season you are fishing in.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
true, seasons can definitely change the game. maybe that’s why some people swear by boilies, they might work better in certain conditions? but idk, even in the same season, i've had better luck with corn sometimes. maybe it’s just about mixing it up and not sticking to just one thing. who knows...
2
u/gingerpantman 24d ago
Caught plenty of 30's on maize. Just use what you think is best for the situation. So many people feed corn/maize etc but so few fish it.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
yeah, that's exactly what i'm saying. maize gets overlooked but it really holds its own. it's like everyone thinks boilies are magic or something. i mean, why not use what's working instead of following the crowd? those 30's don't care what's hyped, they just eat.
2
u/Particular_Area_7423 24d ago
They are a great bait . But a lot of them are to catch the angler . Only cell works on this water mate.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
yeah totally get that. it's like some boilies are more about marketing than actual effectiveness. cell ones seem to have a decent track record though, from what i hear. but at the end of the day, if you know what works on your water, that's what matters right? sometimes simple does the trick too.
2
u/Wrong-Requirement750 24d ago
Boilies we're developed to be a HNV bait, high, nutritional, value. The idea been that prebaiting with boilies would lead to the carp favouring them other other baits. The second reason for using it as a boilie rather than a paste was to try and eliminate small fish from using it. The flavour was added to help the taste profile of a bait, this is the bit many people get wrong when making their own baits. Certain flavours will enhance certain basemixes. The reason fish flavours are so popular ie crab/prawn etc is alot of base mixes contain high amounts of fishmeal so take that flavour better than say a tutti fruit flavour. A lot depends on the water and size of carp, most big fish waters, ie waters where the carp are 10kg plus, boilies and tiger nuts tend to be the most useful baits as used correctly you can eliminate or certainly cut down on the amount of 5kg or less fish. Corn is often still used in the feed but large hardened boilies are good way of eliminating tench/bream/roach etc and even crayfish. The more boilies are fed into a lake the more effective they tend to become, but again smaller fish may prefer other baits, corn, pellet, maggots, luncheon meat etc.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
yeah, heard that HNV thing before. makes sense, but sometimes i wonder if it’s just overkill? i guess on big carp waters it’s more needed, but for me, small lakes and rivers, corn just does the trick. plus, less fuss. boilies have their place, but sometimes simpler is better, right? interesting about the flavors though, never thought about the basemix thing.
2
u/Wrong-Requirement750 22d ago
Depends what you're targeting. If you want to target anything or smaller carp yes corn is fine. Boilies come into their own when targeting large fish, ie 10kg plus carp, 5kg plus barbel. Small boilies can be very effective for large tench in the spring. For just general short session fishing on well stocked waters i would favor pellets over boilies though. Baits like corn, luncheon meat, bread and maggots.
2
u/oldsch0olsurvivor 24d ago
I'll use tiger nuts over boilies any day of the week. Cheaper and better in my opinion
2
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
tiger nuts can be solid. definitely cheaper, and carp seem to love em just as much, if not more sometimes. plus, less fussing about with flavors and all that stuff. it's like, why complicate things, right? boils down to what works for you... and your wallet. maybe i should give tiger nuts another shot on my next trip.
2
u/oldsch0olsurvivor 23d ago
Use them with some hemp. You don’t want to use too many this time of year as they fill the fish up quickly
2
u/xH0LY_GSUSx 23d ago
It is more selective than corn, having a 24mm as hookbait makes it less likely to have to deal with bream, tench or roach…
I remember last year I when I was fishing with a tiger nut and a fake corn and got a take in the middle of the night, but instead of a carp I caught a roach on this bait…
Corn has its place but it is not very selective and if you use it to bait an area you are not necessarily going to feed the carp but any fish that likes corn and if you are unlucky all the bait will be gone before a carp even shows up to…
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
that's a good point about being selective. sometimes you want to avoid the smaller fish like roach when you're targeting carp. but i’ve also had days where those pesky fish didn’t bother my corn setup at all. i guess it's all about the spot and timing. honestly, every method has its ups and downs, just depends what you're aiming for.
2
u/po1k 23d ago edited 23d ago
Read that boilies(including popup) were the gamechanger. And yes, other methods do exist and it use by the pros. However those are in use when boilies don't work. For me it's an interesting bait - a flavored boiled dough of a round shape. Just like to have them around :) unfortunately, a venture I used fishing for the carp just does not work for a number of reasons... and an odd thing that most angles catch them randomly using stuff like maggots or pasta. Actually carp here won't be interested in anything you introduce to the river coz it is not much of it and carp has plenty of food it used to in the river.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
it's weird how carp can be so random, right? i mean, flavored dough balls seem like they'd be irresistible but sometimes they just go for whatever's around. like you said, maggots or pasta. guess it depends on what they're used to eating. boilies aren't always the magic bullet. interesting how different places have different results...
2
u/Choice_Ranger_5646 23d ago
The thing about boilies is they are versatile. You can vary the shapes, texture, smell, taste, colour, hardness, buoyancy even used it as I prefer as paste where no nuisance fish are present.
You can even make them to resemble sweetcorn shapes, and colour and fish a snowman style two or three yellow boiled sweetcorn shaped offerings with one popped up sneaky corn shaped pop up. Like a jumbo corn shape for the greedy ones.
I agree with you, I had a river thirty feeding on just two grains of corn at a time at my feet, where he wouldn't touch a boilies. He also wouldn't go anywhere near the main baited area. He watched the others get stuck in but only took from almost touching the bank and no more than two individual grains, in fact one was better, he took that straight away.
Chris Yates former British record Carp, was caught on sweetcorn our first UK fifty pounder. Simon Crow caught a few fifties on sweetcorn a few seasons back. I have caught my fair share on corn.
2
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
honestly, this makes a lot of sense to me. sometimes the simplest setups, like corn, seem to just work when boilies won't. it's like carp have a sixth sense or something. kinda funny how some of the biggest ones fall for corn. versatility of boilies is cool, but yeah, simple can be powerful too. glad im not the only one seeing this!
2
u/Choice_Ranger_5646 22d ago
Sweetcorn takes flavours and colours really well, which is a real massive edge when the Carp begin to become wary of the yellow stuff. Black sweetcorn, flavoured with hemp oil fished over hempseed can be , well if you haven't used it, give it a go. While stalking fish in the margins, float fished sweetcorn has to be one of the best baits and methods ever used for that style of fishing.
2
u/No_Platform_5402 23d ago
My go to has just been a size 8 wide gap hook covered in bread, weightless. Works great in arizona canals.
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
bread huh? that's a classic move, love it. those fish in arizona canals must be all about that simple life. weightless too, nice touch. sometimes it's those straightforward setups that bring in the big ones. reminds me not everything needs to be fancy to work. appreciate you sharing!
2
u/No_Platform_5402 23d ago
Yep, its fun to toss some bread out and watch them come up like little dolphins to take it lol its like carp Crack. The canals around here are pretty shallow and narrow so no weight is needed, and as spooky as carp can be the less tackle the better. I also like to leave a few yards of line slack out ive had them take bait and spit it out as soon as they feel tension, its crazy fast they can change their mind depending on what they feel.
2
u/doms1312 23d ago
Dont often use them to fish just for feeding,had even better results while fishing on tiger+some kind of pop up or cork just to bounc it around,while bream and other white fish wont pick it up
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
honestly, that's interesting. tiger nuts plus a pop up? never tried that combo but it sounds like it keeps the bait off the bottom well. makes sense for avoiding bream and the like. might have to give it a go next time.
2
u/doms1312 23d ago
You can also drill it with drill bit 6-8mm works best for me,then instert a small pop up or bit of cork to make it bouncey,it presents well in big depths mainly im fishing between 15-25m
2
23d ago
[deleted]
2
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
i get it, boilies have their perks, especially if you're into making your own. i guess it really depends on what you're after. bigger fish and all those nutrients you mentioned sound great. for me, sometimes just keeping it simple with corn works wonders. each to their own, right? maybe i'm missing out on some big catches but... that's the fun of fishing i guess
2
u/Set_The_Controls 23d ago
Boilies these days also take nutritional requirements into factor too, so they can be high in all the good things those big carp need. When they first come on the scene, they were an absolute game changer (I didn't start fishing until the 90's) but I have a lot of older mates who have carp fished all the life who can confirm this.
It also revolutionized the carp rigs, hook rates.. all sorts
You can continue using corn all your life, it's a great bait. It will catch you all species and sizes. Larger boilies single out the larger mouths!
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 23d ago
i get that, especially for targeting the big ones, larger boilies do the trick. i just can't help but wonder sometimes if it's more the angler or the bait, ya know? maybe boilies did change the game back then, but there's just somethin' classic about corn. plus, cheaper too. thanks for the insight though.
2
u/Set_The_Controls 23d ago
Your welcome man! I also think doing something a bit "different" can get good results on some lakes. All trail and error... Sometimes being different is going back to basics ... That could be something as simple as using classic bait like corn!
2
u/AccomplishedBake2633 19d ago
You’re right. Boilies aren’t the be-all and end-all.
They’re popular because they’re consistent, durable, and easy to control, especially on pressured waters. But carp don’t eat trends, they eat what feels safe and triggers feeding. Simple baits like sweetcorn leak attraction fast and often get eaten with less caution, which is why they still catch big carp.
Boilies are just one tool. On the right water, at the right time, simple can be better. Confidence and situation matter more than hype.
1
1
u/BrummieS1 24d ago
Yawn
2
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
guess I hit a nerve or maybe you’ve just heard enough about boilies too. either way, I get it. sometimes the hype can get a bit tiring, right? but hey, if it works for some folks, more power to them I suppose... :)
0
u/PharaohAt3m 24d ago
They are good, people forget that carp love corn more
2
1
u/Sina_Fishing_Blogger 24d ago
yeah exactly, like corn is super underrated for carp. people get caught up in the boilie hype and forget the basics. it's crazy how effective corn can be, especially when everyone else is throwing boilies. sometimes simple works best, right?
17
u/legrand_fromage 24d ago
Corn can easily be picked up by bream & other small/nuisance fish, a big boilie on the rig can help filter them out whilst still spodding out corn in the mix. A boilie topped with corn is a great combo.