Carp fishermen have been trying new baits for as long as I can remember. Vanilla is a natural bait that isn’t manmade, but the question is, do carp like vanilla?
Answer: Yes, carp do like vanilla. It has a very strong smell that has been known to make carp come into your swim and investigate where the smell is coming from.
Contents
The Best Way To Use Vanilla For Carp Fishing
Bread Paste
This is a fantastic bait and one that I feel is overlooked in carp fishing today.
There is a great video here about how to make bread paste so I won’t bore you with the full recipe. Essentially you take stale bread, add water and mould it into a paste. Our tip would be to add vanilla extract into the mix to give yourself a nice soft, doughy, smelly paste that’s sure to attract carp.
Added To Sweet Corn
This is one that I have personally tried for carp fishing. I empty a full tin of sweet corn into a bait box and add water to it. I then add some vanilla extract or vanilla essence into it and give it a soak in that and leave it to rest while I set up my tackle for the day. It’s a great choice of hook bait.
Mixed Into Micro Pellets
I like to buy standard micro pellets and for most of my carp fishing, I don’t add additives. However, if I was to add it into my micro pellets then just a few drops of vanilla extract would do the trick as it really is a powerful essence.
Vanilla Products To Try
Vanilla Extract
For me, it’s all about vanilla extract over fresh vanilla. It keeps for years in the cupboard and you only need a few drops each time. It would also keep well in your carp fishing box without any issues.
Vanilla Beans
This wouldn’t be my preferred choice as the beans are expensive, don’t keep as well and are just generally more hard work. I find the vanilla extract an easier to use way of adding vanilla into my bait.
Shop Bought Vanilla Carp Fishing Baits
If you can’t be bothered to put make your own, or haven’t got the time then don’t worry, there are plenty of options out there for you to buy. Let’s take a look at some of the options.
Vanilla Powder
Vanilla powder is exactly what it says. Its not quite groundbait, but its something that can be added to your groundbait if you want to mix up your own.
Vanilla and Almond Boilies
These are not just vanilla, but vanilla and almond! Why not give these a try on your next carp fishing trip.
How Do Carp Attractants Work?
The way carp find their bait is by either using their eyes or via scent. A fish’s scent and sense of vibrations in the water are far better than their eyesight and that’s why strong smells like vanilla can produce fantastic results.
Remember that carp generally feed on the bottom and spend most of their time going through the bottom of the lake to dig out worms and other baits. If they can pick out something smelly like vanilla then that is going to stand out over other baits.
What Other Flavours Do Carp Like?
We have written many other articles on interesting flavours such as garlic, peanut butter and tomatoes
Final Thoughts
Vanilla extract is something you should definitely give a go. It’s cheap to buy and if you don’t end up using it again then chances are your wife will use it for a future baking project.
It’s not just carp that like vanilla, other species of fish love the taste and flavour of vanilla.
Please let me know in the comments below how you have got on using vanilla for your carp fishing.
Mike has over 30 years of fishing experience in carp fishing and general coarse fishing. He is always looking for the latest fishing kit to try out and talk about and needs a bigger shed due to all the fishing tackle he owns. You can read more about him here.