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Cornmeal Carp BaitBoil 1 pint of water in saucepanMix 2 cups of cornmeal and 1 cup of flour together in a bowlAdd 1/2 package of gelatin to boiling water (any flavor)Put burner on low and add 2 tablespoons (tbsp.) sugar and I tbsp. of vanilla flavor. With a large spoon cover the surface of the water with the cornmeal and flour mixture. A bubble of water will come through. Cover the bubble with cornmeal. Another bubble will come through (cover again). over the bubbles until the cornmeal/flour mix is gone. Stir dough mixture for about 30 seconds. Remove pan from the stove and dump dough onto foil. Knead the dough as soon as it is cool enough, then roll into a ball. Wrap dough in foil, and refrigerate. (Keeps about a week)Doughball DelightBlend together 1 cup of water, 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla, 1 tbsp. honey, and 4 tbsp. sugar in a medium-sized pot, over medium heat. When mixture starts to boil, slowly sprinkle in 1 cup of yellow cornmeal. Stir mixture quickly and thoroughly for about 3 min. until it becomes a firm doughy consistency. Remove from heat and put dough on a dinner plate. Press the dough flat and let it cool for 1 or 2 min. then turn it over and let the other side cool. Work the dough in your hand for a minute, then place it in a plastic bag and seal it.Carp's DeliteBoil 3 cups of waterMix 2 cups of cornmeal and 1 cup of flourSprinkle in 1/2 package of strawberry Jell-O mix and add 1 tbsp. of sugarMix thoroughly and cook until thick. Allow mixture to cool and form into a ball. Can be wrapped in wax paper.More Doughball1 part cornmeal1/2 part flour1/2 part brown sugar (Domino Brownulated)Mix well dry, add water gradually until the mixture is soft like mush. Place in cheesecloth, piece of old undershirt, or old handkerchief. Gather and tie with string or wire twist. Place in a pot of boiling water (enough to cover ball of mixture) and slow boil for 20 min. After cooking, take out of cloth, and when cool enough to handle, cut apart and knead until like soft putty (adding small amounts of water by wetting hands as needed). In very hot weather, add a very small amount of baking powder to dry mix to preserve the bait longer.Bouncing Doughball2 cups flour2 cups cornmeal (Quaker)2 cups waterPut into an old pot and stir into a paste. Cook, flatten, and stir until mixture becomes thick. Add I tbsp. vanilla, 4 tbsp. Karo dark syrup. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Cook, flatten, and stir until thick again. For desired consistency, make a little ball out of the mixture, drop it and if it doesn't bounce an inch or two, continue cooking until it does.Carp Dough1 cup cornmeal1/3 cup flour1/2 cup molassesOptional - add whisps of absorbent cotton - if too moist add more cornmeal. Mold until consistency of putty. Put in refrigerator before using at least 1 hour. Remold before using and place in aluminum wrap until ready to use.Doughballs1 cup of white cornmeal1/2 cup flour1 small box of any flavor Jell-O1 cup of water2 tbsp. of sugarMix flour, cornmeal, and sugar together. Boil a pot of water. Add Jell-O and cornmeal to boiling water and stir until all the water is gone. Remove from pot and mix well.Cornmeal Carp Bait2 cups cornmeal1 cup flour2 cups water1 tsp. vanillaMix together and put in cloth bag and cook till it is stiff enough. When cold, mix in some oatmeal.Jell-O DoughballBring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add three tbsp. of strawberry flavored Jell-O, then slowly add, while stirring a mixture of two cups of yellow cornmeal and one cup of flour. Now, turn down the heat and stir while cooking for about five minutes.Let the dough cool thoroughly before refrigerating in a plastic bag.Old Timers DoughballMix 1 cup white flour, 1 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and 1 tsp. of sugar together while dry. Then, add enough cold water to form a stiff dough.Knead until well mixed, then pinch off pieces and form into balls about the size of a grape.While you are doing this, be boiling a quartered onion in a saucepan of water. Remove the onion pieces when done and discard them. Pour the doughballs into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface --- this takes a minute or two.Remove the balls with a spoon or strainer and lay them out to cool and harden.These pellets will keep for days and can be placed in a damp cloth before using to soften them up somewhat.Cornmeal Bait1 cup cornmeal1/2 cup water2 tbsp. powdered sugar1/2 tsp. oil1/2 tsp. extract or flavored oilsBring water and powdered sugar together and add flavoring and oil. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, pour in cornmeal. Cook 10 min., stirring occasionally. Put on plate and refrigerate to cool.And one final cornmeal doughball recipe:2 cups of cornmeal2 cups of water1/2 cup of syrup (corn or Karo)1 tbsp. anise oil4 tbsp. vanilla extractTo summarize: Basically you use 1 cup of cornmeal to 1 to 2 cups of boiled water as a base recipe depending on how soft or firm you want the bait and what brand of cornmeal you use. I mostly use Quaker cornmeal. Then you go from there and add other ingredients, adjusting the dry and wet quantities accordingly as indicated by the preceding recipes. Note: Cornmeal doughball can be stored in the refrigerator before use and in between use and will usually last up to 1 to 3 weeks. Do not freeze cornmeal doughball. If you do, it will become wet and crumbly and be useless as hookbait.When I started fishing carp contests at the southwestern Pennsylvania paylakes (more on these in a future article) more than ten years ago, I discovered a slew of other ingredients for making doughball that I had never considered up to that point. These baits are effective for carp in all waters, not just paylakes. What follows is a listing of various ingredients and a description of how they can be used in various doughball recipes:PolentaPolenta is maize meal (sometimes also called grits) that is coarser than corn meal, but not as coarse as cracked corn. It is usually cooked up the same way cornmeal is. A basic recipe consists of 1 part boiled water with 1/2 part polenta mixed in.Mashed Potato Flakes Usually I'll start out with one cup of hot tap water (use more if you want a bigger batch) and add enough flakes so the potato mixture is just stiff enough to form a pliable ball and slowly add enough quick oats to stiffen up the mixture enough so it will adequately mold around the hook.You can also add potato flakes to cornmeal to make doughball. Just add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of potato flakes per one cup of cornmeal. Boil 2 cups of water (use more or less to make the mixture softer or stiffer) and mix in the cornmeal and flakes. Optionally, you can add the sweetener and/or flavoring of your choice to the water before mixing in the dry ingredients.Another effective recipe is 1/2 part of each potato flakes, cornmeal, and quick oats added to about 2 parts boiled water with the flavoring of your choice, if desired.If you want to go through the trouble, you can also mash up real potatoes to make doughball.Wheat GermWheat germ can be found in some supermarkets, as well as health food stores and co-ops. Here is a basic wheat germ doughball recipe:Use one 12 oz. jar (approximately 3 cups) of toasted wheat germ (make sure to use the toasted type as raw wheat germ cooks up too sticky) to 1 1/4 cups water or milk. Boil water or milk, add flavor of your choice, mix in wheat germ. Cook over low to medium heat for 5 min. or less, stirring often.Another recipe: Boil 1 cup of Molasses or Karo corn syrup along with about 1/2 cup of water. Stir in 12 oz. jar of wheat germ. This bait will pack hard like concrete when balled up, but should slowly begin to break down when placed in water. After cooked, place a piece of doughball in a cool or cold glass of water and watch how long it takes to breaks down. If it takes too long, add some water to the mixture. If it breaks down too quickly, add more wheat germ (or also flour).One final popular wheat germ recipe: Heat up one 12 oz. jar creamy peanut butter, mix in wheat germ. Add water if necessary. Wheat germ doughball is a hardy bait and can be frozen and refrozen many times before going sour. Even when sour, wheat germ doughball can still be used as bait. This stuff ain't cheap, so you don't want to waste it.Bulgur Wheat / Cracked WheatThis grain can be bought in grocery and health food stores and bulk quantities may also be obtained from food warehouses that supply restaurants and cafeterias. Bulgur / cracked wheat doughball has been a popular bait at the PA carp paylakes in recent years. Cracked wheat is just whole wheat cracked into fine pieces obviously, and bulgur wheat is steamed cracked wheat. Either one works for doughball, but cracked wheat is cheaper. Here is a recipe I have caught many carp on:Three cups hot coffee, one 12 oz. jar bulgur wheat, 6 oz. steel cut oats (optional), couple tablespoons of sugar (optional). I usually boil 3 cups of water and add 3 teaspoons of instant coffee (regular or decaffeinated, depending on what your carp prefer) and then cook the steel cut oats in the coffee in a covered pot until softened. Next, mix in the wheat and cook over low to medium heat for 5 to 10 min. stirring constantly. Let cool down in covered pot.Alternately, you can mix all the above ingredients together in a large plastic bowl and microwave for approximately 10 minutes, stirring the mixture at 5 minutes.Of course, you can add your choice of flavoring to the above recipe if you do not want to use coffee.This wheat doughball can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. If it becomes too wet and will not stick together add some flour or microwave it for a few minutes.Another ingredient that cooks up similar to bulgur wheat is couscous. Soybean MealSoybean meal can purchased from farm and feed stores. It is a versatile ingredient that can be used for making both doughball and ground bait. Here's a recipe I don't cook:I don't have a set recipe I follow but roughly I use about 2 to 3 parts soybean meal to 1 part quick oats (acts as a binder, flour or bread crumbs can also be used). The more oats used, the more the mixture will stick together and take longer to break down in the water. I just add the dry ingredients to up to 4 cups hot tap water (with flavoring if desired) and mix well (usually in a 2 gallon or larger bucket). Optionally, sometimes I'll use a 32 oz. carton of buttermilk and add water if necessary. Alternately a can or two of creamed corn can be used. I've also heard of cottage cheese being used with soybean meal. When I use soy meal as doughball, which is actually a flake bait or pack bait, I'll use a little more oats and make the mixture a little wetter and just mold it around the hook. Once in the water the ball should breakdown in about 5-10 min. (in warm water, longer in cold water) into a pile around the hook and the carp will suck up the pile with the hook. Since this is a pack bait, it can help to put a piece of cereal such as strawberry mini wheat, a few kernels of corn, or even another kind of (firmer) doughball on the hook and then pack the soybean bait around it.This mixture can also be used as an effective ground bait. When using soy meal as ground bait in a line feeder for instance, I make the mixture a little drier and do not use as much oats in the mixture, so that it flakes a little quicker in the water. You have to experiment a bit with the mixture to get it the right consistency for your application.The soybean meal swells quickly once you add water or milk and also sours rather quickly, especially in hotter weather or if left in the sun. Whether sour or not the soy seems to work well either way. This bait can be stored in the freezer before use.Another ingredient that can be prepared similar to soybean meal is hogmash (or hog feed), but I have not used it for awhile since it is no longer allowed as bait at paylakes.Other Ingredients and RecipesThe above recipes do not even begin to scratch the surface (as the saying goes) of carp bait possibilities. There are many other kinds of baking ingredients, grains, sweeteners, and flavorings that can be used for making doughball. Anything from rice to various other kinds of wheat and corn grains, some of which have been mentioned in previous NACA articles. Some not. The list is endless. There are probably many more yet undiscovered ingredients that have yet to be considered, whether unusual, common, or unsafe. I have heard that at one of the PA paylakes, carp were routinely caught on wall paper paste. Maybe this is the carp power bait that Berkley has been trying to come up with? Maybe not.The above doughball recipes should give the newcomer to carping or using doughball a place to start experimenting with bait, and for those more experienced that have used other baits, something new to try and expand on.By replacing the water with eggs in many of the above recipes, boilies, which are only "hard doughballs" (and overrated) after all, can be made.Fishing with DoughballOK, so you have made a few batches of doughball to try out and you might be wondering what's the best way to fish doughball. Well pay attention, this is where it gets complicated. Tie on the hook (size 10 to size 1 can be used) of your choice to your main line, mold the doughball around and adequately cover the entire hook, and then cast out. That's it.I prefer to freeline with just doughball on the hook with no other weight whenever the situation permits, such as at paylakes. If there is a strong current where you are fishing or you want to cast out further, then the minimum weight required can be used in the form of a slip sinker (egg or bell style) held in place a foot or so above the hook with a small split shot or an in-line swivel. With a normal fishing rod (6 to 7 ft. in length), when you get a strike or a run you have to quickly swing the rod backwards to set the hook. If you are casted out a good distance (40 or more yards), it may also help to step or run backwards a few steps when you swing to help take the slack out of the line quicker. If you are using one of them long British rods, you can still swing to set the hook, just not as hard as with a normal rod. Of course, there will be times when the carp will run and hook itself, but a swift twitch of the fishing rod is still recommended to securely set the hook.If you prefer, float fishing is also another method where doughball can be effective.There are those who may want to use doughball as hookbait with a hair rig. This can be done by molding the dough ball around the maize or boilie, etc. that is on the hair. Alternatively, the doughball can be molded around an object such as a plastic bead, button, or whatever, secured to the hair. You can't go wrong with keeping it simple though, just mold the bait on the hook and cast out.The main thing is to experiment with the quantities in the above recipes and come up with a doughball that is the right consistency and texture for the conditions, methods, and carp you are fishing for. It is a good idea to keep a small amount of flour or oats with your other tackle in case your doughball is not quite right (too wet, won't stick together) and needs some doctoring up while fishing.Those that are newcomers to carp fishing may have been introduced to it or became interested because of all the elaborate, hi-tech European equipment and may have never used doughball or was aware it existed. If so, you do not know what you are missing. I've given you plenty of recipes to try out. Give doughball a go. It's simple and it works.For the experienced doughball carp anglers and all others, hopefully I've provided you with something different to try.