Fish Bait Recipes to Make at Home

Curing Salmon Eggs

If you are fishing for large game fish, cured salmon eggs are the perfect bait. Largemouth bass, pickerel, muskellunge, salmon, lake trout and other large fish species love them. Here's how to cure salmon eggs to use as bait. When you remove the eggs from the salmon you are cleaning, keep the egg sacs, also known as skeins intact. Cover a large, flat, moveable surface with 1/4 inch of borax. Cut the egg sacs (skeins) across the membrane in sections of 3 to 4 inches. Lay the egg sac (skein) sections 1 inch apart on top of the borax. Sprinkle more borax over the top to create a light coating. Be sure all egg sacs are covered. Move the large moveable surface that the eggs are on into a sheltered area that has good air circulation all around. The eggs must not be in direct sunlight and must not get wet, so be sure they are protected from precipitation. Allow the sacs to dry for two to three days, being sure to turn them every 12 hours. Pick the egg sacs out of the borax and shake any excess off them. Place them in plastic bags or storage containers. The egg sacs are ready to use when they are completely dry and feel leathery, but flexible. If eggs are properly cured, they can be saved in the plastic bags or containers to be used on your next fishing trip.

Cheese Bait

Cheese bait can be used to catch bream, catfish, chub, and carp. In fact carp especially love cheese bait. So if you're looking to catch any of these species or a huge carp that's been lurking around your fishing hole, here's how to make your own cheese bait. Use 10 ounces (284 grams) of pie pastry and roll it flat on a cutting board or counter top. Smear the pastry with mature cheddar flavor. Add 6 ounces (170 grams) of grated mature cheddar cheese and 4 ounces (115 grams of crumbled Danish blue cheese. Make sure it's crumbled to fine grains. Fold the pastry over the cheese so it is completely covered and roll again. Continue this process until the pie pastry and the cheese are mixed thoroughly and the cheese is absorbed by the pastry. Form the paste into a large ball and knead by hand. Add ten drops of the mature cheddar flavoring to a freezer bag and place the cheese paste ball into the bag. Place in the freezer. When it is thawed, this bait has a very appealing consistency and texture, and a very powerful cheesy smell. Roll the thawed paste into cheese balls and place into a container for your next fishing trip. When you place a cheese ball onto your hook, set the hook's point into the center, cast and wait patiently for the fish to bite. Optionally you may add a few drops of red food coloring to the paste if you wish, but it isn't necessary.