Dedicated catfish and carp fishermen know that one of the best ways to catch fish is to bait the hook with homemade dough balls. Make a batch of this mixture ahead of time and store it in the freezer. Take it out the night before a fishing trip so it will thaw. When you're ready to fish, knead one dough ball to make it pliable and wrap it around the hook, totally encasing the entire hook up to the fishing line. Catfish will swallow this tasty bait just about every time.
Items you will need
1 cup water
2 tsp. sugar
Pot
Stove
1 1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
2 tbs. peanut butter
Wooden spoon
Double boiler
Plastic wrap
Zip-top plastic storage bags
Place the water and sugar in a heavy pot and heat until it is boiling. Lower the heat and add the flour, cornmeal and peanut butter. Let this mixture cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Scoop the mixture into the top part of a double boiler. Fill the bottom part with water and heat until the water is boiling.
Put the top half on the double boiler and cook the mixture over steam for 1/2 hour. The texture should be like cookie dough at this point. If it is too thin, add a little flour to thicken it.
Remove the top half of the double boiler and set it aside to let the dough cool. When the dough is cool enough to handle, knead it for 5 minutes.
Pull off pieces of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll each piece into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough balls into a zip-top bag and place in the freezer for storage until your next fishing trip.
Tips
- Some fishermen swear by variations such as adding jello powder or nuts to the dough. Experiment until you find your perfect mixture.
References
- Big Oven.com: Catfish Doughballs
- Tom Weslan, Michigan fisherman, Brownstown Township, MI
Tips
- Some fishermen swear by variations such as adding jello powder or nuts to the dough. Experiment until you find your perfect mixture.
Writer Bio
Working in sunny Florida, Anne Baley has been writing professionally since 2009. Her home and lifestyle articles have been seen on Coldwell Banker and Gardening Know How. Baley has published a series of books teaching how to live a frugal life with style and panache.
