Boilies are a very popular bait for carp and catfish fishing. Because the way they are prepared determines whether they sink or float, they are versatile enough to work well in a variety of different fishing strategies. Boilies that float are commonly referred to as “pop-ups.” Depending on how you set up your fishing rig, pop-ups can be used as surface lures or set up to float a set distance above the bottom.
Can you use Boilies in float fishing? Boilies come in both sinking and floating formulas and are available in a wide range of sizes to help you target specific species and sizes of fish while avoiding hooking nuisance fish. Boilies can be infused with a variety of scents and other attractants to enhance their appeal to specific target species. When the situation calls for it, Boilies can be used in float fishing.
There are a lot of great things that Boilies offer anglers who are after catfish and carp. They can be used whole or ground up to chum. They can even be mixed with cheaper chum fillers like feed corn. Since the way Boilies are prepared determines whether they sink or float, you can choose a product that will work for pretty much any fishing strategy that gets results in a particular fishing spot.
What Are Boilies and How Can You Fish with Them?
Boilies are a dough bait that has been infused with specials scents and other attractants to make them more effective lures for specific target species. They are most commonly formulated to attract catfish and carp. They can be purchased in a variety of sizes to allow anglers to select a bait that will be too large to fit into the mouths of fish like bluegill, perch, and trout.
One the dough for a batch of Boilies is ready, it is rolled into balls of the appropriate size, and then it is either boiled, baked, or microwaved. Boilies that are boiled will sink. Boilies that are baked or microwaved will float. They not only make great bait for fishing carp and catfish but can be used alone or in combination with other attractants as chum.
In addition to their effectiveness and versatility, there are a number of other considerations that make Boilies a great bait for anglers who target cats and carp. One such benefit is that they don’t go bad or spoil and don’t require refrigeration. And – you can keep them in your vehicle without having to worry about them stinking it up.
Boilies are so popular and so versatile that a number of accessories have become available to help anglers make the most of them. You can purchase a Boilie catapult or Boilie launching stick to help you scatter them over wide distances as chum. You can also purchase special cutters and grinders to make processing them for scattered chum or bait bags easier.
Sinking Boilies
Since both catfish and carp are bottom-feeders, sinking Boilies can be very effective baits. Sometimes sinking Boilies are the best bait to fish for a given spot, but they’re always the formula that you’ll want for chumming. If you want to maximize the results you get from your chum, there are a number of different techniques that you can try to turn-up store-bought products.
One way to enhance the performance of sinking boilies that you’re going to use as chum is to increase the amount of scent and attractant that they put off. You can do this by drying the Boilies and then rehydrating them with a liquid attractant that is formulated for the species that you are targeting. First, spread the Boilies out and allow them to dry in the sun until they begin to show surface cracks. Then, place them in a bag or other sealable container and cover them with a liquid lure.
When you want to chum a wide area of water around your fishing spot, you can use a number of different tools to launch the Boilies for distances greater than what you could throw them by hand. You could use a standard slingshot to launch one ball at a time, or you could purchase a Boilies catapult that will launch several at a time.
Another way to launch Boilies for chumming purposes is to use a Boilies stick. These tools can be a bit tricky, and it will take some practice to get good at using one. Once you get the hang of it, the Boilies stick will allow you to launch chum at great distances and with excellent accuracy. You can also grind or cut up Boilies to scatter close to your bait to draw your prey in.
Pop-up Boilies
Since pop-up Boilies float, they give you additional options to come up with a set-up that will get results in all of your favorite fishing holes. By adjusting the amount of weight that you use for sinkers and the length of line that you include between sinkers and the hook, you can set the depth of your bait for anything between a few inches above the bottom all the way to the water’s surface.
If you’ve ever fished for bottom feeders in bodies of water with silty bottoms, thick vegetation, or other features that can make baits stick or make them difficult for fish to find, then you know exactly how big a difference an inch or two can make. Setting up floating Boilies to hover just above the bottom of a river’s bed can get great results.
Of course, there are also occasions that call for a baited hook on the surface. If you’ve ever seen a school of carp in a feeding frenzy at the surface, you know what a combination of good chumming and a surface bait could do for you. You can even use a river’s current to float your bait into the perfect position.
If you’re used to fishing with a bobber, you can use different sized bobbers and vary the amount of split-shot that you put on your leader to set a depth for your bait and hook. With so many options, Boilies make it possible to fish every bit of water between surface and bottom in moving currents and still waters. By selecting the right size of bait, you can guarantee that anything you hook-up is at least big enough to fit the bait in its mouth. It’s easy to understand why Boilies have become so popular with anglers who go after big cats and carp.
Conclusion
If you haven’t tried fishing with Boilies yet and you enjoy hooking into the fight that you get from the biggest carp and catfish, then what are you waiting for? The versatility that they offer anglers makes them perfect for almost any fishing situation, and they’ll allow you to try a variety of tactics to figure out what works best for all of your favorite fishing holes.
The added bonus of pop-up Boilies means that float fishing is definitely do-able with this bait. If that is the strategy that you have in mind for one of your favorite spots, you can use a combination of sinking Boilies and chum and pop-up Boilies as bait to bring lots of trophy fish swarming to your bait. Get some for yourself and get ready to reel them in. But if you’re hoping for a nice, quiet, relaxing day on the river—well, these might not be the best bait for you.