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Keeping dough balls on the hook

37K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  BottomBouncer  
#1 ·
Tried using dough balls this week for the first time. I cooked yellow cornmeal and flour with vanilla. I can form it on the hook but later when I pull my line out of the water the ball is gone. Any tips on making dough balls that will stay on a hook longer? Thanks
 
#2 ·
No expert to catfishing by any means but rhey make small nets for stinkbaits that should work well. Its a small mesh screen about an inch long and wide. Place whatever inside and tie it shut with some line or thread. Then punch it through the hook. They usually will never come off.

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#3 ·
I use a treb hook with no weight and pitch my line somewhat softly. It should slowly dissolve and become softer so it puts out a scent. Ide change your ball every half hour or so. When first made keep a consistency somewhere between play-bough and cream cheese, you should be fine
 
#6 ·
I've never fished with anything "sour" before. I've chummed with field corn that has "gone off" but I have more confidence in freshly boiled field corn or at least corn that doesn't smell like mash.

I always had my best luck when fishing Wheaties when it was flavored with anise. Get a handful of Wheaties, dip it in the water and start crunch them together to form a dough ball. Flatten it out and put a little anise in and work it around.

I'd skip the treble hook and just get a long shank bait holder in size 4 or 6. There's a good chance that you'll absolutely wreck a Carps mouth with a treble, but that's your call. Their mouths are much different than a "game fish."

Good luck!
 
#7 ·
I used to make dough bait like that before but I never cooked the cornmeal. I always made mine with cornmeal out of the container, flour, and corn syrup. I would mix it up in a tupper wear container and let it sit in the fridge over night. The key is getting the flour right, too much and it crumbles, too little and its too soft.
 
#8 ·
Hair rigs aren't that hard to tie up and work a lot better than baiting the hook (unless you're using corn). If you're using corn meal, try microwaving your dough balls. They will harden and slightly float. Then you can put a large sinker, 1 oz. or greater, on it to hold the bait near the bottom, and pack whatever dough ball around the sinker as an attractant.
 
#9 · (Edited)
This is a great bait that catches wherever I've fished it in the past & is super sticky also.

I mix Corn flakes with Bran flakes in the blender till it's like powder then add course ground salt & water as needed.

I know a treble hook seems to be the logical choice for dough baits but a larger gap hook will do much better and you'll have less hook pulls than on trebles. Gamakatsu #2 or #1 Octopus hooks were my go to hook before the hair rig changed my life
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#13 ·
All the methods/ingredients above are very good and doughballs are all I used for years...plain bisquick and water....it's all I could afford as a young kid..it was free out of mom's cupboard.

My preferred now is just plain Swan's Down cake flour...just add water or egg...it makes a very rubbery dough that last a long time in the water. It's VERY white and takes coloring and flavoring real well too. The rig I like to use is the hair rig...and put a cork, bead, or even a large splitshot on the hair to mold the dough around.
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