Great info guys....here's a copy of a handout I passed around after a packbait presentation at the Chicago Classic a few years ago....
Binders: Bread Crumbs, Instant grits, Wheat Bran, Soybean Meal; Flour, Corn Starch, Ground shredded wheat and wheaties, oat flour.
Others with some binding characteristics: Dried molasses, brown sugar and blood meal. Karo syrup and molasses. Liquidised can of sweetcorn.
Breakers: Grains, ie cracked corn, millet, hemp, bird seed, dry rice, wheat bran....dry grainy items.
Pops: also can use sugar smacks, corn, hominey. Pops can be flavored too. If you flavor them..don't get them too wet and let them dry out..this will toughen them.
One tip, don't add to much liquid. Keep adding a little at a time until it will pack or bind. It is best when it is drier than you might first anticipate.
Main Packbait bases are Trout Chow, Rice, Millet, Oats, Grit, and Soymeal.
Flavors - Use your imagination and the grocery store...pie fillings, jello, koolaide, syrups, baking supplies, snow cone flavors etc....
NEVER REFRIGERATE YOUR BAITS
Millet Bait (makes about 1/2 of gal ziplock bag full).
3 cups millet
1 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup soy meal
1 1/3 cup flour
4 oz of karo syrup
4 oz of liquid flavoring (your choice ie maple syrup, blueberry
syrup, strawberry syrup etc)
NOTE: If you use a "non syrup" (extract,koolaide) flavoring....you will have to add more Karo so that sufficient thick syrup is in the recipe for binding purposes.
Mix dry ingredients together....mix liquid ingredients together and heat (don't boil)....thoroughly mix liquid into dry ingredients. Let set for a couple of hours and do a "break" test.
Break Test.....make egg size ball (moisten hands in water before packing to keep from sticking to your hands)...pack as hard as you can....drop bait into bucket. You don't want it to break too quick...usually no quicker than a minute....but no longer than 3 minutes. If it breaks too quick...add a little flour...remix, let set awhile...test. If breaks too slow or not at all...add some more millet...mix...retest.
Keep bait at room/outside temp...do not refrigerate. Will last a couple of weeks. May need some freshening up....use flavoring or lake water to freshen (moisten) if needed....NOT TOO MUCH.
This stuff packs like a rock and casts a mile, yet breaks down exposing your hookbait (pop) in a couple of minutes
Grit Bait
Take about a pound of "instant grits",
put in 4 packs of kool-aid.
Dampen with water, just a small ammount of water while stirring it up.
When the grits get a 'spongy' feel to them, it is ready. BE SURE NOT YO
GET TOO WET, JUST A SPONGY FEEL.
Put a "sugar pop"....yes the cereal kind, on a number 4 hook, pack the
grits on the pop in a ball about the size of a egg.
The bait will break down leaving the pop on hook laying in center of
bait.
Rice Bait
1 32oz. bottle of ketchup
2 packs of your favorite un-sweetened kool-aid
2 oz Karo or other flavored syrup
Note: (you might even want to throw a couple handfuls of sweet corn
in...no water, just corn)
Pour ketchup, kool-aid and karo (and corn if used) into a pan and
heat...stir constantly until it gets steamy hot, you'll see steam start
to rise (not boiling).....remove from stove.
Immediately add 5 cups of Minute Rice and mix well getting all rice
covered with liquid.
Let sit for at least 12 hours fluffing it up after an hour and then again an hour later. This isn't "necessary" but sure seems to make a nicer textured bait.
When you're ready to fish add 2 cups of instant (not Quick grits) must be INSTANT grits, stir it in good and and you're all set....be sure and
check your break time. Once I have the grits mixed in I usually put the bait into 2 one gallon ziplocks to keep from drying out.
If you need more "stick" add a little grits at time. This bait will feel like "rubber" and might seem dry to touch. For first break test pack as hard as you can. This bait is only good for one day...then the grits dry out...for some reason you can't get them "sticky" again.
NOTE: Always moisten your hands slightly with water prior to packing.
HAVE FUN AND GOOD CARPING TO YA !!!!! Now just go out and play with binders, breakers, flavors and hookbaits
..use your imagination and experiment.