How Do Primary Producers Make Their Own Food,

Primary producers like plants make their own food by doing something called photosynthesis. How does photosynthesis work, Leaves of plants absorb light from the sun. Leaves of plants also absorb the air that people breathe out, called carbon dioxide. Leaves of plants also absorb water. They can get water from falling rain or they can get it out of the ground with their roots.

Leaves of plants use light from the sun to turn the air people breathe out and water into glucose and oxygen. Glucose is a type of sugar that plants use for food help them grow. Oxygen is the gas that people breathe in. So not only do plants make their own food, but they make the air that we breathe in!

Of course you can be as creative as you like becuse you are aiming to stimulate carp receptors not human ones. Once you have observed carp consuming duck or goose excrement your idea of what is attractive to carp has got to change. All those adverts pointing out the flavorist lingo of top notes and subtle tones, rich deep profiles etc of a pineapple or strawberry flavour are not particularly helpful and really intended to sell the bait to you.

Some of my best flavours and liquid complexes can easily make you feel physically sick to your stomach; but carp go mad for them, so think about it! Many kinds of solvents are used by glue sniffers. Are you strangely drawn to take a second sniff of anything from amyl acetate, or nail polish remover, or Airfix glue perhaps,

I think most carp anglers would personally favour a bait substance resembling a ripe banana or fresh salmon than something relatively high in ammonia which drive carp mad but stink out everything when the bottle is opened! I laugh when I consider the impact of the Rod Hutchinson called Secret Agent and how spillage of this was a big deal and generally reminded you of its presence even for months afterwards.

Real extracts in solution work very well giving off fine particles off the bait along with dissolved compounds, flavours and so on. Vanilla extract, blue cheese powder, anchovy extract, garlic powder, chilli powder, spirulina powder, ‘Robin Red type products and kelp powder are good examples of what Id term as ‘innate bait flavourings. There are numerous tastes to exploit in flavours and one not mentioned in angling circles is that Japanese originating one called ‘unami. This is a unique taste which will give quite an edge in some competitive fishing situations and is worth exploiting.

As for the usual sweet, savoury, salty, fishy, spicy, meaty and bitter type tastes most of us are familiar with I have noticed an important trend. It seems that if a bait has milk type ingredients or fishy ingredients for example, then the flavour added by the average angler might well reflect the perceived characteristic of those ingredients. A milk powder based bait would usually have a milky, creamy, sweet or fruity flavour.

A fish and shellfish based bait might get flavours like crab, lobster, salmon etc, although fruit flavours are often used and compliment the acid nature of these protein type baits. It does pay to experiment and use flavours that are not normally thought of as used in that type of bait.



Combinations of fishing flavours have always been a good ‘edge whenever the dominantly successful single flavour on a water is losing its effectiveness. For example, adding another flavour to Scopex or Tutti Frutti can produce good results. Care needs to be taken not to over-do flavours most especially in hard pressured waters where carp may by very wary of strongly flavoured baits of particular types.