As a plea to the average carp and catfish angler; it is possible to double and treble your catches (and more but you probably would not believe me,) by treating fish as swimming tongues! It seems to go right over most anglers heads that fish can be manipulated (big-time) by what is dissolved into the water that surrounds them from specifically adapted baits... So why not let this be the start of something big for you too!Many anglers like to catch specimen carp and large catfish because of the great sport they provide, but the big ones are often far from easy to catch, but you can easily use specially adapted bait or nutritionally boosted ready made baits as a big lever! Both species have similar essential nutritional needs and physical structures and biology for instance to exploit in regards how they detect potential food sources and your baits!
Catfish and carp have special cells in their skin all over the place in specific concentrations and adaptations that truly maximise their ability to find specific nutrients they need to survive; even down to 3 just 3 parts per million in the case of certain chemical molecules; so you might say fish are tongues that swim!
A human smelling a bait in air is more than a little different to a fish detecting the bait in solution in water and for this reason many anglers simply choose the baits and substances they use from their personal perspective; not really appreciating how a bait and its substances impact upon fish senses directly or indirectly to various degrees between different baits and their components! Fish use cells literally outside their bodies as well as familiar nose and internal mouth and also throat cells too for instance, to detect potential substances in water.
The systems fish use to detect your bait are so very impressive and sensitive that you would be a fool not to find out how to exploit them to the maximum and make catching your fish so much easier, for life!Carp find many potential food substances including your baits by using cells adapted for the purpose which are extremely sensitive to essential substances especially, like various combinations of amino acids.
The cells that detect very many substances are located externally in the facial skin, areas of the head and flanks, the lips, fins, in the nose, the barbels, in the mouth, throat and other lesser known significant areas too! The so-called receptor cells are very sensitive and so can detect oils in water not supposedly water soluble, however, even these are to a small degree and using lecithins with oils obviously improves their detectability and attraction!
The smelling and tasting of chemical substances (and their changes) in water are well known in the various internal and external detection systems known as olfaction and chemoreception, and these are very complex, extremely highly evolved and sensitive to the presence of many natural substances and their copies etc and involves the utilisation and input of the lateral line too. This line extends from the tail to the mouth and composes of special pits and cells gathering vital information from the aquatic environment.
The lateral line is very significant in bait detection (and it can be specially exploited,) and its nerves and structure have been essential for carp and other species survival for millions of years!Over all the various systems and their different functions combined act like a biological radar system and enable the fish to be as aware as possible of its surroundings. Fish can detect the surrounding water oxygen concentration or dissolved carbonic acid concentration in various times of year and seasons.
A lowered carbonic acid concentration in water on the end of a strong oxygenating warming south-westerly wind in the UK for instance, can often lead to fish preferring the water conditions where the bank faces this wind.Carp and catfish have barbels; the highly sensitive projections around the mouth that in one role, help them find food and these have some of the highest densities of cells adapted for receiving chemical feedback from the water in solution. Your bait substances imbibe water or dissolve in water to form solutions.
These substances have a highest concentration nearest their source and this gets weaker as you travel away from it.Carp in part will locate your baits by tracking the strengthening concentrations of substances leaching from your baits as they get nearer their source in the water. Because fishing bait location and identification is related so much to fish olfaction and olfaction, covering the many essential and non-essential fish stimulatory substances and others in your baits really does exploit them and can make catching fish far easier!
Many nutritionally balanced baits are great for getting fish into the habit of eating your baits on a regular basis too; and this can truly work in your favour and allow you to catch more fish despite perhaps many lacks in knowledge, skills or experience that an angler may have and these can be great equalisers and another reason I recommend homemade baits...This kind of bait exploitation of vital fish senses approach can even give your own adapted or homemade baits greater advantages over other anglers competing baits. So as you can appreciate, it will certainly pay you to find out more!