Most of us keen anglers spend the majority of the week grafting away in our day jobs. The monotony is briefly broken by a recurring daydream, one in which we imagine spotting the shadows of a huge carp from the lake bank. This followed by line screaming from the spools of our baitrunners as a lake monster is fooled by our carefully positioned bait trap. It is often the thoughts of the angling weekend pursuit that gets us through the day and we spend much time meticulously planning out what lakes we visit, what spots we may catch from, what set ups we will use and, more often than not, what bait we will use. Bait preparation plays a huge part in every carp anglers armoury, but how much do we really understand about the bait we use and what makes it attractive to the fish we seek to catch? Look beyond the fancy branding and catchy sales messages and slogans and ask yourself why you have chosen the bait you have. If the answer is simply “because it smells nice” or “my friend says it works” then does that really justify spending 48 or 72 hours on the bank pinning all your hope and faith in a bait just because it smells like strawberries! Understanding the principles of carp baits and what they are made from adds a logical theory to their application and boosts your confidence as you can apply a sensible reasoning for using the bait you do. The Nutrient Premix - What is it? A nutrient premix is a nutritional additive added to a base mix  in order to provide a boost of attraction. They often contain a carefully balanced group of vitamins or amino acids that aid fish health and growth. What Should I look For In A Nutrient Premix? Nutrient premixes work well in all conditions, but we have found they produce excellent results on high pressured waters when the target fish are more selective over their feed choice. Certain air pressures and times of year can dictate that fish must seek out baits with nutritional value. Fish have brains just like all creatures and are wiser than we think when deciding what foods to eat. It is often debated that carp consider their dietary requirements when feeding. Results from many anglers lean towards the conclusion that fish, especially carp, prefer a bait that assists and benefits them from a nutritional perspective.  A lot of successful carp baits such as pellets and boilies often contain a carefully balanced mix of amino acids and/or vitamins for this very reason and nutrient premixes should be no different. What Nutrient Premixes Are Available? Believe it or not, there are not many Nutrient Premixes on the market. Many base mixes contain nutritional ingredients, but this does not offer the angler the control over what nutrients to add and in what quantity. In the angling world, it is often the smallest decisions that offer the greatest reward therefore control over the addition of nutrients to base mixes can offer fantastic results. At Target Baits, we have worked hard to produce three carefully balanced nutrient premixes. The results of years of research and hours have helped us develop our latest range below;

• VitaB - 9 - is a carefully made balance of nine B Group Vitamins which help support immune function, wound healing, tissue repair and overall health.
•  Amino – S4 contains a blend of four amino acids presented in the correct proportions to aid growth and development.
• Active Boost – AVT24 is a carefully made balance of four amino acids, 14 vitamins and six trace elements on a calcium base to help support immune function, wound healing, tissue repair and overall health while aiding growth and development.

Our bank side research produced very positive results. We were not surprised to see an indication that larger carp were developing a preference to the base mixes with nutrient premixes added.  We were amazed to see that over the course of time larger carp were seemingly forcing smaller carp out of the swim in order to feed over the nutritional baits.