Our Favorite Chum Recipes
‘Old Chum Crumble’
The primary goal of chumming is to create a feeding reaction from baitfish and the larger species of game that feed on them. ‘Old Chum Crumble’ is the perfect way to chum without the hassle of frozen products or the mess of having to grind, mix or prepare your own recipe. Since it is all about convenience with every Bait Binder product, we include a 24-inch reusable chum bag with each purchase of ‘Old Chum Crumble’. The main ingredient in ‘Old Chum Crumble’ is menhaden fish meal, but there is also some crumble in the bag that really assists with attracting those smaller baitfish. Simply pour the desired amount into a mixing container and slowly add water until the mixture becomes evenly moist like a dough. Form ‘Old Chum Crumble’ into a big ball, place directly into the chum bag, and knot the top of the chum bag. This can be suspended over the side of the gunnel at any depth, pulled behind the boat while trolling, or it will sink like a rock to the bottom. A secret ingredient enables ‘Old Chum Crumble’ to particles at an ideal rate; you can give the chum bag line an occasional shake to emit more particles whenever desired. We recommend using multiple chum bags at once as a great chumming method. Hands down, this is one of the most convenient and economical chumming products on the market. Especially considering you can use what you need and store the rest in any dry compartment in your boat.
Macaroni(?) and The ‘Original’
While my wife and I were hosting a booth at the Louisiana Sportsman show in Gonzales, LA this March (2019), we were interested to hear about a chum recipe involving macaroni noodles. We were even more excited when we learned that the chum mixture called for Bait Binder The ‘Original’ as one of its two ingredients. Yep, you read it correctly, those elbow-shaped noodles loved by 99.9% of children; macaroni. Apparently, fish need their iron and folic acid as well. This recipe is as simple as it gets and downright lethal on a wide range of fish including snapper. Cook a 16 ounces box of macaroni noodles and place them in a zippered freezer bag. Important to put them in the bag and seal while they are moist and warm, so their moisture does not evaporate. For every 16 ounces of cooked macaroni noodles, mix in about 2 cups of Bait Binder The ‘Original’. Stir these two ingredients thoroughly. The moisture in the noodles ‘activates’ the binding agents in the Bait Binder and you end up with a gooey batch of pasta that drives fish wild. Each bag of Bait Binder The ‘Original’ contains over 80% menhaden fish meal, so the protein levels and smell are what fish love. The macaroni noodles probably resemble small worms or pieces of cut fish with a very tasty fish meal coating. We highly recommend trying this as it is not only effective for many species of fish but also very economical. This easy chum recipe is particularly good for pulling mangrove snapper off oil rigs, wrecks, reefs, and rock formations.
Scott Moore Baitfish Chum
Scott Moore is an avid, and successful fisherman in the Tampa area. We borrowed a favorite chum recipe of his for catching bait from the Cannons Marina website.
He uses this mixture to attract pilchards, but we are certain it would be successful for all types of baitfish. Scott takes two cans of Jack Mackerel, at least one cup of Purina™ fish food starter, and a drop or two of anise oil. Mix these ingredients together with some water from the side of the boat until it has a paste-like consistency. He recommends throwing this mixture upstream so that it drifts back towards the person in the boat waiting with a cast net.
Cat Food and Bread
During my research to bring you some cool chumming information, I came across a super recipe in an article by Holle Abee. Ms. Abee is a contributing author to a fantastic site that provides information on outdoor activities ranging from archery to water sports, and everything in between. We highly recommend you check out her article, Article Link, and then go to their main page; there is good stuff on everything outdoors.
In Ms. Abee’s article she shares a chum cocktail that has a little something for a wide variety of fish, both small and large. Using a large bucket, add ten loaves of crumbled bread. Pour a generous portion (up to a gallon) of menhaden oil over the top and then add ten small cans of cat food. Make sure to use the cheaper varieties of cat food; they tend to be much smellier. Go through your refrigerator and add any leftovers you may have, especially those containing noodles, corn, or rice. Then add some fish parts. You can catch your own or buy some. Either way, choose a species that is oily like menhaden, pilchards, or mullet. Be sure to cut them up into a variety of sizes. This recipe is very effective and is a testament to ‘the more the merry’ aspect of chumming ingredients. There is a little something here for a wide range of species and size of fish.