It is without a doubt that sweet corn has its place in the top few carp fishing baits. Is extremely versatile and can be used in every carp fishing session no matter what method you are fishing at every venue.
Carp and plenty of other coarse fish struggle to turn away from the bright colour and sweet taste, so why would you not want to use it as bait?
In previous posts I have covered a list of the best baits for carp with sweetcorn at the top of the list.
Although it was discussed in this post briefly, I believe carp fishing with sweet corn deserves a post on its own to fully cover the benefits of this baits, how to use it in a variety of situations and why it is so good for catching carp and other coarse fish.
The topics I will specifically be covering are;
- Why sweet corn works so well as a carp bait
- Benefits of using sweet corn
- The fishing situations where sweet corn is used
- Types of Corn
Why is Sweet Corn so Good?
To get us started it seems logical to start with why sweet corn is the best bait for carp fishing. One of the main reasons that sweet corn is so good is to do with its colour.
The bright yellow colour allows it to stand out extremely clearly in even the murkiest of waters which can bring the fish in from areas around.
Sweet corn is not only class at visually attracting hungry carp, but the salt and sugar added to tinned varieties are both excellent at attracting carp.
As the salt and sugar dissolves into the water the carp use their highly developed “olfactory” system to follow the dissolved sugar and salt and swim towards the bait.
Sweet corn is also naturally full of amino acids which have been proven through various studies to actually stimulate carp feeding. What more can you want?
You can find some more information on how carp feed in this post.
Benefits of using Sweet Corn
There are many benefits that make sweet corn the superior bait for catching carp. Take a read at them below;
- Easily accessible – can be bought at nearly any store.
- Visually attracts carp – bright yellow colour brings carp in from the area
- High sugar and salt content – carp can’t resist it. Make sure to buy the tins with added sugar and salt as some will have these additives removed.
- Cheap – compared to other carp baits like boilies and pellets.
- Naturally full of amino acids – proven to encourage carp to feed
- Versatile – Can be used with many carp fishing techniques
Carp Fishing Techniques with Sweet Corn
As I’ve said before, sweet corn is extremely versatile and be used in many carp fishing situations. These include;
- Hair Rigged for method feeders or other techniques
- Used in method feeder mix
- Thrown into spods
Hair Rigged Corn
Hair rigs are common place in carp anglers tackle box today after their invention in the 1980s by two well-known carp fishermen.
Hair rigs allow bait to be attached to a rig without sitting directly on the hook. This provides multiple benefits that include natural presentation and higher chance of hooking into a fish as it explores your bait.
Hair rigs can be used with many rigs but they are most commonly used with feeder rigs. These hair rigs paired with a few pieces of corn are excellent at catching carp.
Sweet corn can be attached to hair rig quickly and easily using a bait needle and a quick stop hair rig.
To do so you’ll need to push the plastic stopped over the end of your bait needle and then push the stopper and needle through the sweetcorn like the picture below.
By then pulling off the stopped and pulling the bait needle back out through the sweetcorn it will be fixed on the hair rig. I would advise putting on a few pieces at a time to try to deter some tiny nuisance fish that will be interested in eating the corn.
By rigging a few pieces of corn on a hair rig with a method feeder rig you can present the sweet corn right in the centre of your free bait that was moulded around the feeder.
Sweet Corn in Method Feeder Mix
Another great way to use sweetcorn as bait for carp is to pour some into your feeder mix for added attraction.
This can be an extremely cheap way to bait up a swim without adding too many expensive boilies pellets and other baits that are more expensive than corn.
Also, by adding in the liquid from the tin of corn you can add some extra salt and sugar to your mix which will help to bring in the carp from the surrounding areas.
If you are going to be using large quantities of corn to bait up an area then you could consider buying feed corn in larger quantities.
This works out as a far cheaper alternative, provides larger corn and makes baiting up large areas far easier than consistently opening small cans.
Used for Spod Mix
Sweet corn also goes great in spod mixes. When baiting up areas far away you will struggle to throw or catapult sweet corn far distances as it is relatively light.
It can easily be packed into a spod with other baits such as boillies, pellets, hemp and anything else you feel will work.
As the corn falls out of the spod it will drift down in the water and help to create a slightly wider patch of bait on the lake bed to bring many fish in from the surrounding area.
The added colour in your spod mix will also be a massive help in bringing the carp in.
Specific Fishing Sweet Corn
Although sweet corn from your local shop is great for carp fishing there is a good selection of sweet corn made specifically for carp fishing. So are these just the same? No not really.
If you are willing to fork out a little extra for a tin then these tins could add an extra edge to your carp fishing and help you get a few more fish on the banks.
The corn in these tins are far larger than normal shop bought sweet corn which makes it a lot easier to get them on a hair rig or hook.
The bigger size may also encourage more fish to feed and will also help discourage the smaller nuisance fish in your swim.
These specifically made tins will also have high sugar and salt content for added attraction in the water.
Occasionally these tins will also have added flavourings such as tutti frutti or strawberry which the carp just can’t resist.
Imitation Corn
Another alternative to sweet corn is imitation corn. This is basic just plastic pieces that are shaped the same as corn. This could seem counter-intuitive as I have already spoken about how the amino acid and sugar and salt content helps to bring in the surrounding fish.
When I’m using imitation corn I will usually pair it with another bait such as a boilie or pellet and only use the corn to give the rig a slight edge.
This is completely true but imitation corn has its own benefits;
- Size – Imitation corn comes in various sizes so you can choose a size depending on the fishing you are planning.
- Weight – Various weights are available with different buoyancy to balance your rig perfectly.
- Flavour – Although you won’t get the usual salt, sugar and amino acid content in this corn you can buy it in added flavours.
Colouring and Flavouring Sweet Corn
If you don’t fancy using any of these alternative there is still some things you can add to normal sweet corn to improve your carp fishing.
By adding some simple food colouring you can make your corn various colours. When sweet corn has been used to excess on some venues the carp will stay well away from the yellow pieces to avoid getting caught.
Adding a squirt or two of flavouring to your shop bought sweetcorn can also help to fool the fish into picking up your newly coloured and flavoured piece of corn.
That’s All
Sweet corn really is up there with the best baits for carp fishing and really excels in many areas of carp fishing.
I’m sure you can now see the benefits of taking a sweetcorn to your next fishing session if you are looking to get some fish on the banks no matter the time of year.
If you have anything to add to this post or any questions then feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
