Zoltan Kovacs

Competition Angler and CEO of SBS

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In this series I will show you step by step how to make the most important of Carp baits the boilie. The tactics and tips from beginner to professional level, spiced with new SBS products launched in 2010. In my first written presentation and in the short video that accompanies it I would like to show anglers who are thinking about making boilies, but are in dilemma over a fear of failure, how to make effective boilies. The impression gained from the first boilie making is crucial in the life of each new boilie Carp angler. Why do I think that help is important? Usually it is a secret kept by many anglers who are unwilling to share. Moreover, an angler will never succeed the first time if he or she starts making boilies alone just as I failed when I tried to make boilies for the first time 8 years ago. I wish I had found a short video presenting boilie making in such detail at that time. I could have saved myself so much trouble and frustration. You may ask: Why do I do it now?

My answer is simple; when I started in this sport I was lucky to get help from others. My instructor was no less than a world champion. If I had not got that help then I would never have reached my present level. That is why I resolved to give help to the committed C&R (catch and release) anglers anytime I can, whether they are beginners or professionals. Before I start I know there is a question in the back of your minds. Why have I chosen SBS products? The reason is that I achieved my angling successes in test and competition thanks exclusively to SBS products. They convinced me so much that I do not use any other products, just the ones sold under the brand name “SBS”. You have probably been disappointed several times by products presented by other test anglers, or test angling teams, who used only a little or none of the products. Those who have read my articles or watched my short videos before know that I am no such angler and for those who do not know me there is a large quantity of useful and easily available information that will prove that I am right. Please watch my short videos, read my articles and let them persuade you about my authenticity and about the extraordinary catchiness of SBS products!
Now let us see what things we need for the basic boilie making:

Things necessary for boilie making:

- Boilie pressing gun
- Boilie roller
- Boiling pot (only necessary for boiled boilies)
- Kitchen mixing bowl
- Knife
- Hammer
- Nail

Let us see which product we will make. We should choose based on the following criteria:

- it should be easy to make.
- the recipe to be followed should not be too complicated.
- the preparation should not require tools and additives which are difficult to obtain.
- it should contain all the ingredients necessary for a catchy boilie.

After I have considered the above criteria I have chosen a new product family, the

Catcher Ready-Made Base Mix. It has two versions:
boiled boilie mix and soluble boilie mix.

The special feature, new in 2010, is that it contains all the ingredients necessary to make a catchy boilie. Unlike the earlier products it is a powdered mixture, and not surprisingly it contains flavours, palatants (appetite enhancers), sweeteners, attractants and fish oil in the proper quantities. It means that the powdered mixture contains everything. I know it sounds incredible how the Natur Attract, a liquid that we are used to, can be added to a powder-based mix as well as the Omega Red Salmon oil. But this is not the only astonishing thing. I will make boilies in two flavours: first the Frankfurter Sausage flavour, which is most effective from late spring to early autumn. Then the Squid & Octopus / Strawberry flavour which is effective throughout the year however, this boilie dissolves more easily in spring and autumn.

There is the boiled version, the Frankfurter Sausage flavour on the left, and the mixed Squid & Octopus / Strawberry flavour soluble mix on the right. An important fact is that the only difference between the two boilies packaging (boiled or soluble) is the word “soluble” on the box.

As the above picture shows you will find SBS products on the shelves in 2010 with a new image and new packaging. Back to the boilie making, first I will show you how to make the boiled Frankfurter Sausage-flavoured boilie:

All the ingredients you need for boilie making are: the boilie mix and water. 

Just water? And where are the ingredients and where are the eggs? You don’t even have to think about eggs to make this mix. The eggs are part of the mix. Just add the proper quantity of water to the content of the package.

The box contains an empty bottle with markings so that you won’t need to worry about measuring the proper quantity of water.

Before you start mixing prepare these necessary things:

The first step is to fix the boilie roller!

The second step is to cut the plastic head of the manual pressing gun to the proper size. You can do it easily if you cut it the way I show in this picture:

1. Place the plastic head that is fixed to the gun into the roller’s tube until it stops (before you do so put the roller’s two halves together).

2. Pull it back by one millimetre and mark this place with a knife.
3. Cut the plastic head at this marking.

After you have finished these minor tasks everything is ready and you can start moulding the boilies.
The next step is the mixing:

The new re-sealable package preserves the flavour and guarantees the product’s freshness for a long time.

After opening pour the contents of the package into the mixing bowl.

You will see how fresh and oily the texture feels.

Then fill the bottle you find in the box with water up to the upper marking, it is exactly 225 ml. Add it to the boilie mix.

Mix the powder with water... !

… then fill the bottle with water again, but this time up to the lower marking, it is 150 ml and add it to the mix.

This double water adding is necessary for an even mix.

Now I have added exactly 375 ml water to the boilie mix.

Due to the exact quantities and the continuously controlled quality you will always get an easy to handle and optimally textured boilie mass.

When the mass no longer sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl, put it into a plastic bag so that the ingredients can “mature”.

Let it mature for exactly 5 minutes then you can easily make sausages from this mass with the help of the manual pressing gun.

This way you can avoid any trouble caused by the mass’s improper consistency. If you stick to what I have said, you will get a perfect mass and, as a result, sausages that are easy to handle.

The next step is to roll out the sausages, i.e. we will make balls with the help of the boilie roller. Place the sausages onto the roller’s lower half.

Place the roller’s upper half on top.

Then move the upper part back and forth 2 or 3 times…

… to roll boilies from the sausages

The rolled boilies now need to be boiled.

Now you see why you need a pot and a cooker to make boiled boilies.

Fill the pot with water and boil.

Place the boilies into the boiling water with a simple domestic colander.

The cooking time is very important for boilie making. Do not cook the boilies for longer than 2 minutes. As the cooking time is determined by the boilie size the 18 mm boilies I have just made must be cooked for 1 minute 30 seconds. The cooking time of the Catcher Ready-Made Base Mix depends on the boilie size as follows (take note that the cooking times I indicate here are not the same as the cooking times of normal boilies mixed with eggs):

- 10 mm: 0 minute 50 seconds
- 12 mm: 1 minute 00 seconds
- 14 mm: 1 minute 10 seconds
- 16 mm: 1 minute 20 seconds
- 18 mm: 1 minute 30 seconds
- 20 mm: 1 minute 40 seconds
- 24 mm: 1 minute 50 seconds

Once all the boilies are cooked let them cool down.

You can do two things with the bait you have made this way:

1. To use them within 2 or 3 days - dry them in a cold and airy place.

2. If they are to be used later, place them in airtight bags after they have cooled down and freeze them. Take the boilies from the freezer the night before you go angling and in the morning, after defrosting, you will get fresh and certainly catchy boilies just like the ones you have had after cooking. You can store the frozen boilies in the freezer for months without any change in the quality.

The other boilie we are making now is the Soluble Catcher Ready-Made Base Mix Squid & Octopus / Strawberry jam flavour boilie.

Of course, I won’t show you step by step the same things I did for the boiled boilies, I will just make you aware of the differences.

The first difference is that you will find a gold coloured liquid in the box next to the boilie mix, a bottle filled with Gold Treasure.

You will find, new in 2010, that the SBS Gold Treasure has Corn in it.

Add the whole bottle of liquid (225 ml) then mix.

Then fill the empty bottle up to the mark (150 ml) with water.

… and add it to the mix.

This way the optimum quantity of liquid i.e. 375 ml has been added to the boilie mix.

Then just mix and from this point the steps are the same as the ones I have shown for the boiled boilies, until you get to the boiling part…

These boilies do not need to be boiled just dried. The drying time depends on the boilie size and on the air temperature; the average drying time is 8 to 10 days.

The soluble boilies must be protected from moisture and humidity. Do not dry them at too high temperature with a fan directly because they will crack. The soluble boilies do not need to be frozen; they will not go bad even though they contain no preservatives only 100% natural ingredients.
If you know that the soluble boilies will be used much later than the time of rolling, seal them hermetically after 10 or 14 days so that they do not dry out too much. After 3 or 4 months without airtight sealing the catchiness of soluble boilies may be reduced minimally - due to the extreme drying.
If you feel that anything is not completely clear to you, if you have any questions or if you think it really cannot be so simple, watch my short video presentation and when you do so I guarantee you will ask yourselves, is it really so simple?

Pictures, video: Péter Takács