When you say dog food, we think about feeding our cute dogs only. But did you know that fishing with dog food is possible?
Yes, you heard it right! This bait works effectively in some fishes namely carps, catfish, and trout. They are widely available and are simply hooked on the fishing line.
In this article, we’ll further discuss how to utilize dog food as fish baits.
Fishing with Dog Food
Dog foods are processed foods formulated especially for dogs and other canines.
Either dry or wet food contains meat byproducts, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and many more benefits that keep the dog healthy.
Technically, these foods are not advisable for fishes, however, some anglers found this occasionally effective to be used as baits.
There are only certain fishes that somehow love to eat them namely catfish, carp, and other species of panfish.
If you opt to try this, it is best only for emergencies or situations where you ran out of other fish foods.
How To Bait Trout With Dog Food?
Before we share about dog food, remember that trout are good with vision. They can see fishing lines flowing beneath the water.
Specifically, heavy foods are less alluring which makes it difficult to catch them. As much as possible, fishing for trout should be natural and invisible like letting a bait float over the water.
To succeed, have a habit of weighing your fishing line and bait. At least six-pound bait or less is recommended.
Now let’s try using dry dog food as bait. You already know that this food is like cereals for dogs that have a muddy texture when wet. In using this, the first thing to consider is its capacity to float.
Although most dog foods tend to float when soaked in water. Still, try some samples to throw into the water and purchase a trusted product.
Of course, if there’s a plan A, then there should be a plan B. Aside from dog food, prepare another bait that is usually used for trout fishing such as Power bait, worms, fish eggs, artificial or live baits.
Furthermore, monitor the weather and time before fishing. Here’s a tip! To capture a lot of trout, be in position 2 hours from dawn until sunrise and 3 hours before sunset till dusk.
In preparing for the fishing line, start by attaching the egg sinker weighing 1/4 to 1/2 ounce. Followed by a size 10 or 12 stoppers also known as barrel swivel.
Next is to tie a small-sized hook where the dog food is found. Gently pierced each piece all over the hook. Replace and repeat the process if the dog food breaks.
After the preparation goes to your fishing place. Throw the fishing line into the water. Let it sink for a minute then slowly reel the fishing rod. Leave it on a rock or stable surface.
All you need to do now is to wait for some trout to be lured. It will take more or less than 30 minutes before trout comes out.
However, if there’s no progress, reel in and check your bait. Refill the hook with dog food then, move to a different spot, and cast again your fishing line.
How To Use Dog Food To Lure Catfish?
Catfish are not picky eaters. They will eat almost any bait that you could offer. Plus, catfish are easy to catch once you get to know the right season of activity, weather, location, and time.
They are commonly active in summer and are hardest to lure because they swim individually and not in packs. While in winter, they hide under wintering holes in streams.
Channel catfish are also called Swimming Tongues because their entire body is covered with taste receptors which helps them to sense food right away.
Talking about food, they can be fed with natural baits (live or dead) and artificial baits. Apart from that, they are also fond of eating uniquely weird baits like cow’s blood, French fries, soap, bacon, candies, hotdogs, mallows, and incredibly dog foods.
Canned dog food like Alpo Prime cuts is used by anglers to attract channel catfish. Select those with chunky and bite-size meats inside. Although a non-chunky dog food can be an alternative, it just requires more effort to prepare.
Once you have the dog food, pierce a small piece of that chunky meat into your fishing hook. Cast it in your fishing spot and wait until the catfish is lured.
An extra tip, you can puncture the can with the sauce and sink it before casting your fishing rod for a more aromatic smell which attracts more catfish.
How To Use Dog Food To Bait Carps?
Carp fish are oily freshwater fish that comes with different species. They can be found almost around the world like Europe, Asia, Africa, United States, and most popular in Indian waters.
It is a great delicacy when properly prepared and cooked. Their meaty and tasty flavor has a similarity with a Tilapia fish.
The only downside is this type of fish has thick scales with a lot of bones. Therefore, many people decline to cook and eat this.
Despite that, some anglers catch this for recreational activities. They catch, unhook, and release again back to the water. Catching this enhances your fishing skills because carps are hard to take.
So, you should discover what they eat and how to bait them. Note that small carp are easily preyed on by any bait, yet the big ones are more selective.
When it comes to using dog food as bait, this is effectively proven on a Grass carp. This is a type of carp that feeds on vegetation such as cherry tomatoes and beans.
In preparing dry dog food, simply stab several pieces to the hook. You can also wrap it in a cheesecloth mixed with water and starch which helps create a dough texture.
For wet food, grab a chunk of meat and then hook it into the fish line. Throw the fishing line at the bottom of the water and this will entice the carp.
Conclusion
In fishing with dog food, whether it’s dry or wet, make sure to be responsible and only do this for a temporary event. There may be a lot of experimental lures and methods applied by anglers, select the ones that your fish will like best!