Some big carp baits have endured the test of time over many decades. Some have especially proved themselves far more productive long-term for the bigger specimens.
Many anglers desire consistent big carp catches and baits that can possibly level out differences between an angler's abilities, time available and money resources, experience and so on.
There is no doubt among those anglers that use "high" or "balanced" nutritional value baits, that they produce long-term big fish results. Providing the essential dietary requirements of fish can very much determine the initial and repeated behaviour a fish has towards such a bait. Refining the taste of the bait is a very important part in this too. But what is the mystery and incredible cumulative effects of specific nutritional baits can have and how do they really work both short and long-term to achieve the hooking of a fish?
Comparatively few anglers understand why such baits work and often, when asked about them, a vague “something to do with protein, oils, flavours, minerals etc” is offered. It seems to me that many anglers drop the deeper questions about bait, when things get any further than the "name" or label, or flavour a ready made products is marketed as. But anyway, why would an angler even benefit from knowing how and why their ready made baits work; they catch fish after all?
It is common for an angler to see an advert or "advertorial" with their current favourite fishing heroes and buy the ready made bait being recommended and use that. This is fine for very many anglers, but then very many anglers make up the majority who only achieve the kind of results the "average angler" achieves. If you want more certainty about better than average results, you require more control over this vital aspect of your fishing.
There is of course nothing wrong with "borrowing confidence" from recommendations of successful and "high profile" anglers. They must use bait of some sort; so why not think “If it is good enough for them, it is good enough for me.” Many anglers over-look the fact that most of these anglers would also do very well on any quality bait and "crap baits" too... If you team up an exceptionally talented angler with outstanding bait, the results will be as expected, but then they will do it with "humble baits" too. Think Dave lanes catches off the surface at "Horton" or Rod Hutchinson's results at "Redmire" on particles for instance. Many an angler would turn to a tiger nut or peanuts, hemp or maggots, if boilies and pellets were banned on their water.
The days of the cheap "crap value" semolina and soya flour baits with a flavour (and similar) that dominated many waters in the past have been replaced by a completely different generation and quality of baits used today. (Sure there are artificial or fake baits being used today, but these are hook baits only!)
Quality baits are those designed specifically to provide for the needs of a particular species of fish using a balanced and broad spectrum of highly nutritious fresh ingredients which have more favourable digestibility and therefore higher nutritional value. The "bioactivity" and solubility and components of such baits varies extremely widely being designed with various different approaches and angles of stimulation and attraction in mind.
Anyhow, some "club water committees" seem to like banning such baits due to the changes in feeding behaviour of their target species which may be roach as opposed to carp. (These guys need to adapt their tackle and baits!) Sure, you need to check on certain particles like peanuts and so on, but then particle baits are easily available, ready prepared these days.) Why would you ban quality nutritional boilies and pellets anyway; many fish species grow bigger, faster by regularly feeding on them and meeting their essential dietary needs so much more efficiently.
Not only this, pest and disease immunity can be improved, especially over the winter and spring periods and general health and condition is improved, if not fish longevity too. Why would any responsible fishery owner not want such benefits? If over-stressed fish need to they can often "turn-off" boilies and pellet baits and thrive on the more abundant natural foods made available by the far lower dependence of fish upon them. Most lakes have one or a few so-called "natural feeders" that are never, or extremely rarely caught on anglers' baits of any kind.
I'm sure this has much to do with the way their receptors are developed, actively adapted and coded for various substances in their environment. In a related way, it is not dissimilar to an individual who is unable to put on muscle due to the way their genetics, body chemistry and metabolism are set-up even when eating a high protein diet. In contrast, a different individual can seem to put on the pounds, or remain muscular even on a vegetarian low protein diet.
