I don't believe in ready-mades. I am convinced I will out-fish any ready-made with my own boilies, especially after a few days of baiting up. There's often just too much crap in them. Recipes, I keep simple though. Right now I am fishing a simple sweet boilie of mainly maize, bread, wheat and chicken-grow meal. Vanilla flavor straight from the supermarket and lots of sugar added as well as some salt.Just keep it fresh and healthy. I don't use any coloring, as I don't see the point of it. The carp will find you boilie anyway.

I prepare my boilies differently from most people. I prepare the dough, then make 1 kg bricks, which I boil for one and a half hour, after which I cut it into cubes. Let's the flavor leak out wonderfully and holds on the hook more than long enough. Especially as there is no bream in Mexico. If you let the boilies dry for a few days in the Mexican sun, they will turn hard enough to also resist small carp and catfish. I might make a few large hand rolled boilies for hook bait if I think there are too many catfish present. They can stand the cats all night, whereas the cubes would work for about 4-6 hours or so. Still long enough for me though, as I do like to check my baits every few hours in case of slow activity. I don't bait up with a throwing stick, but instead use my boat for precise baiting. So I don't really need round boilies. Cubes work great for me and it safes me just so much time preparing them. I don't use any machines or mixers, and still can prepare 30 kg boilies per day. Without an expensive boilie machine, you just won't be able to do that with round boilies.

Well, that's really pretty much it. Finding the right place for me is the number one challenge in virgin waters. Anything after that can pretty much be resolved. I know a lot of especially European anglers like to go all scientific on their fishing, and in some waters, that just may pay off. I just like to keep it simple. I know I have confidence in my way of fishing, which helps me a lot. Ok, some of the technical goodies may help as well, but also without electronics or hand-built rods one can catch carp. Much has to do with confidence and that weird feeling that sometimes you just feel connected with the fish somehow.

Sure, you can't use a throwing stick with square bolies, but if you use a Bait boat or PVA, there is no need for round boilies.

Give it a try, also on rivers or heavily fished water (if that already exists in the US).

Good Luck!

Mario K