Carp bait storage on the bank - how to keep your fishing bait fresh

Bait storage probably isn’t at the top of your list when you are thinking about your carp fishing, but it is a very important aspect of it and plays a big part in the difference between catching and blanking.

If a carp doesn’t want to eat your bait then everything else is irrelevant in terms of your tackle, as you’re never going to get a pick-up in the first place, so keeping it in as fresh and good condition as you can whilst you’re out on the bank is essential, especially with baits that can quickly go off, and even become rancid and actually repel fish.

It isn’t only fish that might be attracted to your bait, so you want to be able to protect it and prevent other animals such as rats, squirrels, mice and birds from getting out whilst you’re out fishing, especially given the cost of baits such as boilies these days!

You also need some sort of bait storage solution that is practical both for storing it in your swim as well as when transporting it there in your vehicle and on your barrow, and with baits such as particles or liquids, won’t leak everywhere. Ideally, whatever container you use to store it in, will also make your life easier as well when it comes to actually using the bait and putting it out via a spod, catapult, or throwing stick.

Whilst your hook baits generally need less attention in terms of storing and transporting them, keeping them all together and preventing leaks, especially if soaking them in liquids, makes your life easier.

Within the Korda range, we have a variety of different buckets, containers, bags, and coolers that will keep your bait as fresh as possible, as well as making the whole process of transporting it, and actually using it, as hassle-free as possible.

Carp bait buckets

A bucket isn’t going to change your fishing, and they’ve been used for years to store all sorts of bait in, but having the right type is still better than something that leaks or makes it hard to access the contents.

The Korda Compac Buckets are just a bucket, but one that has been designed for fishing and bait storage – whether you’re looking to keep particles, pellets, boilies, spod mixes, or even just your collection of hook baits, in it.

These tough plastic buckets come with sealable lids, which helps prevent any bait from leaking out of them – obviously it is best to try and avoid them falling over onto their side or upside down though! – and makes them a great choice for particles, as the last thing you want is to open the back of your vehicle and find particle juice all over your car and tackle. Conversely, they are also a great choice for baits where you don’t want any moisture being able to get into the bucket, such as for pellets and PVA bag mixes, and especially if you are leaving the bucket outside your bivvy in the rain.

The lids have been designed so that whilst they are sealable, they are also easy to get off when you need to access the contents, even with cold or wet hands.

The square shape makes it much easier to fill a spod directly from the bucket as the flat side can be utilised, and the same goes if you’re using some form of bait scoop to fill a spomb with.

This shape is also much easier to fit onto your Carp Porter barrow, either in the special Barrow Bracket on the front which is specifically designed for transporting buckets, or if you are fitting it onto the main part of the barrow around your other luggage, and this shape is much more efficient at utilising space. Buckets of the same size will neatly stack inside each other – which is handy if you are taking some empty ones to make your spod mixes in, with the separate components in other buckets.

There are three different sizes in the range – 5 litre, 10 litre, and 17 litre - to cover anything from overnight trips with enough bait for that, right through to the largest Compac bucket that will hold enough bait for several larger baiting up sessions – this one can also be used as a seat for guests (depending on their weight of course!) in your swim, or for yourself if you are using it to carry all your stuff in when going off stalking or floater fishing.

The ergonomically designed handle makes it comfortable to carry, as well as lifting on and off your Carp Porter barrow, even when full, and without digging into your hand. Once out on the banks and in your swim the buckets blend in nicely as well thanks to the Light Kamo pattern we use, and aren’t an eye sore from across the lake like a white bucket can be!

The Korda Kontainer System

For people who want to organise their bait buckets as efficiently as possible and who are often using a variety of different baits in their mixes, the Kontainer System, is the perfect solution.

This clever system allows you to store four different types of bait within the same 17 litre bucket, and once you reach your swim, they are all removable (with sealable lids) so you can utilise the bucket itself for making up your bait mix.

There are plenty of occasions where you don’t want all your bait to be pre-mixed before you even get to the lake – and in some cases you don’t want to mix it all. Some bets benefit from being mixed together just before you use them, such as pellets if you are trying to achieve a baiting situation with whole pellets rather than a mush.

The same goes for some particles, and if you add them to dry ingredients and leave them for too long, all of the moisture can end up getting sucked out and could even cause some of it to float, such as corn can do when the moisture is taken out of it.

Worms are another bait that is very popular these days, but it is essential that you only chop them up and add them to your mix just before use, otherwise their amino acid content quickly breaks down and you are basically throwing away money and using something that has lost most of its attraction - there is a good reason why you will see match anglers chopping worms straight into a pole cup and immediately putting it into their swim, rather than having a load of worm pre-chopped. Although with worms the best way to keep them is in the bags that they come in as these allow airflow.

There will also be situations where you want to introduce several different sizes of bait via a catapult, such as with boilies or floaters, and it is essential that you don’t mix them altogether, otherwise you will end up spraying them everywhere with the catapult due to the vastly differing weights of each individual item in the mix – if you are looking for any sort of accuracy with a catapult, all of the bait items in the pouch need to be roughly the same size and weight.

Each of the four containers is made from durable plastic and features an airtight and watertight lid, so not only do they keep your baits separate and stop anything from leaking out during transit, but they also help to keep your bait as fresh as possible. These Kontainers are even freezer friendly, so you can store bait in them at home and take it straight out of the freezer when you’re ready to go fishing, or if you have bait left over at the end of your trip, just pop it straight back into the freezer ready for next time.

Korda Kontainers can be bought separately so you can leave spare bait in the car on a longer trip and just grab a new Kontainer full of it when you need it. Empty ones can be neatly stacked so they don’t take up loads of space.

The Kontainer System makes life so much easier than trying to take multiple different buckets with each bait mix ingredient in them, and especially as the 17 litre capacity is way more than most anglers will put out in a single baiting up session anyway. Spare Kontainers are sold separately.  

PVA Kontainer System for solid PVA bag fishing

For those of you who fish with Solid PVA bags, there is a special PVA Kontainer System which all fits into one of the 10 litre Compac buckets, which comes as part of the kit.

The beauty of this system is that it keeps everything you need together in one place and ready to use, whilst also ensuring that no moisture can get in that could melt or damage your PVA bags, or make the bait that you are intending to put in them damp.

The Korda PVA Kontainer System comes complete with two of our Mini-Kontainers, which have a two litre capacity, and that is plenty enough capacity to make loads of solid bags using some sort of micro pellet mix plus boilie crumb, or similar, whilst ensuring it stays perfectly dry inbetween uses.

A large hard plastic tray fits neatly inside the bucket, on top of the Mini-Kontainers, and is deep enough that there is plenty of space for mixing ingredients for your bag mixes, and filling them over it. A couple of recessed smaller compartments  are another feature, and are great for essentials such as boilie needles, scissors, solid bag leaders, plus a load of solid PVA bags (this kit includes a medium and a small pack of our Solidz bags to get you started).

A bait scoop is included to make it as easy as possible to fill the bags, and you also get a Korda syringe that can be used for injecting liquids, such as Goo, into your solid bags once you’ve tied them.

Coolers and cool bags for keeping bait cold or frozen

It is important to keep bait in as good a condition as possible, and some things such as boilies or live baits can go off quickly and get ruined, especially during warmer weather.

The best way to ensure that your expensive bait stays fresh for as long as possible is to use some sort of cool bag, along with ice packs, and if it is something that can be frozen, such as boilies, then any bait you aren’t intending to use for a few days is best taken straight out of the freezer just before you leave home.

There are lots of different options when it comes to cool bags within the Korda range, and it is best to pick a size that best fits the amount of bait that you typically take with you – and food as well if you are intending to store both in the same bag.

With any type of cool bag, you want it to be as full as possible for as long as possible, as the more air that you have inside, the quicker the contents will defrost – you can even use things such as ice, newspaper, or bubble wrap to bulk out the contents if you need to, or just put in extra icepacks if you have enough to fill the gaps.

Opening the bag lets all the cold air out and replaces that with warm air when you close it again, so try to minimise how often you open it, especially if you want to keep bait very cold for a few days. It is best to keep that in a cool bag that you don’t even open until you actually need to use the bait that is inside.

If you are using live baits such as worms, then be careful not to have them in direct contact with the ice packs as it will kill them.

The Korda Compac Cooler is a great option in situations where you want to keep the contents very cold, or even frozen, for as long as possible, as it has a high insulating rating thanks to its premium closed cell construction, plus the airtight, waterproof zip – it prevents cold air from escaping through the zip.

The Compac Cooler has specifically been designed to keep the contents as cold as possible, for as long as possible, and with a 20 litre or 14 litre (in the Light Kamo version) capacity you can fit plenty inside it, along with our XL Cool Packs which inside special straps to hold them in place.

This cool bag has been designed specifically for fishing, and is made from a tough, durable material, that is wipe clean, and it has a strong padded carrying handle, that makes it easy to load on and off your barrow, or in and out of the car – or even for carrying it round to your mates swim if you are using it to keep drinks cold! 

In situations where you just need to keep things cold for a few days, such as live baits like worms, or ensure they stay fresh, then out range of Compac Cool Bags are a good option, with four different sizes available, for whatever amount of bait you’re planning on taking. There is also a Compac Bait Cool Bag available for smaller amounts of bait, and it can be used for storing loose boilies, or similar as well.

All these bags have insulated walls to help keep the contents cool – especially if you include some of our Cool Packs – and they are made from the same durable, military grade fabric as the rest of the Compac luggage range, with reinforced waterproof bases, and a choice of olive green or Dark Kamo pattern, so they will match the rest of your luggage. Padded handles make them easy to move around, and the larger versions have a padded shoulder strap as well.

Air drying baits for longer sessions

In situations where you need to keep bait for longer than it will stay frozen or cold, even in the best cool bags, and you don’t have access to a freezer at the fishery, your best option is to air dry your baits.

By exposing them to air flow for a prolonged period, whilst they are hanging up in some sort of cloth bag, the moisture in them evaporates, and this slows down the speed at which mould forms. It is also a good option if you want to harden your baits, as once the moisture in them is gone, they are much harder – but also a lot lighter, so if you’re using a throwing stick this will impact on the distance you can achieve.

Before putting the bait out you can rehydrate it with some lake water, plus liquid attractors such as Smart Liquid, and this is a great way of boosting its attraction and leak-off.

The Korda Compac Air Dry Bags have been purposely designed for the job of drying out boilies, either on the bank or before your session.

There are two sizes available – small (3kg) or large (6kg) and they are made from a tough, camo mesh that makes them ideal for hanging up in a tree in your swim, as they won’t easily tear if you do catch them on something, plus they aren’t an eye-sore as they blend in.

The mesh allows for plenty of air flow – it helps to give the bag a shake every now and again to move the baits around inside and ensure they dry evenly – and they feature strong webbing handles to make them easy to hang up, even when full of boilies. A zip across the top allows for easy access, as well as providing a wide enough opening to make it easy to pour boilies into them straight out of the bag without spilling them everywhere.

Hook bait storage

Keeping all your hook baits, such as pop-ups and wafters, plus liquids, together in one place makes them a lot easier to find when you want to use them, rather than rummaging through a rucksack or carryall.

Not only does this make them to find, but you also don’t want anything that is flavoured, or coloured, potentially leaking out onto the rest of your tackle – especially if it is getting crushed, loose in a side pocket of another bag.

The Compac EVA pouches, which are waterproof and will also prevent any leakages from inside, are a great option for all your pots of hook baits, as they come in a variety of different sizes, depending on how many you typically carry with you. A clear lid makes it easy to identify the contents. 

For glugging any hook baits in liquids – whether that be pop-ups, wafters, Fake Foods plastic baits, bits of foam for zigs, tiger nuts, or anything else – a Korda Infuza is a great choice and won’t leak between use.

The Infuza is made from tough impact-resistant plastic, so won’t break easily, and the screw top lid secures well enough that liquids won’t leak out, even if the pots aren’t kept upright. A special lift out tray inside makes it easy to get your hook baits out without having to put your fingers in the liquid.

If you are using the Korda Carp Goo as a glug for your hookbaits, or within solid PVA bags, spod mixes, or similar, then there are two sizes of purpose-designed Compac Goo Bag available, that have been designed to neatly store and transport them.

The Goo Bag uses the same tough, durable material as the rest of the Compac range and features a wipe clean lining – in case anything does spill in it – along with a removeable insert that hold either six or twelve bottles (depending on the size of bag) securely in place.