Flavourings a catch or a must

[benny samways]

Is it not reasonable to assume lipids are picked up by taste buds, as these taste buds are not solely located in the mouth, as you know these are also located on the barbules, pelvic and pectoral fins and down its lateral line.
As these oils are lifting from a bait, particularly if the oil molecules are carrying other substances, is it not also reasonable to assume these are probably picked up as a carp swims past a baited area?

I would say, no.

This is my very basic understanding of it; Chemoreception is the carp's mechanism for detecting food. For a carp to detect anything it has to be soluble. Some substances will attract their receptors, some may repel and others will be neutral. Oils are not soluble and are therefore not detectable by carp in water. Any soluble products with the oil would be tiny and if we are talking chilli or something then that isnt oil its something carried by the oil.

Carp do not 'taste' like we do, they have no preference for things, they either detect something or they dont. Taste is an abstract concept that describes how humans experience food. So just because a carp has taste buds do not expect them to function as humans do. Carp eat ****, stones, stinking silt, bloodworms etc etc.

 

[laguna]

Calorie = energy. You would probably need to do a break down, define a calorie in terms of an energy provider and how fish utilises them in their diet. In humans fats are high-energy providers and we can burn or store them in our bodies. Starches are complex carbohydrates which are converted by enzymes into sugars - another energy source. The excess is turned into fat and stored for when its needed. Energy requirements change throughout the seasons, but if we relate all this to carp (the most studied and understood species), we know their metabolism slows in winter and will struggle to digest and assimilate lipids directly in cold conditions but will feed on carbs, which suggests they get their energy requirements through birdfoods and such.

Adding sugars directly in a powdered state would be least attractive imo, some coatings may provide a visual attraction if coloured, but from a chemical standpoint; a solvent liquid is better. Tench and Bream are more likely to be attracted to sugar sweet foods in my experience.

Generally I would say lipids in summer and carbs in winter.

 

[wanderer]

This oil thing is a real puzzler for me, at one stage, halibut pellets in salmon oil were the boss bait for Barbel, no soak, no fish where i used to go.

 

[laguna]

All this reminds me of a discussion I once had; If cows only eat grass why do they get fat?

 

[wanderer]

Yeah, good point, anybody know the answer.

 

[nocturnus anglius]

I thought they were largely fed on corn to fatten them up prior to slaughter, I think, I could be wrong

 

[wanderer]

You might be right, i have seen the farmer filling food containers with it but , they do always seem to be chewing grass, anyway to busy dodging cowpats to inspect closely.

 

[laguna]

Sucrose from grass!
The main function of a grass plant is to utilize sunshine to make food (carbohydrates). When its eaten by cows it turns into sugars, but because cows don't expend much energy, most of the sugars are then converted and stored as fat.

This is how the Atkins diet works. Basically you loose weight by eating fat rich foods and fewer carbohydrates like bread, rice etc.

 

[nocturnus anglius]

I've not long learned about this as my missus is on a low carb, high fat diet, the theory is, it forces the body to burn fat reserves.

 

[wanderer]

Some experts reckon that diet was dangerous.

 

[laguna]

This oil thing is a real puzzler for me, at one stage, halibut pellets in salmon oil were the boss bait for Barbel, no soak, no fish where i used to go.

Barbel have a different metabolism to other fish so are able to digest fats better in colder conditions. I think its right to say that fresh oils and fats in general have no discernible smell (to us) and its through oxidative/hydrolytic/microbial pathways that they break down to produce an odour.

I've always gone by the premise that fresh is not always best.
I suspect it could mainly be due to bacteria feeding on rancid oils (microbial rancidity) that makes oily foods attractive to barbel.