Due to its sweet scent and bright colour, you would do well to find a more consistently effective bait than sweetcorn. Corn is an excellent choice all year round, and is probably one of the cheapest and most readily available options you could go for. On top of that, you can be sure that this natural option will not be harmful to the carp's digestion. As it can be used on the hook, on a hair rig, flavoured, coloured, and even mushed up to be used as ground bait, the versatility of corn really is something which sets it apart. Though due to this versatility, it is important to be aware of the different potential routes you can take with corn to get the best out of it.
Hook bait
Attaching sweetcorn to your hook is a relatively simple method, and just requires you to take the individual piece of corn by the flattened side and then pierce the round body of the grain with your hook until it has gone fully through. Be gentle enough not to tear it unnecessarily. Twist your hook as you work the hook point out of the grain. You might also consider using a hair rig to enable you to use a number of sweetcorn grains for your bait. The increase in number will likely be more eye catching in the water. In addition, if you want a very slow sinking bait, then try squeezing the kernel out of the corn and just attaching the skin to your hook.
Ground bait
If you have a liquidiser, then all you need to do to create a corn ground bait is pour it into the liquidiser and give it a blast until the grains have been turned into a mush. This can then be added to a method mix ground bait to increase its dampness. Alternatively, you can just use a pole cup to cast it into the water and make a scented cloud which should attract plenty of carp. You can introduce a few pellets into the cloud to give the carp something more to focus on once they have been drawn in.
Colours and Flavours
Sweetcorn is already very appealing to carp due to its colour and aroma once in the water. However, in sites where plain sweetcorn has been overused, the carp may be wary of it. In this case, you might need to trick them into becoming interested once more by experimenting with different colours and flavours. It is simply a matter of pouring the juice out of the tin, then tipping the grains into a plastic bag and adding in drops of your chosen flavouring or food dye, blowing some air into the bag, twisting the top and giving it a shake. Then, you must get rid of the air inside the bag, seal it and freeze it overnight. When it has thawed after taking it out on the next day, you will have yourself a bright and appealing newly coloured and flavoured sweetcorn bait.
maize preparation
has a slightly lower sugar content than sweetcorn but also should be considered as an attractive bait option which you can buy in bulk, thus saving a lot of money in the long run. Having said that, you must prepare maize correctly, otherwise it will be rock solid and therefore damaging for the carp. Firstly, you should soak the maize for 24 hours in cold water, then boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. At this stage, add in your own colouring or flavourings as you wish, and then leave to soak in for a couple of hours in a sealed container. You should know when the maize is correctly prepared as it should be just soft enough to begin to split when pinched.