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In reply to Post #52
Very interesting discussion around carp holes is it the clay or minerals within the clay that draws them to that specific spot? I have thought about baiting with a spot with sheep minerals before either in block form or powdered but have never actually got around to it.
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In reply to Post #59
For my small pond (5500l) with 5 carp (plus a tench and a grassy) I feed 4-5 times a week now. This will go up to once a day around April and then 2-3 times a day by mid summer. A feed is as much as they eat in 5-10 minutes then any left gets netted out.
I use the same basic feed all year until the water temperature drops below about 10c then switch to a winter feed until the spring. I believe they would eat more through the winter if I feed them but the biological filter would not cope so well and the water quality would suffer.
They seem to like this pattern 
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In reply to Post #58
Question for the pond lads, or carp in general. How often do carp actually need to feed, in general ? 2-3 times per 24hrs till full ? Little and often ca 5-6 times per 24hrs ? What´s the borderline temp, when winter mode kicks in ?
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In reply to Post #56
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In reply to Post #56
coating baits in it would probably give you better effect if any, just guessing
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In reply to Post #54
I am not surprised it didn't work. I think to 'turn them on' to clay you would need a big bed of it. A few % in a boilie mix will just give you a dense bait! I will cross that one off my list of ideas 
It's different in a Koi pond which is a much more controlled environment with very little natural food. Also as I said before I add it for water quality as much as any direct affect it may have on the fish.
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In reply to Post #53
Its in some of the Koi foods
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In reply to Post #50
I tried it about 10 years ago after going down the same thought process....
Results....not a lot. In fact, a waste of time.
Both in a base mix, and as a soak.
I wouldn't bother.
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In reply to Post #51
They must ingest it somehow? Otherwise there is no benefit from it.
Wether that is internally by eating it,
or externally by flanking their sides / heads in it / rolling in it is probably up for debate/venue dependant. Everywhere is so different !
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In reply to Post #51
I don't think anyone can say 100% they eat clay deliberately but the lake I fish they go mad in the clay spots and when it was drained all that was found in the clay spots was errr clay 
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In reply to Post #49
Do carp actually eat clay though? I've seen lots of carp rubbing on clay spots but not seen them trying to eat it.
I'm not keen on large amounts of salt in baits/particles, and putting salt rocks on a spot has been counterproductive for me.
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In reply to Post #49
I use montmorillonite clay in my pond, once a week through the summer and down to once a month by mid-winter  However the clay in my pond is added for the improvement it brings to the water quality not directly for the fish (who are all pigs anyway).
It's not water soluble so the carp will have little chance of detecting it unless they eat it (or in my pond drink it). But they must 'like' it in the clay lake I fish as they deliberately grub around/eat it every week. I suspect the clay in the lake contains a mineral or trace element the fish are really after and not just the clay itself which is just the carrier.
You can get the stuff for about £10/kg so who is going to try it
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In reply to Post #46
I have often thought of adding koi clay / montmorillonite clay to my baits a few times after keeping small koi years ago.
Another hunch/bait idea, backed up by scientific koi research and nature, they do like clay.
Maybe excessive boiling could do some damage to the mineral/s within our baits, so best keep boiling times on the low side ?
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I agree some decent yeasts or Things like kelp must help at all time’s of the year especially winter. Tumeric I think has a big edge in winter also for anti-oxidants and stress.
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In reply to Post #46
ive had a fixation with salt ever since I caught one of the biggest residents in the lake I fish. I used a solid bag with 1/3 rock salt and the rest just pellet.
was out 30mins before the rod bent round.
that fish wasn't caught again until the following year when I had it again on the same method at the same time of year. could just be coincidence but I get a feeling it wasn't.
I don't know nutritionally why carp crave salt but I imagine its only like a human needing it.
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Bait