Skip to main content

Make Your Own Dough Balls

Custom bait balls you can make at home

Make Your Own Dough Balls

Flavored dough balls boiled, packaged, labeled and stored in the freezer will keep virtually forever in the freezer.

Doughballs are time-honored baits for sunfish, catfish and even some saltwater panfish.

Traditional doughballs are simply soft white bread rolled into marble-sized balls, then saturated with something smelly, like bacon grease or sardine juice. You can even use store-bought bread dough, though I don't recommend using a commercial package of cookie dough if your kids are on the fishing trip! (That test packet didn't survive the drive to the ramp.)

making bread balls
Marble-size balls are perfect for bullhead and channel catfish. Next step is a one-minute boil to firm up the baits.

The problem with homemade doughballs is how to keep them from disintegrating the minute they hit the water. I used to not worry about this. Any ball that turned into a cloud of bread was simply instant chum. Sometimes there were so many minnows around my bait that it looked like a flashing disco ball under my keel. Once in a while a larger fish arrived for the party and got hooked.

But like mudballs, getting your bait to hold together long enough to survive your cast might make the difference between having mackerel or a Big Mac for supper.

bread ball mixture
Raw egg thickens the batter for better hold.

Here's one secret: Roll your dough into little balls, then boil them for one minute. The Brits have been doing this for years. They call them boili balls.

You can have fun with the recipes, too. There are as many recipes as there are fishermen. I usually start off with equal parts flour, cornmeal and rolled oats, and enough raw eggs to make a thick paste.

bread balls with blueberries
Don't be afraid to experiment and see what works for you.

Then I add whatever happens to be in my kitchen at the moment. I've tried glitter, vanilla, raw garlic, garlic salt, garlic powder, minced parsley, dog and cat food, peanut butter, cheese, bread, rabbit pellets (yeah, from both ends of the rabbit), leftover pepperoni, minced carrots, chopped chicken livers, stale popcorn, fish innards, an old Christmas cheeseball, and cherry Jello. I also add something smelly to the boiling water, like leftover chicken fat.

what to add to bread balls
The writer adds blueberries to this batch to add color and scent.

For your own first try, experiment with different recipes. Divide your dough into five or six sections, and doctor up each sample with different ingredients. Toss in whatever you have on hand. Be sure to write down the ingredients. Make pea-sized balls for freshwater panfish, marble-sized balls for bullheads and channel catfish, and egg yolk-sized balls or bigger for deepwater monsters.

make dough balls for fishing
To keep your boilis unsticky, toss in a tablespoon of flour, sand or oatmeal.

Boil one batch at a time. Don't wait til the balls float to the surface, like dumplings. One minute is enough. Lift ‘em out with a slotted spoon, cool and store in zip-shut baggies. To keep your boilis unsticky, toss in a tablespoon of flour, sand or oatmeal.

Boiled and bagged doughballs store for a week in the fridge, and forever in the freezer. Just be sure to label each baggie so some midnight snacker doesn't eat your whole experiment.

Head for the water and test out your doughballs. I guarantee at least one of your samples will nab a fish. FS

First published Florida Sportsman April 2015

Recommended





GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

How to Buy and Rig a River Fishing Kayak

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Power or Paddle? Bonafide PWR129

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

It's a Skiff, It's a Kayak: Bonafide SKF117

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Hobie Mirage Lynx to the Next Level

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Hobie Mirage iTrek 9 Ultralight Packed with Features

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Extend Your Range in the Salt Marsh

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Florida's Capital Fishing

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 120 FULLY RIGGED Fishing Machine

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Mounting Forward-Facing Sonar on A Kayak: Mounts, Scanning Applications and More!

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

On The Water with Old Town: Bass Fishing at PRIVATE GEORGIA LAKE

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

DECKED-OUT Old Town Sportsman BigWater ePDL+ 132 Complete WALK-THROUGH

Kayak Fishing Fun Senior Editor Thomas Allen is joined by Old Town's Brand Evangelist Ryan Lilly to work some magic in b...
Videos

Dreambuild: Old Town ePDL Gets Rigged to the Hilt

Florida Sportsman Magazine Covers Print and Tablet Versions

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Digital Now Included!

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Give a Gift   |   Subscriber Services

Preview This Month's Issue

Buy Digital Single Issues

Magazine App Logo

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Buy Single Digital Issue on the Florida Sportsman App

Other Magazines

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

See All Special Interest Magazines

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All Florida Sportsman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?
Subscribe Now

Enjoying What You're Reading?

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.

Offer only for new subscribers.

Subscribe Now

Never Miss a Thing.

Get the Newsletter

Get the top Florida Sportsman stories delivered right to your inbox.

By signing up, I acknowledge that my email address is valid, and have read and accept the Terms of Use