Sour Maize Recipes

Anybody have any great maize mixtures for chumming that they would want to share? Going to have a large beach to ourselves (lake Whitney) for a week and was looking to draw the kitties in.

Water , maze and time.

Well that is easy enough. Thanks

Would be good to add beer if you have any that went bad or something. Just be sure to let the air out every couple of days.

Bad beer seems illegal, but I will probably pour some in if need be. Thank you for the heads up

half a five gallon bucket of milo or wheat half a beerish and half a cup of sugar. Fill it with water until it covers the grain by a few inches check it every couple days to make sure there is enough water in there and leave the lid cracked to let the CO2 escape. When it stops bubbling and stinks to high heaven it is ready.

I always see people mentioning beer in their chum recipes. Most of the beer we all drink is highly pasteurized, with no trace of live yeast culture. Unless you are using some expensive, micro-brewed, live-yeast beer; pouring a 12 ounce can in your bucket isn't going to do anything but waste beer.

If you are trying to make chum in a short amount of time, add a cup of sugar and a package of baker's yeast. This should get the mixture fermenting within a few short hours. However, if you are making your chum a month or more ahead of your trip; do like Standalone said "water, maze and time."

Yeast is a fungus. As such it needs sugar, water and oxygen to reproduce. Any grain you use has very little sugar content. What it does have is a complex carbohydrates, starch and fiber. Naturally occurring bacteria will produce enzymes - namely amylase - which will break down the starch into sugars that the yeast can act on. One of the best sources of these naturally occurring bacteria is moldy bread. You can also purchase amylase from brewing supply stores and from Amazon. It's pretty cheap and you don't need very much.

Also, I see a lot of guys talk about burping the bucket, or leaving it open all together. At first you do want to leave the bucket open. The exposure to atmospheric air allows for bacteria and yeast to colonize the mixture and for these organisms to reproduce rapidly with oxygen. However, after vigorous fermentation subsides - usually with 48 hours - you want to close your bucket up tight. In a short period of time the yeast will use up all the remaining oxygen in the bucket and begin anoxic fermentation. During anoxic or ammonia fermentation, yeast and bacteria produce chemical byproducts such as Butyric acid. Butyric acid is an amino acid that is associated with the smell of human vomit and stinky cheese. Cheese is loaded with Butyric acid. Catfish are extremely sensitive to amino acids, including Butyric acid. This is exactly why cheese-based baits work so well.

I realize that I probably just went way too deep into the manufacture of chum. You'll have to excuse me. I'm a chemist by trade, studied marine science and oceanography at Texas A&M and one of my hobbies is catfish chemo-sensitivity research.

Anyhow, grain, water and time are all you really need. Nature will do the rest. If you want to speed it up add some sugar, amylase and bakers yeast.

Great explanation, thank you for sharing.
What about sitting your mixture in sunshine, especially this time of the year?

The more direct sun, the more heat which gets it going faster

I have not made chum since I now live in a townhome. my wife used to complain about the buckets in the backyard. I wonder what her reaction will be to buckets in the garage?

It easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

I have 3 Home Depot orange 5 gallon buckets with gasketed lids. I buy the cheap wild bird seed $6 and it fills a bucket 2/3 full. I cover with water, puree with an old blender a bag of the small frozen shad with equal amount of salt and add to the mix and let it sit with the lids on tight. I have one bucket that is a little over a year old and the other two are about 4 months old. You don't won't to let this stuff get on you. It don't wash off. Probably works just as well without the pureed shad but I think the fish oil might give it a little kick.

I use quart Gatorade bottles, fill 2/3 with maize, top off w/water leave the lid loose for about 3 days, tighten lid, set in full sun for a few more days till ripe. The contents will be under pressure, so when you get to the lake hold the bottle under water when opening to keep the funk off of you. Sling the contents around your area, rinse bottle, reuse. Easy transport for me when fishing from the bank or smaller boat.

http://www.txcatfishguide.com/chumming-catfish/

Everyone seems to worry about it getting on you and stinking!! I have been chumming for forty years. Just dip your hand in the bucket, sling out a few handfuls, rinse hand in the lake!! It makes bologna sandwiches taste better!!! Lol

Wow. I already hate bologna, I doubt chum is going to make it any better. You Sir, are a true Catman.



That's a damn good idea. I'm going to have to try some smaller containers than my 5 gallon buckets. Thanks

we have put raw cracked eggs in ours, not sure if that helped, spoiled eggs stink!

Add 1/2 block or full block of Velvetta-Cheese. To the 5 gallon bucket.
Stir bout once aweek.

I mix chicken scratch with some whole corn in mine. Just water and a little time.

If ya gonna do it do it get ya a 30 gal black trash can (plastic) 150 lbs hen scratch 3 pack yeast cover with water put in sun check every day add water till covered again

Note to self. Take plenty of my own snacks when on my next trip with Tom,,.
And no damn bananas!!!

This year I have used milo & wheat mixed the two together realy puts on the stink.