Hey guys am going carp fishing on Monday here in Austin at Emma Long park adn was sondering what you alls favorite bait recipes are, i use oatmeal with vanilla extract plus some big red and corn starch to make it durable.

That sounds like an ok recipe. I know a certain someone who uses oatmeal with great success on the lakes in Austin.

here is mine thats works for me........i normally use white bread(sunbeam)no crust..lake water is best for the liquid but i have used tap water and had no problem or dr.pepper,and even sweetcorn juice from the can.
1st take a couple say 5 pieces of white bread"no crust"...add just a little water to soften it and squeeze it untill it's doughy...then start adding the cottenseed one handfull at a time until you feel the right texture..."you'll know"when it feels good then add your jello "strawberry"your hands will be a little red from it but i think that makes for a good red release when it's in the water...and make sure you have a cheap bottle of vanilla extract...it's like .99 at the dollar store...the adams stuff is too expensive plus i feel it's tooooo strong.roll up a small 1/2"dia ball dip it in the vanilla,throw it out a wait ,
any more questions please feel free to ask

For many years the only bait other than corn that I used was Wheaties soaked in big red. Get a half handful and pour some big red onto it then knead it into a ball. I used small treble hooks back then, #6 or #8 and would mold the ball over it. I must have caught hundreds with these treble hooks and never had a single fish killing tragedy atributed to them except when I scaled and fileted them for cut bait.

I have used oatmeal in my method with success on Town Lake