The Secret Success of Balachan Shrimp Paste
Balachan has become quite a buzz-word among carp anglers over the last year or so with many anglers attributing its use with some notable captures. So, what is it, and what’s so special about it? And perhaps more importantly, where can you get it? Julian Grattidge lifts the lid on the belachan phenomenon;Balachan Shrimp Paste is only now coming into the mainstream as a carp fishing bait, although countless high profile anglers have been using it to great effect over the last few years on a hush-hush basis; fishing it as either as a paste hook bait, or moulding it around a lead or boilie. I think I’m right in saying that Balachan is actually a place in Malaysia, well known for its manufacture of this extremely potent bait, although it’s difficult to be sure because depending on who you are talking to, the word is spelt many different ways, even by those specialising in South East Asian food! The most common spellings are; Balachan, blachang, or balachong. It’s also got several different names in its Indonesian and Filipino guises, but we’d be here all day if I started listing those!
Looks like fudge; smells like a dead cat!
In essence, all you really need to know is that it absolutely stinks! To make the paste, they collect shrimps, sardines and various other little saltwater sea creatures and basically leave them out to ferment in salt water under a baking sun (it’s even buried underground in some countries to seal in the aroma). They then mash the whole lot up and make it into the most pungent paste you can imagine! The paste is predominately used in very small amounts to give a fishy ‘kick’ to South East Asian food dishes, but over the last eighteen months or so it has become a major talking point within carp fishing circles. The paste is really easy to use; it comes in small blocks and all you need to do is break a bit off (it’s like a very think paste) and work it until its soft enough to mould. You can use it as a paste bait, but I’ve had particular success moulding it around my lead or moulding it around a boilie hookbait. The stuff absolutely stinks, it’s ten times worse than the strongest squid & octopus flavour you could imagine… and that’s saying something! It’s no wonder the carp love it so much, it’s got such a deep and musty aroma that must scream ‘eat me’ to carp!
A nice Blackwood linear taken on a Balachan moulded boilie
I notice some tackle shops have now got in on the act and have started selling it, but you can just as easily pick it up from your local Asian food shop, but to be honest I’ve seen it just as cheap online via ebay.The only tip I can give you is to keep it out of the house. I really can’t stress how much this stuff smells, which goes some way to explaining it’s effectiveness as a carp bait. I have used it on numerous occasions and have had some great results moulding it around leads and hookbaits. Tight Lines…Julian GrattidgeFebruary 2006
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