Pop-Up Mix
A krill pop-up hookbait that floats from cork dust, not the microwave: firm skin, even buoyancy, easy to trim into wafters.
Recipe
Amounts for a 1000 g batch of dry mix
| Ingredient | Dose | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Dry mix | ||
| Semolina | 30 % | 300 g |
| Cork dust | 15 % | 150 g |
| Acid casein | 15 % | 150 g |
| Skimmed milk powder | 13 % | 130 g |
| Krill meal | 10 % | 100 g |
| Wheat gluten | 10 % | 100 g |
| Egg albumen powder | 7 % | 70 g |
| Liquids and eggs | ||
| Whole hen egg | 9 units/kg | 522 g |
| Squid and octopus flavour | 5 ml/kg | 5.2 g |
Scale the batch, swap ingredients and watch the analysis update in the calculator.
About this recipe
This mix is for hookbaits only, rolled in small batches. Cork dust does the floating: 15 % of the dry mix is enough to lift a 15 mm bait off the bottom once it is boiled and dried, while semolina, acid casein and skimmed milk powder give a dense, smooth paste that holds its shape around the cork. Krill meal is there for taste and colour and is one of the few protein meals that does not drag the bait down.
Cork has no binding power of its own, so the binders matter more than in a bottom bait. Wheat gluten at 10 % and egg albumen powder at 7 % lock the cork particles in and give the bait a tough skin that keeps water out. Mix the cork into the dry ingredients first, then add the beaten eggs and the squid and octopus flavour, and knead the paste for longer than usual so it is completely smooth.
Roll the baits a size smaller than you want, because cork baits swell slightly, and boil them for about three minutes. Drop a few into a glass of water after drying: they should rise slowly and float. If they sink, add 2 to 3 % more cork to the next batch; if they shoot up and roll over, use less.
For wafters, roll the same paste around a small piece of the bottom-bait paste, or trim a dried pop-up until it sinks very slowly. Store finished pop-ups dry in an airtight tub or glug them in their own flavour; they stay buoyant for weeks, much longer than microwaved baits.
Questions about this recipe
How many eggs does this recipe need?
About 9 medium eggs per kilo of dry mix. Add them beaten and stop when the paste no longer crumbles; the exact number depends on how much your ingredients absorb.
Can I change the ingredients?
Yes. Open the recipe in the calculator, swap or rebalance any ingredient, and the nutrition, binding and cost update straight away.
How long should I boil these boilies?
As a rule of thumb, boil 18 mm baits for about two minutes, smaller baits for less and hard hookbaits for longer. Air-dry them on a rack before freezing.
Estimated nutrition
per complete recipe · estimated
Cost / kg
No ingredient prices in EUR yet. Add your own prices in the calculator.
Recipe check
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Estimates from ingredient data — practical guidance, not laboratory analysis.