Step 1 – Separate egg yolks from egg whites
For this step it is necessary to have:
- one egg or more depending on how many pop up boilies we want to make (I used two eggs), egg white powder can also be used
- mixing bowl
For pop up boilies I will only use egg white mainly for better buoyancy and hardness of pop up boilies. Of course you can even use an whole egg like I did myself in a previous blog post (click on link). Practice makes perfect 👌.
Separating egg yolk from egg white is very easy. But if you haven’t done that yet, ask someone to show you (mother, sister, wife, neighbor, …) or you simply use an whole egg.
The amount of egg white liquid may not seem large but in the end we get quite a few pop up boilies (between 90 and 100 pop up boilies size 14mm / 0.55inch).
If you are adding preservatives or any other liquid additives they need to be added to the egg white and then mixed well. I recommend that you avoid liquid additives and prefer to use powdered additives. Liquid additives are heavier than powder and therefore pop up boilies may not float.
I don’t use preservatives and I pop up boilies just dry well (also sometimes more than a week). After drying when the pop up boilies become very hard then I dip them or put them in the freezer.
Step 2 – Making pop up dough
For this step it is necessary to have:
This time I decided to add a yellow dye for baking cakes. I was wondering if the pop up boilies would turn yellow. Since the basic mix is darker I was pretty much in doubt that the yellow color will change the darker mix.
Egg white changed from transparent to yellow after egg mixing (color similar to egg yolk).
I had the basic pop up mix mixed about a month before and the ingredients have blended the flavors well ever since.
Recipe for pop up boilie mix:
- Mainline plane pop up mix: 100g / 3.52oz
- Whey: 13g / 0.45 oz
- Purified blood powder: 12g / 0.42oz
- Cork grain: 10g / 0.35oz
- Krill flour: 25g / 0.88oz
- Squid extrat powder: 4g / 0.14oz
- Curry powder: 5g / 0.17oz
- Cinnamon powder: 6g / 0.21oz
Because the ingredients for making a pop up mix are quite difficult to supply and also quite expensive, I decided to use a basic mix from a company Mainline (plane pop up mix) for making a pop up mix.
I added extras to the basic mix, but you don’t have to use all of the ones I listed or don’t use any of these. You can use only the basic mix (Mainline) when making pop up boilies by adding just the flavor.
I started slowly adding the basic mix to the liquid. I always add the mix in smaller amounts because otherwise it can happen that the mix will be too dry (start again from the beginning, step 1).
At the beginning of mixing is when the dough is still very sticky and soft it takes some time (5 to 10 minutes or more, depending on the composition of the mix) for the dough to become compact.
The yellow dye I added to the egg white did not change the color of the dough. A yellow dye would color the dough in case I used a white base mix for making pop up boilies.
After 15 minutes the dough is finished. Then it should be placed in a bag or airtight container (so that the dough does not dry out) to rest for at least 15 minutes even better for an hour.
Step 3 – preparation for rolling pop up boilies
For this step it is necessary to have:
- pot
- portable electric hot plate or something similar for heating water
- boilie gun (not a necessary accessory, as boilies can also be making by hand)
- nozzle
- boilie roller
During this time when the dough rests I put a pot of water on the heater (for cooking pop up boilies).
This time I will use a boilie roller (size 14mm) and a hand boilie gun to make pop up boilies.
Using and preparing a hand boilie gun is very easy. You can buy it in practically all construction equipment stores (intended for applying silicone, acrylic and other sealants) or, of course, in a fishing shop.
The inner diameter of the nozzle for the boilie gun should be 1-3 millimeters smaller than the size of the boilie roller. Carefully cut it with a sharp knife or saw. An even easier option is to buy marked nozzles and just cut a suitable diameter.
Step 4 – And finally …… pop up boilie rolling time 😊
The dough for the pop up boilies is now ready.
Form the pop up dough into a cylinder (approximate shape of the cylinder, do not complicate) and then place it in the tube of the boili gun.
When the dough is in the tube it is only necessary to close the back of the boilie gun and then squeeze out the excess air in the tube. When the bat comes to the dough slowly comes the boilie sausage through the nozzle.
For beginners and when testing new mixes when rolling boilies I recommend only one boilie sausage on a boilie roller. This gives a feeling when rolling boilies, it is determined whether the dough is suitable for further rolling boilies (cracking boilies, perforated boilies, breakable boilies, …) and even if the size of the nozzle is a suitable diameter (if the boilies are round, except when of course in the making of dumbbell boilies).
Step 5 – The final step – boiling
For this step it is necessary to have:
- strainer scoop for picking pop up boilies from boiling water
- strainer
- stopwatch
- a tray or net for drying boilies (obligatory in the shade away from sunlight)
I put so many boilies in boiling water that the water does not cool down. It is important that the water boils throughout cooking. In case the water no longer boils, it is more difficult to determine the cooking time of the boilies.
I cooked size 14mm / 0.55inch boilies for about 80 seconds.
The white foam that has formed on the surface of the water is most of the egg white and also of some probably other ingredients. So without worrying that there is something wrong with your boilies this is a natural cooking process.
Stir several times during cooking, as pop up boilies float and are not covered with water like regular boilies.
When the pop up boilies are cooked we just take them out of the water and put them on a strainer to cool, drain and dry a bit (finally dry on a tray or net).
Leave them on a strainer for 10 to 15 minutes and then let them dry for two to 5 days.
Pop up boilies are made
I dry them on a plastic tray and mix them several times a day to dry evenly.
The amount of boilies I got from the two eggs was 92 pop up boilies of size 14mm.
Some of the dough left in the nozzle I made the pop up boilies by hand.
Till next time …
Tight lines!
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