I have noticed over the years, that for some reason (or other) anglers will spend thousands of pounds on fishing tackle and then only a few quid on bait. Why I don’t know. As all of this expensive kit is sitting on the bank, but it will not put more Carp on the bank for you. The key to this is bait and attraction. I know non match angler’s don’t like match angler’s much, but folks, you are well and truly missing a trick. These boys & girl’s know how to go fishing and attract enough fish to win a match.
Now, if your sitting reading this on a day ticket water, aren’t you fishing a sort of match – against all the other anglers around you?? And if your reading this a lake by yourself, aren’t you fishing against all of Mother Nature’s food sources that are in the lake? So, why oh why, don’t you stick more bait out?
I am not taking boillies, that’s a small part of the puzzle. Get talking to the match anglers and understanding the art of attraction. Don’t feed the Carp from the get go, attract them at first, then feed them and hold them in your area. Why would they move off one feeding area to another (unless it smells and tastes better)? Just look at human beings, we have become addicted to fast food, sweet food etc – all the bad stuff and we know this and can’t stop ourselves. Now, Carp are a bit different I know and not as stupid as us, they understand what their body needs are and will be picky, however it can be done.
Don’t go cheap on the attraction, you see all these articles and videos of anglers pouring in a whole bottle of liquid attraction to their ground bait mix. There is a reason for this and it’s not all about selling it to the everyday angler (which I am). It does actually work and that’s the real reason. So, next time you are in the tackle shop spending 400 quid (but don’t tell the Mrs the real cost) on a new bivvy, ask yourself, should I not be spending less on the bivvy and more on the bait? Do I want to catch more Carp or be more comfortable on the bank and look good with the latest bivvy? The answer is up to you.
To mention only one of these types of company, Spotted Fin is a perfect example of a company who spend thousands of pounds on research and testing on attraction and ground bait. The reason I mention this company is their main area is Carp & Match fishing and has been for years. So you would think they would have the upper hand in that area of the bait industry. Which I can assure you they do.
With a very busy weekend behind me, I was lucky enough to get out for two nights (there were a few hick-ups on the way). I finally arrived just before 1930 and as the Syndicate grapevine was working well, I knew I would be lucky to get a swim – let alone a good one, my fingers were crossed. There was an area of the lake which just doesn’t get fished, as luck would have it, there wasn’t a soul down this end, I had the bay area to myself (result).
I got the Deeper out and set about checking the area for likely spots and found a nice 4ft+ trough just off the tree line.
That will do nicely. I spombed out a mixture of Spotted Fin Particle blend and Catalyst boilies. These went along the tree line and fished both rods along there. I would probably move one into the right-hand corner tomorrow during the day. It would be pointless at night as I would no doubt lose the fish!
My rods were set up over the reeds and the bivvy just behind them.
The first night passed with no action and with not many signs of carp, other than under the treeline. Clearly, they had taken refuge under here, as there had been a lot of pressure on the lake. I was hoping that if I kept myself hidden away and with not much activity, they would drift back out again. It was going to be an early pack up, as I need to be away with the family for a few days as it’s half term this week.
The afternoon past with one event – a dropped fish on the left-hand rod around 3pm. This felt better than the average wild 10 lbser which I have been landing, shame that.
I rebaited the area just after 7pm and settled down for the night, in the hope that as the wind had changed direction it was pushing into the bay, I would get some carp tonight.
At around 1am, the right had rod was off and my luck was certainly not in, as at that moment the fish managed to shed the hook, oh well. Recast done and back in the sack to contemplate my results or not in this case.
It was a cloudy morning at first light when I got up to pack up. Time to head home for a family holiday on the beach.
Do people still glug their hook baits or is this a thing of the past? Personally, I have been glugging my hook baits for so long I can’t remember when I started.
The principal is that you glug your hook baits to stand out from the rest of your freebies in your baited area or when you’re using single hook baits. It boosts the attraction of your bait within the area you are fishing.
I tend to do them in 1-kilo bags.
You can glug your baits with a flavour of your hook bait or add oils. Over the years, a couple of my favourites have been;
Oyster sauce
Toasted sesame seed oil
You need to test a sample batch to check that the boilie absorbs your chosen glug.
Over the past few years bait companies have introduced some great booster sprays. This is to give your bait an instant boost or you’re can leave them for days, weeks, months or even years.
I tend to boost the ready-made version of my bait and then store in the fridge (that’s my fridge and not the family one).
There are also available food dips designed for this purpose in mind.
There are also some great liquids which you can boost your hook baits, two of my personal favourites are;
and you can mix them together.
These particle hook baits are a mix of pop-ups, wafers and bottom baits all done in one tub, if you don’t fancy doing them in kilo bags.
These are a few old baits I still have around in my fridge, not 100% sure which baits there are, probably liver & squid.
There is a bad trend within the fishing world of dumping leads. I feel this is a bad trend due to the safety of the fish. Now, I have been fishing for over thirty years and I understand that some fish have died because of being tethered. However, are we using this as an excuse to dump 100’s of leads all over the place? We moan and complain when we see rubbish in our swims, but we are very happy to dump leads in the name of fish safety. Or is it because the hooked to landed ratio has improved?
There is also an issue with Spomb’s laying around on lake beds as they don’t float, I have put small poly balls on the end of my one, and so it will float. It is a simple and cheap answer.
I also have a big issue with fake baits. When your hook link breaks, there is a bait sitting around for as long as it takes for a carp to pick this up, gets hooked and possibly tethered up. At least if this happens with a traditional bait, it would break down in the water. Now here’s the rub, I have had the need to start using them over the past six months. This is due to general pests who interfere with carp fishing and your bait presentation. The only safe way I feel that I can combat this is by changing the hook link after every fish.
As anglers, we need to take more responsibility for all this rubbish lying around on and off the bank.
After doing the night and spotting a few fish spawning, I thought I would pop down my local lake for the morning for a spot of floater fishing. I was surprised to find a good 10 dead fish floating in the lake and loads of line hanging in the trees, where other floater anglers had been fishing.
There was also a nice algae bloom going on. I did manage to get a few fish feeding but just did not feel right to be fishing there and I was gone within the hour.
Now I know why I pay so much for my Syndicate lake, where things are so much better!
After the weekend’s lack of fish for me and discovering a couple of interesting features, I headed back down the lake, in the hope of getting in the same spot (or one of another 2 swims, which will also give me access to this area). As luck would have it there were only 2 other anglers fishing and they were nowhere near me. It was looking like the fish had moved back into the area as well.
I double check the spots with the Deeper as on this lake, 2 ft the wrong way and you will be in 2ft of water, instead of 4 ft!
Once set up and the line was clipped up, I counted out the number of wraps and took notice of the horizon makers. I flicked a couple of Ronnie Rig with a 15mm bottom and a 15mm wafter onto the spots. I also put a couple of pouches of Catalyst boilies which had been soaking in minaminons for some time.
The night produced one carp and one lost carp.
Which I was happy about.
With the sun coming up over the forest and the rod’s on the floor, it was time to head home.
With the builders working on the house this week, I didn’t really have the time to do any nights (which was a shame). So I thought I better get out there over the weekend, the wife and kids were watching the Royal Wedding – this was the perfect opportunity for me.
As it turned out my friend Ian was already there and in a perfect area. The wind was pushing nicely across the lake onto this bank and into a corner. I found some perfect spots along the reed line with the Deeper.
Which were perfect for a bait.
I then baited the area with a kilo of catalyst boilies which had been soaking in minaminons for a few days. I flicked a 15mm Catalyst wafter over each area, sat back for some food and a glass of wine in the afternoon sunshine.
For me the night passed quietly, Ian managed a nice mid double on the Smokey Jack.
And then, lost one as well.
It was a coldish night as the temperature drop and the mist rolled in.
This picture was just taken after 9am, you should have seen how thick it was as 5 am!
I stayed until just before noon time and it was not to be.
I would like to explain the benefits of using Fluorocarbon main line, in particular, the Berkeley brand. Firstly, there are only two disadvantages, 1) lack of casting distance and 2) with very bouldery bottom lakes, the line can get hooked up around a rock. However, for all other aspects of fishing, it’s brilliant.
(1) After casting out, keep the line tight, sink the line down under your rod tips and pay the line out as you place your rod on its rest. Your line is now in direct contact with your buzzer, even when it hangs straight down.
(2) The really amazing thing is even in a drop back situation the line will pull forward, giving you an indication on your buzzers.
(3) As your line is going straight down off the rod tips and if they are placed close to the bank, you can easily play fish without the risk of picking up another one of your lines.
(4) With the line at the bottom, there is less likelihood of line bites. It’s possible to play fish, without the worries for picking up your line. (If you keep your rod tip set up just over the edge of the swim.)
By using MPS Defiant bobbins (which I have featured on my Tackle review page), you can have the bobbin sitting normally, even with the line hanging straight down off the rod tips. You will need you use a line clip of some sort.
