Carp Catchers Blog

That fella Oliver has been at it again. Using his trusty bike to keep mobile Oliver tempted this 8lb pike with a roach from our deadbait section. Well done Oliver!

Best fishes,

John

I’ve had loads of people asking when the new  Dynamite Baits Red Fish  Boilie range will be in. For those of you that have been waiting to try them out, they are now in. Dynamite Baits Red Fish Boilies are based on the same hugely successful recipe as the Fresh Fish range, but with the added inclusion of the all time classic carp attractor Robin Red. The Red Fish was created by Terry Hearn and Terry has been using it for the past couple of years to catch some of the UK’S most sought after carp. We have the Red Fish available in both shelf life and freezer baits and we also have the  Red Fish Liquid  and pop ups. For more information or to purchase use the above link.

Customer Gary Smith braved the elements over the Christmas holidays to bag this immaculate 20lb common carp. Gary used a kilo of  Nash Scopex Squid Plus  Boilies as free bait to tempt his common. His rig was tied with 25lb Sufix Camfusion  hooklink to a snowman hookbait. Garys’ catch shows that the carp will still feed on a bit of bait even in the coldest of weather.

Well done Gary.

Best fishes,

John

Just a quick note for you carpers out there. The New ESP Curve Shanx Carp Hook  is now in. This new hook from ESP is teflon coated and looks ideal for the curved chod rig. It also looks as if it would be perfect for the Withy Pool Rig. The ESP Curve Shanx comes in sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 for more information or to purchase follow the above link.

Here’s a nice December perch caught by customer Rob O’Brien. The perch weighed approximately 3lbs a fish that most anglers can only dream about. Rob couldn’t weigh the fish properly as the batteries for his scales had run out. Still it looks the size, well done Rob.

Best fishes,

John

Customer Lee bought some roach deadbaits from us and helped himself to this nice clean 9lb 14oz pike from a stretch of the local canal.
Nice one Lee!

Best fishes,
John

Deadbait Traces

Being able to make your own pike traces can allow you to be a lot more versatile in your fishing as you can alter your trace length and the distance between the hooks to suit your fishing. Making your own pike traces will also save you more money in the long run and can be a lot more satisfying when you land fish on them. To make your own traces you will need a good pair of wire cutters and crimping pliers. (See picture below)

The rig components used in this demonstration were Drennan 7 strand pike wire, Drennan semi barbed trebles, Drennan slim crimps and ESP Hi Performance Carp Swivels. (See picture below) 

Step 1.

Cut a 13-14 inch length of pike wire off the spool and thread a crimp on to one end. (See picture below)

Step 2.

Now thread a treble hook on and double the pike wire over. (See picture below)

Step 3.

Now thread the other end of the pike wire through the crimp. (See picture below)

Step 4.

Then using the crimping pliers flatten the crimp in three central places making sure that no wire protrudes beyond the crimp as your mainline could catch on this during the cast. (See picture below)

Once crimped the hook should look like this. (See picture below)

Step 5.

Now cut a small 1-2 inch length of pike wire from the spool and bend it in the middle passing it through the eye of another treble hook. (See picture below)

Step 6.

Then thread another crimp down the pike wire to your desired distance away from the bottom treble and thread the two tag ends of wire holding the second treble through the crimp and crimp in three central positions again. Making sure that no wire protrudes like before so it doesn’t catch your mainline. The method of using another piece of wire to attach the second hook avoids kinking the main pike wire. (See picture below)

Step 7.

Now thread another crimp down the wire followed by a swivel, then thread the last tag end of wire back through the crimp and flatten in three central places to finish the trace. Again making sure that no wire protrudes beyond the crimp as your mainline will catch on it. (See picture below)

The finished trace will look like this. (See picture below)

You can make your traces to your own desired length to suit bait choice and fishing situation.

Tight lines

Dave

Just a quick word of warning to those of you who plan to get out over the colder months for a couple of nights fishing, we all know how tempting it is to close the bivvy door right down and stick the kettle on, cook some food or fire the lantern up for a bit of extra warmth but please try to avoid doing so without adequate ventilation as the gases given off by these bits of equipment are actually very harmful. The gases given off, especially Carbon Monoxide, are colourless and odourless so you wont even notice them building up in your bivvy during the periods your door is closed but there are some serious health risks involved, it can also prove fatal if prolonged exposure to such gases occurs. So please be careful when using your cooker or lantern in your bivvy and make sure there is adequate ventilation to let any noxious gases escape.

Follow the link below to read more about Carbon Monoxide poisoning and its symptoms.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Information

Customer Oliver Jarvis has been braving the cold weather to catch himself some nice pike. The one shown below weighed 9lb 14oz and was caught on a legered eel section from our deadbait section. Well done Oliver!

Best fishes,

John