Carp Catchers Blog

Glugging or dipping single hookbaits can improve their pulling power and increase the chances of a run when no free offerings are available. Most pop-ups have a matching dip/liquid to go with them which can be used to soak hookbaits in for increased attraction. Although that doesn’t mean to say that hookbaits have to be soaked in matching dips, you could always try something different and mix hookbaits with different liquids. Try dipping or glugging your singles and see how your results improve. Two of the more popular dips are the Richworth Impact Boilie Dips  and the Mainline Hookbait Enhancement System

Glugging or dipping baits can be messy business, there are items out there such as the Sixth Sense Stainless Steel Dipping Tool which makes the job far less messy.

Tight lines

Dave

We’ve got a new bedchair and chairs from JRC this week. The first is the JRC Contact 3 Leg Bedchair which is an entry level bedchair with some nice features including a hi density foam filled mattress and a nice price, for more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

As for the chairs there are four. The first is the JRC Specialist X Lite Recliner Chair  this is the new specification model and as the name suggests it is extra light due to it’s 6061 series aluminium frame. Next up we have the JRC X-LO Stalking Chair , which again is a new specification model with a 6061 series aluminium frame. The X-LO is ideal for those mobile anglers who like to keep a low profile on the bank. The JRC Contact Chair With Arms  is a superb entry level chair with a super strong hi tensile steel frame. Finally we have the JRC Contact Chair which is for those on budget, it also has a hi tensile steel frame and a hi density foam filled cover. For more information or to purchase please click on any of the above links. 

                             JRC Contact 3 Leg Bedchair

                                  JRC Specialist X Lite Recliner

                                          JRC X-LO Stalking Chair

                                      JRC Contact Chair With Arms

                                                   JRC Contact Chair

Best Fishes,

John

Single hookbaits are a good approach all year round although they come into their own during the winter when bites definately slow. Single hookbaits are many anglers favourite approach during the colder months because of their effectiveness at picking off fish in their winter mode which otherwise probably would not have been caught if a bed of bait was used.

There are a wide range of baits out there which work particularly well as single hookbaits. I prefer to use glugged pop-ups for singles but most high attraction baits are suitable. Some anglers prefer high viz baits where others prefer high attraction food baits. My favourites are white pop-ups such as the Baitcraft Snowball, yellow pineapple pop-ups such as Mainline Hi-Visual Pineapple Juice and food bait pop-ups such as Dynamite Baits The Source. This gives me a good enough range to try.

My tips would be to make note of any fish you see show during the winter months this year and in previous years if you know the water well and use these areas as starting points each session. Bear in mind on some waters the fish could well be at range so use simple pop-up rigs that are less likely to tangle and don’t over complicate things too much. And remember if you see fish show it might be worth a cast at them as fish are less likely to move much during the winter so the closer you can get a bait to the fish the better chance of a run.

Tight Lines

Dave

Little David has sent in a catch report.

“ 

I have just returned from quite a hectic session at Welham lake where I’ve got my first season ticket on the lake and decided to test it out as I had high expectations for it this winter having already lost possibly the biggest in the lake!.

I arrived later than I hoped on a Friday night due to homework (typical! My French teacher’s always had it in for me!)and when I arrived with this glum weather I had to set up my rods In a mad dash due to this I didn’t have much of a choice of swims so I decided to share a swim with my friend. After baiting the rods and putting out some bait I decided to speak to a few of the guys next door to me and they had told me that the biggest fish out the whole week had only been 12lb (Quite bizarre for that lake!)

Later on that evening after having some grub I stayed up late having a social with some of the guys, when I finally retired to the bag it wasn’t long before my left hand rod placed underneath an overhanging tree to the far bank that looked very ‘carpy’ ,had rattled off and a few minutes later after a very scrappy fight a new pb lay in my net, it took me a while to get my friend out of bed! But once he decided to shift we got the fish back safely all 16lb 5oz of it so I was pleased to say the least with the result. The rig I used was tied with Korda Hybrid Soft Coated Braid   to a size 10  Korda Longshank X Hook  . Baits were 15mm The Source  boilies plus some home made boilies. I hope to get a few nights down there this ever drawing closer winter in search of a biggun! ”

Little David! ”

Well done David, good luck with your quest.

Best fishes,

John

We’ve got so many new products it’s unreal, in this blog we have the Trakker Crossfire Bivvy, the Trakker Quiklok Bedchair and some nice stainless from Wychwood.

The Trakker Crossfire Bivvy  really is a radical design and provides a practical alternative to the pramhood type bivvy. It is extremely lightweight due to it’s aerograde aluminium flexi-poles. The Crossfire is particularly suited to the mobile angler and those that do quick overnighters as it can be set up in a variety of ways ie. front off and set to a low profile. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link

The Trakker Quiklok Bedchair is another really innovative product. It has the patented Quiklok mechanism which allows you to open and adjust the head end of the bedchair with just a pull on the Quiklok lever. With a fleece lined high density foam mattress and an inflatable air bed insert the Quiklok Bedchair is the height of comfort on the bank. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

Finally for this blog we have The Wychwood Maximiser Stainless Steel Banksticks  and Buzz Bars. They look really solid and well made with some nice little touches. The Buzz Bar can be set up as either a single bankstick set up or as a goal post arrangement. The price point of the Maximiser Stainless range is also very favourable. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

                                                  Trakker Crossfire Bivvy

                                                      Trakker Quiklok Bedchair

                   Wychwood Maximiser Stainless Steel Banksticks

         Wychwood Maximiser Stainless Steel Banksticks

Best fishes,

John

As well as the usual Hangers and Swingers there are other indicator setups available. The Majority of these setups have more specific uses like the Solar Quiverloc or the Matrix Kompressor are designed for long range fishing where tension on the line from the indicator is required. You could also fit the Matrix add-on weights or the Solar Drag Weights which come in 3 different sizes to your original setup for long range fishing but the Solar Quiverloc and Matrix Kompressor indicators are designed to help with bite indication at long range.

                                       Matrix Kompressor

Tight lines,

Dave

The new Shimano Baitrunner DL 4000 FA and Baitrunner ST 4000 FA are now in stock. These are new mini Baitrunners with a front drag system from Shimano and are absolutely ideal for a multitude of uses, from small water carping, to stalking and floater fishing. They are also superb for barbel, big tench or roach fishing. The  Shimano Baitrunner DL 4000 FA is the upmarket one of the two, whereas the Shimano Baitrunner ST 4000 FA  although having many of the same features is aimed at the entry level market. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

For those of you looking for a big pit reel, we now have the awesome Shimano Ultegra 14000 XTB . The Ultegra 14000 XTB has stunning looks and will retrieve over 1 metre of line per crank of the handle. It is also considerably lighter than it’s predecessor. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

                  Shimano Baitrunner DL 4000 FA

                         Shimano Baitrunner ST 4000 FA

                         Shimano Ultegra 14000XTB

Best fishes,

John

A method that works well over a bed of scattered boilies is mesh PVA bags of boilies. Using something like  Korda Boilie Funnel Web , a tight mesh bag can be created that practically explodes in the water spreading your hookbait and freebies a few inches apart making the trap less obvious to wary carp. The method is to tie a mesh bag with three boilies in a triangular shape as tightly as possible to create the tension in the PVA, which is needed to throw the baits apart upon melting.  When in the water PVA tightens and pulls the boilies even tighter together before the bags burst and catapulting the baits in seperate directions. The triangles are better than the normal linear mesh bag over choddy bottoms as the hook sits in the middle keeping it clear of any chod. However they obviously will not cast as well.

To tie these PVA bags you need some Korda Boilie Funnel Web PVA, scissors and some boilies, these are air dryed Mainline Activ-8 .

Step 1.

Place three boilies in the boilie funnel web tube and allow them to drop out of the bottom into the PVA mesh. If you are using baits over 16mm then I’d suggest using the largerKorda funnel web size as you won’t be able to create the right shape with the larger baits in the boilie funnel web, for baits 16mm and under the boilie funnel web is best.

Step 2.

Now push the baits into a triangular shape and tighten the PVA holding the baits as close together as possible to create a bait triangle.

Step 3.

Holding the boilies in position tie off the bag, again trying to hold the baits as tight as possible. The tighter the bag the better presentation you will achieve.

Once you have trimmed the tag ends of the knots tied in the bag you should have a mesh bag that looks like this. (See Picture Below).

The mesh bag can be hooked on or alternatively you can thread the hooklink through the middle of the baits and pull you hook through to sit between the three baits, this can actually help the slow the rig down as it travels through the water so might be worth a go fishing over softer lakebeds and as I said earlier keep the hook clear of any chod.

Here is a couple of pictures demonstrating the presentation this bag will give your freebies.

The bag still intact.

15-20 seconds after contact with the water.

Give it a go

Tight lines

Dave

Just in we have the JRC Contact 1 & 2 Man Bivvy’s, The Jrc Multi Fit Mozzi Cover and JRC 60” Oval Brolly. The   JRC Contact Bivvy  is a compact and highly portable entry level bivvy system that can be used as a brolly or bivvy depending on the weather. Plagued by mozzi’s?  JRC Multi Mozzi Cover  will keep them at bay and fits most brolly/shelter systems. Finally in this Blog we have the new 2010 model  JRC 60” Oval Brolly which has a new design which ensures that 4 ribs are in contact with the ground, it also comes supplied with two 24” storm poles, PVC groundsheet and heavy duty pegs. For more info or to purchase please click on the above links.

                                                               JRC Contact Bivvy

                                          JRC Multi Fit Mozzi Cover

                                           JRC Oval Brolly

Best Fishes,

John

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