Carp Catchers Blog

The Guru Pellet Cones  are an innovative alternative to PVA bags that enables an angler to present a small pile of feed around the hookbait. The tangle free presentation that the pellets cones provide is ideal for use with small soft pellets or groundbait.

The pellets I used in this demonstration were Dynamite Baits Marine Halibut Pellets.

If your using groundbait or softened pellets start from step 4. If your using harder pellets and are scolding them follow steps 1-3 first.

Step 1.

Pour the pellets into the bottom of a bait container.

Step 2.

Now pour boiling water over the pellets until they are all just covered over with the water and leave for 20-30 mins.

Step 3.

After 20-30 mins the pellets should still resemble their original shape but they should be soft to touch and lighter in colour.

Step 4.

Now take the pellet cone and hold it from the thin end.

Step 5.

Gently scoop some pellets into the cone, compressing them in as you go.

Step 6.

Once the cone is full compress it firmly with finger and thumb.

Step 7.

Now pass the fine baiting needle through the pellet cone, going in from the wider end and out the thinner end. Your now ready to pull your baited rig through the pellets, once you’ve pulled your rig through remove the cone and its ready to cast out.

The compressed pellets will look like so when attached to your rig.

Once cast out the pellets will hold together until they reach the bottom.

Within 30 seconds they will have broken down leaving a small neat pile of bait around your hookbait…..

Give them a go.

Tight Lines

Dave

In this Carp Catchers Blog we have the new Nash Indulgence Air-Lite Bedchairs. The Nash Indulgence Air-Lite Bedchair has shorter legs and a lower profile than the standard Indulgence bedchairs so that it can fit right at the back of a brolly. It is also ultra lightweight giving the mobile angler the ideal comfort bedchair. The Air-lite has a mesh mattress for those muggy summer nights and a detachable double depth fleece mattress for when the nights get colder. The Nash Indulgence Air-Lite Sleeping System Bedchair is a real innovative first. It has all the benefits of the standard Air-lite with the added advantage of a true all season sleeping bag system which actually zips to the bedchair itself !! For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

                           Nash Indulgence Air-Lite Bedchair

             Nash Indulgence Air-Lite Sleeping System Bedchair

Best Fishes,

John

Here’s a nice 35lb 2oz mirror carp I had recently. It led me a right dance as it got into a massive weed bed and even though the lead had dropped on the take I had to go out in the boat to free it. It was well hooked though and it was never going to come off. I used half a kilo of scattered 18mm Mainline Activ-8  boilies as bait and the hookbait was a snowman with a 10mm Mainline Hi Visual  Milky Toffee pop up. The rig was tied D rig style with a size 6 Gardner Longshank Incizor  hook  and a 30lb GLT No Can See Fluorocarbon Hooklink .

Best Fishes,

John

The  MCF Dumper Lead Clip  is a very clever and innovative lead clip that is guaranteed to drop the lead in the event of a fish snagging or weeding you up. The tapered sleeves incorporated in this lead clip system help to minimise tangles. This Carp Catchers Blog will show you step by step how to set it up.

These can be set-up with any form of leader or tubing but for the purpose of this demonstration I used a ready spliced leadcore leader.

Step 1.

Using a bait needle thread the small rubber sleeve onto your leader or tubing.

Step 2.

Now you need to pass your spliced leader loop through the metal loop on the lead clip. Or tie on your mainline with your rig tubing already threaded on (Miss steps 3 and 4).

Step 3.

Then pass the lead clip through the loop in the end of your leader.

Step 4.

Pull the leader to secure the loop around the metal loop.

Step 5.

Push the small rubber sleeve over the metal loop.

Step 6.

Now push a baiting needle through the longer sleeve from next to the metal hook out of the tapered end and latch the baiting needle onto your choosen rig.

Step 7.

Once you’ve pulled your hooklink through loop it over the metal hook.

Step 8.

To finish the setup pull the hooklink tight and clip on a lead.

The lead should not eject on a normal force cast, however if a distance cast is required I would suggest securing the lead in place with PVA tape.

If you are using rig tubing then adapt the instructions accordingly.

Tight Lines

Dave

Its getting to that time of year again when maggots are becoming more widely used due to them being such an effective winter bait. Have a go at tying this rig and see how you get on.

The components used in this demonstration were the Korda IQ2 Xtra Soft Fluorocarbon , Korda Wide Gape  hook size 8 and  Korda Micro Rig Swivel.

Step 1.

After cutting your required length of fluorocarbon tie on a Korda Wide Gape using a knotless knot making sure to whip round the shank twice on the way back down to the eye. 

Step 2.

Now thread a micro rig swivel onto the tag end above the hook.

Step 3.

Then pass the tag end through the back of the eye to the front and trim the tag end down to about 3-4mm. This will have created a D shape on the back of the shank for the swivel to move on.

Step 4.

Holding the hooklength out of the way slowly blob the tag end with a lighter to secure it in place. Make sure not to burn the hooklink as this will damage the fluorocarbon and increase the chance of it breaking. Also take care not to burn yourself.

Step 5.

To finish the rig tie a figure of eight knot in the other end setting the desired length of rig you require and trim the tag end.

The finished rig should look like this.

This rig works best with a large bunch of maggots and a couple of imitation pop-up maggots to help counter the weight of the hook. This rig isn’t strictly a maggot rig and can be used with other baits as well. 

The knots used in this demonstration can be found in previous blogs by using the search bar on the top right hand side of the page.

Give it a go.

Tight Lines

Dave

We’ve got some nice goodies to look at now. This time we have the Angling Intelligence Airframe Light Shelter, The Angling Intelligence Unhooking Mat and luggage wise the Angling Intelligence Brew Bag and Bivvy Accessory Bag.

The Angling Intelligence Airframe Light Shelter will be a hit with the mobile or overnight carp angler as it is exceptionally lightweight due to it’s areo aluminium poles. The Airframe Shelter is also extremely quick to set up or take down. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

The Angling Intelligence Unhooking Mat is masssive!! 60inches long folks, but it folds to half that size. It features 2.5” of high density foam for both the carp and the integral kneeling mat it comes supplied in it’s own dedicated bag. The Angling Intelligence Brew Bag and Bivvy Accessory Bag are also new in and would make excellent stocking fillers. The Brew Bag is big enough to take all your brew kit including stove, kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, sugar and cutlery so every thing is to hand. The Angling Intelligence Bivvy Accessory Bag is designed to keep dirty groundsheets, infill and mozzi panels away from your other kit. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

                                                                Airframe Light Shelter

                                                              Angling Intelligence Unhooking Mat

                                                                      Brew Bag

                                                          Bivvy Accessory Bag

Best Fishes,

John

Another single hookbait which could be utilised well in the winter is artificial baits, preferably the flavoured or high-viz variety as they need some attraction to them. The Enterprise Artificial Boilies 10mm , the Niteglow Eternal Boilies and the Solar Everlasting Hookbaits are all top artificial baits that will work well as single hookbaits. Don’t discount artificial sweetcorn as a single winter bait either the ever popular Enterprise range or the new Cotswold Bait Creations Soft Floating Corn. Imitation baits are resistant to nuisance fish, won’t lose bouyancy, go soft or lose attraction.

Give them a go.

Dave

In this Carp Catchers Blog we have one for the future. Customer Rob O’Brien sent in this photo of this gorgeous scaly mirror carp not a monster but who cares. Also notice how Rob has chosen a suitable background for his catch photo which really enhances the whole thing. Rig details are sketchy but a Korda Choddy  hook and a Korda IQ Hooklink  were involved.

Best Fishes,

John

Christmas is rapidly approaching so I thought some help might be needed in the gifts department (ie. no socks, hankies or ties please!!). What about Ali Hamidi’s Carp Fishing Masterclass, Savay By John Harry or One Last Cast By Rob Maylin, all new books hot off the press. In the clothing department how about the Trakker Two Piece Undersuit or the Trakker Jogging Bottoms.

Books

Ali Hamidi’s Carp Fishing Masterclass  is just that and packed full of all the latest techniques, rigs, photos’ and much, much more.  Savay By John Harry  is all about that carp fishing Mecca, Savay Lake and this is the new revised Now And Then edition.  One Last Cast By Rob Maylin tracks Robs fishing over the last 16 years and as you would expect from Rob there’s a mixture of carpy tales, humour and a bit of technical advice. For those that aren’t keen readers the  Trakker Jogging Bottoms or the  Trakker 2 Piece Undersuit are both extremely good quality and a very good price. The Undersuit is also an extremely appropriate gift for the time of year, as the cold weather is  now really setting in. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links. 

Best Fishes,

John

In the previous Carp Catchers Blog we talked about dips and glugs but we didn’t make clear what the difference between them is. This Blog will correct that.

Boilie Dips

Boilie dips are normally quite viscose and clear. They have a powerful flavour dissolved in a neutral carrier. Your hookbaits can be left to soak in them indefinitely and this will have an added effect/benefit of hardening them. Boilie Dips can be used with bottom baits, but they are ideally suited to pop ups. A couple of good examples are the  Richworth Impact Boilie Dips and Mainline Hookbait Enhancement System.

Glugs

Glugs are normally quite thick and based on a liquid food source. Very often they will have the same liquid attractors and nutrients as the boilies they represent. Hookbaits can be left in them indefinitely and though both bottom and pop ups can be glugged longer soaking is more suited to bottom baits. The reason for this that glugs or food dips as they are sometimes known are quite heavy and soak right into the hookbaits and this can affect the buoyancy of pop ups. Glugging into a food dip before casting is the more usual way to get an extra boost is the more usual way to use glugs with pop ups. A couple of good examples would be Nash Baits Top Rod Food Dips and Fresh Fish Mussel And Oyster Liquid .

Best Fishes,

John