Carp Catchers Blog

Just a final reminder that your rod licence expires today. A £2000 fine and criminal record is no joke. See previous blog for more details.

Best Fishes,

John

We now have in stock what I think are probably the most advanced bite alarms on the market. The ACE I3 Bite Alarm comes packed with features such as the patent pending dual sensing TGS System which can detect line movement or just vibration and is capable of detecting even the slightest of movements on both settings. One of the cleverest innovations of the ACE I3 Bite Alarm is the function button located on the side at the top of the alarm. Once pressed the function button switches the alarm off, so you can set your alarms without all that annoying bleeping, after a couple of minutes the function button switches the alarm back on so you never have to worry whether you’ve switched them back on or not. I have a set of the I3′s and they do not seem to be as affected by the wind as other alarms. These bite alarms have so many features please follow the above link to view the full specs or to purchase.

The ACE I3 Receiver  is also packed with innovations such as a reliable system that will perform no matter what tress or undergrowth are between the receiver and alarms. It has IRAS which is (Intelligent Alarm Recognition System) make any changes to your alarm and your receiver automatically updates the settings. It also has as standard a belt clip, bivvy table stand and magnetic bivvy holder. To see full specs or to purchase please click on the above link.

                                                       ACE I3 Alarm

                                             ACE I3 Receiver

Best Fishes,

John

Now the weather is starting to warm up a bit and most of you will be looking to get out and start fishing your waters I’m sure some of you will have considered a baiting campaign of some sort. Whether your plan be to continuously bait areas or just to bait a swim prior to sessions there will be a few points that you have to consider.

Bait can sometimes determine the success you have when pre baiting. You want to provide the fish with a food source that can be recognised by them as one that fulfils their nutritional requirements providing them with what they need, when they need it. Now some anglers will choose to use solely boilies for prebaiting where as others will take the pellet/particle route. There is no right or wrong choice but the type of water your fishing needs to be taken into consideration. If you are fishing a water which mostly contain carp then particles and pellets can be a very effective method along with boilies. But if you are fishing a water which holds a large head of other species such as Bream, Tench and Roach etc. then you may find that using particles and pellets will not work very well unless used in larger quantities.

Boilies are an ideal food source for Carp as they are generally highly nutritional and in most cases contain a large quantity of proteins, fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. These are all highly sort after by carp in their diet. Choosing the right boilie can be a tricky task with the sheer number of bait companies and choices of flavours available to us as carp anglers. I would suggest choosing a bait that ticks all the boxes in terms of nutrition and digestion. It is no good having a bait that holds all the nutritional factors but isn’t completely digestable to the fish. If they can’t unlock the nutritional factors in the bait then it is no good for them. I would suggest using a freezer bait for a long term baiting campaign but that isn’t to say that good results can’t be had on shelf life baits. Confidence in your chosen bait is paramount. Using a bait you’re are confident in can sometimes be the difference between catching and not. If you not confident you won’t fish as effectively. Mixing up the size of boilies can also help contribute to the success of a baiting campaign as this can confuse the carp when it comes to taking your hookbait. Although the sizes you are able to use can depend on the range your baiting at as smaller boilies won’t reach the spots with a catapult or stick if you’re baiting at a distance. There are a range of good boilies available, Baitcraft T1, Mainline Cell, Dynamite Baits Banana Nut Crunch and Richworth Kg1 to name a few. I would suggest choosing your preferred bait and sticking to it, you won’t be as successful chopping and changing between baits if you plan to establish it as a good food source on your water.

Pellets and particles can be a very effective method of prebaiting. The quantity of smaller food items in the swim means that the bait remains on the lake bed for longer keeping to fish grubbing around and revisiting the area. Although smaller course fish on a water can prove to be a problem when baiting with pellets and particles, purely because they are able to eat the small food items. A lot of people like to use pellets and/or particles to prepare and clear spots of weed and debris as not only will the fish help clean the spot but diving birds will help as they try to pick up food items. A pellet, particle and boilie is a firm favourite.

In the following sections I will cover where to prebait, quantities to bait with and how to go about it. In the meantime there some older Carp Catchers Blogs on the same subject that may be of interest to you go to New Season Baiting Campaign  and Good Quality Baits .

Tight Lines

Dave

This is just a reminder that it’s getting to that time of year when you need to renew your rod licence. Your current licence expires on 31st of March so make sure you renew it as soon as you can. Don’t forget that if you use more than two rods you need two rod licences. The penalty for not having a current licence are quite severe, you can be fined up to £2500 and receive a criminal record, so it’s not worth the risk. You can purchase licences from your local post office, online at www.environment-agency.gov.uk/fish or by phone on 08708 506 506 and cost £27 each.

Best Fishes,

John

Good news folks we now have a Delkim account, so we should have some nice shiny new Delkim alarms in very soon. Boys toy’s rule!!!

Best fishes,

John,

This is an alternative to the previous Carp Catchers Blog on how to tie The Shot On The Hair Rig. It is tied in exactly the same way except the hair is lengthened by 10mm and the shot is placed halfway along the hair rather than directly next to the bait.

Setting the rig like this means the bait sits up off the lake bed by about 10mm if using a pop up hookbait. It allows the hook to lay flat on the lake bed alway from the bait, making it less obvious to wary carp. This alternate Shot On The Hair Rig  provides good bait separation and ensures the rig is hook heavy, making it more likely to catch in the carps mouth.  Though more effective with pop up hookbaits, a bottom bait can be used and the rig will still be very effective as it is still hook heavy.

Tight Lines

Dave

We have some nice new luggage from JRC in stock now. The JRC Extra Large Carryall, JRC Large Carryall and JRC Medium Carryall  feature an all new design for 2010. All three are all fully padded with three large exterior pockets, non slip padded shoulder strap and padded carry handles. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links. The entry level  JRC Contact Carryall  features double zipped pockets and easy access dual zip main compartments. Finally we have the JRC Mini Cool Box which has a highly insulated main compartment and a toughned ball leather base to protect the contents from the wet. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

                                 JRC Extra Large Carryall 

                                                      JRC Contact Carryall

                                           JRC Mini Cool Box

Best Fishes,

John

This Carp Catchers Blog will show you how to prepare hemp. The fresher the hempseed the easier it is to prepare so try to make sure your supplier (if it’s not us) has a regular turnover.

The first step is to soak the hemp in water for 24-48 hrs. Make sure that there is plenty of water over the hemp as some of it will be absorbed by the seeds. Step 2 is to boil the hemp till the seeds split and a little white sprout appears, if you add a little salt to the water it helps to keep the seeds a nice shiny black. After cooking you can add any other flavourings or additives that you like, although it is more than adequate as it is. Once the water has cooled it ready to use or bag up as required. Make sure to keep the hemp in the water it was boiled in as this will contain all that lovely hemp oil. Also if the hemp dries out it will float!! Freezing is the best way to store your cooked hemp if you are not going to use it straight away. Here at Carp Catchers we do dry Mega Hempseed in 5kilo bags.For those that don’t want to prepare their own we also do our frozen ready prepared Mega Hempseed with maggots, casters plus added betaine. We also have Dynamite Baits Frenzied Hempseed  and for PVA bagging TFG PVA Friendly Red Hot Chilli Hemp .

Best fishes,

John

Hey it’s the 1st of march and the sun is shining and spring is in the air, hopefully we’ll all be able to go fishing soon.

Best fishes,

John