Carp Catchers Blog

Fishing for short periods in the week can bring you success when the lake is quiet and all the other anglers are at home. Here is a 25lb mirror I had on a recent overnighter after baiting the swim on a regular basis for nearly 3 weeks. The fish was landed using an ESP Leadcore leader and Armaled Lead Clip with a Korda 3oz pear lead. The rig consisted of Atomic Jel-E-wyre and a size 6 Korda Wide Gape Hook  tied blowback style fished with a snowman hookbait and a 2 bait stringer cast to the baited area.

Tight Lines

Dave

Triggalink is a revolutionary hooklink braid. It is woven with PVA which once in water it melts drawing in the braid and becomes an elasticated, self hooking rig. Carp do not know how to deal with Triggalink due to the elasticity which makes it hard for them to use the weight of the lead to throw the hook. The elasticity in the braid doesn’t allow them to make contact with the lead without the hook penetrating and taking hold. Triggalink is proven to enhance hook holds, especially when fishing barbless hooks and in weed.

To tie this rig I used Nash Triggalink, Nash The Missing Link, a Nash Safety Bolt Bead Ring Swivel and a Nash Fang Gaper Hook.

Step 1.

Strip 8 inches of Missing Link and tie a small hair loop in one end.

Step 2.

Now thread your choosen bait onto the hair with a baiting needle and secure it in place with a bait stop. 

Step 3.

Pass the other end of the missing link through the back of the eye and set a gap of about 6mm between the top of the hook and the bait.

Step 4.

Whip the missing link up the shank of the hook 5-6 times…..

….Before passing the tag end through the back of the eye again.

Step 5.

Now cut 12 inches of Triggalink off the spool and hold it along side the tag end of the missing link with your hook and bait attached to.

Step 6.

While continuing to hold the two along side each other create a loop with the triggalink.

Step 7.

Take the shorter end of the Triggalink and pass it round the Missing link and through the loop created 4 times.

Step 8.

Now create a loop with the Missing link along side the Triggalink.

Step 9.

Pass the tag end of the Missing link around the Triggalink and through the loop 4 times.

Step 10.

Now moisten both knots and tighten them down gently before butting them up together. Then trim the tag ends and blob them with a lighter.

Step 11.

Pass the tag end of the Triggalink through the ring on the ring swivel.

Step 12.

Create a loop with the tag end alongside the length of Triggalink tied to the Missing link.

Step 13.

Pass the tag end around the Trigga link and through the loop 5 times.

Step 14.

Moisten the knot and tighten gently, then trim the tag end.

The rig is now complete.

The length of the Triggalink when the rig is complete measures approximately 6 1/2 inches.

Once wet the PVA in the Triggalink melts and contracts the braid. Shortening it to approximately 5 1/2 inches.

This is worth baring in mind when tying a rig with Triggalink as it will always end up shorter once wet. This rig is known as a Combi-Link Rig and can be used with either bottom or pop up hookbaits. If you wish to use a pop up, mould some tungsten putty, such as Kryston Heavy Metal Plus , around the knot in the two hooklinks.

Tight Lines

Dave

For you surface fishing enthusiasts we have the new Korda floater gear in stock now. The Korda Interceptor Controller  is for distance surface fishing. The Interceptor controller has some very clever design features. It will always land the same way up with the orange sight tag on top making it easy to spot. The body of the Interceptor has a slit running along it’s length, which allows you to change bodies without having to break your set up down. Finally the colour, we all know Korda’s track record with underwater filming, well the colour of the Interceptor was the one least visible underwater. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

The Korda Kruiser Controller  is a totally unique design. The innovative line attachment makes it virtually tangle free. The Kruiser Controller needs no lead or extra weight resulting in quiet water entry. It is the same low visibilty green as the Interceptor. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

The Korda Mixa Hooks  are the first hook specially designed for surface fishing. They have a silky smooth PTFE coating preventing reflective glint, which could spook wary fish. The Mixa Hook is flat forged for extra strength and has a super short shank for added lightness. They are available in both barbed and barbless patterns. For more information or to purchase please follow the above link.

Finally we have the  Korda Kruiser Control Floater Line   has again been specifically designed for surface fishing. It is super soft and supple to ensure easy casting of even the lightest controller. Kruiser Control has a low gloss finish and near neutral buoyancy ensuring that it lies unobtrusively in the surface film. It has limited stretch minimising hookpulls. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

                                                                                         Korda Interceptor Controller

                                                                                              Korda Kruiser Controller

                                                                                               Korda Mixa Hook

Best fishes,

John

Choosing areas on your lake to pre-bait can be the key to success. You need to do your homework on the lake to determine the best areas to target. I would suggest you pick a couple of areas to keep introducing bait to avoid disappointment should you turn up for a session and find someone in one of your baited swims. Just because you have baited a swim it unfortunately doesn’t mean other anglers won’t fish there.

I would pick two swims in completely different areas of the lake so that you have the choice of which to fish. This means that if the weather conditions should favour one area you can head for that area. I would personally pick one area on the end of what would be a south westerly wind and another in an area where you know the fish visit frequently. Once you have chosen your areas its time to decide on the spots/features you wish to fish. Its best to do a bit of marker work in the swims you’re baiting and find any likely holding areas and/or patrol routes. You could be looking for a needle in a haystack, but remember if your going to be spending money on travelling to bait up its worth putting 100% effort in. When looking for spots you could be looking for subtle differences in depth, smooth areas of “clean” silt where the carp have been feeding, bloodworm beds or areas which are not so choked with weed. It really all depends on your water. 

If you are able to observe the fish then watch them closely and figure out what sort of areas they are feeding in and on what sort of lakebed. If you can’t observe the fish then I would suggest you look at past captures if any, or speak to other anglers and see if they are willing to tell you what sort of areas and lake bed they have caught from. Obviously don’t go jumping straight into these areas as they could well be popular swims which you should try to avoid, as other anglers will be benefiting from your bait and hard work. Once you have built up a bigger picture its time to find the spots you wish to bait. Margins are always a good bet too and very often neglected by other anglers.

Make sure once you have found your spots that you have marked them on your lines or paced them out and you have picked far bank markers to aim for. It can sometimes be easier to note these things in some sort of a fishing diary, which you can used to build up a better knowledge of the lake. Here is a blog which may help you when it comes to this stage.  Another Carp Catchers Blog which may help is New Season Baiting Campaign .

Tight Lines

Dave

A word now on some new baits now in stock. The new Richworth XLR8 Freezer Boilies were developed from an original recipe from Steve Renyard which was a proven big carp catcher in the early 90’s. Steve has now tweaked it with some new ingredients and is 110% confident with it. They are a nice dark brown colour so they won’t spook wary carp. The XLR8 has a sausage/pepperami type smell and looks to be a real winner.We also have the Xlr8 Pop Ups and XLR8 Impact Boilie Dips  in stock.  The Richworth Salmon Supreme Freezer Boilies  are one of Richworths original boilies from back in the day. After continued requests the Salmon Supreme are back and look set to be as good as they ever were. We also have the Salmon Supreme Hookbait Dips and Pop Ups in stock. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

Best fishes,

John

Regular customer Lea Baverstock has just upped his personal best with the cracking common carp shown below. Lea’s common picked up his Mainline Cell Dumbell Hookers hookbait tipped with Enterprise Pop-Up Sweetcorn at 6.30am and took 10 minutes to land. It was caught from A1 Pits and weighed 26lb 8oz. Well done Lea !!

Best Fishes,

John