To follow on from the recent blogs on prebaiting here are a few pictures to prove that prebaiting brings rewards. These fish were all caught from the same area of the lake after a long period of continuous prebaiting during late winter early spring.
Its really is worth putting in that extra effort.
Tight Lines
Dave
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The methods you choose to bait up with will depend on the distances you are baiting and the bait you have choosen to use.
Boilies
If you have choosen to target your water with boilies then prebaiting can be done using a variety of methods. Most peoples choice would be to use a catapult at short to medium range (Anything upto 50 yards) or a throwing stick like the Korda Eazi Stick for longer range baiting. Both these methods will allow you to bait up with boilies both quickly and accurately without too much disturbance. If you have choosen to bait a spot out of throwing stick range then I would suggest using a good spod setup and a boilie spod such as the MCF Extreme Range Rocket Spod. Spodding out your bait will create a little more disturbance but it will enable you to reach further distances and get the bait out to where you want it. Spodding your boilies can also be a good way to avoid the seagulls diving down and grabbing baits as your baiting up. The method I would recommend for short range baiting with boilies would be a bait spoon, this can be used with a landing net handle or baiting pole depending on the situation you are in.
Particles and Pellets
Baiting with Particles and/or Pellets can be a little trickier than boilies. If you are fishing the margins or at short range then I suggest you use either a catapult or a baiting spoon and pole such as the AI Baiting Spoon, Pole Float and Baiting Pole (8 or 12 metre available) as they are far less hassle than spodding. If you have choosen to bait an area out of catapult range then a spod is probably your only option. If so I would suggest making sure that you know your sight markers very well and you have your line on your spod rod marked up so you are able to bait accurately at the right distance.
Groundbait
Although I haven’t mentioned this method of baiting in any of the previous blogs I would just like to touch on quickly the methods used to bait up with groundbait. A lot of people are able to ball up their groundbait and throw or catapult it to their spots. For those of you who wish to try groundbait on your water but wish to bait up out of catapult range I would suggest using a groundbait sling such as the Atomic Ballz Out Goundbait Sling. These are very good bits of kit, once you have mastered the technique it is possible to bait up with groundbait balls well beyond the range ever thought achievable.
Depending on how busy your choosen water is and whether you mind people knowing what you’re up to then it makes sense to choose the time of day you bait up carefully. If you wish to try and keep your activities undercover from other anglers then I would suggest baiting up well after dark to avoid being seen. This also has its advantages in other ways. It cuts down on the birdlife activity while you are baiting up and over the area in general. It also means there is bait in the water for a good few hours before the birdlife moves in and finds the bait giving the carp more of a chance to get a look in.
Tight Lines
Dave
The quantity of bait you choose to prebait with should be determined by the stocking density of your water. If you are fishing a heavily stocked lake then prebaiting with a small amount of bait my not prove to be very productive.
Boilies
If you are fishing a well stocked lake then I would suggest around 2-3 kgs of boilies three times a week, larger boilies are generally better to prebait with as it avoids the attention of other species such as Bream and Tench. A single fish is capable of eating a very large amount of bait in one sitting, although this will vary throughout the year depending on water temperatures. Carp are cold blooded animals so their dietary requirements are much lower in cold water conditions. In the winter it is possible to reduce your prebait to around 1kg because of this, it will only take a few mouthfuls for a carp to fill itself up and move away from the area. On lakes that hold a smaller stock of carp I would maybe reduce the quantity of bait by a kilo or so unless you know that the fish will accept large quantities of bait without shying off them from past angling pressure. Try to use a good quality freezer boilie such as Mainline Cell , Nash Scopex Squid or Richworth XLR8 .
Particles and Pellets
If you choose to bait with particles and pellets on a well stocked lake I would up the amount as particles are cheaper and they will recieve a lot more attention from nuisance species. Maybe 10-15 kg per week baited every other night. If you are using tiger nuts to bait up with then please be aware that they are not very digestable to carp and are best used in small quantities. The same goes with what I said above about water temperatures and food consumption so alter your quantities accordingly. It is also worth baring in mind that smaller fish are more able to eat the particles and pellets you are baiting with, so increasing the quantities where large numbers of nuisance species are present maybe required for the carp to get a look in. Otherwise the carp maybe seeing none of your bait and are unaware of the area you are trying to create.
The quantities mentioned above are all just guidelines, each lake, stock and situation is different so go with what you think is best but bare in mind the factors I have mentioned. See also Part One - Part Two
Tight Lines
Dave
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
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
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
Autumn has to be one of the best seasons on the calendar for carp fishing, as well as spring but we’re not there yet. During the autumn period big carp all over the country start to fed quite hard in a bid to up there weights for the winter ahead. It is not uncommon that all the larger residents of a lake will get caught during this period. This could be due to the fish being in competition for food or just generally being greedy about how they are feeding before the onset of winter. Either way they more often than not make mistakes this time of year.
If you’re planning to fish through this autumn into the coming winter then pick yourself a good quality bait such as the Mainline Cell or Activ 8 freezer boilies, the Nash Amber Strawberry or Baitcraft T1 are all proven winter baits. Big carp know what’s good for them and what’s not, that’s how they got so big in the first place so picking a good quality bait is very important. This time of year it’s also important to find those areas which the carp are prepared to feed and get some bait on them, if you have the opportunity to prebait these spots in readiness for forthcoming sessions then it can pay to do so. Although prebaiting can be a frustrating game if the lake your fishing is targeted by a lot of anglers it can pay off in a big way if everything all comes together. Prebaiting can get the fish feeding confidently on your chosen bait in your chosen areas while there are no rigs in the water. If possible try to prebait on or just after darkness, this will avoid any unwanted attention from the birdlife residing on your water.
If you can it helps to find out as much as possible about captures during the autumn from previous years and the kind of spots they are getting caught from. If you can’t do this then I’d suggest targeting the deeper silty areas as this is where the majority of the carp’s natural food can be found in abundance. Carp are a creature of habit so it can become very difficult to get them to feed in areas they wouldn’t usually visit, so the areas you target must be visited by the carp on a regular basis or you could very well be making the challenge even harder for yourself.
Observation is the key to finding the feeding areas that carp are visiting, first and last light are the best time to watch for feeding carp. Whether that be bubbling, crashing or clouding of certain areas of the lake. If these areas are located you are half way to banking carp in their autumn colours.
If you bare in mind the factors I’ve discussed when planning your autumn campaign then you could well be in for a good one.
Tight Lines
Dave
Im a big fan of spreading boilies over a larger area to encourage carp to keep moving, especially as the temperature is beginning to drop. Its helps your rigs work more effectively as the carp aren’t stopping to feed, they are picking up the boilies on the move. It also leaves less chance of the fish sussing your baited area. Tightly baited spots do produce fish and I will also use them in given situations but I believe that a spread of bait is far less obvious as the carp only come across the odd boilie over your area. It can also help produce takes faster as the carp are more likely to pick up your bait if they come across it.
This is a nice clean mirror carp caught over a spread of 20mm Baitcraft T1 Freezer Boilies on a recent overnighter where I put all three rods in the same area and spread 150 baits over the three of them. The rig I used a blowback combi rig tied with 15lb Korda IQ Fluorocarbon and 2” of stripped Sufix Stiff Silt to a size 6 Korda Wide Gape Hook .
Give it a go.
Tight lines
Dave
In my last blog I talked about a new season baiting campaign and how to apply your bait. I touched on areas to apply your chosen boilies, but which areas should you choose?
Weed Beds
Unfortunately on most lakes in the UK you will be competing not only against the fish but also other anglers, particularly so if you can only fish at the weekends. In order to give yourself the maximum edge you need to concentrate your baiting campaign in areas’ which are less attractive to the majority of other anglers. Weed beds are great carp holding areas, they are not so good for attracting carp anglers though, so these are a great place to start. Try to find some clear spots in the weed preferably, if this proves to be a problem apply your bait in likely looking spots around the edges. It is possible to create your own clear hotspots in the weed by putting a nice mix of hemp, small pellets, maggots and your chosen boilies into a few carefully selected places within the weedbed itself on a regular basis. The carp will rip out the weed in order to get at the goodies you have put in and as the area becomes clear continue baiting with boilies only. As I said in the last blog though, be very, very careful whose watching! Don’t forget to note down the exact location of your newly created hot spot.
Unpopular Swims
As you walk around your lake you will see the popular swims, the big double swim with nice bark chip or gravel, the swims closest to the car park, swims facing islands or other such features, swims where the grass is all but worn away. These pegs will be ok to fish and bait later in the season when the carp are searching out your bait, but for the moment avoid them like the plague. Look for the unpopular swims and put the majority of your bait in those, trying not to trample the grass, bushes etc. too much in the process so as not to alert other anglers to your presence.
Favourable Windward Bank
The predominant wind in the UK is the southwesterly. South westerly winds normally herald favourable carp fishing conditions, low air pressure, overcast skies, warmer air temperatures and very often rain(the rain not so good in my opinion). Try to find a quite swim or two on the bank into which a south westerly wind will blow and apply your bait.
Safe Areas
There will be places on your lake where the carp will feel safe and hold up when there is a lot of angling pressure on the lake. These will be places where they can’t be fished for, good examples are deep snags, no fishing areas etc. Get some bait going into these safe houses regularly even when you’re fishing elsewhere on the lake, as the carp very often venture out of them under the cover of darkness.
This may not be a comprehensive list, but it is a good starting place so get out there and have a season to remember.
Best fishes,
John