Carp Catchers Blog

Guru produce two types of inline feeders, the Guru Inline Method Feeder and the Guru Inline Pellet feeder. They are setup the same way but are used with different bait loaded onto the feeder. The Guru Pellet feeder is designed to be used with soft scaulded pellets as loose feed in the feeder and the Method feeder is to be used with a method mix moulded around one side of the feeder, both giving similar presentations with different baits. Both of the Guru feeders come in two sizes, 24 grams and 28 grams.

Step 1.

Remove the small tail rubber and swivel from either end of the feeder, like so.

Step 2.

Now thread you mainline through the tail rubber (Narrow end first) and the feeder.

Step 3.

Attach the swivel supplied to the end of your mainline using a Palomar knot.

Step 4.

Push the tail rubber back into place at the top of the feeder, then pull the swivel back into the bottom of the feeder.

Now to attach the hooklink. If you buy Guru’s readymade hair rigs they will come with a loop tied in the end but if you like to tie your own then tie a loop in the end using a Figure of eight loop knot.

Step 5.

Pass the looped end of the rig though the swivel of the feeder.

Step 6.

Now pass the hook though the loop at the end of the rig.

Step 7.

Pull the hook end of the rig until everything tightens down. The rig will look like this.

Your feeder is now ready to be baited and cast out.

Give them a go. To purchase either the pellet or method feeders click on the the above links.

Dave

The Guru Pellet Feeder is an innovative design that protects the softened pellet loaded into the feeder during the cast and on impact with the water but allows the loose pellet and hookbait to come free of the feeder once on the lakebed. Here is a step by step guide of how to load the feeder.

Step 1.

Take some standard off the shelf pellets, such as, Trout or Halibut pellets and cover them in boiling water for a couple of minutes before draining the water off.

Check the pellet is sufficiently softened, if not repeat the process with boiling water until they are the right consistency.

For the purpose of this demonstration I only prepared enough pellet for one feeder. If you are planning a day session I would suggest you prepare as much as you think you may need.

Step 2.

Attach the feeder to your mainline, followed by a rig and your choosen bait. I would suggest something that matches the pellet in the feeder.

Step 3.

Partly fill the feeder with the scaulded pellet.

Step 4.

Then place the hookbait in the feeder like so.

Step 5.

Now top up the feeder and compress slightly. Make sure not to compress the pellets too much though, as you want them to loosen and release the hookbait once on the lake bed.

Your feeder is now loaded and ready to cast out.

The feeder will land on the lakebed with the pellet still intact.

But after a minute or so and a gentle pull back of the feeder from the rod it will release the pellet and your hookbait.

This type of presentation is perfect for any waters where weed is present or you are fishing in a greater depth than normal. Although it will work perfectly on all waters.

Give it a go.

Dave

The Seaguar knot was specifically designed for attaching fluorocarbon to monofilament. Fluorocarbon has become very popular in recent years with carp anglers due to its sinking and invisibility properties when submerged in water. However fluorocarbon has a very poor tolerance for incorrectly used and poorly tied knots. The Seaguar knot forms a reliable connection between fluorocarbon and monofilament, is easy to tie and the finished knot is neat and does not compromise the strength of either material.

Below are two ideal products for tying fluorocarbon leaders with.

Korda IQ Fluorocarbon

Step 1.

Hold the monofilament and fluorocarbon leader together.

Step 2.

Form a large loop in the leader and mainline.

Step 3.

Twist both loops anticlockwise three times.

Step 4.

Pass the tag end and the entire leader through the loop.

Step 5.

Moisten and pull all four ends to tighten. Trim the tag ends and your done.

Give it a go.

Tight Lines

Dave

Avid Carp Corn Stops combine the benefits of an imitation bait with a boilie stop, mimicking grains of sweetcorn perfectly. They are available in long and short to suit different hair lengths, it also enables you to change bait size without the need to tie new rigs. The Avid Carp Corn Stops are made from durable plastic and come in bright and visual colours to draw attention to your hookbait whatever the conditions.

Step 1

Thread your choosen bait onto the hair.

Step 2

Attach the Corn Stop to the hair loop via the hook on the underside of the stop.

Step 3

Pull the Corn Stop into the bait and your ready to go.

Tight Lines

Dave

Avid Carp Sight Stops are a useful boilie stop that adds visual attraction to your hookbait. They are available in long and short to suit your hair length and enable you to change bait size without tying up new rigs. The Avid Carp Sight Stops are made of a durable plastic and come in a range of bright and visual colours to draw attention to your hookbait in any conditions. The Avid Carp Sight Stops are availble in either Yellow or Mixed Colour packs.

Step 1

Thread your choosen bait onto the hair.

Step 2

Now attach the Sight Stop to the hair loop via the hook on the underside of the stop.

Step 3

Pull the stop into the bait and you are now ready to go.

Tight Lines

Dave

This Spool knot is very simple to tie and is used to attach your mainline to your spools before you refill your reels.

Step 1

 Pass a loop of line around your spool.

Step 2

Now pass the free tag end over and around the line, creating a loop.

Step 3

Then wrap the tag end 3 times around the line, closing the loop.

Step 4

Now pass the tag through the loop created above the twist of line.

The picture below illustrates what the knot should now look like.

Step 5

Moisten the knot and gently tighten down.

Step 6

Now keeping the line moist slid the knot tightly up against the spool. You are now ready to reattach your spool and start loading your new line on.

Tight Lines

Dave

The Atomic Tackle Choppa Droppa is a safety helicopter lead system, offering a setup that can be fished in or around weed that will allow the lead to drop should it become snagged.

In this demonstration I used the Atomic Tackle Choppa Droppa Ready Rigs but Atomic do sell a Choppa Droppa Kit which enables you to use your own choice of leadcore or leader.

Step 1.

Pull the micro bore bead off the small leadcore link, then thread on your lead followed by the micro bore bead onto the small leadcore link.

Step 2.

Using a baiting needle pull the leadcore link through the Choppa Droppa clip.

Leadcore link pulled through.

Step 3.

Now tear a small piece off a PVA nugget and roll it between your fingers.

Step 4.

Push the PVA stop into the loop at the end of the small leadcore link and pull it tight against the clip. Attach a rig and the setup is now ready to cast out.

Tight Lines

Dave

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

This is a simple surface rig that will compliment the Korda Surface Controllers or any other surface set up.

To tie this rig you will need some Korda Cruiser Control Surface Line, Korda Mixa Hooks, some Enterprise Imitation Dog Biscuits and a Korda Size 11 Ring Swivel.

Step 1.

Remove about 3-4 foot of Korda Kruiser Control Surface Line and tie a small loop knot in one end.

Step 2.

Now thread on an Enterprise Imitation Dog Biscuit. Place one of the supplied shot in the hair loop and pinch in place, then pull it tightly into the recess in the biscuit.

Step 3.

Pass the other end of the line through the back of the eye of the Korda Mixa hook and position it below the bait. Then hook the imitation mixer on the side opposite the shot.

Step 4.

Whip the line up the shank of the hook 6 times making sure the first whip goes away from the join in the eye.

Step 5.

Now whip the line once back down the shank of the hook.

Step 6.

Pass the line through the back of the eye again and moisten before tightening down gently.

Step 7.

Now slide the hook round further so the shank is inside the imitation dog biscuit with the point of the hook free to get a hook hold.

Step 8.

Tie the other end of the hooklink to a size 11 ring swivel using a palomar knot. Double over the end of the hooklink and pass it though the big eye of the swivel.

Step 9.

Now form an overhand knot in the doubled over section of the hooklink around the swivel.

Step 10.

Pass the swivel through the loop in the end of the hooklink which was made when the overhand knot was formed.

Step 11.

Moisten the knot and tighten it down gently before trimming the tag end.

The rig is now ready to be attached to your surface setup and cast out.

Give it a go.

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