Carp Catchers Blog

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

Glugging or dipping single hookbaits can improve their pulling power and increase the chances of a run when no free offerings are available. Most pop-ups have a matching dip/liquid to go with them which can be used to soak hookbaits in for increased attraction. Although that doesn’t mean to say that hookbaits have to be soaked in matching dips, you could always try something different and mix hookbaits with different liquids. Try dipping or glugging your singles and see how your results improve. Two of the more popular dips are the Richworth Impact Boilie Dips  and the Mainline Hookbait Enhancement System

Glugging or dipping baits can be messy business, there are items out there such as the Sixth Sense Stainless Steel Dipping Tool which makes the job far less messy.

Tight lines

Dave

Single hookbaits are a good approach all year round although they come into their own during the winter when bites definately slow. Single hookbaits are many anglers favourite approach during the colder months because of their effectiveness at picking off fish in their winter mode which otherwise probably would not have been caught if a bed of bait was used.

There are a wide range of baits out there which work particularly well as single hookbaits. I prefer to use glugged pop-ups for singles but most high attraction baits are suitable. Some anglers prefer high viz baits where others prefer high attraction food baits. My favourites are white pop-ups such as the Baitcraft Snowball, yellow pineapple pop-ups such as Mainline Hi-Visual Pineapple Juice and food bait pop-ups such as Dynamite Baits The Source. This gives me a good enough range to try.

My tips would be to make note of any fish you see show during the winter months this year and in previous years if you know the water well and use these areas as starting points each session. Bear in mind on some waters the fish could well be at range so use simple pop-up rigs that are less likely to tangle and don’t over complicate things too much. And remember if you see fish show it might be worth a cast at them as fish are less likely to move much during the winter so the closer you can get a bait to the fish the better chance of a run.

Tight Lines

Dave

Little David has sent in a catch report.

“ 

I have just returned from quite a hectic session at Welham lake where I’ve got my first season ticket on the lake and decided to test it out as I had high expectations for it this winter having already lost possibly the biggest in the lake!.

I arrived later than I hoped on a Friday night due to homework (typical! My French teacher’s always had it in for me!)and when I arrived with this glum weather I had to set up my rods In a mad dash due to this I didn’t have much of a choice of swims so I decided to share a swim with my friend. After baiting the rods and putting out some bait I decided to speak to a few of the guys next door to me and they had told me that the biggest fish out the whole week had only been 12lb (Quite bizarre for that lake!)

Later on that evening after having some grub I stayed up late having a social with some of the guys, when I finally retired to the bag it wasn’t long before my left hand rod placed underneath an overhanging tree to the far bank that looked very ‘carpy’ ,had rattled off and a few minutes later after a very scrappy fight a new pb lay in my net, it took me a while to get my friend out of bed! But once he decided to shift we got the fish back safely all 16lb 5oz of it so I was pleased to say the least with the result. The rig I used was tied with Korda Hybrid Soft Coated Braid   to a size 10  Korda Longshank X Hook  . Baits were 15mm The Source  boilies plus some home made boilies. I hope to get a few nights down there this ever drawing closer winter in search of a biggun! ”

Little David! ”

Well done David, good luck with your quest.

Best fishes,

John

For you carp anglers who fish through the winter we have the new Baitcraft Snowball  and Super Tutti Freezer Boilies in stock. These baits are dedicated winter baits, that will work year round. We also have the Attractor Pellets  and Pop Ups  to match. For more information click on the above links to go to the main site. There will be a lot of new product information in coming Carp Catchers Blogs as we have loads of new stuff.

Best fishes,

John

Stick fishing is a very advantageous method of fishing as it helps illiminate tangles, can be cast long distances and leaves very little in the way of food items around the hookbait but maximises attraction. Once mastered stick fishing could help you put more carp on the bank.

All that is required to make a good dynamite stick is some Korda Funnel Web Pva, a compressor, some groundbait which in this case is Dynamite Swim Stim Amino Black and a PVA Friendly liquid or oil. Make sure you use a winterised oil for your winter sticks, these won’t congeal and have an adverse affect on the melt time of your PVA.

TFG Gunk Liquids or Winterised fish oils are ideal for stick mixes during the colder months as well as the colder ones.

Step 1.

Firstly pour your chosen groundbait into a container, I use an old pop-up pot which means I can store my mix away to avoid it drying out.

Step 2.

If preferred you can now crumble in a few boilies of your choice to customise your mix. A Korda Krusha can be used to get the finest of boilie dust. If done using your hands Id suggest gently agitating the tub, this will bring the larger items to the top of the mix which you can now crumbled further.

Step 3.

Add your chosen liquid or oil bit by bit making sure to thoroughly mix it in as you go so not to add too much, you want a slightly damp but firm mixture. It is important to get the consistency of the mix correct so it compresses properly. Now leave the mix to absorb the liquid for atleast 20 mins before making your sticks or adding more liquid or groundbait if necessary.

Step 4.

Once mixed thoroughly scoop the desired amount of the stick mix into your funnel web PVA system.

Step 5.

Now for the important part, using the compressor stick from your PVA funnel web system while holding your thumb over the end of the system compress the mix as hard as you possibly can, the firmer the better.

Step 6.

While holding the PVA tight push the compressed mix out of the end.

Step 7.

Now trying not to break up the mix in the bag tie it off as tightly as possible.

Step 8.

Tie another knot in your mesh and cut the pva between them.

Step 9.

Trim the ends of the knots down carefully and your bag is now ready to thread up your hooklink.

Dynamite sticks are ideal for winter fishing where you want as little food items as possible around the hookbait but maximum attraction.  They are alsp effective during the warmer months. Adding winterised fish oils during the winter can maximise the pulling power they have during the colder months. Another little edge, if you don’t want to use fish oils, is to use Mainline Hemp Oil  as this naturally does not congeal in cold water conditions.

If you’d much rather buy a ready made stick mix that doesn’t require any preparation then Mainline’s Pro-Active Stick&Bag Mix-Crushed Tiger Nut or Dynamite Bait’s Monster Tiger Nut Stick Mix and The Source Stick Mix are ideal.

Give them a go.

Dave

Winters coming and we are stocking up on clothing for you guys. The New Trakker Arctic 3 In One Clothing Bundle  is waterproof and breathable and should keep you warm in the coldest of weather. The clothing bundle features a lined and padded jacket with zip off hood, a lined zip out fleece jacket and a lined and padded bib and brace. The Arctic 3 In One Clothing Bundle has many more top class features as you would expect from Trakker. For more information or to purchase please follow the above link. For those that do not want a full suit new in are the Trakker Stormtex Jacket  and  Trakker Stormtex Sweatshirt  at very keen prices, so give those a look too.

                          Trakker Arctic 3 In One Clothing Bundle

Best Fishes,

John

We now have two new products from ESP and Drennan in stock. The NEW ESP Two Tone Striptease Hooklink  material is marginally thinner in diameter and more rigid than the original stripteaze. It is a tightly woven Dyneema core with a translucent polymer coating and has a specific gravity of 1.25 meaning it will lay flat on the lake bed without the need for additional weight. It comes on 20m spools of 15lb, 20lb and 25lb although ESP claim it obtained average higher breaking weights than stated with a carefully tied 5 turn Grinner knot.

The second product to arrive in the shop recently are the NEW  Drennan Buoyant Maggots . These are available in a mixture of shapes and sizes in Natural, Fluorescent or Bloodworm red colours. The range of size means they can have a diverse range of uses from popped up baits to critically balanced bottom baits. They can also be fishing in conjunction with other artificial or real baits as a bait cocktail. The maggots are pineapple flavour and have been dusted with food grade starch powder, although this flavour can be over-ridden with more concentrated flavours. These are a perfect little addition to your winter tactics. For more information or to purchase follow the above links.

Tight Lines

Dave

Customer Ian Smith sent in this photo of a nice common carp caught back at the end of last October. Ian used Nash Scopex Squid Plus Freezer Boilies  to tempt his nice clean 15lb specimen. His snowman rig was tied with  ESP Striptease Hooklink . Well done Ian

Best fishes,

John

During the colder months of the year many anglers tend to use different baits to their preferred summer baits. At this time of year a lot of anglers move over from their summer fishmeal based baits and start using fruity baits such as Mainline Hi Visual Pop Ups or Richworth Pineapple Hawaiian Freezer Boilies  . These baits which are brightly coloured and have highly attractive fruity smells are more likely to grab the attention and interest of the carp even if they are not particularly interested in feeding. That isn’t to say that carp don’t get their heads down and feed during the colder periods, it is just that the feeding periods tend to be shorter. High food value fishmeal baits such as Dynamite Baits Source Boilies still work well during winter too, with its highly attractive smell and high nutritional value being prized by the carp during the winter months.

It is also a good idea to change your pellet choice if you’re intending on using them in a larger quantity than just for attraction in pva bags as the high oil pellets which the majority of anglers use during the warmer months are less digestible during the colder months. Although you can still use high oil pellets if you’re only planning on using them in small amounts as pva bag fillers for high attraction.

Groundbait mixes in Dynamite sticks are also a valued bait in the carp anglers armoury with the use of fish oils for added attraction but its a good idea to change from the oils you would use during the summer to a winterized fish oil as the colder water temperatures will cause some fish oils to congeal and your Dynamite sticks won’t breakdown very quickly, it could also hinder the melting time of your pva mesh. You could also try Hemp oil as this is naturally “winterised” so doesn’t congeal in colder temperatures. 

Particles and maggots are another big favourite of many anglers during the winter months and carp seem to love them no matter what time of year it is.

Tight Lines

Dave