Carp Catchers Blog

Here’s a photo of customer Rob O’Brien with an impressive Pike of nearly 25lb. Here is what Rob had to say.

“Not been fishing for most the year but got out over the Xmas holidays and had this near 25lb pike was on some dead bait I had of you over a year ago!”

Well done Rob

Dave

During a recent winter session, when the lake was empty and all the other anglers were at home I landed 7 fish to 25lb 2oz. All the fish were landed using snowman hookbaits presented on helicopter rigs incorportating Atomic Jel-E-Wyre Hooklinks and Korda Wide Gape Hooks. The snowman hookbaits were topped with Mainline Hi-Visual Tutti Frutti 10mm Pop-ups.

Get out there and get catching.

Tight Lines

Dave

After a recent 24 hour session on a local syndicate I landed this stunning 25lb 8oz Ghostie along with 4 other fish. The fish fell to my standard blowback set up consisting of the new Korda Kaptor Wide Gape Hooks, Korda Weed Green Shrink Tube and Atomic Jel-E-Wyre hooklink with an Armaled Locjaw Safety Leadclip, 3oz Korda Pear Swivel Lead and 3 ft of ESP Leadcore. The hookbait was a 20mm snowman presentation topped with a 14mm Solar Fluoro Pineapple pop-up. The fish were all landed with the aid of the new Korda Subline.

Tight Lines

Dave

Also in stock now is the Dynamite Baits Savoury Spice Range which is Terry Hearns very own recipe. The Dynamite Baits Savoury Spice Boilies are made using spices, mixed herbs and chillies on a fishmeal and birdfood base mix. This recipe looks like an ideal winter bait though I’m sure they will catch year round. The Savoury Spice Boosted Hookbait Dip  has elavated levels of the attractants used in the boilies. Finally the Savoury Spice Pop Ups are made with the same ingredients as the boilies with added cork dust for boosted bouyancy. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

                   Dynamite Baits Savoury Spice Range

Best Fishes,

John

We now have the new Trakker Tundra Suit in stock. The Tundra is an upgrade of last years Arctic Suit. It is fully waterproof and breathable and features a jacket with a zip in zip out fleece and sallopetes. The Trakker Tundra Suit is manufactured from a heavy duty fabric which houses extremely warm, high tech insulation and should keep you warm and dry this winter. For full specifications or to purchase, please click on the above link.

                             Trakker Tundra Suit

                            View Video Clip Here

Best Fishes,
John

We have the Nash S3 Professional Bivvy and the Nash Frostbite Sub-Zero Sleeping Bags in stock now. These three items are just a part of Nash Tackles extensive new 2010 range. The Nash S3 Professional Bivvy  is lightweight and has three modular options. It has a radical new aerodynamic profile which maximises stability, increases headroom and porch protection. For more information or to purchase please click on the above link.

The Nash Frostbite Sub-Zero Sleeping Bag  is a high performance lightweight sleeping bag designed for the mobile angler. It is manufactured from a waterproof, breathable peachskin material with a thermal fleece lining for quick warm up and increased heat retention. For the larger carp angler we also have the Nash Frostbite Sub-Zero Wide Boy Sleeping Bag  which is made of the same specification materials. For more information or to purchase please click on the above links.

                  Nash S3 Professional Bivvy

          Nash Frostbite Sub-Zero Sleeping Bag

 Nash Frostbite Sub-Zero Wide Boy Sleeping Bag

Best Fishes,

John

At last! a catch report. Sean and Lea went carp fishing over the Christmas holidays on the Bluebell Lakes complex and were the only two there. Sean unfortunately didn’t have a sniff, but Lea had two jack pike and the very welcome mirror carp shown below. Lea’s mirror weighed 20lb on the nose and was caught on glugged Dynamite Baits Red Fish Pop Ups . Well done to both Sean and Lea on managing to actually getting out in the arctic conditions. Special congratulations to Lea though for getting the one we all want, a carp in the snow!!

Best Fishes,

John

The Solar Quick Change PVA Bag System is ideal for anglers who use PVA bags for the majority of their angling. The system will ensure you don’t lose the bag on the cast while improving casting distance and accuracy. The system is designed to be anti tangle and works with any inline lead.

For the purpose of this demonstration I used a Korda Flat Pear Inline Lead, Solar Contour Super Supple Rig Tubing and Korda Size 8 Ring Swivels  was used between the helicopter beads for the rig to be attached to.

Step 1.

Thread your mainline through your desired length of the Solar rig tubing.

Step 2.

Now thread 1 of the beads provided with the Solar PVA System onto the rig tubing followed by the Korda Ring Swivel followed by another bead. If you’re using mainline straight through there is silicone tubing provided for the beads to the grip. If you’re using leadcore then please ensure all beads can be pulled free of the leader to ensure the lead will be lost in the event of your line breaking. Tie or loop your hooklink to the ring swivel.

Step 3.

Now thread on one of the sleeves provided and push the tubing securely inside.

Step 4.

Then gently push the insert out of your choosen inline……

…..and thread it onto your mainline.

Step 5.

Tie a Figure Of Eight Loop Knot  in the end of your mainline and attach the Solar quick change PVA bag clip like so.

Step 6.

Now pull the lead over the clip followed by the sleeve and rig tubing. The finished setup should look like this.

All you have to do to attach a PVA bag is to pull the clip out of the bottom of the lead and hook a PVA bag on before pulling the clip back inside the lead. Then just thread the hook through the mesh of the bag and your ready to cast out.

This set up is particularly well suited to adding freebies with the Mag Aligner Rig and really comes into it’s own during the winter months.

Give it a go.

Tight lines

Dave

For those of you who dare to brave the banks during the colder months it is worth baring in mind that equipment can freeze up, especially those items left outside your bivvy/shelter. The one item of tackle which you don’t want to fail you during the long dark nights is your bite alarms. With most bite alarms operating by a magnet roller it is possible for these to freeze which would mean a disaster should you get a run during the night and your alarm fails to signal a pick-up. A small bottle of Glycerol (Basically an anti-freeze) is all that is needed to prevent such items freezing up. Simply apply a thin layer around the roller during sessions where temperatures could well freeze them up. It can easily be wiped off when it is no longer needed and it will save missing a run which at this time of year is very likely to have been hard earned.

It can also be used for your rod rings to prevent your lines freezing to them. You should be able to get Glycerol from Boots or your local chemist

Tight Lines

Dave

Its getting to that time of year again when maggots are becoming more widely used due to them being such an effective winter bait. Have a go at tying this rig and see how you get on.

The components used in this demonstration were the Korda IQ2 Xtra Soft Fluorocarbon , Korda Wide Gape  hook size 8 and  Korda Micro Rig Swivel.

Step 1.

After cutting your required length of fluorocarbon tie on a Korda Wide Gape using a knotless knot making sure to whip round the shank twice on the way back down to the eye. 

Step 2.

Now thread a micro rig swivel onto the tag end above the hook.

Step 3.

Then pass the tag end through the back of the eye to the front and trim the tag end down to about 3-4mm. This will have created a D shape on the back of the shank for the swivel to move on.

Step 4.

Holding the hooklength out of the way slowly blob the tag end with a lighter to secure it in place. Make sure not to burn the hooklink as this will damage the fluorocarbon and increase the chance of it breaking. Also take care not to burn yourself.

Step 5.

To finish the rig tie a figure of eight knot in the other end setting the desired length of rig you require and trim the tag end.

The finished rig should look like this.

This rig works best with a large bunch of maggots and a couple of imitation pop-up maggots to help counter the weight of the hook. This rig isn’t strictly a maggot rig and can be used with other baits as well. 

The knots used in this demonstration can be found in previous blogs by using the search bar on the top right hand side of the page.

Give it a go.

Tight Lines

Dave