Bait Edge!
CARPologist, John Kneebone reveals another of his clever bait tricks...
If there is one thing I’ve learnt about any fishing edge or things that help in gaining extra bites and landing bonus fish, is that they are nearly always very simple and often the smallest of tweaks. Little differences and things you learn from being observant when it comes to how your approach is working and the habits of the fish. Say for example you land half your bites on a size 10 hook one week, change to a size 6 hook the next week and land twice as many – that is an edge.
When you begin to ask yourself why something is working well or not and why are the carp doing this or that and noticing things, you will discover your own edges. Some you may keep quiet and some you may share, just like I’m going to now…
One thing I’ve noticed at this time of year is that the carp begin to wise-up a touch as the angling pressure through spring and summer begins to have an effect. With the carp having been hooked possibly a number of times they can begin to be a little hesitant when deciding what to suck into their mouths and can be a lot more careful in doing so. This is where a small difference in perhaps a very popular or productive approach can pay dividends, such as a different colour hookbait or the type of hookbait, the type of feed or perhaps all of these things.
Using bottom baits instead of pop-ups or which ever hookbait is more popular can be a simple yet massive edge
One of my favourite ways of doing this is to use a bright bottom bait boilie as a hookbait instead of a popular pop-up on a Hair rig. On to which I’ll add a small golf ball-size PVA funnel web bag of pellets. Once this is cast into the lake I’ll catapult six similar sized PVA bags of pellet each containing a single, bright bottom bait exactly the same as the hookbait to the area.
Now when Mr. Carp enters my swim there is little to distinguish what may be a hookbait and potentially dangerous. Instead there is more to activate its curiosity and confidence to feed, consequently picking-up my hookbait presented in exactly the same way as the free, safe feed. A simple and effective method or ‘edge’ that has worked for me and I’m sure will work for you!