Attraction Filled Pellet Bags!
John Kneebone explains how he uses pellets to maximise his boilies through winter and spring
There was a time if I’d been asked to class my style of fishing, I have to say I was a boilie angler, and I suppose if push came to shove, I’d say the same now, but… in recent years, I’d also have to say I fish solid PVA bags a lot – it’s usually my first point of call! Thinking about it, I’d guess it’s because I fish waters containing a lot less nuisance fish and more modern venues—stocked predominately with carp—a lot more. These carp, reared on pellets, obviously gain an affection for them, and living in often weedy waters free from silvers, PVA bags holding a small mouthful of pellets can be a real winner, especially so in periods of the year when it’s unclear if the carp will be that hungry, and/or feeding near the deck. A bag of pellets is offering enough food for a bite, as well as pumping attraction through the water column toward the surface, pulling fish down that may be high in the water.
The transitional period between winter and spring, is one such time where these doubts over how much feed is needed exist, but as a self-confessed boilie angler, it’s also a time I’m looking to introduce these food items. Again, pellets can really help overcome this uncertainty and give some leeway to potentially overfeeding. I say pellets broadly, but to be specific, I’m talking about Response Pellets, because these pellets are available in the same flavours as the Freezer Bait boilies from Mainline, meaning I can increase the food signal of say a light feed of boilies with matching pellets that will breakdown, but not increase the potential of overfeeding—brilliant!
Now, there’s no way I can talk about these tactics without mentioning the Smart Liquids. A nice, even coating of one of these liquids over the boilies I love gives each one of those baits the power of a hundred, again, significantly increasing the levels of food source attraction I’m introducing, without the feed. What’s more, these liquids are great on pellets too, either loosely or squirted into or onto a solid PVA bag, making the ‘play it safe’ style of baiting I’ve mentioned even more secure and effective!