How to make tigers even better

We know tiger nuts are a very special bait that carp, if allowed, will soon become accustomed to, giving them a special place in any carp angler’s armoury. As is so often the case with baits used in gay abandon, carp will become cautious feeding over or on them, even though they are one of their favourite munchies. So what can we do to get the ‘growl’ back into a special summer carp food? Well believe it or not, there are plenty of ways to rev the old growlers up so they become the new tiger on the block!

The simplest of all is to mix them up. Mixing anything up creates variations in a theme, but also means a carp has to look at the variants in different ways, and hopefully in doing so just make that one slip up we want: a bite! Rather than just preparing a bucket of standard tiger nuts, mix them up: black tigers (sparingly), crushed tigers and peeled tigers. This offers different shapes, sizes textures, along with different buoyancies and colours. Then why not fish a highlighted (in smell) and colour tiger nut hookbait over the top, such as black or skinned nut?

When we say highlighted in smell, gather some tigers that are that bit special, you know, they look good for a bite and then soak them in a natural sweetener such as one of the many Talin-based products available. Leave them in this solution as they get better as they age and are naturally preserved.

Another little edge is to mix in some of the larger lumps of Nashbait’s Rock Salt with your free offerings; this works extremely well just as the weed is beginning to grow as the carp seem to home in on the salt and in doing so find the growlers.

Alternatively, why not try a tiger nut hookbait straight out of the packet? You can buy tigers that have been prepared in sweet chilli (Walkers) and they are sold in supermarkets, where you’ll find loads of other mind-watering combinations!

Here’s something a little bit different that will give your tigers a very different boost, and if they have been done then try this little number for size. Take a kilo of standard tiger nuts and cook as normal. Once cooked, drain. Now here is the trick bit: you’ll need a tub of powdered Banana Nesquik drink. Get an old tray and sprinkle the banana milk powder over it, then while the tigers are still hot put them on the tray and shuffle around ensuring they are totally covered, this is easy to do by shaking more powder from the tub. Keep on dusting until covered and allow to cool off before putting in a plastic bag and freezing for later. You have a different colour, a heavenly milky yellow smooth plume when they are in the water.

Think outside the box to bring back the growl in your nuts!