How to replicate the effect of prebaiting without actually prebaiting

“We all know how effective pre-baiting can be, but on some waters it just isn’t practical due to the number of anglers fishing. Not only is it bad etiquette baiting near to other anglers, but on busy waters you can never guarantee getting back in the same swim meaning you could well be wasting your time.

“This has been the case on Frimley, which got me thinking how can I replicate the effect of pre-baiting without actually pre-baiting. So I took a leaf out of the match angler’s armoury; you ask any match angler worth his salt and they will always have multiple ‘lines’ baited so when the bites dry up in one area they have more options primed and ready.

“There are always plenty of spots that are worth investigating so priming a couple of areas, even if it’s just with a handful of baits every few hours, will significantly increase your chances. Many times I have fished all night in one spot to move a rod onto one of these primed areas then nick a bite within minutes.”

Sharp Edge #1

“I normally bait two marginal areas and two open water areas in a swim. On most waters (especially Frimley) the margins are infinitely more productive during the day. Open water areas are a lot better at night so as it starts to cool down I will be able to flick a couple of rigs out onto the baited area with minimum disturbance.”

Sharp Edge #2

“The quantity of bait is really important and again it will vary depending on the area. Out in open water, a kilo or two is enough to get the carp rooting around and stop them in their tracks. In the edge, though, I scatter just a handful of boilies, just enough to get a bite.”

Sharp Edge #3

“Most people tend to fish a mixture of smaller particles, crushed boilies and all sorts of bits in the edge – undoubtedly this is great for getting fish feeding but can be incredibly hard to get a bite over! Whole boilies spaced out to keep the fish moving will make actually catching them a lot easier.”