Oily boilies

I am a huge fan of incorporating oil in to my angling, especially from June to September time. Being predominantly a boilie angler, it is something that I don’t often see other anglers do. Leaving a bag of boilies hung in an air-dry bag may be convenient, but for me, it isn’t the best way of getting the most from your bait.

It is so important to invest time in prepping up your bait and giving it that extra dimension. I am actually preparing a meal for a carp and want it to taste as divine and appetising as I possibly can.

Huge attraction

Don’t be lazy, do something that can only take a few minutes that will make a lot of difference. I have been using products such as salmon oil for years, more recently CAP-OIL. This a deep red oil containing salmon and cod liver oil, with a rich spice added too; all hugely appealing to carp. I use the Krill for all of my summer fishing and this oil compliments it greatly. I have asked for some Krill to be rolled with some CAP-OIL, but the guys have never got round to doing it. For me, that would be so perfect for the summer months and give me an even greater edge over others.

With so many anglers reverting to nut baits for all of their fishing, using a fishmeal in the summer is such an advantage. Personally, I think nothing beats a deep red and oily fishmeal. The combination of the CAP-OIL and the Krill just screams big carp and I have been fortunate to catch plenty of good fish from all the lakes I have fished in the last few years and some tricky ones too.

A visual aid

The use of the oil really helps pull the fish down to the spot as they are cruising round in the upper layers. Even if they don’t drop down straight away, they will take in that fishy smell and will know it is there for when they do want to feed. Many anglers obsess with adding trout pellets and oily hemp to their mix, mainly to allow that oily slick that flattens off the surface, indicating when carp are feeding. I believe that my oily boilies release an even stronger slick. When those carp begin to chew those boilies, I have observed small blue clusters of oil coming up off the spot while watching from a tree. Out in the pond you can see it too, which will give you a great indication of when the fish are or aren’t feeding on you.

The more knowledge that is gained by your eyes is one of the most potent strings to the bow you can add. There have been instances when it had passed bite time and I was about to reel the rods in, when a slick appeared and moments later I had a bite. If I had not got the oil in the mix, then I would have missed that opportunity for sure.

It is great for pre-baiting or investing bait on to other spots too. You could be sat there watching the water, when a flat spot appears from another area that you have baited, giving you an option to move on it in an instant.

Into practice

To apply the oil, I give them a light coating once they come out the freezer. You don’t want loads, just enough to give them a thin coating. Once absorbed, add another coating and let that absorb in too. The baits will darken right off once they have taken it on and they look, taste and smell divine.

With them absorbing the oil and avoiding letting them swim in it, catapulting and throwing sticking becomes a lot easier and a lot less messy. You don’t want to catapult them dripping in oil and it gets in your eyes, trust me it isn’t pleasant.

I am also a big fan of applying this oil to my floaters too. Again, they flatten off the surface, which makes it so much easier for a number of reasons. Firstly, you are able to see the hookbait a lot easier. Secondly, it will stop the drift of your float. It also adds so much more attraction to the Mixers and as the fish feed around the surface, they take in all that fishy taste as they do so, which can only help.