The broken hookbait edge you need to know

Chopped and crumbed boilies added to a mix or used as a sole concoction is a superb way of getting carp to feed. You have broken the seal of the bait, thus enabling its powerful attractors to ooze across the lakebed. The only problem is that this can make it difficult to present a hookbait matching your freebies. However, with the use of mesh or in this case ‘ladies tights’ you’re able to create something a little bit special – under the radar so to speak.

Not only does it give you a more appealing bait, you can literally leave it out for days with no fear of it coming off. Not even the diving coots and ducks will pull it off due to its toughness. Normally I’ll take a 16mm boilie, push it into some tights and make it as tight as I possibly can. Then, secure it off with some bait floss. Once this is done, I will pinch the bait in my fingers and break the boilie down. This will now smell and act like a chopped boilie and is far more appealing to the carp than a regular bait. This allows baits containing fishy soluble ingredients, such as my favoured Krill boilies that already have a phenomenal leakage rate whole, to give off even more attraction as a broken one.

Once this is done, I Hair Rig my bait and leave it soaking in some Krill hookbait dip. The tights and the crumb will take on the flavour extremely well and this will hugely enhance your hookbait. This can now be fished over both chopped and crumbed baits and will be far more inconspicuous to the carp, with no whole baits to alert their senses of danger. This does not just work with boilies though and I have quite often used this with a mix of pellets and hemp too. Just a small meshed bag of both 2mm and 4mm Krill pellets with a bit of hemp and salt is a great way of getting bites when they are hard to come by.

How to... Create a durable 'broken' hookbait

1 Start by taking a length of bait floss, approximately ten-inches.

2 Now wrap the bait floss around two fingers twice as seen here.

3 With the tag end, go through the gap in the loop created twice.

4 Carefully pull down to tighten and you have created a Slip Knot.

5 Wrap a boilie tightly within some thin ladies’ tights just like this.

6 Twist the mesh to keep it tight and place your floss around it.

7 Pull the Slip Knot down really tight to secure the mesh next.

8 To prevent the knot loosening, blob it all down with a lighter.

9 There you have it! Shape the hookbait to whatever you like!