Cornz - Beat The Ban

It’s fair to say that carp fishing has evolved somewhat over the years with many great improvements, alongside a few that are, arguably, not so. I remember sitting with my Grandad many years ago watching ‘A Passion for Angling’ and being mesmerised by the atmosphere created by Bernard Cribbins, which compared with today’s high-octane style of fishing films, is worlds apart. Watching Chris Yates pole out his rods with a Bushwhacker wouldn’t quite be the same as the ingenious placement of Kevin the scarecrow ready to ambush those old Redmire carp. Would Terry’s historic capture of the great Mary be the same story if he had used a drone to find his clear spot in the rich weed infested waters of Wraysbury?

The reinvention of the wheel in angling has certainly slowed but with such a vast array of products on the market it almost feels flooded with choice. While there are still plenty of new products available, not many ensure you catch more carp. Having the newest design of hoodie, the limited-edition mug or a bivvy that goes up in 30 seconds may make you look more carpy, but when it comes to the fundamentals, it is still all about watercraft and bait placement.  

One thing that has remained unchanged throughout the decades is the carps’ love of the humble golden grain - sweetcorn - one of the cheapest baits you will ever find and one that catches carp all over the country. Is a bucket of spod mix ever complete without at least one tin of sweetcorn? As anglers, we have and still do use corn within our own angling in one way or another. It may be in spod mix or as the old faithful sight topper on your boilie, that little bit of yellow the carp seem to love. However, choices for fishing with corn have been quite limited, with the only real imitation being in a plastic artificial form. Whilst plastic corn has been used to outwit many a carp, it is also being banned from numerous waters due to the fact it’s always fishing. With the increased use of plastic baits, the chances of live rigs in the water from crack offs is also raised. Where a boilie will breakdown leaving a rogue rig baitless, a plastic bait will always be ready to foul a passing fish, causing potential problems such as fish being tethered. 

The guys at Tails Up have come up with the perfect solution - the Cornz. Cornz are plastic free, non-toxic and fish safe, produced using traditional pop up mix ingredients and perfect for use on venues which have banned the use of plastic hookbaits. They are an identical replica of a piece of corn, however they are tough and durable like a pop up. The Cornz come in two sizes, large and small, as well as two types of buoyancy, standard and Super Cornz. The standard Cornz are more suited for wafter and balanced presentations. One large or two small pieces balance perfectly for any wafter style rig. I have had great success using two grains of the standard small Cornz inside solid pva bags, they sit perfectly balanced within the mouthful of pellets ready to be sucked in by a passing carp, while the Super Cornz are exactly that! The buoyancy of these is unbelievable, making them perfect for all pop up rig presentations. one large Super Cornz or two standard Cuper Cornz will hold up the heaviest of rigs such as a Spinner, Stiff Hinge or Chod all day long. I have had two small pieces on a Spinner rig for over 24 hours and they were still as buoyant as the time they first went out, unlike some of the pop ups available today where extra cork is sometimes required.

Not only are the Cornz available in different sizes and buoyancy levels, they also come in three different colours: yellow, pink and white. Limited edition large black Cornz are also available which I’m sure will be a hit with zig fishing as two large super Cornz will easily hold up a zig! Another unique thing about this bait, is the fact that it is completely flavour free enabling you to customise it to your own requirements and change the flavours to whatever works well at a particular venue or time of year. I personally use the Korda Goo when it comes to personalising my Cornz, all they need is a couple of drops of the Supreme Goo and they are good to go. The options with Cornz bait really are endless! 

 A pot of standard Cornz will set you back £4.99, Super Cornz cost £5.49, while refill packs work out slightly cheaper. For more information and to order check out the Tails Up social media pages or the website www.tailsup.co.uk.