Bill Cottam Carping Allegedly

The Ultimate Carp Bait
I have no desire to be the bringer of bad news, or contradict in any way some of the bait companies out there who continually attempt to tell you otherwise, but the ultimate carp bait—a bait which fish simply cannot swim past without eating it—will, I am afraid, never exist. Let’s face it, though, I suspect the angling world would soon become a very boring place if all we had to do was cast out and wind another one in. Having said all that, it is an indisputable fact that the quality of what is available these days, from a number of sources, is in a totally different league, both nutritionally and in respect of effectiveness, to what was being produced thirty years ago. We, as carp anglers have also learned a great deal over time about how to get the best out of whatever bait we put our faith in. The consistently successful modern-day angler will undoubtedly have much more up their sleeves than simply throwing a few boilies around their hookbait before sitting back and waiting for it to happen.

Selecting a specific bait and applying it in a way that best suits your own particular style of fishing is, without question, one of the secrets to becoming a successful catcher of carp, and although that may sound very obvious, it is one aspect of it all that many very often get wrong. Let’s face it, if you have a hectic work schedule, a wife and a young family, and consequently you get out for only the occasional overnighter, it stands to reason that what you require from your bait will be considerably different to that of the full-timer who spends 5 nights a week on the same 200-acre gravel pit whilst fishing for the very occasional big fish. Similarly, if you enjoy fishing numerous different waters over the course of a season, what you need to achieve with your bait of choice will be totally different to what would be required if you were planning a year-long assault on a big-fish circuit water. The secret is not to be swayed so much by the specific bait that your angling hero uses and their method of application, but rather by what is more likely to bring you the best results.

In my opinion, one of the greatest changes in the bait industry over the last couple of decades has been the improvement in what are commonly referred to as foodbaits, baits specifically designed to be used on one particular water for a prolonged period of time. The best advice I have ever been given with regard to baits of this type, is that you should treat whatever you choose to use as food for the fish, rather than something they might pick up occasionally out of curiosity, and one thing is for sure: if you can reach the stage where your bait is being accepted as an everyday food source, the job of catching carp will very quickly become a great deal easier.

Putting together a bait of this type is all about getting the nutritional balance right, and being sensible in terms of the inclusion rates of attractors. I have no desire to rekindle the age-old argument regarding nutritional recognition here, but it is an indisputable fact that carp do have an uncanny knack of recognising what actually benefits them nutritionally, over a period of time. Consequently, the closer you can get to fulfilling that requirement, the greater the chances are of your bait being accepted as an ongoing food source. For baits of this type, additional attractors such as flavours, essential oils or particularly potent powders should—if required at all—always be used at the lower end of their suggested inclusion rates—and these should always be shown on the products’ packaging. Short-term, high-attract baits—those designed for a quick hit, or for the angler who likes to chance their arm on a number of different waters—are a different ball game altogether. With baits of this type, emphasis should always be placed on instant pulling power and boosted levels of attraction, rather than nutritional profile, which in the vast majority of cases is largely irrelevant. 

This is where the myriad of liquid and powdered additives that adorn the shelves of your local tackle shop really do come into their own. If you do your homework and use them wisely, it is certainly possible to create something that will virtually stop a fish in its tracks. The problem, of course, is that baits of this type do have a habit of having a very short catching life. 

There are a number of products out there, and there are baiting techniques too, that have a terrific track record when it comes to instant attraction. The best advice I can give is to contact whichever company you have faith in, and talk to them about the specific type of bait you are looking for; as part of their service, they should be happy to offer meaningful advice to help you to put more fish on the bank.

Roadside Exercise
If you were driving along the dual carriageway that connects the M1 with Sheffield city centre a month or so ago, and you spotted a rather overweight fella with a blonde mullet exercising in a lay-by in the drizzle and freezing cold, I have a confession to make: it was me! The shoulder that I managed to smash up a few months ago continues to give me a considerable amount of gyp, and I am certainly someway away from regaining full strength in it. 

My recent week in France and a fair amount of rowing that were part and parcel of the trip, did little but agitate things further. As a consequence, when the long-awaited call from the NHS came and I was advised that my sessions with the physio were drawing to a close, it was something of a relief. Much to my amazement, I was informed that my course of physiotherapy would not involve me spending time with a glamorous young lady in a crisp, white coat a couple of sizes too small for her, or anything like that. In fact, if truth be known, my treatment wouldn’t involve me meeting anybody at all. Unbelievably, it would all be done over the phone! 

The call came as I was stuck in heavy traffic on the Sheffield Parkway, and it was immediately suggested—no doubt by the young lady in the crisp, white coat—that I should pull over at the next available opportunity, get out of the van and keep my phone with me. To the obvious amusement of several passing motorists, I spent the next half hour describing where the pain was and stretching and twisting as per the instructions coming down the phone. Meanwhile, the wind and rain battered me continuously from all sides! By the time my so-called physio session was over, I was soaking wet, freezing cold, and felt like I had been kicked up and down the road for an hour or so. My next joyous telephone appointment with the physio was arranged for a month later—I can’t wait!

All this came after a particularly nasty bout of tonsillitis had laid me low for about eight days. After telephoning the surgery and being number 8,027 in the queue, eventually I got through to someone who claimed to be a doctor. I was told that the current procedure was for me to open my mouth, take a flash-enhanced photograph of the back of my throat, and then text it through to the surgery; I would then get a call later that day and would be advised whether I needed antibiotics or not…

The call came about six hours later, and following a series of questions about the discomfort in my gullet, it was established that my infection was of the septic variety, and that prescribing antibiotics would be pointless. Apparently, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and plenty of water was the way forward. After five days of living on soup and yoghurt, and being unable to sleep, talk or swallow, my daughter was back on the phone to another doctor, and they immediately prescribed a ten-day course of antibiotics, also making it clear that I should have been on them from day one… I felt markedly better within two days!

Now, let me make this totally clear: I am a huge admirer of the National Health Service and I consider us all to be incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful facility freely available, and without doubt, their efforts throughout the Covid pandemic have been off the scale, but come on guys, there are occasions when we need to see a doctor in person. Moan over!