Elliott Gray: 'What I have learned'

“I must say, me ol’ mate Scott Lloyd - who was featured last month - has taken up quite a few of the things I’d have covered, so I’ve had to think a little harder about this lot. I’ve tried not to do anything too obvious or boring, so here goes, my big top ten things I’ve learned over the years…”

1. The Line-Aligner

“This is something I got shown many years ago, at the age of about 13, and I’ve never looked back. It truly does make a difference, and you want the rig to flip and turn quickly when using shrink tube, then this small tweak makes a hugely noticeable difference in ensuring it does just that.”

2. They know you’re watching

“The common misconception that we are all really good at disguising ourselves, whilst watching carp from amongst the foliage. Having spent hundreds of hours watching carp at close quarters, I am now of the opinion that for the most part, they know we’re there, or at the very least, the longer you’re there, the more chance there is of them noticing you. I’ve had it myself, and have also had many a conversation about this, but particularly once a rig is in place on the spot, get out of there, do not stay and try to watch the bite - get the rig in, and yourself straight out of harm’s way. Many times I’ve watched for ages, hidden up, only to get the bite almost immediately after vacating properly. You know when someone is watching you, you just feel it!”

3. 5oz drop-offs

“The 5oz lead has been a revelation for me. Basically, if they try to pick a rig up with one of these attached, they will probably come out on the other side wishing that hadn’t!”

4. The PVA foam effect

“The use of PVA foam has always been a funny one for me, and for many years I have used foam in a way that ensures it comes off during the lead’s descent to the bottom, this is to avoid the rig landing poorly, which a supple hooklink will, should it be held up by a piece of foam - as the foam releases, the rig lands in a heap. Nowadays, I’ll use foam, and attach it more firmly, but only if the rig I am using is either unable to tangle, or it can kick away from the lead properly.”

5. Zip leads cast furthest

“It’s a bit of a random one this, but could make a little difference to some people. I was always told, by lots of anglers, that the distance casting leads (the more bottle-shaped pear lead) were the ones for casting. Well, to cut a long story short, they definitely are not, if you want to cast further, use a zip lead!”

6. Trust your gut

“In a world full of anglers and opinions, it’s easy to be swayed by what you’ve been told or been somehow led to believe. If there’s one thing that will truly set you apart from others anglers, something no one can copy or steal, and what could be the root to your biggest success, is what YOU FEEL. Doing what you think is right at the time, based on what you have seen and learned. It’s better to try, and fail, than to look back in regret.”

7. Checking a sharpened hook

“Since the hook sharpening craze, not only have I seen lots of people make their hooks worse (actually blunting them), but they don’t always correctly check how sharp the hook is. The nail test isn’t the one for me, instead I stare intently at them looking for burrs, and run my finger tip from the bend of the hook, up to the point, several times on all three sides – if there’s even the smallest of burrs, you’ll feel it doing this.”

8. Tip your hookbaits

“Adding a small fleck of colour to your hookbaits is just enough to spark some attention, but not enough to cause concern. I do it all the time.”

9. Steam your rigs

“I have a little OCD so I could never cast out a curly-wurly rig anyway, but it’s not just about how it looks. I think steaming can play a big part in how the rig performs, when landing. One thing is for sure, a rig with a small piece of putty near the middle, that has been steamed straight, will sit in the most inconspicuous way.”

10. Shot beneath the hook

“I do this a hell of a lot now, and it all stems from a rig I started using about a year ago, with a small shot beneath the hook. It started as a pop-up rig but developed further now, and I’d guess that I’m getting on for 90-100 fish landed in a row, on a few variations of the same rig, all incorporating the shot beneath the hook. Coinci-dence? Maybe.”