Goodies for summer bites

Summer time can be such a great time to be out fishing, with warm breezy days and short nights followed by those magical misty dawns. The carp’s behaviour is somewhat more predictable too, with surface fishing often taking priority during the day but with plenty of bottom fishing and stalking opportunities thrown in too if you work at it. Bait selection for this is all-important, and there are some brilliant edges that can be applied to help you in your quest to put a summer whacker or two on the bank! Here we take a look at some of our summer essentials to really boost attraction and maximise your chances of a result.

1. Belachan: Pungent and seriously good!

Belachan in its various forms has to be one of the most underused and indeed underrated carp magnets available to the carp angler nowadays! This naturally pungent smelling marine product is sourced from Malaysia and is produced from pure, fermented saltwater shrimps. It is extremely high in salt, which as we all know is very beneficial to the carp, especially in the post-spawning period. Its high solubility makes it an additive that can be used to really boost the attractiveness of free offerings when you are baiting up.

Try taking some Liquid Belachan Extract and simply coat the surface of your boilies in a bag or bucket before adding a spoonful of Belachan Powder and giving the whole lot a really good shake to ensure all the baits are well coated. The powder will adhere to the surface and form a coating if left to dry naturally for a few hours. As your baits release this salty cloud of attraction, this will stimulate both a ‘smell’ and ‘taste’ response from the carp and it is a massive summer edge that you shouldn’t overlook!

2. Tuna L030: A true super liquid!

This incredible liquid additive replaced the original L030 liquid fish protein, which was a staple additive in boilie production and essential rucksack item for the secretive big carp hunter for many years before being discontinued by the manufacturer due to a change in legislation.

This new tuna-derived replacement has almost identical properties to the original, and is nothing short of being almost the perfect additive for both bait production and use as a bait soak, especially in the summer months!

It has an incredibly rich, almost sickly-sweet aroma and you can really detect the unmistakable scent of tuna, which carp are seriously attracted to. Perhaps the standout property of this liquid super-food is its density: it is really heavy and despite being very water-soluble it will leak off attraction both into the water column and also into the substrate that you are fishing over. This will keep carp visiting your spot long after any feed items have been eaten, which is a massive edge!

Tuna L030 has a very high natural salt content, and this combination of natural salts, high protein and therefore high amino acid content make it a simply brilliant inclusion in any bait and it cannot be recommended highly enough!

A brilliant way to use it whilst on a long summer session is to simply coat your free offerings with a liberal slug of it, or add a good dose to a bucket of lake water and immerse your air-dried baits to the bucket. Allow the baits to soak overnight in this ‘tuna soup’ before draining off the water the next day. The baits are then fully re-hydrated and completely saturated with super-attractive tuna liquid ready to go. Try this on your summer French trip and watch those indicators fly afterwards!

3. Salmon and G.L.M.: Pimp your particles!

Carp LOVE hemp, that is an absolute given. Not many anglers leave home for a summer trip without a jar or bucket of hemp in the car, and rightly so such is its summer carp catching form. Deadly as a carpet feed on its own or mixed with other seeds and pulses, it can however be enhanced with the addition of a few specials to really boost its appeal.

One of our favourite additions is the combination of Liquid Salmon Extract and the deadly carp attractor that is Green Lipped Mussel Powder. Whether you are using ready prepared hemp off the shelf of your local tackle shop or preparing it yourself then this combo is a proper game-changer!

Liquid Salmon Extract contains one of the finest attractors available in the form of hydrolysed salmon protein. This super soluble, amino rich soupy liquid is then blended with fresh salmon fillet to produce an incredible tasting liquid food that as well as pumping out food signals via its solubility, also draws fish in visually with its pinky coloured cloudiness as it disperses. The flakes of salmon meat add a very different and unique taste and texture when the carp are feeding… they simply love it.

This can be added to hemp at any stage, but is especially good after cooking so the seeds can take on its flavour as they split and open. As it is entirely natural, don’t be shy when adding it – the more the merrier!

The addition of a teaspoon or two of G.L.M Extract just enhances this attraction even further. This powdered additive is derived from the green lipped mussel as the name suggests, and is sourced from New Zealand.

It has an incredibly rich, shellfish aroma and is extremely salty to taste and is rightly rated as one of the finest carp attractors available. It is extremely rich in amino acids and is an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals, so it ticks many of the boxes in terms of the carp’s dietary requirements. Anyone who hasn’t tried this combo is seriously missing out!