Chris Lowe Features 17-11-2016 16:11:00

How to boost your bags!

Big-carp expert, Chris Lowe reveals everything you need to know about injecting solid PVA bags; a tactic that has allowed him to plunder some of the UK’s most pressured waters

“I started injecting my solid PVA bags with liquids five-years-ago and I can honestly say it has transformed my fishing. I’d previously played around pouring liquid into the bags but it was hard work and extremely messy. I eventually got hold of a syringe and started injecting my bags with a whole host of weird and wonderful liquids. From the off, my catch-rate improved dramatically and I’ve never looked back.

“Over the years I’ve experimented with most liquids but the oil-based varieties are by far the most effective. Oil is less dense than water, so it rises into the upper-layers, therefore drawing carp down towards the contents of your bag.

“If you are going to inject your solid bags, make sure that you leave them to stand for half-an-hour or so before casting. This allows the liquid to completely soak through the contents of the bag and get between all the gaps in the bait. If you cast the bags out straightaway, you’ll only have a light covering of oil all over the pellets. This will release all of the attraction as soon as the PVA bag dissolves. I’ve found that around half-an-hour is enough time for the liquid to thoroughly soak through the bag. After being left for this amount of time, there’s no reason why the bag won’t release attraction for up to 12hrs.

“I’ve lost count of the amount of times one of these attractive bags has nicked a bite when others are struggling.”

“There are a whole host of different bag mixes but pellets and groundbait really take some beating. They take on the liquid meaning that there’s a constant stream of attraction given off over a long period. It’s basically the same principle as using an oily PVA Stick but the attraction released is much greater.

“If, like me, you fish lots of tricky, pressured venues for carp of all sizes, then I’d recommend getting yourself a syringe and some oil-based liquid. I’ve found that hemp oil is a great attractor, even in the winter, when lots of anglers tend to shy away from oil-based products.

Chris injects as much liquid as he can get in the bag

Always leave the bags to stand for half-an-hour before casting them

Groundbait and pellets take on the liquid and prolong the amount of time the bag releases attraction

“Nowadays, syringes are quite easy to get hold of and you will find them in the predator section of most well-stocked tackle shops. To make things easier, I’d recommend that you buy the largest syringe you can find. This will make it much easier to inject the PVA bags with large volumes of liquid.

“I’ve lost count of the amount of times this simple tactic has nicked a bite when all else has failed. I don’t inject my bags all of the time because sometimes I want to cast them onto showing fish straightaway. If I’m on fish but I’m not catching them, a bag injected with liquid will often nick a quick bite.

“As lots of you will know, I spend a lot of time fishing heavily-pressured venues on the Linear Fisheries complex. So often one of these attractive bags has nicked a bite when all the other anglers around me are struggling. Sometimes using an approach that’s a little bit different from the norm can be the difference between catching and blanking. Whether you’re fishing over bait or casting onto showing fish, I’m sure that injecting your bags will catch you loads more carp."