How to make your stick mixes even more attractive

We all know what a deadly method Sticks can be. Since they were first thrust in to the limelight, these little parcels of attraction have been come an integral part in a lot of people’s angling. Offering benefits like keeping the hook point masked from weed and anti-tangle properties. The upsides of Sticks are many.

We can all go out and buy ready-made Stick mixes off the shelf and most bait companies do excellent ones that match their bait ranges. But this is just the tip of the iceberg though, and there are multiple things we can do to make our Sticks stand out from standard shop bought ones and each other’s.

I have played about with various bits relating to Sticks for a few years now, trying various techniques and ways with them to boost the attraction and change them about a bit to try and separate myself from the norm and to try and maximise their effectiveness. This isn’t to say my way is the right way; it is just my thoughts on the subject and something that works for me. I will let you make your own conclusions from what I write.

The powdered additives

The vast range of products that CC Moore has on offer can open up to endless possibilities to how you create your own signature mix. Powdered additives and liquids all bring different things to the party, creating heightened levels of attraction to get the carp homing in on your Stick and ultimately your hookbait. From the range you could create your very own personalised mix but for the purposes of the piece I will stick to ready-made ones with some extra tweaks!

Recently I have been playing around with Live System range from CC Moore. The range has everything you could possibly want and need in your fishing. Boilies, pellets, hookbaits and of course Stick mix. But like I’ve previously mentioned, anyone can go out and buy a Stick mix off the shelf and they will be very effective but how can we try and make ourselves a little bit different and stand out from the crowd?

Starting out with powdered additives, these can offer alterations to density and also food content. By using lighter particles, things such as crushed hempseed and extra breadcrumb, can give a lighter mix and create more floating particles to draw the fish down but not overfeeding them. Using things like the dried insect meal or molasses powder will not only increase the attraction of the mix but by using these products you can darken off the mix as well. Something that I have done to good effect in the past is to try and match the colour of my mix to the colour of the lakebed. It leaves you with just a pile of attraction that doesn’t look too obtrusive on the bottom.

Not really a powdered additive but one more great additive to any Stick mix is some crushed boilie. A mix of really finely ground down bits with a few chunks in there too can offer a small amount of bulkier food items.

Alan’s Stick set-up: simple but effective

Liquid additives

Now on to the part where we can boost attraction massively: liquids. The options and choices here are ruled only by your imagination. From supermarket specials or bait company own liquids, there is an abundance of options for us to experiment with. Tailoring the ingredients to match your Stick mix itself is a good start off point but adding extras such as oils, liquid foods and flavourings can bring so much more to the table.

As with the powdered additives, the CC Moore range of liquids has something for everyone. There is something for every situation, every season and every taste. When using a dedicated Stick mix I like to try and get a similar sort of “feel” from my liquids. So, for example, if I was using a fishy style mix then I would use things like whole krill extract and fish oils like pure salmon oil, with sweeter mix things like CSL and Roasted Nut Extract are good options, as well as using the dedicated liquid to match the Stick mix. The only thing to consider when using the liquids is their friendliness to PVA. As long as the mix isn’t too wet then you should be more than fine.

Watching and waiting

A clever vodka trick...

One thing that I used to struggle with when using multiple liquids was getting them in to the mix in a way I was happy with. Due to the different consistencies and weights in the liquid, I found that as I added them in to the mix I wasn’t happy with how they were binding in to the mix. Thicker liquids causing a more stodgy mix and thinner liquids giving a glossy coating rather than working in to the particles of the Stick mix. The finished Stick wasn’t ideal and I was never fully happy with my presentation, with the Stick sometimes being clumpy.

I racked my brains to try and come up with a solution to the conundrum. I struggled until I had a brain wave. Without a doubt, match anglers are far better when it comes to groundbait mixes then us carp anglers. Luckily I am good mates with a couple of very proficient lads who know what they are doing when it comes to knocking up a groundbait ball or two. I invited one of my mates round under a ruse of his family and him coming for an evening meal – really I wanted to pick his brains! Once I had his attention, I started to ask him questions from the massive list I had built up: What is the best way to mix it up to get a good texture? How could I get the best from my mix? And the biggest one I had: what was the best way to get my liquids in to the mix as I wanted?

We sat and talked and I learned as he passed on some of his excellent tips on texture. I showed him the liquids I was using and the problem I had. He told me to bring them out along with a glass. We poured the liquids in to the glass and they sat in three layers based on the liquid density: heavy food extract at the bottom, bait liquid in the middle and then the oil on the top. I stirred the liquids up but they soon separated again. Then my mate offered me his magic tip.

“What have you got in to drink?” he asked.

Alan plays around with hookbaits until he finds the winner for the day

Now being the top host I am, I had already made sure he and his clan were well fed and watered so I asked what he meant.

“What is in the liquor cupboard?” he replied before heading over to the drinks cupboard to see what I had in. He pulled out a bottle of vodka and proclaimed ‘this will do’. We headed back to the table and the multiple liquid glass – keen to see whether the vodka had any use or whether he was just trying to find a way to ease the day’s troubles! He took the top off the bottle and poured a good glug in to the glass full of liquid. Using a fork he combined the mixture. Once he had stopped stirring the liquids had all combined and come to one smooth liquid! Putting my nose to the glass all the notes of the individual liquids came through; the answer to my problem looked to have been solved!

I asked him how the method worked. The science, so he told me, is that the strong alcohol cuts through the pHs of all the liquids and allows them all to marry up perfectly. This wasn’t something I had heard before but boy was I glad he had! He proceeded to tell me that an alcoholic beverage of around forty-per cent would be required to make sure that the liquids would marry up. So again, like the liquids used to give off the attraction, you can use whatever takes your fancy: vodka, like he did in his demonstration, whiskey, gin or even Sambuca.

Sitting over the rods

I was fishing the next day so I suggested that we make up a small batch of Stick mix. He poured a small amount of mix in to the bait tub and then starting to stir as he poured in the liquid. Working the mix with a fork and keeping it smooth and big lump-free, it looked brilliant. Covering the mix he told me to check it again later and just run the fork through it once more. Taking his advice, I did just that and then covered it back over.

Waking the following morning to go angling, a quick rub over with the fork and the mix looked perfect. When I arrived at the lake I knocked a couple of Sticks up and threw them in the edge. Watching the PVA melt, the Sticks broke down and look spot-on; nice, light and literally bursting with attraction! All I needed to do was add the rigs and cast a couple of fresh in to the depths.

The next stage on

After the initial teachings from my mate, I decided to take the ideas passed to me and run with them, using all different types of liquids and alcoholic beverages.

I am constantly tweaking the mixes that I am using and varying them to try and make them better. I have currently settled on to what I feel is a bit of a winner though. Using the ready prepared Live System Stick Mix as the powdered base, I have been adding a small amount of crumbed-up Live System freezer baits. The Stick mix itself is nice and light both in colour and texture and packed with attractive goodies and the boilie crumb adds a bit of extra food value and texture.

On top of this base, I have been trying out a few liquids but have currently settled on four and the alcohol. In to the glass have been going the excellent Roasted Nut Extract, the Live System bait dip and some hemp oil. On top of this I have been adding a drop or two of Talin. For the alcohol I have been switching between gin and Sambuca; both add a little kick and the aniseed flavour from the Sambuca seems to be a good compliment to the creaminess of the Live System.

I tend to make the liquid up in the following way. The Roasted Nut Extract goes in first thanks to being the thickest and densest; then the Live System bait dip; and then the hemp oil sits nicely on top. A couple of drops of Talin finishes off the groups of liquids before the alcohol is added. The layers are well definable in the glass, but a small slug of the alcohol and then giving it a good mix the liquids forms a beautifully smooth liquid. The creamy, nutty aroma is dreamy!

Proof in the pudding. A Stick-nailed common!

The prep work

I feel it is important to do the preparation work with Stick mixes before fishing. Whether it is an hour before or the night before, as this allows the liquids to penetrate in to the particles of the mix. I have tried making the mix over-wet or on the dry side, but from an attraction point of view I feel that over-wetting the mix is a good way to go. It takes a little bit more tending to make sure that it stays light and fluffy but the attraction level, for me, makes it more than worth it.

I tend to fish simple rigs with Sticks: a coated braid to a strong sharp hook, along with a small piece of shrink tubing to act as a kicker. For my hookbaits a matching Live System wafter, a Northern Special White wafter or a Boosted Live System dumbbell can all score well on any given day and I will start with one of each on the rods and then switch all rods on to the winner on the day.

As with all parts of angling, the more thought and effort you put in, the more you will get out of it. The options for Sticks are only limited by your own imagination so get out there and try different things and make yourself stand out. The only opinion that counts is your own, so do it on your own terms!

Stick bushcraft