Planning for Spring with Amy Maunder
'A productive start to the year will only lead to bigger and better things for the remainder of the year...'
At this time of the year, I like to make a start on my spring plans. I like to think a productive start to the year will only lead to bigger and better things for the remainder of the year. Firstly, choosing the venue I want to focus most of my angling on is the first port of call. Areas and spots come second and then the most important of all would be my baiting strategy.
There isn’t a better time to really put some thought into what you would and wouldn’t want to use on your chosen venue. For me, I like to settle on a good food source bait in the form of boilies. This for me is a no-brainer due to the types of venues I like to fish. However, with the huge amount of choice within the Mainline Baits range settling on one isn’t always easy. Although I don’t strictly stick to one flavour, I do have my favourites like we all do, but as the year goes on I like to switch things up. The reason I like to come up with my own mixes is because it leaves me with a huge amount of choice when it comes to hookbaits.
I usually like to fish a Balanced Wafter or Pop-Up. Two completely different types of hookbaits but both offering the result I want. I know a carp has a better sense of smell than eyesight but for my own confidence I want to know they can flipping well see it. I’m always looking for that ‘oooooo what’s that’ effect. I trust the Balanced Wafters to keep great buoyancy and presentation when in the water for long periods of time. The pop-ups are just brilliant when your spots aren’t as clean as you like and they help to keep nuisance fish at bay!
Over time, session after session, I will always make sure my spots are topped up consistently. I will happily apply bait for a couple of weeks before I even start fishing in that area. After the initial baiting phase is complete, I always keep them topped up during each session. As the year warms up, the amount of bait I use increases and decreases as it cools again. Hopefully with some success in between!
