INSIDE: MARTIN BOWLER / MARK BARTLETT / JULIAN CUNDIFF / JAKE WILDBORE
No.192 August 2013 August 2013 | Issue 192 | £4.10
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FLUOROCARBON:
WHY YOUR CHOICE OF MAIN LINE MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE !
Get ‘em going on the top How to get adrenaline-fuelled surface action with Colin Davidson’s ultimate floater tips. craftycarper.co
CORKING BAITS - Make your own super-buoyant pop-ups PLUS How to target (and bag) the biggest carp in your water
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Crafty Carper /// Issue 192 /// August 2013 /// www.craftycarper.co CRAFTY COLUMNISTS
On the cover: Simon Crow with a 20lb common from Emmotland, caught whilst shooting this month’s feature.
95
11
Editorial James Turner
19
Emmotland Uncovered
My Take on Fluorocarbon
Simon Crow
Editor James encourages you to
Ian Stott
Our cover star looks at how he’s managed to
not let time pass you by in your
When it comes to choosing the main line, the
angling, and talks about what’s been
catch so many fish from the venue this year,
question always asked is whether to use mono
going on in the angling world this
and hopes to help you put a few Emmotland
or fluorocarbon. Ian Stott opts for fluorocarbon
month and what’s yet to come.
fish on the bank if you fancy venturing there.
and gives his reasons why on page 19.
159
Diary of an Everyday Carp Angler
WLER / MARK INSIDE: MARTIN BO
BARTLETT / JULIAN
Julian Cundiff
DBORE CUNDIFF / JAKE WIL
Jules has been out there doing it in his own inimitable way, getting on the bank as often as his ridiculously busy schedule allows. The man is a true machine.
No.192 August 2013 craftycarper.co 192 August 2013 | Issue
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13 OUT & ABOUT
13
The Traveller
with Crowy
Mark Bartlett
After a dire excursion to Serbia, Bart’s confidence is down and there’s only one remedy for that – a few bends in the rods. He knows
On sale July 24th – August
21st 2013
exactly where he can catch some, so it’s off to Acorn for him.
FLUOROCARBON:
WHY YOUR CHOICE OF MAIN LINE MAKES A REAL DIFFERENCE !
90
The TicketMaster We highlight six venues from up
and down the country, with vouchers for two venues willing to give you 24 hours’ free fishing. How good is that?
Get ‘em going on the top
98
Hot Holiday Venue Tattershall Lakes Country Park
-fuelled surface action How to get adrenaline s. s ultimate floater tip with Colin Davidson’
If you’re looking for a fishing holiday that doesn’t involve travelling hundreds and hundreds of miles, taking a ferry,
craftycarper.co
yant pop-ups ke your own super-buo CORKING BAITS - Ma your water p in d bag) the biggest car PLUS How to target (an
001_Cover_CC192.indd
or jumping on a plane, then you’ll like this bit of lakeside luxury. 08/07/2013 10:23
INTERACTIVE
1
26
Crafty Catch Column This is the place to get your
catch pictures published, so send them in to us, and you’re in with
133
Attacking Them on the Surface Colin Davidson
Floater fishing is an art that few people
77
Put a Cork In It Myles Gascoyne
Ever wanted to make your own cork ball
have mastered, but with the carp in the
or cork dust hookbaits? On page 77 you
upper layers, Colin Davidson is on hand
can find out how, as Myles reveals his
to help you bag a few off the top.
secrets for making the perfect hookbait.
the chance of a great prize from our good friends at Mainline Baits.
61
Wychwood Competition We’ve got two of the superb
Wychwood 50ins HD Brolly Systems to give away, so turn to page 61 to be in with a chance of winning.
6
Crafty Carper
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Contents /// August 2013
71
82
panel of experts. If you get your
story from Derby-based carp angler
question answered you’re in the
Ed Betteridge. Sometimes a whole
frame for a cracking prize.
year can just be ‘your’ year.
BEHIND THE SCENES AT CRAFTY CARPER
Most Memorable
The Question Is
Ed Betteridge
This month’s carping
Highlights of the month…
This month we get the Most Memorable
conundrums are answered by our
130
117
30Plus Competition
Going After the Big ‘Un Dave Springall
We’ve got over £1,000
worth of rods to give away
Some anglers specifically target a
from the guys at 30Plus. They
single big fish, and Dave is one of
aren’t just any rods – they’re
those anglers. On page 117 you’ll
the new Centium DFX rods!!
find out exactly how he goes about doing it, and he’ll point you in the right
147
Subscribe
direction so you can do it yourself.
Fed up of going to the
122
The Route to
newsagents? Let us deliver Crafty
CARPERS’ KIT
BYCAC Glory
straight to your door, and we’ll also
Jake Wildbore
give you a load of goodies from
If you’ve entered the British Young
the nice gents at Gardner Tackle.
117 101
Simon Bangert paying us a visit.
the essentials that the Crafty team
Send us your letters,
Jake Wildbore gives you all the tips
would be lost without this month.
126
happening on the carpy grapevine. FEATURES
31
bed is put under the Crafty
are many anglers who dream of river
microscope this month. We’re sure
BCAC Blues
carping. If you fancy giving it a go, first
you’ll like it as much as we did.
Despite a promising start to
check out Matt Rand on page
This month our
126 and he’ll put you right.
panel of experts are
138
All
asked about their fishing. You’ll be surprised how much
36
the Float
section), Crafty boys Tom Morrison and Marcus Barrowcliffe’s 2013 BCAC campaign unfortunately
Bright and
of Shimano items out on the bank
came to an end. Must try harder...
Beautiful
and found a cracking little setup.
When it comes to using bright hookbaits, it’s something
Martin Bowler
lads caught the first fish in their
Shimano
and reel combo? We took a couple
Adam Clewer
31
109
we all do, but is it really
111
In Focus MPE
If you’re after some sexy bankware then you’ll definitely want to check
Martin looks at what a spot of float
necessary? Adam Clewer details
out page 111. Midland Precision
fishing can bring. It’s not just the small
his use of all things bright.
Engineering manufactures some
carp that can be caught on the float, so prepare to discover a whole new world.
43
Crafty Carper Under-21s Jack Funnell
their semi-final at Barston (the
In Focus
Looking for a nicely balanced rod
Things
approach to surface
Carp on
Fox International’s new FX Flatliter
The river season is open and there
The Great Crafty Debate
the methods differ.
Fox
Matt Rand
and you can find out what’s been
107
In Focus
River Carping
stories from around the world
our swim look like some sort of
of the best products around from a whole host of companies, as well as
the ones we like. We’ve got news
thought it fitting that we made war zone! Here’s event organizer
this article is for you. Past champion that you need to be successful.
money for Carping4Heroes, we
We take a look at some
Carpers’ Angling Championship then
stories and pictures, and we’ll print
Seeing as we were raising
Carpers’ Kit
Inbox
152
Carping4Heroes
143
Meat Feast Team Crafty
A bait that seems to have been forgotten over time is meat, and it’s
cracking buzz bars, sticks, etc.
113
Moob Alert!
In Focus
If you’ve already looked at
Okuma
the picture of Chris ‘Bones’
Looking for new reels? The
Holmes above, it’s too late for
Jack Funnell tells us how he targeted
one which really comes into its own
Distance Carp Pro Integrator is most
you – if not, avert your eyes
the residents of a southern pit
with all fish. Is there a boilie ban on
definitely a good buy from Okuma.
now, especially if you’ve just
and found success along the
your club water? Get on the meat!
Find out more on page 113.
eaten. Put ‘em away Bonesy!
way, whilst Josh Jones reports in with another blog entry.
49
Brave New World Nick Burrage
156
Expert Advice Les Marsh
Northern big-carp-catcher Les Marsh
114
Tried and Tested Trakker Levelite
Team Crafty’s Kristian Bell has been
COMPETITION WINNERS Competition winners from Crafty Carper May issue 192
30 PLUS COMPETITION
takes a look at a presentation which
sleeping on the bank in comfort
Since we last saw Nick Burrage he’s
has accounted for a number of big
recently. Find his full tried and tested
The three winners each receive Kodex Luggage worth £213.92.
moved to a new water, which has
fish. If you want some expert advice
review of the Trakker Levelite bed
Gary Hunt, Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk
meant that he’s had to adapt his
on solid PVA bags, head to page 156.
on page 114. You’re guaranteed to
usual approach that worked so well. It seems he’s on the fish again though.
63
Three-Water Challenge Rik Johnson
have sweet dreams on a Levelite. CARP FOOD
55
Carp Food Here you’ll find all the latest
and greatest products of carpy munga,
148
Mega Deals If you’ve got some
Alex Macdonald, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire Adam Bolter, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
JRC COMPETITION
money burning a hole in your
The four winners each receive TX2Gs worth £199.99.
For the second of his three challenges,
as well as a top tip from Joe Turnbull
pocket and don’t know what to
Ryan Jacob, Roxton, Bedfordshire
Rik takes on a Stillwater. He failed
on how to boost hemp. Something else
buy, check out Mega Deals on page
Sarah Clark, Portchester, Hampshire
on the canal in winter, but can
which shouldn’t be missed is our first
148. We’ve found the best offers
G Watson, Hull, East Yorkshire
he make up for it this time?
look at the Starbaits Layerz range.
around from a host of retailers.
Lewis Foster, Idle, Bradford
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7 08/07/2013 15:14
Martin Bowler strolls through the countryside to find his little piece of float fishing heaven on earth.
T
he dog days of summer are here when nature beats to a slower rhythm and the countryside basks in warmth from
an ever-present sun. The rich bounty of recent months has seen all of nature have its fill and there was a sense of contentment as I wandered through the clover towards the lake at the bottom of the meadow. Bumblebees were everywhere despite no longer being as common as they once were, drunk on nectar from the cupfuls available inside marsh woundwort and field rose. Moving closer to the water, I noticed another winged insect enjoying the meadow’s hospitality as hawker, darter and emperors rested from their death-defying aerobatics across the pond’s surface. I stopped momentarily and took time to admire the scene as green spread out as far as the eye could see, and I was reminded that we do live in a magnificent country.
36
Crafty Carper
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Carp On The Float Martin Bowler
ANGLER PROFILE
Martin Bowler ........................... Age 41 ........................... Hometown
Chippenham, Wiltshire ........................... Occupation
Professional angler/journalist ........................... UK PB
45lb 4oz ........................... Favourite venue
Anywhere quiet and picturesque ........................... Rods
3Âźlb Terry Hearn E-S-P ........................... Reels
Daiwa Windcast Z ........................... Alarms
Fox Micron
ABOVE A handful of scales was the reward for giving the float a go.
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37 04/07/2013 09:23
ANGLER PROFILE
Nick Burrage Age 43 Hometown
Bridgnorth Occupation
Angling consultant UK PB
40lb 8oz Favourite venue
The Mangrove Rods
Nash NR Reels
Shimano Longcast Alarms
Nash Siren
Shropshire carper Nick Burrage is spreading his wings a little further afield in search of a 40lb common, and a few tweaks to his tried and tested approach are already bringing results.
I
’m currently in the Nene Valley
to fish here. I‘d dearly love to catch a
predominantly on Shropshire’s silty
fishing a complex of lakes. The one
40lb common, as living in Shropshire
meres, so although this isn’t totally
I am fishing today is around 20
I haven’t had access to the size of
new to me, having fished places like
acres, made up of bays and points. It’s
fish that are present in other areas
Horseshoe before, it is well removed
a weedy lake, with lots of different
of the country. I’ve come close a few
from the lakebeds that I have fished
types of weed, from silkweed to
times, and my best from Shropshire
for the last 8 years. It certainly
Canadian pondweed. It isn’t just the
is 39lb 15oz. In this lake there are up
requires a different approach. I’ve
size of the carp that has brought me
to seven 40s depending
had to fish with a lot more precision;
here, although the lake does contain
on the time of year.
instead of fishing areas I’m fishing
a 40lb common, which is high on
My previous carp
spots. I like to fish traps and put a lot
my list of targets. The clear water
fishing was
of thought into my bait application,
means that the fish are black, and it’s something I don’t come across at home. I remember seeing photos of
whether it is three baits down the edge in a little trail or a couple of
a friend of mine here, Ed Betteridge,
kilos tight on a spot.
and from then I knew I had to make
On The Mangrove
the effort to travel the 100 miles
I could bait up an area and create a feeding spot, but here
RIGHT It was success from the start with this 31lb near-leather.
I have to find spots where the fish are willing to feed and where I can present my rig.
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49 28/06/2013 11:36
Brave New World Nick Burrage
Baiting Up I’ve never been one for using a spod, but for
ABOVE A mixture of shapes, sizes, colours and flavours keeps them guessing.
my baiting tactics on this lake it is proving invaluable. Some of the holes in the weed are
sized, coloured and shaped boilies to keep the
no bigger than 4ft square, so I’m having to fish
fish guessing. I’ve also been mixing flavours
to markers and then clip and measure things
too, using both Monster Squid and Scopex
out precisely. To find these spots, I generally
Squid. I’ve found that the Monster Squid
don’t use a marker to begin with; I use a lighter lead and start off casting long and gradually work my way back. At some points, even though it is solid with weed, it pulls back a bit easier and I clip up and try to drop the lead on the spot. More often than not these areas
produces quicker results, whereas the Scopex Squid comes into
its own on a longer session. “How much bait How much bait I put out I put out depends depends on how long I on how long I expect expect to sit and wait for to sit and wait for a bite. a bite. I usually start off I usually start off with with half a kilo on a spot half a kilo on a spot and and see what happens. If I see what happens” don’t get action on that rod
are clear. Although I’ve come here in search of a big common, I actually prefer to fish the numbers game
I won’t rebait it. If I get bites or any indication such as liners, I rebait at some point in the day. Obviously
rather than targeting individual carp. I fish to
I don’t want to bait up when I’m expecting
get bites, and if I get a few bites, generally
action; I need to time the baiting accordingly
the big fish will come along. It is important
in order not to reduce my chances of a bite.
to get the fish competing, and work different
On here, I have worked out that by baiting
tactics and use the whole of the swim to my
up at lunchtime I was cutting my chances
advantage rather than chucking all my eggs in
of a daytime bite, but I got runs through
one basket. I like to use a mixture of different-
the night or first thing in the morning. LEFT Accuracy is vitally important – most of the spots are tiny. BELOW The amount of bait I use depends on how long I’ll be fishing.
50
Crafty Carper
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Carp Food
Team Crafty Carper
Welcome to the Crafty Carp Food section, the place where you’ll find the latest and greatest carp food releases, plus some wicked tips from the experts. If you need to turboboost your munga, then this is the place to get inspired, start dabbling, and go hauling. TEAM CRAFTY CARPER’S CHOICE
Boost Your Hemp Hemp is naturally an awesome bait which has long been used by many carp anglers to great effect. If you want your hemp to stand out from the rest on the lake, then check out Joe’s tip this month, as he lets you in on his secret to boosting his hemp offerings.
Marukyu Liquid Additives RRP: £8.99
Here in the Crafty office we’ve all been using the liquids that Marukyu have to offer. Kristian has been having some good results on his liquid-enhanced offerings, so here he takes a look at the products he’s been using.
M
The sun is out, the carp have finished spawning
is immense for pulling the carp into the swim, and also if anything does move onto your spot and has
arukyu produce a range of highly
a bit of a feed, you can’t miss the slick that kicks
concentrated liquids, including the in
up to the surface; it can flatten off half the lake.
vogue Krill, as well as Sanagi 430 and
It’s Floater Time
leakage of all the natural attractors on the lakebed
Summer is now here and I know that Crafty
Sanagi and Crayfish 420; sanagi is a completely
editor James has been out there doing his
natural product, deriving from silkworm chrysalis.
favourite style of fishing – up close and personal
on most waters and they are now on the hunt
Here at Crafty HQ the team has been lucky enough
surface stalking. The liquids have been a real
for an easy meal, so where better to find one
to have been trialling these products for the past
winner for him; I know he’s been using them
than on the surface? Everyone loves a bit of
12 months, and we have all had success using the
to soak his mixers and to give them a boost.
surface fishing, and here we take a look at a few
liquids in various ways. I use it for my bag and stick
Mixers straight from the bag always work, of
things you may need from the lads at Nash.
mix, but my favourite way is to add half a bottle
course, but why use standard mixers when
of Krill and half a bottle of Sanagi and a full bag of Krill powder (SFA 400) to around 5kg of spod mix; these two liquids contain natural salts, so I then only add a pinch of sea salt to the mix. This serves two purposes – the
you can use supercharged ones?
“Why use standard mixers when you can use supercharged ones?”
Sticking with the Marukyu products, the guys have sent some of their new Credence boilie range for us to try out this summer; this consists of Krill Feast, Fruit Spice, Strawberry Red and Orange Punch. The same scientific approach with the use of amino acids has been used to produce the boilies, as well as the cracking liquids.
The Need for Layerz We’ve got hold of the brand new range from bait giants Starbaits, and to say we’re impressed is a massive
I’ll keep you updated on my results when I give the boilies a try in the near future.
understatement. The Crafty team has taken a close look at it this month and from what’s been seen, expect good things to come from it. There’s also a QR code to a video link that has to be seen to be believed.
PLUS GREAT QUICK BITES FROM MAINLINE, MARUKYU, STICKY, RICHWORTH, CC MOORE, NASH BAITS, NUTRABAITS AND MORE!
TOP I love to add the Marukyu
liquids to everything, whether it’s my spod, stick or bag mix. LEFT James has been using
the liquid Krill to ramp up his mixers to good effect.
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55 05/07/2013 11:10
Carp Food
Team Crafty Carper
QUICK BITES
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Nash Bait Floater Pack and Critical Floaters RRP: Floater Pack – £9.99; Critical Floaters – £2.99
Solar Marine 17
Online: nashtackle.co.uk
RRP: £9.99 per litre
When it gets to this time of
Online: solartackle.co.uk
Mainline Baits High Impact Banoffee Boilies
the year, the sun is high and
This is a super-thick amino compound
RRP: £9.99 per kilo
so are the carp in the water
that simply screams carp as soon
Online: mainline-baits.com
column, so where better
as you take the lid off. Perfect for
High Impact Banoffee shelf life boilies are pale in colour and are a
to target them than on the
soaking boilies, adding to particles,
high-quality food source bait, now available in Mainline’s new 1kg
surface. With the Nash Floater
spod mixes, or even to PVA bags.
resealable bags. As soon as you smell them you know they’ll catch.
Pack there’s everything you need in one single bucket for Pack contains 1.8kg of 11mm
Gulp! Carp Coco & Banana Boilies
boosted pellets, as well as a
RRP: £10.99 for 1kg bag;
pack of dedicated hookable
27.99 for 3kg bucket
floaters to match; packs are
Online: gulpcarp.co.uk
available in Strawberry or
Everyone knows that coconut-based
Pure Crustacean. Still keeping
baits work, and many fish have been
to the same flavour choices,
taken on banana-based flavours,
tubs of Critical Floaters
so when you combine the two the
are now also available as
alarms will definitely be screaming.
under a tenner! The Floater
dedicated surface hookbaits. They are critically-balanced to help offset the weight of the hook and ensure the hookbait sits inconspicuously amongst the freebies.
DT Baits N-Blend Boilies RRP: from £11.49 per kilo Online: dtbait.com Now this is a true all-season catcher of carp – a great blend of nuts and seeds with a hint of cream. Boilies are available in 10, 15 and 18mm sizes, with pop-ups and liquids to match.
56
Crafty Carper
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ANGLER PROFILE
Rik Johnson Age 42 Hometown
Scunthorpe Occupation
Martial arts instructor/tackle shop manager UK PB
38lb 12oz Favourite venue
Linear Fisheries 15 years ago Rods
Prologic Fast Water Reels
Okuma Integrator Alarms
Prologic Unit
The Three-Water
Challenge Part Two
2>>
Rik gets the rods set up and opts to use a leadfree leader to help pin down his end tackle. The bonus with this stuff is that it sits perfectly over weed and other obstacles.
In the second of a three-part challenge, Rik Johnson takes on another type of water for the day. This time he’s off to a local lake to see if he can pass challenge number two.
1>>
With his spod mix sorted,
Rik gets to work trying to find a few spots in the weed. This stuff
3>>
Due to the significant weed out in front of him, Rik uses a lead clip setup to ensure he drops the lead on the take.
is everywhere!
4>>
With his spot found, he clips the reels up at the same distance and
also uses some elastic as a line marker.
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Three-Water Challenge Rik Johnson
5>>
To try to pick out the bigger fish, Rik chooses a double hookbait incorporating a 16mm bottom bait with a 16mm pop-up.
CREATE RIK’S SPOD MIX
Rik likes to get a good bed of bait down that will keep the carp rooting around
1 From the off Rik is straight into making up a mix to get spodding, as he knows the fish in here like a bit of bait, and there are a fair few ingredients Rik likes to incorporate.
6>>
It sits perfectly on the bottom, and with a presentation looking
like that it’s got to be worth a bite!
7>>
Within just 2 hours Rik’s middle rod is away and it’s game on!
2 Now that looks like a cracking mix that’s sure to get the carp rooting. The pellets used will break down to a fine crumb.
8>>
It’s there – a cracking
30lb mirror! What a result.
3 According to Rik, it needs a binding product that will kick off attractors through the water column, so he opts for the Method & Stick Mix to match the boilies, liquid and pellets.
4 Now that’s more like it – spod mix done and ready to go. With a full bucket spodded on the spot the lakebed will be full of food items.
64
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ANGLER PROFILE
Put a
Myles Gascoyne Age 40 Hometown
Winchester Occupation
Carp school coach UK PB
43lb 10oz Favourite venue
Ashmead Rods
Free Spirit Reels
Shimano Technium Mgs Alarms
Delkim and ATT
Myles Gascoyne details how a little cork, a few ingredients, and a bit of extra effort can produce perfect hookbaits that could out-fish everyone else.
I
in it! even a Size 6 might be used, and therefore more buoyancy is required to negate the weight of the larger hook. You could make a nice Snowman presentation using an 11mm
’ve always been one for fishing hookbaits
pop-up and a 14mm bottom bait, and I often
that either match or are similar to my free
do that to good effect. Other times I like to
offerings. I rarely fish a boilie over particles,
fish a hookbait that is all but identical to
and equally I do not fish with bit baits, such as
the free offerings, as that can make a huge
bits of fake corn, in among whole boilies. To
difference, particularly when bites are hard to
take that further, if I’m fishing boilies, which
come by. I do this by making my own hookbaits
I seem to do a lot at the moment, then I like
and adding buoyancy to them in the form of
my hookbaits to act in a similar way to my
cork dust. This way I can precisely control the
free offerings. Balancing the buoyancy of my
buoyancy of the baits, and make the perfect
hookbait and rig, therefore, is, in my mind,
hookbaits for a variety of situations so that
essential. One day I might be fishing with a
I’m always prepared. Most anglers know
small hook, such as a Size 10, and so a piece
about cork ball pop-ups, and many make their
of fake corn usually counteracts the weight
own, but by the same token you can create
of the hook. Another time I might be after big
balanced hookbaits too, which is something
fish in weedy, snaggy waters, so a Size 8 or
that is far less common, but a great edge.
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Put a Cork In It! Myles Gascoyne
Create Your Own
it before making cork ball pop-ups as a matter
I wish I could tell you ‘put X amount of cork dust
of course, to get it as fine as you possibly can
with X amount of base mix and it’ll be just right’.
because this will help with rolling the baits.
Unfortunately I can’t do that. Firstly, base mixes
The next step is to add 10% by volume of egg
and attractors vary a great deal in density and
albumen to toughen up the baits. Again, no matter
therefore the amount of cork dust required to
what mix you use, I recommend that you do this
create the desired buoyancy varies depending
because you want the finished baits to be nice
on the mix. Also, for example, if you put a third
and hard. I prefer to attach the cork ball pop-ups to
by volume of cork dust into a mix and roll it into
my rigs by tying them on with bait floss, but even
14mm and 18mm baits, the 14mm might negate
if you pierce the bait you want it to be good and
the weight of a rig tied with a Size 10 hook very
tough. Make sure the egg albumen is well mixed
nicely, but the 18mm baits will contain more cork (simply because they’re larger), and so might be too buoyant for the rig. I’m afraid you just have to experiment a little, but I really think it’s worth it. Because of the trial and error element in getting things just how you want them, always make notes so you can repeat the hookbaits
into the base mix. Add the dry mix to the liquid additives which have been mixed with an egg or two, depending on
“Always make notes so you can repeat the hookbaits when you find the perfect levels”
how many baits you plan to make.
when you find the perfect levels. While you’ve got the bait-rolling kit out making some balanced hookbaits, you may as well make some super-buoyant cork ball pop-ups as well. These are great for all manner of situations, but really come into their own when there’s a chance you need to leave the hookbaits in place for prolonged periods, as you can be sure that a cork ball pop-up won’t lose its buoyancy over time and will remain perfectly presented. For making cork ball pop-ups, you need to sieve the base mix to ensure there are no lumps or seeds, as you need a fine mix. I have been using Solar’s new Seafood Take-Away baits recently, and I have been sieving the base mix to remove the 2mm pellets that it contains for making perfect cork-ballers. No matter what base mix you use, I recommend that you sieve
78
RIGHT Working out the ratio of cork dust/base mix to create the baits you want is done by trial and error. ABOVE Balanced bait paste mixed and ready to use. BELOW 14mm balanced Seafood Take-Away hookbaits.
Crafty Carper
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28/06/2013 11:04
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