Crafty Carper December 2013

0s 4 OR EE! F H FR FIS

HOW YOU CAN BEAT THE CHILL TV’s Martin Bowler explains how to bank carp consistently as the temperature falls

R FO

No.196 December 2013

December 2013 | Issue 196 | £4.10

craftycarper.co

HIT ‘N’ RUN HAULING Mark Pitchers on how to get the best from day sessions

Get Crafty... GET CATCHING!

CONQUERING COLD WATER Julian’s top five essential edges

GOING SOLO Single hookbaits – the recipe for success

THE BEST WINTER CLOTHING EVER? We put the brand new Zero Tolerance threads from Nash under the microscope

KEEP CATCHING

ALL WINTER

The tackle and tactics to keep you ahead of the game

craftycarper.co

On sale Nov 20th – Dec 18th 2013

T FIRSK O LO

PLUS: Take a walk on the wild side and discover carp fishing in South Africa!

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Crafty Carper /// Issue 196 /// December 2013 /// www.craftycarper.co CRAFTY COLUMNISTS

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Editorial James Turner

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Editor James looks at a number of thought-provoking points from the last month, including the changing of the seasons, as well as taking a look at what’s in store this issue.

OUT AND ABOUT

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The TicketMaster Let Crafty help you out

this month, as we’ve got four different fisheries featured which are all offering free fishing, and the bonus is that they all have fish to over 40lb! Just cut out the voucher and away you go.

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INTERACTIVE

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Crafty Catch Column

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This is the place to get your

catch pictures published, so send them in to us, and you’re in with the chance of a great prize from our

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good friends at Mainline Baits.

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Richworth Competition At the end of Martin

Bowler’s feature we’ve teamed up

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with the guys at Richworth to give you the chance of winning 10kg of the amazing S-Core boilies.

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The Question Is This month’s carping

conundrums are answered by our panel of experts. If you get your question answered you’re in the frame for a prize.

90

109

Gadgets, Gizmos and Clothing

We’ve got a whole host of the latest gadgets, gizmos and clothing to give away. If something out of the ordinary is your thing, here’s nearly £600 worth of goodies that could be yours!

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Crafty Carper

technology and craftsmanship

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MADE IN UK

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Contents /// December 2013

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Crafty Carper Under-21s Our British Young Carp

Angling Champion Tom Kerr checks in for another of his blogs, while young Louie Russell tells us his story of success.

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It’s Maggot Time Team Crafty

Maggots are the go-to bait in the

106 118

Inbox We’ve got all the latest

news from around the carping

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Keeping Concealed Team Kryston

On page 39 the Kryston team

out this review on page 103.

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The Five-Minute Interrogation –

Jerry Bridger marketing manager Jerry Bridger and gave him the old Crafty interrogation treatment.

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In Session With…

Jon Mann

When it comes to catching fish for the camera, Jon Mann

When you say particles some people

knows exactly how to do it,

automatically just think hemp and

and he doesn’t disappoint as

corn. Well, that’s not the case, as

we join him for the day.

Mesh

SONIK

Are you in the market for some

too? If so, you need to check

your end tackle concealed.

30

In Focus

else starts using them.

their travels over the last month.

I Wouldn’t Be Without… PVA

103

are pretty good on the wallet

We managed to pin down Trakker

Oli Davies details on page 19.

down on what’s hot and what’s not.

head start before everybody

of information to help keep

Oli Davies

We take a look at some of the

best products, and give you the low-

cracking reels that look good, and

have put together a whole host

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Carpers’ Kit

some top advice to give you a

off their funny images whilst on

Sowing the Seed

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winter, so we’ve put together

world, and James and the lads show

FEATURES

CARPERS’ KIT

CARP FOOD

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Carp Food Here you’ll find the latest

and greatest products of carpy tucker, as well as a top tip from Joe Turnbull on utilising groundbaits.

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Produce The Goods

By Prebaiting

Dave Magalhaes

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In Focus Books

With long nights at home by the fire or under the bivvy, there’s plenty of time to get your nose into a book. We

Carp Food – In Focus AA Baits

Lewis Clayton

If time is of the essence by the lake

If there was an item of tackle that you

then prebaiting can be the key. Get

bait ingredients, these guys

wouldn’t be without, what would it

a few spots primed and you can put

shouldn’t be ignored. Head over

be? Lewis Clayton reckons his is PVA.

yourself one step ahead of the rest.

to page 57 to find out more.

When it comes to quality

take a look at four which we all like.

121

Mega Deals Got some money burning

a hole in your pocket? Check out our Mega Deals from around the retailers.

Turn to page 30 to find out more.

33

Hi-attract Sticks Team Crafty

Following on from Lewis Clayton’s PVA Mesh feature, the team here at Crafty go through their own favourite stick mixes they’ll be using this winter.

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Bag up with this amazing value subscription offer!

82

Unmissable Subscription Offer

Kent Particles Fed up of going to the newsagents?

The Great Crafty Debate

Let us deliver Crafty to your

This month our panel of

door, and we’ll give you a load of

experts discuss their take on ‘spots’. Is

goodies from those bait-rolling

there a specific type of spot you like

boffins at Kent Particles.

to fish, or is it all just in the mind?

COMPETITION WINNERS Competition winners from Crafty Carper September issue 194

Fox Competition The two winners each receive a threerod Micron MXr + presentation set worth £319.99, or a three-rod Micron Mr + presentation set worth £219.99 Lee Johnson – Borrowash, Derby Cliff Dunston – Montacute, Somerset Wychwood Competition The two winners each receive a Wychwood Solace HD Basecamp Bivvy worth £469.99 Jamie Webb – Wyken, Coventry Martin Nee – Norwich, Norfolk

Crafty Carper

7

… seeking the boundaries of performance

p

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ANGLER PROFILE

Lewis Clayton ...........................

Age 32 ...........................

Hometown

Stockport ...........................

Occupation

Phat Fish Clothing owner ...........................

UK PB

41lb ...........................

Favourite venue

Capesthorne Top Pool ...........................

Rods

Daiwa Infinity ...........................

Reels

Daiwa Infinity X ...........................

Alarms

ATT

I Wouldn’t Be Without...

PVA Mesh Lewis Clayton is on hand this month to tell you about an item of his baiting armoury that he wouldn’t ever be without. Bring out the PVA mesh!

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Crafty Carper

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I Wouldn’t Be Without... PVA Mesh Lewis Clayton

I

have been using sticks and mesh bags in my armoury for a number of years now, and they have accounted for many carp.

I think it’s fair to say that the vast majority of carp anglers out there use some form of mesh bag a good percentage of the time.

Each and every one of you will have your own personal preference with regards to bait and the situation in which to apply the use of bags. In this article I’d like to look at when and why I use sticks/mesh bags, and the different presentations and ingredients I use.

Why? One reason I adopt the use of mesh bags frequently is down to the fact that I use braided hooklinks for probably 90% of my fishing; it gives me extra confidence that my rig isn’t tangled. To be fair, I rarely get tangles even without bags.

As long as the cast is smooth and LEWIS’ GO-TO MESH PVA BAG MIX EXPLAINED

you feather the lead, you are normally fine, but once in a blue moon you reel in every angler’s worst nightmare. Bags eliminate the problem of tangles and permit you to still cast the required distance.

If I’m fishing a venue

“Bags eliminate the problem of tangles and permit you to still cast the required distance”

I have been having great success using the S-Core stick mix in conjunction with the boilies; small pellets are added depending on the species present, and next come the liquids. I’m not a massive fan of all liquids; some have too many chemicals for my liking. Aqua-Stim is a favourite of mine and goes into pretty much everything. I’ve always crumbed my boilies into my mixes and at times I use a mesh bag with just broken boilies. Breaking the boilies open allows the attractive qualities of the bait to leak out into the water and hopefully bring in the carp.

with weed but it’s not too dense, the use of a long braided hooklink with a small mesh bag attached to stop it pulling into the weed is something I often utilise. In this situation, hookbaits are either a Snowman or pop-up presentation, but a pop-up is normally preferred.

If the weed is really thick I opt for a solid bag banged straight into it with a short hooklink.

I tend to always use a bag of some description if I’m fishing standard bottom baits, just to make them stand out from the crowd. It’s all about feeling confident.

RIGHT At this time of year I fish small bags with a pop-up rig over weedbeds as they die back.

A small mesh bag heading towards my chosen spot, enough for a mouthful or two.

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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

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Crafty Carper

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MARTIN BOWLER | PART FOUR: WINTER It’s now upon us and Martin’s ‘Angling Through The Seasons” has reached the winter months. It’s the time when many pack away their gear and hibernate like the carp they hunt, but not Martin...

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he entrance to the bivvy door

shelter and keep the kettle constantly

is a sea of mud being regularly

warm, a sign, I feel, of things to come,

churned as I go about my carp-

and in reality that’s being optimistic.

angling business, assisted by the

This weather pattern has been

waves of rain that are pulsing across

brought by a warm southwesterly

the country, energised by a storm out

and temperatures are still in double

in the Atlantic. Every bow and branch

figures – just wait until the winter

in the landscape framed by the door is

brings its full wrath to Britain with a

swaying to the wind’s beat, and each

northerly or, God forbid, an east wind.

one is desperately clinging to the few

A depressing picture therefore,

copper leaves that have not yet fallen.

and I guess that’s true for the

I can do little but huddle under my

fair-weather fisherman, but not

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Carp Food

Team Crafty Carper

QUICK BITES

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1. AA Baits Explosive Hemp Groundbait

2. Berkley Gulp! Carp Pineapple Fever Boilies

3. Nash Scopex Squid Frenzy Boilies

RRP: £2.99 for 1kg

RRP: £10.99 for 1kg bag; £27.99 for 3kg bucket

RRP: £2.99 per 200g bag

Online: aabaits.co.uk

Online: gulpcarp.co.uk

Online: nashtackle.co.uk

This little concoction by the guys at AA Baits

This is a very popular, highly attractive bait from

New from the guys at Nash are the Scopex Squid

has been through extensive testing to make it

Berkley which comes with good nutritional values

Frenzy Boilies in a washed-out pink colour. Perfect

so effective. The Explosive Hemp is a proven

and is successful all year round. Inside the bait

for day sessions when you don’t need a lot of bait

winner already and will continue to be, as it’s a

there’s plenty of whole and crushed Niger seed,

and only want to carry the amount you actually

very active groundbait in how it reacts whilst

plus others. It’s a birdfood-based bait which

require. Scopex Squid has always caught carp, and

breaking down on the lakebed. It releases particles

has a neat blend of both pineapple and banana

with these looking washed-out they will be even

throughout the whole water column, ensuring

flavours, as well as a hint of something else in the

more instant. Available in both 10mm and 15mm.

there’s plenty of attraction in the swim.

background; the guys at Berkley haven’t let on what it is, but it does have some pulling power.

4. Starbaits Starbaits RS1 Boilies

5. Mainline Baits Cell Stick and Bag Mix

RRP: £9.49 per kilo

RRP: £6.55 per 1kg bag

6. Solar Nick’s Stick Mixes

Online: starbaits.com

Online: mainline-baits.com

RRP: £5.99 per 1kg bag

This range of boilies was introduced to the

We all know that Cell is a known catcher of carp

Online: solar24-7.co.uk

Starbaits range this year and utilises Robin

throughout the year. At this time many anglers tend

This stick mix from Solar is sure to put fish on the

Red. Not an imitation Robin Red either, it’s the

to hold off the bait a little and fish a single hookbait

bank, no matter the weather. The man behind it is

original 100% genuine Haith’s Robin Red. You

alongside a small PVA stick of goodness to try to

extremely well known for his sticks and stick mixes,

can't doubt the performance of Robin Red - add

entice a single bite as the temperatures drop. If so,

and if Nick Helleur is behind it you know they’ll

to it quality crayfish meal extract and not only

then the Cell Stick and Bag Mix has got to be worth

score, and score well. There are three varieties to

have you got a winner, you’ve got RS1.

a shout. What carp can resist the smell of Cell?

choose from: Oily Fish, Chilli Fish and Fruit Blend.

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Crafty Carper

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Carp Food

Team Crafty Carper

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7. Marukyu EFG661 – Krill Ready Mix

8. Carp Company Caviar & Cranberry Pop-ups

9. Richworth Dark Tutti Dumbells

RRP: £6.99

RRP: £5.99 per tub

RRP: £5.99 per 400g bag

Online: marukyu.com

Online: carpcompany.com

Online: richworth.com

The Krill Ready Mix does what it says – it’s ready

The fishy aroma of caviar is nicely rounded off

When it comes to boilies it’s not all about the

for use straight out of the bag. Those clever

by the sweet and subtle tones of cranberry in

round variety, as plenty of fish are caught on

people at Marukyu have developed a process

these multi-coloured pop-ups. The Carp Company

dumbbell hookbaits every day. Richworth have

where they are able to add even more attractants

are known for their awesome Icelandic Red, but

long produced some cracking dumbbell boilie

than could ever be achieved by just adding water.

with pop-ups like these in the product range

pellets and have recently added the Dark Tutti

This mix is perfect for fishing the Method feeder,

there are sure to be fish caught. You know they

to the range. We’ve outlined Tutti Frutti on the

solid PVA bags and stick mixes. It’s full of krill

will work as soon as you unscrew the lid.

previous page, but if you want to be a little more

particles, krill extract and krill oils and liquids.

inconspicuous then go for the Dark Tutti.

11. Pallatrax Black Snails

12. Imperial Baits Oriental Spice Essential Oil

10. Sonubaits Hemp

RRP: £6.95 per tub

RRP: €11.90

RRP: £1.99 per tin

Online: pallatrax.co.uk

Online: imperial-fishing.com

Online: sonubaits.com

Some waters can be tricky at the best of times,

Essential oils are a must-have item when it comes

If you’re after a small tin of hemp rather than

but when there’s an abundance of natural food

to making your own bait. With winter now being

buying it in 1, 2 or 2.5kg bags, then you’ll like

such as water snails (and big ones at that) it may

here many anglers are utilising some form of spice

these. Sonubaits now produce a small tin of hemp,

be even harder. With these professionally dried

in their mixes to give their bait a little bit of a kick,

and with four options available there’s sure to be

Black Snails from Pallatrax you can really stack

and this one from our friends over in Germany is

something for everyone. It comes as Natural Hemp,

the odds in your favour. Just take a couple and

definitely not to be missed. Once you've had a

Hemp & Krill, Hemp & Chilli or Hemp & Crushed

pre-soak them in water for a few hours to soften

smell of it you'll see exactly why many people use

Garlic, and all should help the bobbins rise.

up, and you can then simply Hair-rig them.

it all year round. You don't need a lot of it either.

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T

his is the time of year when maggot fishing really comes into its own.

As the temperatures fall and the other species that inhabit our lakes become inactive, this deadly tactic becomes a viable proposition. This

technique is so good that many fisheries ban the use of our wriggly friends until the winter months, simply because carp can become almost addicted to them, and they become the dominating bait on many waters. Pick up any weekly fishing newspaper and you will see picture after picture of happy anglers with hard-won winter captures, thanks to the maggot. We can’t list the venues where the maggot rules through the colder months, simply because there are so many, but places like the Monument, the Richworth Linear complex (where all the lakes respond to this approach), Bluebell, and Thorpe Lea all spring to mind. Many think it is too expensive to try, but in reality, if you pay £10 for bait for a normal session, you can pick up a gallon of grubs for £16, and many tackle shops may even offer you a better deal for bulk-buying.

Before starting to use maggots, you need to understand what

liners, what you see, and what you catch. If you are getting lots of liners

you are trying to achieve. The

and no action, it’s a fair bet that you’ve

key to understanding this is to

got something wrong and the fish are

take a good look at how you’ll

feeding without being caught, so a

be fishing. If you are fishing

rig alteration should be considered. If

short day-only sessions rather than

you are seeing fish in the area but not

longer overnighters, then different

receiving any bites or liners, there’s

approaches need to be considered.

a possibility that they have been

For quick hit-and-run trips, maggot

attracted to the area but have not

traps using PVA bags is the way

dropped down to feed. This is when

forward because you are trying to

careful spodding can create a curtain

get a quick bite. Using big bags of

of maggots falling through the water;

maggots, although easy to master,

this grabs the fish’s attention and

does need some thought, and there

draws them down towards the bottom.

are some simple mistakes that can be

Finally, when you do start to get

avoided by understanding the basics.

action, don’t forget to keep the swim

The other type of session is the longer

topped up to hold the fish as long as

trip, which normally lasts anywhere

possible. This, in turn, maximises your

between 24 and 48 hours. This is

chances of getting a multiple catch.

where the bait-and-wait approach is

One final thing – don’t think that

often the better technique; some waters don’t always respond to it, so it is worth doing your homework on a venue to see what has been successful in the past.

maggots are a small carp-only approach.

Their use has accounted for some truly huge fish, and for me personally, the capture of the famous Benson on a very cold and windy winter’s night.

This strategy is fairly straightforward; rather than using maggots little and often you create a heavily baited area in one hit. This is topped up periodically in an attempt to either keep fish feeding or draw them into the swim.

To get the best from this approach you need to read the swim as it matures through your session.

This information comes from three main things:

S TO P. . .

i t ’s

MAGGOT TIME 106

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Stop... it’s Maggot Time Team Crafty Carper

T H E

M U S T- H AVE

M AG G OT

T I P S

LEAD SETUP Use a specialist lead arrangement where you can either clip or tie the maggot bag to the base of the lead. This supports the weight of the PVA bag of grubs rather than the weight being carried by the hook, as it would if you had nicked the bag on. Doing it this way stops the bag being ripped off due to the force of the cast.

BE A FAKE Artificial maggots have really revolutionised this style of fishing. They look very realistic, can withstand the attentions of nuisance fish, and add buoyancy to the presentation. My particular favourite is a bunch presented like this; it’s a tactic that has caught stacks of fish.

TAKING THE STRAIN A complete maggot rig with a big PVA bag weighs several ounces, so care needs to be taken when casting. If trying to cast any sort of distance, always use a shockleader and a powerful rod capable of taking the strain.

BULK UP Maggots aren’t cheap, so use hemp and small pellets to bulk out the mix and make them go further. We recommend a mix containing 70% maggots, 15% hemp, and 15% 2mm pellets; this blend has proved to be a winner over the years.

GETTING THEM OUT! At one time, feeding maggots wasn’t that easy because they are a bit of a pain to use in a standard spod; that was until the birth of the Spomb. This gadget is simple to load, has no spill, empties perfectly, and is dead easy to retrieve.

ADD FLAVOUR To make the maggots stand out from the crowd and increase their attraction, all you have to do is add some flavour and sweetener. This really does give the bait a new lease of life, and it’s amazing how positively fish react to it.

WHAT A NUISANCE Unwanted species can often be a real pain, but don’t despair because it is possible to feed them off by putting in more bait.

Alternatively, alter the rig so that it becomes difficult for smaller species to actually get it in their mouths.

HITTING THE MARK By clipping the spod and fishing rod to exactly the same distance, it is possible to keep a constant trickle of bait over the area. This is a tactic that often produces the goods when all else fails. Choose a small spod or Spomb to keep disturbance to a minimum.

THE RIGHT RIG Using an inline lead presentation with the swivel for the hooklink mounted Helicopter-style, like this, is ideal for maggot fishing. The carp feels the full weight of the lead once it picks up the rig, after very little movement. CC

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