Nash Tackle E-Zine - Autumn 2014

CONTENTS

NASH TACKLE E-ZINE

ISSUE 18 • AUTUMN 2014

4 - 6 IN THE MIX

Keith Jones brings to you an insight into the new things at Nash

8 -15 LIFE AT NASH

The guys at Nash HQ give an insight into their lives

17 - 20 UNCOVERED

Colin Davidson talks to carp legend Simon Crow

22 - 26 BELOW THE SURFACE

Do you know what goes on below the waters surface?

28 - 30 PEGONE

Paul Gardner shares all in the PegOne world

32 - 35 TACKLING NEW WATERS

Steve Briggs shares his tips for helping conquer a new water

38 - 41 GETTING THE BEST FROM BOILIES Jed Kent shares his knowledge about boilies

41 - 45 RIG TALK Rig Talk from the best!

48 - 49 INSTANT ACTION PREPERATION

Tangerine Dream is a winning bait, do you know how to best use it?

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Remember to follow us on Instagram! @officialnashtackle

Editor: Keith Jones Creative Design: Dan Maslanka Web: Kevin Tucker & Colin Davidson Photography: Oli Davies, Dan Maslanka, Tom Forman & the respectable article names

With thanks to: Nash Consultants & The Nash Tackle HQ Team.

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INTHEMIX

KEITHJONES

IN THE MIX Hello and thank you for visiting our latest Nash-E- Zine, once again we’ve got a really interesting mix of features from the Nash team focussing on the autumn and the colder months ahead. I’ve really enjoyed putting the magazine together and I think it makes essential reading for anyone who’s serious about their autumn and winter fishing this year. Every feature includes something of benefit.

COVERING ALL THE OPTIONS Autumn is such an exciting time to be on the bank, it’s the time of year when carp really go on the feed, but even so, success is far from guaranteed. The biggest mistake many anglers make during the autumn and early winter is to leave the floater gear at home. Surface baits will often catch in those tricky 4

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high pressure conditions when bottom bait tactics fail to produce and the same applies to zigs. In my experience, anglers who are tackled up and have the knowhow and ability to fish effectively from the lakebed to the surface and are also willing to change tactics, methods and baits as the conditions dictate, catch consistently and always outfish those focussed on a more one dimensional approach.

I’ve fished a number of different waters this year and one thing I’ve found strange is I haven’t seen a single angler fishing floaters. I haven’t spent a great deal of time on any of them but even so there have been so many missed opportunities when it seemed obvious to me that fishing conventional tactics on the bottom would be the least likely method

to produce some action. On one venue I even had an angler tell me that the fish didn’t take floaters so nobody bothered with them. Not being put off by this, on my next visit it took me less than half an hour to get the fish investigating small quantities of heavily soaked Riser Pellets that I’d been drifting across a small reed lined shallow bay. The fish were focussed on a huge hatch of tiny bugs that were sitting on the reed stems just below and above the surface of the water. As soon as the Risers reached the reeds they were immediately sucked in.

I wasn’t in any hurry to catch one off the top just yet, as I thought it best to let the fish gain some confidence in a new food source before harassing them with a hook bait. Pre-baiting a lake with conventional bottom baits is a wellpracticed tactic, and it usually helps to stack the odds in our favour, so I thought, why not try it with floaters? After several evenings of feeding and watching the fish, they

INTHEMIX

were by now happily taking a wide range of surface offerings, they had also got used to chasing and sucking in the Risers throughout the water column. I haven’t been back since, but I’m confident that both floaters and zigs will catch me plenty of fish over the coming months.

Fishing for carp off the top has got to be the most exciting way to catch them and with the right approach it can often prove to be the most effective. It’s a selective tactic too if you are targeting a specific fish or just want to catch the bigger ones. It only takes a small change of mind set and some practice to become a very proficient surface angler and once you’ve enjoyed some success it can become addictive.

An extra rod skin holding a Scope rod set up ready to use and a small bucket of Risers adds little weight or bulk to the gear that the average angler hauls around. And when the need arises you can be angling effectively for surface feeders and mid water cruisers within seconds of finding them. Many of us go fishing for all kinds of different reasons but the one thing we all have in common is we want to catch carp. So why not give floaters a go this autumn and winter, once hooked there’s no going back!

NEW PRODUCTS The feedback we’ve received regarding the steady stream of new products that have been hitting the shops in recent months has been amazing. We’ve got a fantastic mix of talented super keen anglers working at Nash HQ, between them they bring several lifetimes worth of carp fishing experience to the team.

That’s why, I believe, the products are so ‘right’.

The new range of terminal tackle is a typical example of what has been achieved. There’s a huge range of terminal gear available in the tackle shops these days from a wide range of companies, but from what I’ve seen, much of it is just variations on a similar theme. But there’s plenty of genuine innovation in the new Nash range, in my opinion it’s the best terminal tackle available at the moment and there’s lots more to come Bait development at Nash is always a relentless ongoing process, which is why we are always a step or two ahead of the competition. But even so, there’s some intensive work going on at the moment that will soon result in yet more cutting edge products available for us all, I can’t be too specific at the time of writing this, but there’s a few

items I just can’t wait to get my hands on!

GAINING AN EDGE I really enjoyed Jed Kent’s feature this month on bait boosting, although Nash bait catches straight out of the packet, on the busy pressured waters that most of us fish, giving our baits a unique boost or tweak can often provide an edge that will catch when a blank is looking likely.

There are so many additives in the Nash range that are perfect for this. The Sense Appeals and Oil Palatants are my personal favourites, lightly coating a few baits as they defrost provides me with a selection of high attract alternative specials to experiment with on those tricky days – this is a topic we must revisit in our next issue >>> Give yourself an edge

An Autumn capture

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GETTING FOCUSSED One thing that we all moan about from time to time is wanting more time to go fishing. But limited time doesn’t have to be a disadvantage, in fact with the right approach, short sessions can be just as rewarding. Long session fishing is a very enjoyable pastime but it can make you lazy, I certainly feel a lot sharper when I’m fishing short active sessions between work and other commitments.

Remember – it’s always worth going even for just a few hours, even if you don’t catch, the chances are you’ll learn something about your target water and you’ll be that bit closer to your next success!

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LIFEATNASH The guys in the office give you an update on the going on’s at Nash Tackle HQ

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LIFEATNASH

OLI DAVIES

The jewel of the lake, 43lb 8oz

Nash TV / Photographer

Bizarrely, the banks were quiet late summer. I don’t know if everyone was on holiday, or whether the weed was putting people off, but many of us missed out on what is a really productive time of the year for fishing.

I tried my best to take full advantage, squeezing in short overnight sessions in between a busy work schedule whenever I could without angering the other half too much! The fish were hungry, having recovered from their spawning earlier in the year and by priming a few areas and dropping in on fish, even just for a few hours I had one of my best runs of big fish ever. Keeping bait trickling in on a few spots is important and certainly helps, but the number one factor was simply location, and making sure that I was in the right swim, on the right lake.

This has meant fishing in and around the thick weed that had sprung up in the gin clear water.

Weed can be an issue for some, but there are a few simple tricks to ensure that you land the vast majority of the carp that you hook.

First of all, and it might sound obvious but ensure that your tackle is up to the job. This is not a place for small hooks and fine line, nor floppy rods. I use at least a size 5 Chod Twister, coupled with 15lb mainline so I have the confidence that I can exert plenty of pressure and extract those big carp safely

from the weedbeds. I touch wood as I write this but I am yet to lose a fish on the Chod Twister. I know that with the type of fishing that I do that the odd loss is inevitable but I have been really impressed at how they have performed in tough conditions. It certainly inspires confidence to be able to hit and hold and battle big fish in thick weed.

A common mistake many anglers make is to fish too far out, trying to fish the more traditional productive spots in certain swims that, due to the weed, are no longer viable. A change of approach is required. The fish will visit the margins and there is absolutely no need to fish over several weedbeds just to get bites.

The proof of this can be found in four of my short sessions that have yielded a mid 20, a 30lb leather, two mid-30 mirrors and a new pb common of 43lb 8oz. All of these were hooked within a few feet of the bank – there is no need to fish any further out.

I have to mention that some of these fish, including the big common were landed using a 6ft Scope Sawnoff. I have fallen in love with these pocket bruisers; despite their diminutive size they are really powerful and ideal for tackling big carp at close range.

The actual fishing has been simple too and the Scopes have been ideally suited, just dropping into margin swims or fishing holes in the weed at short range, where my presentation can be guaranteed.

As it’s all short range fishing there is no need to get there in daylight meaning I can turn up late, sometimes well after midnight, spending a bit of time walking about finding showing fish before I drop the rigs in and put the bed up and grab a few hours sleep before either waking to a bite shortly after or reeling in to go to work.

One of the reasons that bites have been coming so quickly is the rig I am using, which is something about my approach that I have changed this year. Having spent much time watching fish feed over my bait over the last couple of seasons it has been frustrating at times that they continually miss the hookbait as they graze over the spot. Previously I have been fishing a rig that has been effective for me in the past, a short hooklink, big hook and long hair.

However, a subtle bottom bait such as a peanut, maple or tiger can be missed when you feed particle and the feeding fish work their way through the thousands of tiny food items. In order to elicit quicker takes I’ve been www.nashtackle.co.uk

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using something a lot more obvious, a washed out pink pop-up fished on a short multi rig over the top – hardly the traditional presentation for particle fishing. I wrote about this last time, but this approach continues to bring great success.

As the fish are grazing they come across the obvious hook bait and one of two things happens – either they spook off it or they eat it – there is no chance of them missing it accidently; they have a decision to make! Often it seems that it is the bigger fish that slip up too, and my recent average seems to back this up. Fishing short sessions it’s important to have an effective rig that isn’t going to be sat there still unnoticed and untouched by the feeding carp at reeling in time. It’s funny how we sometimes go full circle when it comes to rigs, experimenting but often ending up back with something tried and tested and forgotten!

Scope Sunrise

Anyway, on to life at Nash, which has entered a very busy period with plenty of filming lined up for the 2015 DVD. This year, we have a new member on the Nash TV team, one of the talented Smith brothers Carl. In spite of his tender years he is already a highly experienced videographer and video editor and makes the Nash team even stronger! He has already more than proved his worth when we went out to film the most recent Urban Banx down in Bristol.

30lb 2oz Leather

Alan was confronted by a member of the public who wasn’t happy about him fishing in the park, but Carl kept the camera rolling and ended up filming a controversial exchange of views. Make sure you check it out if you have missed it – it makes for interesting viewing.

It was a real joint effort filming this one, and we were also ably assisted

by Jordan Dicks, who helped himself to some stunners too! It’s going to be tough to better it but as always we will try to keep things fresh and exciting, and stay one step ahead of the competition!

Jordan Dicks ably assists the filming of Urban Banx

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Sunrise and a big carp in the net waiting to be photographed

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LIFEATNASH

So, Life at Nash!

As usual it’s been a hectic couple of months here at Nash, even more so than usual! First of all we’ve got to say a big thank you to all of those who attended the Nash fishery Roadshows over the summer, we’ve come to the end of the roadshow season now and we’ve had a great time! Its been really good fun to get out on the bank with all the gear that we have worked so hard on and really put it through its paces. Hundreds of carp have been caught and its fair to say everyone has enjoyed themselves! There’s few things more satisfying for us than when we are there to witness and help in someone’s capture, young and old, so a big thank you to all those who attended and if you didn’t manage

to make it then come along for a chat and a brew at the winter indoor shows, it’s a great day out!

But as the fishery roadshows come to a close it’s straight onto the next big thing; the trade show! This is a really exciting time of the year and the fruition of a lot of hard work from the team over the course of the past year. This is when we get to launch and showcase to the public all of our new product!

The boys have done a great job of building a fantastic looking show and yet again we feel we have raised the bar. The feedback we have received so far has blown us away and everyone that has visited thus far has walked away feeling more than impressed. I don’t have

LOZ SMART Project Manager

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enough room here to go through the entire new product but there’s certainly something for everyone.

We’ve completely re-designed the whole luggage range with some fantastic new technical additions as well as cosmetically looking the nuts!

We’ve got a whole host of new additions to the Scope range, catering for each facet of a Scope angler, including brollies, a Bedchair and even more rods, which look great with a cork handle! As well as new Double Top Bivvies, Bedchairs and rods, there really is something for everyone and I strongly recommend that you get yourself along to either your local shop or one of the winter tackle shows for a good look!

As I have mentioned we are now gearing up for the next series of weekend shows, non-stop eh! As the trade show at Nash comes to a close we’ll be packing all the new gear up and bringing it to a show near you! We’ll be attending a big number of the indoor tackle shows including over in Europe so keep an eye out and get yourself down to one, you wont be disappointed!

LIFEATNASH

So, as you can tell we’ve been fairly busy here at Nash! All of this while still holding down the day to day jobs of developing new and exciting tackle for you carpers out there!

Saying that, I have still managed to get a bit of fishing in during the week, making the most of overnighters in between work. This is by far my favourite time of year to be on the bank.

Autumn is in full swing now and if the beautiful scenery wasn’t enough, with all the leaves turning from green to golden brown and falling all around, the fishing can be second to none also! I have decided to really focus my efforts on one venue in particular. I have fished this venue on and off for a long time now, yet there is still a few fish that have evaded me.

My tactics have actually changed over the past couple of sessions. I began this mini-campaign with the

numbers approach. This being; if I catch enough, then surely, I’ll tick the targets off one by one, and because I know the lake so well, I was confident in the areas that would produce regular bites and it didn’t take me long to find my particular spots.

This tactic worked well initially and as the leaves started to turn and the nights got cooler it was almost like a switch had been triggered in the fish. Their response to bait was much stronger than it had been throughout the summer, they really knew the weather was on the turn and I managed a few big hits of fish and ticked a couple of fish of the list.

I persevered with this tactic, as anyone would, however I began to get repeat captures and although I was still having big hits of fish, I just had a hunch that the remaining targets, which were notoriously

tricky, were going to come from different areas, away from the bulk of smaller fish.

I took the gamble one weekend and moved completely away from my usual spots, to another, quieter, darker moodier part of the lake just on a hunch that it was the sort of area one might be residing.

Well, the hunch paid off and in the early hours of the next morning I had one of my targets safely in the net after an incredible fight, she really let me have it! None of the fish are massive, but they are old, beautiful fish, each with their own story and the lake itself is just a pleasure to fish. I’ve still got a couple to tick off the list so I’m itching to get back down there and make the most of this Autumn weather! But hey, I’ve got all winter too! Bring it on! Get out there and make the most of this weather!

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ANGUS DICKINSON Sales & Accounts

From the hustle and tussle of working in the city, to the day to day non stop life of Nash Tackle.

Carp fishing has been my passion from the first moment I caught one on a small float rod as a little kid. And since that day, I have been well and truly ‘hooked’.

I have probably been carp fishing now for around 6 or 7 years, growing up through school and into work it has always been on my mind. For 3 years I was just another London commuter standing on the platform at 7 in the morning, battling everyone else for that last seat on the train. I worked in sales for a large IT firm. I was one of those annoying cold callers you may sometimes get ringing you up trying to sell things that were 14 www.nashtackle.co.uk

most of the time not relevant to the receiving caller. Long days with large targets were constant for those 3 years. And at the ripe old ago of just 20 years old I decided that life in the city was just not for me.

After chopping and changing on certain ideas as to where to go next, I was luckily pointed in the direction of Nash Tackle. A good friend of mine was working there at the time and was in sales, he told me that he would soon be moving on and a position would be opening. Maybe this was my chance to combine my love of fishing, with the only thing I knew which was Sale and Account Management. The rest as they say is history…

I have now been at Nash Tackle for around 7

LIFEATNASH

months and I love every minute. I work in English sales and deal with all the shops and consultants throughout the UK. Day to day life is making sure all orders are placed and processed to our warehouse, to fulfilling customer’s queries and general phone duties. The easiest part is, I don’t even need to sell the products, Nash as a brand sells itself. I get to talk fishing during the day with shops and consultants and now I have time to do mid week overnighters as I don’t have to pack up, change into a suit and commute to London every day.

October is a huge time of year for us at Nash Tackle; it’s the time of year where all of the hard work throughout the year comes to fruition. It’s our annual trade show and a time to showcase all of our new products. We take bookings from most shops across the country to come down and see us in Essex and have a play with the new gear. We also have a night for all the consultants which is always good to put some faces to some names.

As most of you know, Scope as a concept has completely changed the face of carp fishing and is getting bigger and better everyday. This year is no exception as we have added to the range in style.

The new Scope bedchair has completely thrown any moaning of heavy and immobile chat about bed chairs out of the window. The new four fold design is light, easy to carry and of course comes with our fantastic sleep system.

I have mainly focused my fishing on a local club water. It’s around 2 acres in size and is up to 18ft deep! Basically a bomb pit! All the fish are stunners and with the water being so clear and deep, zigs have always proved a great success. This is where I learnt most of my zig fishing skills, even when it was casting out a full 13ft long rig with no zig float! But now I have found myself with more time I have tried to focus my efforts elsewhere as lots of fish come out to this method.

I have been giving them a decent amount of bait over the last couple of weeks, Scopex Squid, the ammo of choice, and straight away they responded. Fish were crashing all over the bait; as a result I managed to bag a few scaley ones for the cameras. I will most likely continue this method throughout the autumn/winter and hopefully land some of the bigger residents! Watch this space.

I’m pretty sure our editor only wanted a short article so I suppose I should sign this one off, feel free to come say “Hi” at the shows and even on the bank. Hopefully you’ll be hearing more from me soon. Tight lines.

The new Scope Ops Brolly is also going to be a game changer. With the extra hinge on the poles it folds down to half the size of your conventional brolly! There are loads of new products to mention, the new luggage will be a great hit, as I’m sure the new (and long awaited) R3’s will be too. Make sure you come to see us at one of the shows to check it all out!

Now, if I’ve still got anyone’s attention, a little bit about my own fishing. As I’ve said, I get to live and breathe fishing everyday but now I actually get some time to fish. I used to be a weekend angler, always fighting for swims and getting up at the crack of dawn, now I’m in a position where I can leave work and fish mid-week, this has already worked wonders for me. I get to focus more time and effort, without having to wait a whole week to lay down a lead! www.nashtackle.co.uk

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COMING SOON

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UNCOVERED SIMON CROW www.nashtackle.co.uk

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familiar face in the carp Press around the world for over 20 years, Simon Crow’s association with Nash goes back to his earliest days – winning the very first World Carp Championship on Nashbait. An experienced writer, highly respected international carper, and editor of Carp Talk we uncover a bit about Crowy away from the 9 to 5 of angling publishing.

dashing between the office and fishing overnighters.

This means I need a reliable and easy to erect shelter which suits my short-session style of fishing. I’ve tried the lighter-weight shelters, but they just can’t handle the UK weather like a Titan can.

Next would have to be the NR range of rods as they are just beautiful. I’ve been using mine for well over three years now and I’m still on my first set which shows how they are money well spent. They have helped me catch carp from all manner of different venues, including the formidable Rainbow Lake in France right the way down to the tiny Emmotland complex in East Yorkshire.

I never leave home without them!

Best known for….

Probably having caught carp from so many different waters. Whether it’s rivers, canals, ocean sized reservoirs, small ponds, or gravel pits, I’ve fished them all as I believe you become a far better angler by having fished about. I consider myself a versatile angler who can catch them off the bottom, mid-water and top consistently, something I’ve learned over the years from having been confronted with almost every situation going.

On my rods you’ll find….

Generally you’ll find 15lb D-Cam line attached to lead clips loaded with 4oz leads. The business end will be made from a dead simple rig which I labelled a Uni Rig when I first wrote about it over twenty years ago.

It was called this as I considered it to be universal and perfect for taking to any venue around the world and catching me a carp. It involves a braided hooklink (currently stripped Combilink), attached knotless knot style to a size 6 Fang X hook with the hair fished tight to the shank. I’ll finish the rig with a small piece of 0.5mm tubing to form a line aligner. This piece of tubing is also used to help protect the knot from slipping.

To date I’ve caught carp from more than 300 different waters and I’ve picked something up from all of those venues. These days I tend to focus my angling in the north of the UK more than anywhere so I suppose I’m known for doing that too, as well as having a keenness to catch carp worldwide whenever I get a few days spare.

Personal Bests?

It depends on how you look at personal bests. My biggest UK carp was Black Eye from Chad Lakes which was around 54lb when I caught it, but I didn’t weigh it because it all happened so quick (within a few hours of getting to the lake). My ‘official’ biggest is therefore Bill at 51lb from Acton Bottom Lake in Shropshire, although my favourite UK carp capture is the Nostell Biggun’ from Nostell Priory in West Yorkshire weighing 43lb 6oz. Overseas, I’ve had 60-pounders from three different countries (France, Austria and Hungary), and 50-pounders from England, France, Austria, Hungary, South Africa and Romania. My overseas PB is a 71lb common from Euro Aqua in Hungary.

One tip to get a bite when the chips are down…

Have one last walk of the lake and don’t just sit it out in the swim you are set up in. So many carpers are intent on ‘session fishing’ in the bivvy these days. My philosophy is there is always a sign or two to be seen from the carp around the lake, so if it’s not happening in my chosen swim, I’ll happily arm myself with a stalking rod and have one last walk of the lake to see if I can see any signs.

Favorite venues and why?

Anywhere that’s quiet would be my answer these days, but I’d have to say I especially love the old carp waters of Yorkshire and the north of the country. There is a world of difference between the carp up north and those down south when it comes to weight, but there are some equally impressive fish to be caught at slightly lower weights at stunning venues.

One piece of kit Nash can’t have back…

Places like Nostell Priory, Manton Old Lake, Woldview, There’s quite a few! My Redesmere, Mesters, favourite would have to be Motorway Pond, Tatton ...the NR range of rods as they are the Titan AS bivvy which I Mere, are special venues just beautiful. I’ve been using mine with lots of great history use for all of my UK fishing.

My main occupation for well over three years now and fish worth chasing. It really is editor of Carp-Talk I’m still on my first set which shows does puzzle me why we magazine so I’m forever hear so much about the

how they are money well spent...

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UNCOVEREDSIMONCROW

Raising money for charity in the Para's P Company challenge

southern lakes in the press when there is just as much to be told of those in the north.

Where is the next BIG carp destination in the world?

The world is a massive place and I’m convinced there are lots of uncaught carp to be caught around the world. We have only touched the surface really as the carp has been introduced to more than 100 different countries. Places like Afghanistan and Syria have huge untapped waters where I know big carp reside, but it will take a brave man to go and have a go over there.

As for safer places, I recently saw some nice pictures of 40 lb carp from Brazil and Mexico proving that South America has some good potential. However, I can’t see anywhere beating Hungary’s Euro Aqua for some time to come. That place is just amazing and it will remain the place to go for quite some time I’m sure.

Tell us about the Simon Crow away from Nash…

I have a fantastic girlfriend Lucy who I’ve been with two years now. We both have two children from previous relationships so I spend a lot of time with them when I’m not fishing. We have two dogs and we spend most weekends either walking in the country or running. I’m very much into sport, especially boxing and cricket, and keeping fit. I’m in training for the Yorkshire marathon which I hope to complete in 3 hours 45 minutes or less if it goes according to plan. Other

I've been with my gorgeous girlfriend, Lucy for 2 years now.

Mid-life crisis time!

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The Nostell biggun @ 43lb 6oz

Circa 1988, i love sport especially boxing, cricket & F1

than that, I like to compete in mid-life crisis events like quad racing and my current favourite which is SASexperience weekends. I recently completed the ‘Fan Dance’ which is a 24km route march with a fully loaded Bergen and water up Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons, one of the first major indicators of whether someone is up to special forces standards.

Does being around catch reports and carp pictures every day ever kill your enthusiasm?

No, never. My enthusiasm for carp fishing is still as driven today as it was when I first started. It is my passion and I love everything about it. I’m just as keen to catch a carp whether it weighs 80lb or 8lb.

Take this season as an example. I set my sights on catching Baby Baz from Tyram Hall in Yorkshire and I went and bagged it at 39 lb 1oz. I then went to Euro Aqua and caught a personal best of 71lb, and this month I’ve been fishing a lake near Scunthorpe with some lovely dark mirrors that weigh no more than 20lb.

I just love going carp fishing and I don’t think I will ever bore of it either.

Worst ever foreign trip and why?

I’ve had a few of these over the years, but I guess the worst one involved a 24-hour drive to Hungary to fish a lake that we’d been told contained some really good fish. It was an old arm of the Danube river and we’d seen pictures of some terrific fish from there.

Our group of four UK anglers put a lot of effort into the research and logistics of fishing the water, only to find that when we got there it had been stocked with 1000s of 5-9lb carp a few weeks earlier! We couldn’t get past the little carp no matter what we tried, and on top of that all of the locals were out in boats every day 20 www.nashtackle.co.uk

Baby Baz from south Yorkshirs Tyram Hall

trying to fish for the ‘food’ carp, casting over our lines and just making the week a very difficult one. There were bigger carp in the local Tesco than there were in our landing nets, making the drive home a very long and laborious one.

Your strongest and weakest points as a carp angler?

I’m very versatile and experienced and full of energy.

On the downside I’m sometimes too willing to move swim rather than sit tight, meaning I end up moving off fish and missing out on a few chances. I’m also very stubborn which means I’m not very good at listening to advice.

Remaining ambitions?

I’d love to catch one of the biggies from Rainbow Lake in France and I’d like to bag a few more northern biggies. One particular ambition I have is to catch a previously uncaught Yorkshire thirty. I know they are out there as I have seen them with my own eyes, only quite recently seeing a really nice common that looked every ounce above 30lb in a South Yorkshire nature reserve.

Best bit of carp advice you wish you’d been given sooner?

Don’t try to fix what ain’t bust. This is something Julian Cundiff always used to say to me when I was younger and wrote about in his features when I was growing up.

I’ve learned the hard way…especially on the rig front.

Where to find me...

Twitter: @CarpmanCrow Facebook: www.facebook.com/carpmancrow Web: www.simoncrowcarpfishing.co.uk

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As I’m scribbling these words, I’m deliberately avoiding any ‘heavy science’ as too much theory or detail will only help to confuse the picture. I’ve got lots of ideas whizzing around in my head.

Hopefully if I can get some or all of them down on paper in some kind of order, it’ll make sense and hopefully shed some light on a few commonly encountered mysteries or anomalies associated with catching carp.

Although we often refer to the lakes we fish as ‘still waters’, the environment that carp live and survive in is usually anything but still or stable. Massive fluctuations in oxygen and pH levels (in simple terms, pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution) and the constantly changing life cycles and availability of natural food are daily occurrences. But carp are masters of their watery home and very adept at dealing with these fluctuations and the many other outside influences that constantly effect the environment in which they live and generally thrive in.

SURVIVAL From a carp’s perspective, the golden rule of survival is energy expended searching for, feeding on and digesting food versus calories and nutrients gained from the activity. This is simple

bioenergetics, in essence, the reward must at the very least, equal the effort or energy expelled.

Your bait must be good enough to compete with these!

I don’t know about you, but the more I think about that last statement the more I realise the importance of nutritional value. Any bait you are fishing with will have to compete against the potent allure of natural food which is something the fish will be instinctively tuned into. So it makes sense to use one that provides carp with a valuable food source.

Carp are drawn to natural food like a magnet, it’s an instinct programmed into their DNA, they are also very much in tune with the lifecycles of these tiny creatures and instinctively know when to switch their attentions to these often small windows of opportunity. For example, carp will mainly switch their attentions to blood worm only when the blood worm beds are at their most abundant even though these creatures are present to some degree throughout the twelve months of the year.

This is a typical example of how the fish optimise the resources available and regularly switch food sources accordingly.

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Again, the more you think about it the more sense it starts to make, why spend hours rummaging in the silt for little or no gain when there’s been a massive mid water fly hatch that could be over not long after it has started? Equally so, why waste valuable energy cruising the mid layers looking for an elusive hatch of daphnia when there are hundreds of vulnerable moulting crayfish sitting on the bottom ready to be harvested.

THINK LIKE A CARP Turning this idea on its head and thinking about it from an angler’s perspective what’s the point of wasting time fishing hard on the bottom and staring at motionless bobbins hoping for some action when the carp are focussed on natural hatches of food in the mid to upper layers?

Without a doubt, anglers who are constantly on the move, watching for signs and prepared to quickly

'From time to time I guess we all walk away from a blank session scratching our heads and wondering where it all went wrong. Bad angling, poor location or just making the wrong decisions on the day is usually to blame, but even so, having some understanding of what goes on below the surface can help to make sense of it all '

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switch methods and tactics during their stay on the bank tend to catch more consistently. But even if you are just a ‘camper’ and prefer to stay put and make the best of what’s in front of you, there’s still no excuse to sit there and do nothing. The chances are you’ll be permitted to fish at least three rods so why not search out the layers with different tactics. If the fish respond to a particular bait or tactic you can then switch all rods to one method and milk it.

NATURAL ATTRACTION Understanding the seasonal variations of natural food and where and when the carp are most likely to be found feeding on them will help us all understand where, when and how to position our baits.

Although general watercraft skills and being aware of and locating these natural occurrences will bring us closer to understanding our quarry, it’s only part of the

equation as some carp and in particular the bigger ones have very individualistic feeding habits or traits. There’s also evidence to suggest that the bigger fish have senses that are more finely tuned, making them more efficient at locating the presence and exploiting these natural resources.

the ‘low attract’ hook bait. I think baiting levels are also a factor here, in my experience, big carp don’t generally mix with numbers of small ones when they are feeding hard and competitively on a baited spot. Being the ‘boss fish’ you’d expect a big carp to bully it’s way in and clear up, but the opposite often applies and instead they prefer to drift in after the event and rummage around for scraps.

"Carp are drawn to natural food like a magnet, it’s an instinct programmed into their DNA..."

Could this be why so many big carp get caught on washed out boilies or baits with a more subtle level of attraction? For example, I can think of several big elusive fish that have been caught on a drab coloured unflavoured artificial Mutant boilie hook bait in recent years. In each case, it seems as if the hook bait has been pretty much ignored by the smaller fish even when there has been signs of feeding activity.

Mutants & washed out baits catch plenty of fish

But then, sometime after the smaller shoal fish have moved off, a big carp has moved in and been tripped up by

On more than one occasion I’ve watched what was probably the biggest carp in a lake spend hours meticulously searching out tiny scraps of food from a spot recently fed on by other fish. And on each occasion it looked vulnerable and very catchable!

FEEDING TIMES A carp doesn’t have a stomach as such, instead it has a simple digestive tract. A fair amount of oxygen and energy is used during the digestion process and the length of time taken to assimilate food will depend on the type of food source being consumed.

Some natural food and bait for that matter is definitely more easily digestible than others and carp will naturally adapt their feeding habits to suit. Which goes someway to explaining why the carp’s habits vary so much from water to water.

For example, blood worm is very digestible, it could be coincidence but on waters I’ve fished that www.nashtackle.co.uk

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contain large amounts of it, the fish tend to feed more regularly than on others that don’t.

WATER FEATURES The most commonly encountered feature in most waters will be weed, like it or loath it, weed provides shelter, safety and it’s also home to an abundance of food so as you’d imagine carp are drawn to it like a magnet.

Weed also has a major effect on the oxygen, carbon and nitrogen cycles of the water body, mainly through the process of photosynthesis.

Weed beds contribute to the establishment of stability and a chemical balance which is critical to the many life forms inhabiting a lake.

Time for a tea and a rethink of tactics

From a carp fishing perspective, as well as a food larder, the most important thing to be aware of is that weed produces oxygen in the daytime and excretes carbon dioxide at night which also has an influence on pH. On waters where weed covers 50% or more of the lake surface, daytime oxygen levels will be generally high whereas night time levels will be very low. This is just one reason why fishing a weedy area of the lake where carp have been spotted during the hours of daylight often fails to produce during the night.

Food dips keep my baits working in all conditions Carp are drawn to lillies

Carp require oxygen for their maintenance breathing, a considerable amount of which is consumed during the digestion of food.

Therefore the amount of oxygen present can have a major effect on the location of fish during a twenty four hour period and it can also dramatically effect feeding habits and also the amount of food likely to be consumed. Equally so, the more organically rich the food is, the less the fish will be able to consume before reaching satiation (being full).

Night time oxygen levels tend to be at their lowest in the lower part of the water column because this is the furthest point from the surface interface with air and oxygen. This is the only area where oxygen can diffuse into water at night.

A weedy daytime haunt that is usually devoid of fish at night

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If you are casting into or even near a dense bank of Canadian Pond weed at night you will be fishing in an area virtually devoid of oxygen and not likely to hold carp. Mind you, although fishing bottom baits usually fails to produce in these conditions, positioning Zig Bugs near the surface

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Extracted from a weedy jungle

or drifting night time floaters over a weedy area has worked well on the few waters where I’ve tried it.

where both a higher level of oxygen and most probably food will be available.

As well as carp, many creatures are influenced by low oxygen levels and will therefore migrate to the upper layers when oxygen is scarce. Even bottom dwellers such as blood worm will move from the silt to a more comfortable zone making them more vulnerable to predation by fish.

A windy night can create extra surface aeration but by this I mean much more than just a gentle breeze, a windward margin is a good place to position your baits in these conditions but even so, baiting levels are crucial. Just a handful of food is enough or even a single hook bait. If there is too much food on offer, the sporadic feeding could simply mean that the fish just don’t get around to picking up that all important hook bait.

But there’s a down side to this in that feeding carp will be unable to take full advantage of any available food due to the depleted levels of oxygen, this tends to trigger very regular but short spells of feeding activity during the hours of darkness.

Carp feeding in these conditions are likely to appear on the surface regularly, they do this for various reasons but the tuned ear of an experienced carp angler should be able to distinguish between a feeding carp crashing on the surface to clear its gills and the sound of a fish rolling for other reasons (maybe just for fun?)

OPPOSITES ATTRACT? The pH level of the water or more to the point changing pH levels can have a dramatic effect on the attraction of our baits and the way I understand it, the biggest fluctuations occur during dawn and dusk.

Many anglers, myself included have spent a lot of time experimenting with attractors and ingredients with varying pH levels. But for me it’s produced mixed results.

So, thinking more about weedy waters, night time carp are more likely to be found in the upper layers, in shallow margins or on bars or similar elevated features

There has been some interesting stuff written about the subject, and over the years there’s even been baits marketed that are supposedly pH balanced (as www.nashtackle.co.uk

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far as the science is concerned this makes little or no sense) there’s also been some extravagant claims made regarding what can be achieved with such baits.

The way I see it, there are so many variables in the equation, I don’t believe it’s possible to manufacture a readymade bait that can consistently use pH levels to its advantage in the many varied situations its likely to be fished in.

A bait with a certain pH level fished in very specific conditions should, in theory, be pumping out massive levels of attraction as the hydrogen ions are sucked out of it. But during a twenty four hour cycle there may be times when the same bait will be doing the opposite and acting more like a sponge. We’ve all experienced this at some point I’m sure, sometimes a hook bait can be wound in which smells fresh and attractive and at other times, the same bait will just stink of silt and decaying lakebed odours.

Fine tuning a ‘special’ to use in very specific lakebed situations could be an avenue worth exploring and I know a few amateur bait buffs who swear by it.

It’s not practical to carry a pH test kit and test the exact spots you are fishing but having an idea of the general levels found in your chosen water could be a help when selecting a bait to use. Or at the very least it would be worth carrying a selection of hook baits with attractors with varying levels of pH. In time experimenting with different options at different times could produce more consistent results.

If I have any worries about my baits being effected by lakebed conditions, my answer is a simple one. I just coat both my hook baits and freebies with the matching Food Dip. This stops the ingress of lakebed smells and also ensures the baits work to their maximum in all conditions. I do this by coating frozen baits with the dip and allowing them to defrost, the baits are then refrozen once more and then defrosted ready for use. During this process, the liquid is drawn deep into the skin of the bait which creates a consistent and prolonged effect – top tactic!

MONSTER HUNTING Thinking more about weed, there are many different types and some provide more benefits than others.

Carp often like to spend time sheltering under water lilies and occasionally you might observe one sucking the odd snail or bug from the stems but generally large areas of pads will not be over rich with available food.

For all kinds of reasons, but mainly biodiversity or the availability of multiple food items, lakes that have say 50% of the surface area covered by lilies don’t tend to produce ideal conditions for the survival of fry.

But on the plus side, for those that do survive, there’s less competition for available food. I’ve done a lot of exploring over the years searching out old neglected waters, some have been choked with lilies. And one thing I have found is, as well as holding fewer fish, lakes of this type often hold a monster or two.

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS Why is it that on some waters the fish suddenly all start feeding at the same time at different locations or at very specific depths? This can often happen on several different lakes at the very same time. I don’t know the answer to this but being aware of it can catch you bonus fish. For example, there have been occasions when I’ve been struggling for a bite in a swim when I’ve had fish out in front of me. A friend has caught from a very specific depth in another area or even from a different lake in close proximity to mine, I’ve then searched out that exact depth in my swim and immediately caught.

Carp fishing is a lifelong learning curve, and in my experience those who claim to know the most often possess the least knowledge. I certainly don’t have all the answers but just maybe these few random thoughts will help you unlock some of the mysteries surrounding the waters and fish you are targeting at the moment – keep thinking and good luck!

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BY PAULGARNER

A lot of anglers talk about winter specimen fishing, but far fewer actually manage to tough it out, Paul Garner offers some topical tips on keeping at it over the cooler months.

Although I don’t just fish for carp, I am a habitual fisher and soon become very irritable without my 3 days a week on the bank. Over the winter months a lot of this fishing effort will be just day trips, but I do also target big fish much further from home, which requires a lot of time to be spent on the bank. This can vary from 3 day sessions in February and March fishing big gravel pits for roach, to weeks spent bivvied up next to Scottish lochs after pike.

Conditions have to be VERY extreme to stop me from going fishing and most winters I normally lose only 1 or 2 weeks, normally as a result of being stuck at home snow-bound.

If you are going to seriously fish through the winter months then very quickly you have to learn how to take care of yourself on the bank. Unlike the summer months when getting wet is just a little uncomfortable, come the long nights of January getting wet can see you having to pack up in a hurry.

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In the long term, not taking care of yourself on the bank can have serious health implications, which several anglers have found out to their cost over the years. This might all sound a bit melodramatic, but if you don’t take care of yourself then you will come unstuck at some point in time, believe me.

Shelter from the storm There is only one shelter that I will use in the winter and that is my trusty Titan. Personally, I prefer the original design, which has a little more head-room than the Titan brollies, which is a nice touch on multi-day sessions. My Titan is now 4 years old and although a little faded from so many days on the bank, is as good as new. We all know about the legendary strength and build-quality of the Titan, but what I really like about it is that it can be pegged down with no drafts or flapping about. This might sound like a small detail, but being able to batten down the hatches really makes a massive difference when the wind is howling in your face.

I will always pack a winter skin in the car from October onwards and use it when the temperature is forecast to go below freezing. The added protection that the skin brings can make all the difference when the weather is very cold and I wouldn’t want to be without this little bit of luxury.

Barbel will be at their top weight over winter

A thick groundsheet is also essential and along with this I also carry a few cheap doormats. You can buy these from supermarkets for about a pound each and they allow me to keep the inside of the groundsheet clean, especially in the doorway; again a minor thing but it is much more pleasant to not have mud everywhere.

Look after your feet No, I don’t mean you need to nip off for a quick pedicure, but if you let your feet get sweaty and damp then very quickly cold will set in and you will get uncomfortable very quickly. Fortunately this is very easy to combat by having at least 2 pairs of boots and socks with you on the bank. I normally keep a third pair in the car just in case I get a boot full of water along the way.

Layer up Wearing several layers of clothing will allow you to control your temperature much more effectively than just whacking on a thick jacket. I start off with Merino wool under trousers and long sleeve t-shirt and then a Zero Tolerance undersuit. I will normally sleep in these 2 layers and then add the awesome ZT Artic All In One and a hoody over the top during the day.

A set of ZT trousers and jacket comes out if the rain is lashing down, but otherwise I prefer the All In One suit as it is incredibly comfortable and keeps out the drafts very well.

Warm socks are a must, as is a good fleece hat. In fact when boat fishing for pike in January and February we rank cold days by the number of hats we need to wear, 3 being my record so far on a day that had a wind chill of minus 17!

I use a pair of walking boots any time that I need to be moving around, but particularly when I am moving my gear. Moving generates a lot of sweat when humping gear about and this will make your feet damp. These don’t need to be expensive boots, and because you are moving about they don’t need to be insulated either. When I am staying put I swap to a pair of insulated boots.

I must have owned most of the different brands that are on the market over the years, but most of the time now I just use a cheap pair of snow boots that are not waterproof, but very warm. With a thin pair of socks these keep my feet toasty warm and dry as long as I stay out of puddles! Another worthwhile investment is a pair of waterproof, yet breathable SealSkin socks. These are brilliant if you are staying put, but will sweat up if you are moving about too much.

Food and drink Now I like my grub, so it goes without saying that I always eat well on the bank. In the winter months that means loads of carbohydrates, particularly pasta and rice, which helps keep my energy levels high for longer. I quite enjoy cooking on the bank, so will often bring some fresh vegetables and frozen sauces along with me and really push the boat out and have a good old feed on the bank. Porridge is ideal for breakfast, being filling and giving a slow release of energy too.

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Hot drinks are a must and I am a sucker for hot chocolate in the winter. One simple tip is to take a small flask with you and fill this up every time you make a brew, so you always have a hot drink on tap and get through less gas.

Dealing with the nights With the sun setting around 4pm and not rising again until nearly 8am just getting through the long nights can be a chore for many people. I always have a small radio with me and this is permanently tuned to Radio 4. An Ipod and pair of headphones also go into the bag, along with a battery pack that allows me to charge this and my phone several times, essential as the cold drains batteries within hours.

I love being the only one on the bank

February and a roach fishers dawn

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Plenty of batteries and a couple of head torches are also essential, as is getting into the routine of always putting your torch down in the same spot. There is nothing worse than losing your head torch in the middle of the night. I know a lot of people are happy to zip their bivvies up and watch a movie on their Ipad in the winter, but it is amazing how often you will hear fish crashing about on even the coldest nights, so I always try to stay alert for as long as possible and keep to my normal bedtime, as sleeping too much can be as fatiguing as sleeping too little.

I love the quiet banks and often brilliant fishing that I can enjoy all on my own through the winter months and really with a bit of organisation there is no reason why you cannot stay on the bank right through the year. With the brilliant range of sleeping bags, clothing, shelters and cooking gear that is readily available these days you can tough it out in even the worst of conditions, and when a big fish slips over the drawstring on a perishingly cold night when you know you are the only person for miles out doing it then the success is oh so sweet!

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Tacklingnewwaters STEVEBRIGGS

There comes a time for most of us when we have to tackle a new or unknown water and it’s something that I’ve had to get used to over the years...

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...My fishing is what you could call a long series of oneoff sessions and it’s some years now since I’ve been able to concentrate on one water for any length of time. Obviously I don’t have the luxury of building up experience and learning the moods and quirks of a water and if I’m going to have any success then I have to get to grips with it all fairly quickly. I really enjoy that style of fishing as every session is like a new adventure, and that goes for the waters at home or abroad.

To be consistent you need confidence in what you do as you will more than likely be fishing alongside people

who have more knowledge of the water but that needn’t put you at a disadvantage.

The first thing I would say is that a carp is a carp no matter where you find them and so there are certain things which you don’t have to change too much. Of course all waters will vary slightly and there will be little tweaks here and there but having caught carp from 19 different countries now I can say that there is virtually no difference in the carp themselves, wherever they live.

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TACKLINGNEWWATERSSTEVEBRIGGS

Bait The starting point for any session is bait. I really believe that bait is the single most important item that I take with me and so I don’t chop and change around too much and I don’t take a huge variety of baits – just the ones I know I can rely on.

There are two main ones which I wouldn’t hesitate to use, the first one is Monster Squid in its various forms, which has caught me loads of good fish from a wide variety of waters and importantly it works from the ‘off’ too. A prime example of that was my first trip to a lake in the south east of Germany, where the fish had definitely never seen the Monster Squid before and yet I caught my first fish in less than an hour and carried on catching for the rest of the week. The other bait I would take anywhere is the Instant Action Coconut Crème.

To be honest I didn’t think that I would use a shelf life bait again in preference to freezer bait but they have just worked so well that it’s impossible for me not to use them. In the first half of 2014 I’ve fished several waters in six different countries and without fail I’ve caught from each of them within the first couple of days on the Coconut Crème – to say I’m confident in them would be a big understatement!

Above: Confidence in bait is essential so I rely on the ones that have proved themselves.

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Rigs I stopped getting caught up in the whole ‘rig thing’ a long time ago.

The rig has to do a job of course but for me that job is to hook and land a fish and little more. The rig isn’t to fool the fish – the bait does that and so with that in mind my idea on rig construction is more about strength, durability and reliability. I tend to use slightly larger hooks to what many will use in any given situation, that could vary between a size 6 for UK fishing to a size 2 for European waters such as Rainbow Lake. The important thing is that it must be strong enough to land anything that I am likely to hook and one thing I should mention is that I’ve never experienced any less action through going down that route.

The same goes for hook length materials. The new Combilink is really nice gear and I used that when fishing Euro Aqua in Hungary for fish potentially over 90lb but a short time later I was using exactly the same 35lb Combilink for my first ever trip to Wales on a lake which only holds fish to high 20’s. The only obvious difference between those two waters was the size of the fish, otherwise they ate the same baits and got hooked and were landed on the same rigs.

The hooks for both trips were Fang Uni’s and the rig was a simple

25cm length of Combilink, knotless knotted with a small piece of silicon tubing over the eye and another short piece holding the hair to the shank of the hook.

Tactics It’s always drummed into us that location is the key to everything but for many of my trips this year I’ve had to fish in swims which have either been pre-booked or I’ve been given through some sort of draw.

Only two sessions, one in Belgium and the other on Grenville in the UK have I had the opportunity to move – and I did so in both cases. But the fact that I’ve caught from all the waters in question shows that over time the fish will come, especially if they really want your bait. Again it goes back to the quality bait thing, but I’ve seen countless times that fish will search out the food that they prefer. The one thing I would say is that as a rule I don’t think that UK anglers use enough bait.

Most of the good sessions I’ve had in recent years have come from using plenty of bait and not only when the fish are already feeding well, I remember one session on a French lake when it was all very quiet until I baited much heavier to try and change things and it worked almost immediately and I went on to have a good result. I

New & Trusted: Hooklinks and leaders i use in confidence where ever i go

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Same old bait: In Poland the rigs and baits remained the same but I had to tweak the tactics to catch the better fish.

think the point I’m making here is to be proactive rather than reactive, it’s sometimes easy to sit back and wait for something to happen but if time is limited on a new water, you might have to make it happen.

Results There are many examples I could use, but I’ll finish with these two.

The first was in Poland where my swim was booked on a large lake and so I couldn’t move. It was quite weedy and I started by looking for clear spots, which I found, but the action was slow to start with, in fact the clearest spots were the slowest of all! In the end I had to tweak my tactics and fishing right on top of the weed proved to be the best method. The rigs and the baits never changed it was just the way I used them that needed a little adjustment but I ended up

with some crackers to 45lb 12oz.

The beauty of going in with rigs and baits that I have full confidence in is that it gives me more time to concentrate on the other things that matter, which in this case was finding the right areas.

The second was more recently at Grenville Lake in Cambridge. After a blank first night I moved swims to where I had seen fish activity. On a large lake with a good head of fish I knew that they would be well up for a munch and between myself and Paul Ward who runs the lake, we set about baiting up a large area with plenty of boilies and particles.

What happened over the next three days surprised both of us as the fish hardly stopped feeding the whole time and I ended up almost exhausted after catching a stack

of fish up to 44lb 8oz. Paul himself said that he’s seen it many times now that the best results have most often fallen to the anglers who are prepared to use more bait.

It’s not something I rely on all the time of course as there will also be sessions where less gives you more, as they say. But I know that when they like a bait they can eat lots of it. So I guess at the end of the day I stick with the tried and trusted rigs and baits that seem to work anywhere and then make slight adjustments when needed during the session. It might all sound fairly simple, basic stuff – but for me that’s how carp fishing is, so why make it any more complicated than you have to?

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GETTING THE BEST OUT OF BOILIES

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JEDKENT

Summer can be a tricky old time to catch consistently on boilies, long hours of daylight, high temperatures and the relentless pressure from anglers can really make the fish hard to tempt. Boosting hook baits and freebies is a top tactic of mine, and it’s a very effective way of tempting a lethargic disinterested summer feeder. As we head into early autumn the fish usually start get their heads down for a pre winter feed up which can make them more vulnerable and easier to tempt. But even so, giving my baits a tweak still provides an edge.

On that particular day I had a selection of different boilies with me. Although I was using the same rig on all 3 rods, each hook was baited with a different boilie. I often do this and once I get a bite on one rod I will then swap that hook bait to see how long it takes to get another bite, I will also try the first successful bait on another rod just in case it was the spot rather than the bait that produced the bite. As I expected, a pattern soon started to emerge, the bait they really wanted was taken quite quickly, whereas the least productive took a couple of hours.

One thing that’s vitally important for me is to fish with a bait that the carp really want to eat. I always like to test the baits I use by watching carp feeding on them, often I’ll try various options, as particular fish will sometimes show a liking for a particular type. Watching a target fish feeding happily on my bait really gives the confidence a boost and it’s a great way to start a campaign.

I’ve found that on some lakes freezer baits work far better whereas other lakes respond to the higher flavoured shelf life baits, it’s all about trial and error. If I was going for a one off day trip I would most probably choose a couple of baits from the Instant Action range.

I’d certainly take a savoury one like the Tandoori Spice and a fruity option like the Tangerine Dream. This way I have both bases covered, fruity and savoury, just in case one works better than the other.

I know this isn’t possible on all lakes, so the next best thing is to start fishing with as many rods as allowed and test various baits and tactics on the fish and see how they respond.

I experienced this myself a while back whilst fishing a day trip over at Wylands Angling Centre. I was on the New Specimen lake, fishing over to the shallow island ledge. I knew the carp liked to patrol this area, especially when it’s warm.

Boilie Crumb – incredibly attractive to carp

If I’m fishing a lake regularly I would most likely choose a freezer bait from the range, but even so having a few bags of the matching shelf lifes gives me more flexibility. All Nash baits are designed as a high quality food which makes them ideal for a baiting campaign.

The more the fish find and eat safely, the more their confidence grows which in turn makes them easier to catch. It’s a simple idea but believe me, it works!

Boilie and Food Dip mix – I highly rate it www.nashtackle.co.uk

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JEDKENT

My hook baits and freebies are always boosted

so many different signals leaking off, even in tricky conditions it’s usually enough to trigger a bite.

Sometimes just one element of the mix will be enough to do this and it will often work when less complex attractors fails to produce.

Carpmino or Liquid Liver are also used in my dips as is cod liver oil. Belechan, anchovy extracts, rock salt and GLM powder are also perfect for boosting dips.

DIPS AND SOAKS

A blend of some or all of these can be used to improve the instant appeal of just about any bait and not just boilies. As they are derived from natural based products they can’t really be over used, in most cases, the more you add the better it gets!

Whether its hook baits or freebies, I rarely use a boilie straight out of the packet, all the baits I use will be glugged or boosted in some way to maximise attraction.

Many natural extracts can be denatured during the cooking process with some of the attraction and nutritional content being lost. This is just one reason why adding them to a glug can be so successful.

Starting with the Food Dips which are one of my favourite products, these are dense bottom hugging liquids with a complex nutritional make up. I really like the way they soak into the lakebed and seep out and travel along the bottom. They give off massive signals that are so attractive to carp.

Some of the liquids I like to use are very thick almost treacle like, so to ensure they will soak into the skin of the bait, this creates a more prolonged leak off of attraction, I might blend them with water or a thinner liquid. Alternatively I might ‘layer’ my baits in goo which again helps maximise and prolong attraction.

The oil based Boilie Dip is another favourite of mine, this more reactive liquid tends to permeate up through the water column putting signals at different levels in the water.

Beep beep beeeeeeeeeep! Just landed a lovely dark 22lb common using my glugged up baits. I’m on a tricky pressured water, that has at the time of the capture, only been doing night bites, but this one has come during the day time. I think this is a typical example of how effective boosted baits can be.

A top tactic of mine is to blend both of the liquids together, this creates a massive column of attraction virtually from the lakebed to the surface. There are Some of my favourite things!

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Anyway, back to my writing!

JEDKENT

Caught while scribbling these words!

Another thing I would recommend you start experimenting with is bait size and shape. If I can get away with it, I love to use 10mm boilies, but they’re not always a practical option if nuisance species like roach, rudd, bream and tench are around. Some lakes are so bad that 20mm baits or bigger are the only option.

Mixtures of different sizes can create preoccupation and even confusion which again will increase the chance of a pick up, they are certainly more effective than a bed of one size boilies. Chopped baits and boilie crumb will also create a very effective response from carp, but whatever I choose to use it will always be soaked or boosted in some way.

It’s difficult to emphasise just how effective boosted baits really are – believe me, once tried, there’s no going back!

Frozen boilies and a bag of matching shelf lifes – another great combination

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R IG TAL K

GETTING AWAY WITH IT Every year after a spring and summer of intense angling pressure, the carp become increasingly harder to tempt, if results on a tried and tested bait or tactic start to dry up or you are simply being ‘done’, what can you do?

JON MANNING Great question! And it is one that I have had to ask myself on many occasions.

From my experience it is generally when fishing a tight patch of small food items such as particles or pellets when it can be difficult to hook fish. This is for one main reason, simply because the food items are likely to be very close together and the fish are never moving very far when feeding and are unlikely to straighten your hooklink.

The first step I always take if I think I am being done in such circumstances is to shorten my hooklink. For obvious reasons if the fish are not moving far when feeding they will now be more likely to come into contact with the resistance of the lead and get hooked.

The other key rig change that I make is to switch to a relatively stiff hooklink, such as the new Combi-Link and an in-line lead. Again both of these help to

Jon Manning with another cracker

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ensure the fish comes into contact with the lead as quickly as possible.

If the rig changes don't change my fortunes then I will look to change the baiting situation. If I have been feeding small food items, I look to change to a boilie approach, where, depending on the specific circumstance such as the size of the spot I am fishing, I will spread them over a greater area. This will result in the fish moving a much greater distance between each food item, which in my view makes them significantly easier to hook.

Another thing to note is that when fishing over small food items, I always fish with a relatively small sinking hookbait. Firstly, the small bait will not be treated with suspicion and secondly it is very important to ensure the hookbait is firmly on the bottom. From my own observations, I know when fishing over particles, pop-ups and critically balanced baits just aren't the ones to use. This is because the way that fish feed over small food items, in a hoovering fashion with their lips firmly on the bottom. Anything above the lake bed will be missed and critically balanced baits can get suspended up in the water due to the turbulence caused by feeding fish.

RIGTALK

Another tip when fishing over boilies if you think fish are feeding but you are struggling for bites, is to change to a more visual and attractive hookbait.

Making the hookbait standout from the rest can get the fish to focus in on it resulting in much quicker bites.

Pop-Up's are a favourite of mine but il change when needed

JULIAN CUNDIFF Many many years ago when I fished Johnsons Lake in Kent you could use a dinghy to bait up with and I remember baiting up quite heavily with 14mm boilies and particles in the evening. After a blank night I paddled over to the shallow bar to bait up and amazingly not one item of feed was left and all that was visible was my bottom bait! So since then (1986) I have known that on many occasions carp do clean us out and we then sit fishing with single hookbaits.

Knowing that, I don't think it’s got any better as I am sure that no matter how "riggy" we get, the carp are always one step ahead...So how do I deal with it ?

Well here are a number of ways you may find quite interesting.

1. Resetting Rigs...Well over 90% of my fish are caught on pop ups and the beauty of a GOOD pop up rig is that it generally resets itself even if a carp/nuisance fish sucks it in and rejects it one or more times. Generally it’s a Multi-Rig incorporating a size 7 Fang X to a coated hook length and that little setup has caught me thousands of carp. A pin sharp hook fished tangle free is important and as we know, carp will investigate single hookbaits so the rig needs to be as efficient as possible.

2. Variations on a theme.....Although I do love my pop ups I never fish three rods the same when I start a session. Carp DO show preferences and I am sure that putting all your eggs in one basket does lead to three single baits being left there at times. Generally I will fish two Scopex Squid pop ups and an alternative white, yellow or pink one. If I get a take on that one all three go on it. And if I don't and I think carp are about

and cleaning me out I will keep varying the colour I have out there.

3. Competitive feeding....If you've ever watched carp feed on the surface you can chase them around all day with no success using a single mixer but build up their confidence with a carpet of Risers and it can be child’s play. I am sure the same happens on the bottom and a few boilies fired around the hookbait is a very tired and predictable tactic. Instead I prefer to excite and confuse the carp with crumbed and broken Scopex Squid boilies, mixed particles and so on. This tends to create competitive feeding and makes it very difficult for the carp to clear up all the freebies without making a mistake with the hookbait.

4. Being impatient.....I am not one for sitting behind my rods doing nothing so if there’s any excuse to change things I will! Single bleep? Could be a carp 'doing me' so recast! Not had a bite on the Scopex Squid Pop Up? Then try an Amber Strawberry one and so on...I work on an "I'm getting it wrong" basis so "I" try to make it happen rather than relying on "them" to make a mistake.

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RIGTALK

Back she goes - 37lb

HAYDN HOSKINS As a visual angler and someone who loves to fish over what I can see, there have been numerous occasions when I have been able to confirm 100% that carp are visiting my baited areas and getting away with a free meal leaving just my hookbait. I have also been able to confirm that it's not that they didn't pick up my hookbait, quite simply my rig was ineffective in its desired effect and sometimes, even ignored.

The ignored rig: It is around this time of year that I have experienced carp wiping out several kilos of bait and not showing any interest in a pop up presentation.

This is because, by and large, after spawning, the carp’s feeding habits change. You will find that even when boilie fishing in silty areas that the carp really do get their heads down and tend to hover over spots feeding for longer periods than I have observed in the spring.

The simple thing to do in this situation is to change over to a bottom bait presentation that matches your free offerings.

The evidence: I remember when I was fishing the Crayfish Pool on the Horton complex and having had a blinding spring fishing the chod rig, I wasn't in a hurry to change come summer time. After all, the chod rig had served me well and I had landed the bigger fish in terms of averages when compared with others and I 44 www.nashtackle.co.uk

was even 'top rod' for several months. Another angler, 'Dave the pest controller' had started to catch well, and despite not landing any biggies, he was soon in front of me by the back end of summer. It was only friendly competition and I knew he was doing his thing in his area fishing bottom baits whilst I did my thing in my little spot and all the anglers fishing the lake at the time were pleased when another angler caught.

Anyway, back to the evidence.

I was baiting several margin spots on a roasting hot August day and before long several of the lakes inhabitants were feeding with gay abandon. I managed

RIGTALK

to lower my chod rig right into where they were feeding and also watched several carp ignore it whilst they fed hard on the bottom. Lumpy, a fish I so dearly wanted to catch was the only fish to show any interest but even he backed off several inches from the bait.

After this the spot seemed to blow and all the carp that were feeding seemed to move off.

I moved a few swims up the bank and found more carp feeding. Running back for my rod I quickly tied up a bottom bait rig and lowered it into the zone. At this point, a bailiff turned up and as we chatted my clutch came to life and I was in. A torrid battle later and I'd soon landed a nice Linear named Uppy. Being stubborn, I went back to the chod rig after this and my captures slowed again, although I did catch the second biggest in the lake in late August on the Chod rig, I do wonder if I'd have been able to land even more if I'd have been quicker to ring the changes.

I did eventually learn from this and managed to capitalise with a fine summer and autumn on Kingsmead One, but I’ll save that story for another time.

RICH WILBY It’s a situation most carp anglers have found themselves in at some point and I’m first to admit it has happened to me on several occasions. It can be a combination of factors leading to why the fish are getting away with it, but I think you have to change small things one at a time to really solve the problem.

I remember on one water, where I spent a lot of time stalking, I found the best tactic was to simply free-line a bait, side hooked. I would just fish with a few blobs of putty up the line to pin it down. It was that simple in the end, but before I tried free-lining the fish in this lake had avoided my rig so many times. The water was so clear, but once I stripped everything off my line and side hooked the bait so the hook was hidden, they picked it up.

So this lake taught me that concealment can be one of the biggest factors on waters where the carp have got the knack of clearing you out. I now make sure everything is so pinned down and hidden before I cast out.

Bait application is another big reason why carp can avoid your hookbait. I’ve seen anglers on my own lake bait up a margin spot or spod to the open water with chopped boilies and small pellets, but then fish an 18mm hookbait over the top. It clearly will work at times, but by fishing small hookbaits or a chopped down boilie on the hair, you will increase your chances of a bite.

I will always try to ensure that my hookbait appears to be the same as the free offerings. The only exception seems to be in spring when a bright hookbait over a scattering of dark, natural colour boilies, has worked well for me. But later in the year I definitely find more bites will come to subtle presentations rather than the bright pop-up rig and this is particularly true on pressured venues.

I think it is important to remember when the carp are getting away with it, most of the time it is down to simple things that you can easily put right. Don’t give the fish too much credit for being “riggy” or “clued up”.

Quite often they will be avoiding hookbaits because the angler is trying to be too clever with some fancy rig. I’ve made this mistake before, but I have learnt a hard lesson and now stick to very simple rigs and just ensure my hook-point is tack sharp and my end tackle is pinned down and blends well in.

Virtually undetectable

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47

INSTANTACTION

PREPARE FOR INSTANT ACTION! WITH TANGERINE DREAM

The new Tangerine Dream boilies have been a huge success since their launch, in fact, all the baits in the Instant Action range have been producing instant multiple hits of fish in the UK and throughout Europe this year. They’ve also caught more than their fair share of big fish.

Many anglers think shelf life boilies are inferior to their frozen counterparts and are best suited to easy runs waters or for triggering a quick bite on a short session.

But for big carp or campaign angling, frozen is the only option.

This may be true with some of the inferior ‘carp sweets’ found in the tackle shops but Instant Action shelf lifes are different. The new generation base mix used to manufacture the baits has been specifically formulated as a high quality food source – it’s a carp super food that will provide carp with just about everything they need for good health and wellbeing.

Although the attractors used in the recipes are incredibly instant, the baits have proven long term appeal and just go on working, spring, summer, autumn and winter – Instant Action continues to produce.

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SCATTERED SINGLES One method that has proven particularly effective is to fish a single bright orange hook bait on a hot spot or patrol route, this can be a choddy, snowman or a standard bottom bait straight out of the packet.

Twenty to thirty single freebies are then dotted around the swim on any spot that looks good for a bite. This really gets the fish moving around picking up singles and actively searching out the next. When the hook bait is encountered, it will usually be sucked in without hesitation and as the fish moves off, if the rig is an effective one, the fish is instantly nailed.

The matching Booster Liquid really comes into its own when fishing the scattered singles approach, just a small amount to lightly coat each bait is enough. This boosts attraction and also gives the baits more-ish appeal and intensifies the search and feed activity.

Bottom bait hook baits and pop ups can also be given more of a prolonged soak. Hook baits and freebies can also be frozen for a couple of hours and then defrosted - during the process, the dip is drawn deeper into the skin of the bait creating a more prolonged leak off of attraction.

INSTANTACTION

BALANCING Adding an element of buoyancy to the hook bait helps to negate any resistance created by the rig.

This makes the hook bait behave more naturally and maximises the chance of it being taken.

The simplest way to do this is to combine a 15mm bottom bait with a matching 10mm pop up topper, the bottom bait can be trimmed slightly so that the hook bait hovers enticingly just off the bottom. It’s an incredibly effective presentation.

But sometimes a balanced hook bait that perfectly mimics the freebies is the best option for a bite. This is where the Nash Critical Balancing Tool really comes into its own.

MORE OPTIONS The matching pellets and ground baits dampened with the Booster Liquid can be used for small PVA bag and stick presentations which provides extra options on those tricky days that we all suffer from time to time when the fish are proving hard to tempt.

Alternatively when fishing multiple rods, you can experiment with alternative presentations until the fish respond. Once you’ve nailed one you can switch all rods to that method and milk it!

All these ideas can be used with any bait from the Instant Action range – but remember ‘instant’ is the key word, so make sure you set the clutch or click the bait runner before you put the rod down!

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ISSUE 18 • AUTUMN • OCTOBER 2014