• ISSUE 21
SUMMER
2015
RAINBOW GIANTS Simon Crow on extreme tackle for extreme carp
PLUS: BENARD ANDERSON TONY BRAMLEY GARY BAYES STEVE BRIGGS PAUL GARNER
NEW: UNCOVERED
JULIAN CUNDIFF
NASH PRODUCT DEVELOPER MIKE WILSON
OPS & RECON BROLLY
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CONTENTS
NASH TACKLE E-ZINE ISSUE 21 • SUMMER 2015
4 - 5 IN THE MIX
Keith Jones on the latest from Nash and a brilliant new boilie edge.
6 - 9 EXTREME TACKLE FOR EXTREME CARP Simon Crow on tackling the awesome Rainbow Lake.
10 - 14 BAIT TALK
Gary Bayes on the development of the blockbuster Nashbait particle range.
16 - 21 UNCOVERED
What does it take to design top tackle? Find out from Nash development engineer Mike Wilson.
22 - 23 OVERSEAS SUCCESS
International carper Steve Briggs gives you the best headstart for a trip abroad.
24 - 31 THE FARM
Bernard Anderson tracks down some cracking, but kept very quiet, Midlands carp.
33 - 38 TAKE IT TO THE TOP
Raise your game this summer when floater opportunities come your way.
40 - 43 GO WITH THE FLOW Experienced river carper Tony Bramley helps you catch your first flowing water carp.
44 - 47 A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
Top all-rounder Paul Garner on his approach for barbel, roach and elusive big bream.
48 - 49 JULIAN'S Q&A
The carp world’s number one instructor is here to solve your problems.
Editor: Keith Jones Creative Design: Dan Maslanka Web: Kevin Tucker & Colin Davidson Photography: Oli Davies, Dan Maslanka, Tom Forman & the respective article names
www.nashtackle.co.uk With thanks to: Nash Consultants & The Nash Tackle HQ Team.
facebook.com/officialnashtackle facebook.com/kevinnashcarpangler @officialnashtackle @officialnashtackle
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IN THE MIX
IN THE MIX
KEITH JONES
Hello and welcome to our summer E-Zine. Within these pages you will find an interesting and informative mix of material supplied by some of the most experienced and accomplished anglers in the business. Whilst compiling this issue I’ve certainly learned a few things and picked up on a few new ideas to try this summer and I’m sure you will too. One thing I need to do over the coming weeks is sharpen up my floater and zig fishing skills. I’ve seen some good fish taken off the top recently, these have been real opportunist captures on days when sitting in a swim watching motionless indicators would have probably resulted in a blank. It always pays to take a floater rod, set up ready to go at this time of the year, as these little windows of opportunity can be short lived. And as for zigs, there are so many fish being caught on mid water tactics at the moment, considering how few anglers are using them on the waters I’m fishing, it really brings home just how effective zigs can be once you’ve mastered the basics. The new readymade particle range featured in Gary’s article have certainly been an instant success. There are a lot
of anglers these days that don’t have the confidence to make their own baits and this also seems to apply to particle preparation too. The new Nashbait ‘ready to go range’ really does provide confidence in a bag. If you take a look below the surface on just about any still water during the warmer months you’ll find its absolutely teeming with life, on bright sunny days sometimes it’s as if the carp are swimming around in a soup and their senses must be overloaded with the ‘smell’ of food. This is, in my opinion the time when particle baits really come into their own, as the natural juices, sugars and oils leach from the baits they will permeate the water from the lakebed to the surface creating a curtain of irresistible attraction. From what I’ve seen recently, our new ‘boosted’ ready to use particle baits will stop even the most lethargic disinterested carp in its tracks. Soaking boilies in lake water and particle juices
has been working well for me recently. If you think about it, just about any form of natural food eaten by carp will have a very high water content. I’ve been testing the soaked baits alongside boilies straight out of the packet on a particularly busy pressured water and my ultra-soft saturated boilies certainly seem to have more instant appeal - food for thought! Anyway, that’s enough from me - read on and enjoy! www.nashtackle.co.uk
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EXTREME TACKLE FOR EXTREME CARP A 100 acre maze of formidable snags, islands and bars the mighty Rainbow Lake in south west France is widely regarded as one of the most fearsome carp waters on the planet. Rainbow veteran Simon Crow reveals the tackle and tactics required to succeed in the face of such extraordinary challenges. The size of the carp and the unique nature of the fishing on Rainbow has attracted some of the finest carp anglers in the world. Behind the late great world record mirror Cut Tail Rainbow still contains some colossal fish including the Briggsy Fish named after fellow Nash consultant Steve Briggs which topped out at a colossal 94 lb when Martin Locke landed it in 2010. Today its biggest resident is Eric’s Common which has also made the mid 90s, but there are plenty of back up fish which are equally as impressive, including Lockey’s Common, the Perfect Common and Ten Scale amongst others, all of which can weigh 80 lb or more at the right 6
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time of the year. Backing them up are a number of seventies and a good head of sixties, fifties and forties, as well as a good mix of thirties and below which are the next generation of biggies. Rainbow is fishing for carp on a bigger scale, which means more extreme tackle, more extreme tactics and at the end of it all, the most mind blowing rewards. In the same way that fishing snaggy swims and weedy venues in the UK demands different tactics to open water fishing, the demands of Rainbow are a step on again.
EXTREME TACKLE FOR EXTREME CARP
The first time I fished Rainbow was in 2005 and like many first timers I wasn’t prepared for the conditions I was faced with. I went with an inadequate rod set up which saw me playing catch up with the fish on more than one occasion. Nowadays I’m well-schooled in how to tackle the venue, the result of sometimes bitter experience. The first thing to get right is well rooted rod support. My set up involves using single banksticks for each rod, with the rod handles locked into place with Nash Butt Locks and the whole lot screwed into the bank to keep it in place. Strong string required Rainbow isn’t for the feint hearted. The power of these fish is incredible and when you combine such power with the daunting features it means tough tackle is required. Most choose strong braided mainlines followed by heavy mono leaders. My typical set up includes 25 lb Nash Bullet braid on the reel followed by 20 metres of 50 lb sea line mono as a leader. Anything less and you really are taking chances with the razor sharp mussels which can be clinging almost anywhere under the surface.
“…like many first timers I wasn’t prepared for the conditions I was faced with” not sensible to be having to boat rods back out a hundred metres and more time and time again because your leads aren’t heavy enough to stay in place. The heavy leads are also related to the size of the fish we’re trying to catch. The Rainbow Lake carp are pressured 24-7 for 365 days every year and they know all about rigs, the bigger leads being much better suited to driving the hook home bolt rig style. Remember the hooks are bigger and need correspondingly larger leads with greater inertia to pull them in deeply. I always rig up with Nash Weed Safety Bolt Beads followed by the tail rubber, the leads coming off easily once the fish is hooked. A lot of bottle
Heavy Metal fans
A sometimes controversial part of the set-up I use is what is known as the ‘bottle method’. Some of the swims are so hazardous to tackle it isn’t possible to fish a direct line to the lead without the fish bolting against the pressure and straight into nearby snags. Some spots are over 150 yards out and surrounded by so many obstacles it is best to keep the resistance directly above the fish from the moment it is hooked. This is achieved by attaching a bottle to the line above the lead. I like to fish mine on the surface directly above the lead which also helps to keep the line well off the bottom and away from any obstructions.
The rig sounds pretty standard for continental fishing, but when we look at the lead this is when we start to see lots of comments flying around! It’s standard practice on Rainbow to use leads above 8 oz, with many anglers opting for 10 or even 12 oz and more. The heavy leads are a necessity to hold bottom when using braided line. With a good wind on the lake the lack of stretch in braid can easily see smaller leads move and it’s
I use a pop bottle to do this, one of the 500ml Mountain Dew bright yellow/ green ones as they are easy to see. I wrap reflective tape around it to make it easy to see at night with the head torch, and then make a short attachment of about 8 inches at the top end with pole elastic so there is some cushion when a chop is on the water, then screwing the lid down tight and tying a clip to the opposite end which can then be clipped
At the rig end you also need to step things up, and although the gear used is considered heavy by the majority of UK carpers, the excellent condition of the Rainbow fish speaks volumes. Size 2 Fang X hooks attached to 35 lb stripped Combilink finished off with a line aligner is how I go about it, usually a link of 12 inches loaded with a 20mm bottom bait and a 14mm pop-up snowman style.
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EXTREME TACKLE FOR EXTREME CARP
to the main line. I’ll hold the bottle in place by slipping a couple of float stops onto the main line and using two buffer beads either side of the bottle’s clip. One of the float stops is positioned a couple of feet above the lead with the other a couple of feet over-depth. The bottle method works an absolute treat not only on Rainbow but on any water where there are lots of obstructions underwater. If you like water watching, when you get a take you might see the bottle bobbing before you get any indication on the Siren, but when using braid as the main line it is usually quite instant anyway, especially when armed with heavy indicators like the tension arm type which help you to load up. As the fish bobs about underneath the bottle, so long as you’ve set your top float stop right, there will always be pressure on the hook end, giving you enough time to get into the boat and make your way to the fish where you can begin the real battle. 8
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By hook and by crook With so many features often between the swims and the potentially productive areas, the other items I take are spare banksticks and plenty of hook screws and gaffer tape. It might sound a bit crude, but it is sensible to keep the line out of harm’s way wherever possible. Banksticks and hooks help to lift the line above obstacles like branches and fallen debris as well as give you an edge by allowing you to disguise your line lay. They also help you to manoeuvre a boat much more easily in between your rods. Without the line kept up out of harm’s way braid sitting high in the water is very easy to catch on an outboard propeller.
battery for power. I’ll also have an echo sounder so I can identify the depths and features below, together with a hook pole to help me free any line should it become caught on the bottom - which frequently happens. A Scope landing net works a treat in the boat as the short handle is easy to use in the confined space. In recent trips I’ve also moved onto the 9ft Scope rods to fish with as they too are so much easier to handle compared to a 13ft rod. The whole length of the rod fits nicely into the boat and so I’m not worrying about the tip getting broken as I move closer to the bank or overhanging branches. Using heavy mono leaders means the line
Keep your end up Knowing how to use a boat is almost as essential as using the right kit. Boats are provided by the owner at Rainbow, and I’ll kit mine out with a 55lb thrust Minn Kota engine and a leisure
Above: The boat kitted out with all the necessary gear
EXTREME TACKLE FOR EXTREME CARP
twists a lot, especially around the tip, something which can be easily rectified with a shorter rod. Playing a fish in a boat is an absolute art, and all I will say is there is no substitute for experience. Going carp fishing in a boat without any prior boat work is almost as daft as trying to drive a car for the first time. You’ll end up in all sorts of knots, getting beached in places you don’t want to be, going round and round in circles as you try to play fish. One tip is to keep the rod up at all times or any side strain will cause the boat to circle. The danger of not being in complete control of the boat is you’ll give the fish too much of an option to throw the hook or snag you up and you will inevitably lose one or two. And on a lake like Rainbow you never know what you might be attached to! On the edge of your seat Rainbow contains some of the biggest carp in the world, meaning carp care is of paramount importance. The owner kits every swim out with mats and slings capable of dealing with such monster fish and I always take my own gear as well just in case, specifically the Mark 3 Carp Cradle, XL Captive Retainer Slings and Weigh Tripod and a set of scales capable of weighing such big carp. Rainbow is a very unique venue and an amazing water to be at, where every bleep leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat and when every take leaves your heart missing a beat. Without a shadow of a doubt, it is the most talked about carp water of the modern day era and why places to fish there are so very much in demand. Only the real Meccas of carp fishing are as special as this place, and the fish as well as the nature of the fishing are exactly the reason why it has carved its own little place into carp history.
“A Scope landing net works a treat in the boat”
Top: A big unit safely in the net thanks to the bottle method system. Middle: An old warrior, a fish known as 'Fleur' @ 63lb. Right: Heavy leads help combat the conditions as well as overcome rig shy fish.
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ARTICLE TITLE
NE
W
CATCH MORE. CATCH FASTER. GET INSTANT ACTION!
CRAB AND KRILL BOILIES
POP UPS
TANDOORI SPICE
BOOSTER JUICE
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COCONUT CRÈME
BALL MAKER METHOD PELLET
TANGERINE DREAM
HIGH ATTRACT PELLET
BALL MAKER METHOD MIX
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PERFORMANCE RUNS IN THE
FAMILY siren bite alarms RS-1 | S5 | S5R | R3
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SUMMER PARTICLES Thinking back to my early carp fishing years, I used more particle baits than I did boilies and “special” paste baits and I caught plenty of fish with them. But since then I’ve spent many years developing boilies and related products for Nashbait. So as you’d expect I’ve mainly concentrated on boilie fishing for carp and not used much in the way of particles. Recently though whilst developing the new Nash particle mixes I’ve started to use seeds a bit more in my fishing. On one water in particular that I fished last year I found it easier to catch fish in the shallow water with seeds when compared against boilies. Whilst fishing in shallows, one of the best methods was a fine scattering of over salted hemp and tigernut hook baits. This proved to be enough to catch a carp but not enough to attract the feathered wildlife. Most of the particle fishing I used to do was with different beans and other pulses rather than the standard hemp approach and I did really well on them so whenever I do use any seeds it’s mostly with the bigger seed mixes such as the new Salted Mega Seed Mix. I always caught more on over cooked seeds, split and even falling apart and used to take my hook baits out half way through the cooking process. Now that we are producing these baits on a commercial basis this isn’t really possible, but it’s easy enough to find and prepare some maize or tares that can be hair rigged if I want to use a seed hook bait. DEVELOPING THE NEW RANGE
BAIT TALK with Gary Bayes
We looked at various shelf life methods of cooking and packing seeds but the high moisture content in particles meant the level of preservatives required would be way higher than we would want to fish with. So we settled on what we knew to be the better method, fresh bait with no preservatives. Basically our particle is sterilised in the sealed bags using the cooking temperature to eradicate all bacteria and mould.
"I always caught more on over cooked seeds, split and even falling apart and used to take my hook baits out half way through the cooking process"
When you open a bag you will find fresh cooked seeds the same as we’ve been using from our early fishing days, with the added advantage of not having to store unopened bags in a freezer. Any unused Nashbait particle can be easily frozen, although I know some anglers like to ferment their particle in buckets, and this is something you can do with our new products, personally I prefer to fish with fresh bait. Some fisheries are cautious of allowing the use of particle baits, as they fear they are not prepared and cooked correctly, ours are cooked longer than most so fishery owners shouldn’t have any concern. Being a fishery owner myself I wouldn’t dream of stopping the use of particles and some of my regular anglers do really well on them. Fair enough the food value to the carp isn’t as good as the cheapest boilie but they really do feed hard on tight spodded beds of particle and on my lakes the anglers who add boilies to the spod mix catch a lot of fish whereas the anglers on seeds only don’t. I feed my stock pond with a mixture of seeds, pellet and boilies and I’m sure they feed harder (because of the varied diet) than they would on any one food type, in fact they feed all through the winter on this mix.
Above: Boilie and particle - A very effective combination. Right: Ready salted right out of the bag. Below: Gary with a 33.04lb common.
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BAIT TALK
WHAT’S AVAILABLE
Salted Mega Mix This is my favourite seed blend, especially for specimen fish of all species. Last year I watched tench and carp feeding on a 2.5 kilo bed of this mix for several hours on a fairly low stocked water. The addition of low levels of rock salt in the cooking process negates the need to add any further salt. Salted Mini Mix This is the mix I add to my method mixes, although it may look similar to many party blends, it’s actually made up with only the seeds carp find attractive. All party mix blends are made to feed birds and contain seeds that don’t really attract carp, Niger seed for example, there’s no point putting them into a carp bait. Many anglers only soak their party mixes which I don’t think is sufficient either and as I’ve said the almost overcooked nature of this mix definitely catches better. Slicker Hemp This is basically straight hemp with some added oils. This is the blend I used last year but added the 4G Squid salt for the extra minerals and attraction on a low stocked water. I find the extra salt means I don’t have to use as much hemp which therefore doesn’t preoccupy the carp or attract the feathered wildlife or nuisance fish. I had some quick bites fishing a tigernut over a small handful of hemp. Slicker Spiced Hemp This is again straight hemp with added oils and also essential oils, liquid spices and flaked Piri Piri. The added attraction of this blend is very attractive to all species and whenever I’m fishing where there is good carp stocks I’ll use this straight from the bag as my hemp of choice. Mixed Candy Tigers These are straight tigers cooked in a sweet Talin and ester rich syrup. The feedback from testing these tiger nut was really impressive and I’ve watched fish really scoffing them up. I like to pick out the best hook bait shapes, dry them out a little and over flavour them as hook baits to fish over hemp. I’ve used Scopex, Candy Nut Juice, Tangleberry from the new Ace Cards range and Shrimp from the Bug Juice range in my tigernut hook baits and caught on all of them, with the Tangleberry possibly being my favourite for a quick bite.
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BAIT TALK
Tiger Nut Slush The Slush consists of ground tigers cooked in the same Talin rich syrup as the Mixed Candy Tigers. I like to mix this with a little lake water to loosen the mix up and release the liquids a lot faster. This creates the very best carpet effect. In the past I’ve tried open pan cooking ground seeds but always struggled, burning the bottom of the pans so used to put tiger nuts and other large seeds in a mincer after cooking them whole and found they keep fish visiting the area longer than whole seeds, the Tiger Nut Slush works better than this because the cooking is more thorough. Because of our love of added liquid attractors we’ve also tested and developed three absolutely wicked liquid particle boosters. These are very versatile and although they are designed to work with the Nashbait particle they also work really well with boilies, pellet and groundbait. They are all PVA friendly so can be mixed into any PVA mix. Candy Nut Juice This contains a high level of tiger nut syrup with added attractors and sweeteners. Although the name suggests to use it with nuts, I’ve found it really good with all seeds and use it in one of my tiger nut hook bait pots. Because it doesn’t contain oils, it can make stick mixes a little too sticky but being PVA friendly it’s brilliant to dip the stick and lead into prior to the cast. Slicker Hemp Oil Hemp oil with added blended oils and essential oils is the basic make up of this liquid. Slicker Hemp Oil is really good on any particle, in method mixes and stick mixes. The oils soak into the ingredients and release steadily so the bait is working from the first instance or until the carp arrive in the swim. Maize Syrup The Maize Syrup is fortified with attractors from Nashbait’s Sweetcorn Extract, this is a potent attractor that lots of our customers will already be familiar with and the chances are they will have enjoyed plenty of success when using it. I added this to the Salted Mega Mix and immediately witnessed really heavy feeding when watching fish grubbing around on it. So to summarise, although our new particle products can all be used straight from the bag, they are also very flexible and versatile baits and allow any angler to create their own unique blend. Personally I’m going to use the Salty Mega and Mini Mixes blended together this summer on a low stocked water where the eels are a nightmare when using just boilies. www.nashtackle.co.uk
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NASH KNOWLEDGE
NASH KNOWLEDGE
TOP TACTICS FROM THE NASH TEAM
TRY THI S!
1
Balance those hook baits – carp can sometimes become completely preoccupied when feeding on particles and as a result, larger hookbaits can be completely ignored. Threading tiny seeds on a fine hair is one option but adding buoyancy to a larger bait such as a tiger or boilie is a more user friendly effective tactic. As the fish suck at the tiny freebies, a balanced wafting hook bait will be instantly taken in.
2
Ready to go Boilie Flake – baiting your spots with particles is a proven tactic for keeping feeding carp in your swim for long periods of time. Prebaiting also keeps the fish revisiting a swim and feeding, keeping your chosen spots clean and attractive. Adding the new Boilie Flake to a particle mix is proven to prolong and intensify the feeding activity even further – top summer tactic!
Carefully drill out the hook bait
Cork sticks are a good colour match for tigers
Trim the cork insert
3 End Result: The perfect wafting tiger hook bait
Washed out boilies – on busy pressured waters, washing baits out with lake water will sometimes catch you bonus fish or even trip up an elusive monster or two. The carp’s natural food has a high liquid or water content so could it be that washed out baits are more natural or safe? If washed out baits are working on your water try soaking yours with the liquid from your particle mix – we think you’ll be impressed with the results!
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500 OPEN ACCESS CARP WATERS ORDER FORM Searching for somewhere to fish this weekend? Look no further, as 500 Open Access Carp Waters focuses on venues across the breadth of the UK and Europe which are open to all. Lake descriptions, contact details, carp stocks and best tactics are included, making it an absolute must-have addition to your carping armoury. The very best guide to waters across the UK and beyond!
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UNCOVERED | MIKE WILSON
“I’m a bit of a perfectionist and a bit OCD to be honest…”
Three years ago 21-year-old Mike Wilson was a student working part time in a tackle shop, now he’s the Design and Development Engineer responsible for many of the Nash products you see in your local shop. Here’s the lowdown on getting into the fishing industry and what it takes to design top drawer tackle.
You came straight into work at Nash – how did you manage that?
So what would you say to other people who want to get into the industry?
I studied Graphic Design at college and my final project was always going to be on fishing – it was and still is my passion. I designed and produced two magazine articles, two magazine adverts and two website designs, using Adobe Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.
You’ve just got to put yourself about. For two years I’d been messaging other anglers on Facebook to ask the same question and the key is just not giving up – it’s hard but the opportunities will come up if you keep at it. A bit of profile from catching fish is always helpful too, I’d been sending my pictures into Carp Talk for a while and that shows you know your way around at the sharp end of the sport.
My tutor wanted me to get more primary research so I posted on Kev’s Facebook page and asked if I could come over to Nash and get some information on the business. In the event Kev was busy in meetings but I spoke with the design manager and was asked if I was interested in working for Nash. When I got to meet Kev he asked me what I was doing, I said working in a tackle shop and the reply was just ‘You don’t want to be there do you?’ I said no, and after a couple of trial days between college for about a month I got a contract to sign.
Do you get involved in all the Nash products or do you divide the work into areas? I tend to specialise in what we’d refer to as the soft products - luggage, bivvies, clothing and recently rods. The CNC machined products tend to be more Loz’s department. Anything that’s luggage related will have probably started on my desk. www.nashtackle.co.uk
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UNCOVERED | MIKE WILSON
The most important quality for a good tackle developer? It’s got to be an eye for detail – and getting all the detail right, from the positions of logos to the cut of bivvies and where the pegging points are sat or how the pockets on a carryall are cut. Everything has to be looked at carefully. What helps me is I’m a bit of a perfectionist and a bit OCD to be honest. I guess it’s the same reason I fold my reel handles, everything has to be just right. My bedroom might be a mess but my fishing kit is immaculate – organised, neat, labelled, clean and tidy. How much measuring and weighing is involved? Loads! It’s always been part of the job that customers need to know dimensions and weights, it just saves time in the long run. We don’t need or want people to be wondering if their bedchair will fit in a new bivvy, we’d rather we gave people all the information they need to make the right choice. Economics means dealing with the Far East a lot, so how do you get over the language barrier? Do you have to speak Chinese? A lot of manufacturing companies abroad have very good English because they are dealing a lot with western countries, it’s just global economics. Over time I’ve learnt to communicate well with our suppliers, the big lesson is that you quickly realise some words are interpreted differently. Asking for something to be removed and asking for something to be cancelled can be very different things for example, one might be understood, the other not. One of the real helps is Skype video calling, which means we can see a lot of the basic construction of a sample before it is shipped for closer inspection at HQ. The time we save by discussing changes through video calling is immense. We can’t be absolutely sure about very fine detail this way but we can get to a good first sample much more quickly. In the past we’ve been through 20-30 samples for one product before we are happy. Now it tends to be much quicker. Surely China is asleep when you go to work because of the time difference? They are seven hours in front, so when I get in at 8am it is 3pm there, so getting in early is important, and when there are a lot of products we are sampling and developing it means being in at 6am so there’s plenty of time to make progress. 20 www.nashtackle.co.uk
UNCOVERED | MIKE WILSON
Some of the testing of new kit must be quite interesting?
“The Apex was time consuming to get right but we’ve had a really good response to it”
Some of it is brilliant, but there is also a lot of it which most people would find boring. Line and braid samples take a very long time, hanging them from tripods to calculate breaking strains, running them over sandpaper for abrasion resistance, plus sink tests all take time, but it needs doing. Being methodical about it means you end up with the best product. I always like the hands on testing on the bank, from casting sample rod blanks to setting up new bivvies. Check and test is a big part of what we do. I prefer testing bivvies, luggage and rods to line samples!
Did you learn the basics about materials, engineering principles and manufacture on the job? I learned an awful lot from Kevin and Alan Blair, and like all jobs I’m still learning. I’m back doing a day a week learning CAD design now and that also crosses into materials and more. Kev’s understanding of engineering principles and how to make things work is incredible. One product you’re most proud of? All the new luggage that was launched for 2015 was my baby – and it was a massive project because we
had to inject some simplicity to the range which had slowly grown and become incredibly wide ranging. We have so many best sellers, items like the Cubes or Carryall XL are iconic and there will always be demand for them but we also wanted to streamline the range and at the same time bring some innovation to luggage.
It all starts with research, we have to be driven by demand for what people want and I spent weeks and months assessing what people really wanted to be using. If I had to pick one, I have a soft spot for the Baitmate. It was a product from years ago, one of Kev’s old 90s designs. I took the old version fishing and just remodelled it to something I thought would work well today. The Quiver system I’m really proud of too. Hardest product to get right? Bivvies are difficult because of the number of simple things that go into a finished shelter – whether a brolly or bivvy. Pockets in the wrong place on a carryall or rucksack takes two minutes to change, a bivvy sample is a large and complicated piece of kit. Even material colours, cosmetics, logos, pegging points, the length and angles of ribs and poles – it’s all very involved. The Apex was time consuming to get right but we’ve had a really good response to it.
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Has working in fishing affected your own enthusiasm for going carping? Honestly? It did yes, and Kev warned me that would happen. Because you’re working with fishing and talking about it eight hours a day and five days a week the last thing you want to do when you finish is to go fishing. But you go through that time when it isn’t the same as it was, but eventually you arrive back at enjoying it. This year I’ve joined a new lake with 22 www.nashtackle.co.uk
some stunning fish and I’m really loving my fishing again.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
What is Mike Wilson interested in away from fishing?
I still want to be here and still want to be developing tackle. I love my job and want to go to work every morning, I always dreaded that feeling of not enjoying a job and didn’t want it in my life. We’ve got so many ideas that it’s always exciting, we’re working a year ahead all the time, and there are so many ideas it can never be dull. We’re also going to be moving into some new areas which is exciting.
I like going to the gym, keeping fit, I love clubbing, music, hanging out with the boys. I like to watch boxing and love playing football - and I’m a really competitive guy, I hate losing. It was good to catch the most at Teillatts when we had the Nash trip that is on the 2015 DVD.
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You just never know what each day at Nash is going to be about, and I love that. I’ve seen the company change massively, both in terms of growth and innovation even in the time I’ve been here and it’s a great place to be. One bit of kit Nash can’t have back… It’s got to be the Scope 10ft 3.5 lb Corks. I had a lovely custom set of rods when I got the job here, and couldn’t see the point in Scopes.
They were being launched when I was the new kid. I used a set for a day ticket feature for one of the magazines and they were a Godsend – the rest is history. Ever since that day I’ve only used my 12 footers on one occasion. The 10ft 3.5 lb is the ultimate Scope.
chods these days. Now I’m more into big leads on clips with a KD rig or a stiff hinge. I’m a boilie angler, it’s all about the TG Active this year, it’s an amazing bait - but if I had to pick one bait to catch a carp it would be a tiger nut.
On my rods you’ll find… It was chods for a long time and I had some amazing sport on them, but my fishing has changed a lot and every lake has wised up to
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ast time I looked at the basics for fishing abroad for the first time, the planning and preparation to get you on the right track. But that only scratched the surface and so this time I want to continue on the same theme and also look at the fishing side of things once you have arrived...
OVERSEAS SUCCESS PART TWO
[ The Edge ] Many people don’t realize the pressure that carp are under on continental waters, most are fished for week in and week out. I always want to feel that I’m using the best bait I possibly can and to try and give myself an edge of some sort that will tip the odds in my favour. My latest trip was a perfect example as I knew the fish in that lake hadn’t seen the Key before and I felt it would do well there. Sure enough I caught the three biggest mirrors
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in the lake that week! Using something that the fish haven’t seen before always gives me a buzz and quality tends to work wherever you take it. You have to remember that for all the anglers fishing the lake before you and after you, it might be their only trip away of the year and they will all want to give it their best shot, so never think that it will just be easy fishing as it rarely is. The best baits give you the best chances.
[ Get out of jail baits ] Although I always believe that a simple approach is more reliable I always keep a few things in reserve just in case. Most of my fishing revolves around fishing quality boilies, but there are things on the continent that can throw a spanner in the works. Nuisance species such as crayfish or poisson chat can really ruin a trip if you are not ready for them – and they love eating boilies! As a backup I tend to take three things along and those are hardened boilies, tiger nuts and plastic baits. You have to make sure that all are allowed on the venues you fish but all have got me out of trouble at times. Some boilies I’ve had air dried for a couple of years and they deter most of the roach, bream and crayfish for a while. Tiger nuts can be a great alternative even just as hook baits but carp all around the world still love them. Plastic baits are my last resort but I’ve caught good fish on them when other baits just weren’t an option.
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[ Stepping up ] The fact is that on many waters abroad now the carp will be much larger than we are used to fishing for and so it stands to reason that the gear should match those fish. To be honest I’ve never really found that more refined tackle has got me more action, but – and this is a big BUT – if I do happen to hook something really huge then I want to be using the sort of tackle that is going to land it! I’ve heard so many hard luck stories of people catching plenty of fish but losing a real monster that they weren’t really equipped for.
I’m not a fan of small hooks and never go below a size 6 wherever I fish, but often I’ll go to a size 4 or 2 if the situation demands it. The same with line, I can’t think of the last time I used anything less than 15lb D-Cam mono but where it is allowed I like to use 25lb Bullet braid. Even with that I might still use a strong leader on venues where sharp obstacles or mussels might be a problem. The St. Lawrence River is one example where there are many mussel-strewn ledges that easily cut most lines. For those situations I wouldn’t hesitate to use 65lb Cling-On leader.
[ When the chips are down ]
[ How much? ] One of the most common questions I get asked is how much bait to take away but it really is the $64,000 question as there is no definitive answer. For instance in November at Rainbow Lake I got through 120kg of bait and had loads of action. But in the very same swim just a couple of months later in January I had two bites in nine days and used just 4kg of bait! As a general rule of thumb I’d advise 20kg of boilies per week and the same in particle or pellet (or both) if there are freezer facilities then I often take more as if it stays frozen then I can just take it back home if not used, but there are a few times when I’ve been glad I’ve taken the extra.
It’s just not always possible to answer everything precisely but there are general rules which I always follow: Use the best quality bait I can get my hands on; use basic rigs and tackle but gear that will be up to the job of landing the biggest fish in the water; Judge each situation on its own merit and don’t be frightened to go against the grain; Don’t take anything for granted and never think that it’s going to be easy. Nothing out of the ordinary there but they are the same rules that I apply to all of my fishing and they rarely let me down. All I can say is that it’s a big world out there and for me the excitement never ends. Every trip is like a new adventure and if you do things right then good results will surely follow.
We all hope that the lake is going to fish its head off when we are there but the fact is that all waters will have good and bad weeks and sometimes you have to make things happen rather than wait for them. I can think of several weeks where I’ve turned up to be told that the lake has switched off and the previous anglers had cut everything right down to try and get a few bites. In those situations I tend to think differently to most others and go the other way by baiting heavier. It is a tactic that has worked well for me so many times now. I think the lack of activity often stems from the lack of bait going in and by adding more it actually stimulates the fish into feeding again. Things could be tough due to weather conditions though and that’s a different matter, sometimes you do just have to sit on your hands. If the fish have slowed up because temperatures have dropped, the worst thing you can do is change spots or keep piling in the bait as the days go by as that will just lessen your chances of getting any action. I often find that if you are patient then sooner or later the fish will feel hungry and just because a trip doesn’t start well doesn’t mean that it can’t end well. Those two options might sound a bit of a contradiction but they both work when the time is right and it’s a matter of judging the situation in front of you.
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TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO HEAR
FEATURES • Patented microchip Intelligent Sensing eliminates false indications • Market leading extreme range remote performance • One touch mute function - High output variable volume and tone • Pulsing Fibre Optic output compatible with Nash Siren Optics indicators • Supplied with integral rubberised snag ears
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THE FARM PART ONE BERNARD ANDERSON
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ove it or hate it Facebook has changed the world allowing people to see what someone they’ve never met had for breakfast thousands of miles away or in the case of anglers it’s opened up a whole new way to communicate, share and inevitably argue over the various aspects of our sport. Quite rightly in the case of bait/tackle firms and those associated with them it is used to promote products and services, It was one such FB plug that led me to the journey I was about to embark on. Sometime in the summer a very well known angler working for a very well known bait firm began uploading pictures of some spectacular looking fish, such was the enthusiasm with which he was posting, liking and sharing, I had a picture of him holding a stunner on my newsfeed every 90 minutes or so. At this point in my life, I won’t lie, fishing was not my priority. I had been getting serious with my girlfriend whilst slowly moving in with her not to mention a lot going on business-wise my head just wasn’t in the game. But these fish accompanied by some excellent photographs were catching my eye and sparking my imagination reminding me of long summer days, it still wasn’t enough to make me want to drag the carp sticks out of hibernation though, but fortunately the sharing and commenting on these striking pictures continued and they remained on my newsfeed for the coming months until my mojo returned and I was ready for a challenge again. I wanted some big, elusive targets to chase, all of a sudden those pictures on Facebook were even more appealing so I began searching the source of these beauties. I made my way through the photos of the angler whose picture had first attracted my attention, amongst pictures of other cracking captures I built a picture of a team of chunky, fit looking commons led by a bigger, perfectly proportioned common and one of the most beautiful mirror carp I have ever seen.
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Although the angler in question didn’t reply to my messages or divulge the location, reading through the comments I found it was a small syndicate in the Midlands run by a well established and well respected tackle dealer. Getting the number from the internet I made the call, I wasn’t sure who I needed to speak to but had a pal who worked at the shop by the name of Tom whose second name was temporarily escaping me..... “Hallow” “Hi, does Tom still work there?” “Which Tom?” “Errrrmmmm, to be honest mate I only asked for Tom because he’s a mate” The Broad brummie voice on the other end cut me off... “Can’t be that gooda mate, ya dant evun now is second noym!” “Well I just wanted to ask about the syndicate.....” At this point I began to doubt the information I’d gathered, could magnificent fish like these really live in a lake in the Midlands run by such a well known tackle 30 www.nashtackle.co.uk
shop without me knowing about them? “ow, yow need Alun, he’s bock in mondai” I agreed to call back on what I established was ‘Monday’ and took the opportunity to do some research on what I now knew was called ‘The Farm’. I managed to find out that the venue was a small, deep, grass-lined farm pond, that had been run as a syndicate for 13 years and although not many carp were present they were all well worth catching. The fishing as far as I could gather was considered tough and I heard the ratio of one carp for every 8-10 nights was a reasonable return, with very few members in the syndicate and a mere 1 hour 20 minute drive from home it sounded like just what I was looking for. Queen of the lake was ‘Rita’ the mirror and her opposite was ‘Porky’ the common, their Generals included ‘Friendly’, ‘New’ and ‘Cut Tail’ with characters like ‘Bullet Hole’ and ‘Floppy Tail’ backing them up. Not even thinking there might be an opportunity to fish the farm any time soon I went about planning angling for carp around local venues, so when the call from Alan eventually came back offering me a ticket straight away because the syndicate wasn’t full it was quite a shock. I was barely listening as he went on to explain about the venue, he made no bones about what some people thought of the lake;
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“The guys who fish it, don’t fish it because they like the lake” he said “They fish it for what in there”. “It’s an irrigation pool” he went on “so we can’t plant trees round the place.... and it’s right near the main road” It was almost as if he was trying to put me off at some points, credit to his honesty, but all he was doing was convincing me to sign the cheque, the place sounded perfect! I paid my money and was keen to get down for what was meant to be a 24 hour recce session, unfortunately my permit and key hadn’t arrived yet so in order to get onto the venue’s car park I agreed to negotiate Birmingham’s road system to pick up a spare key from the shop. This was a mistake. I left Cheshire and completed the one hour journey in a remarkable 4 hours, having been hopelessly lost and/ or stuck in traffic. My frustrations from the journey were relieved by the warm welcome from all the staff with the
promise of a well-received brew. Tom and the other lads were on hand with plenty of useful information on the pool, but as friendly as they were I just wanted to finish my brew, get my key and get to the lake. Before long I was back in the traffic trying hopelessly to find my way through central Birmingham and down to the lake. For anyone who hasn’t experienced the joys of Midland motoring let me enlighten you; it is impossible to make your way directly to your destination. Satnavs or maps will not help you, you simply have to aim your car in roughly the right direction and drive until you find yourself somewhere you recognise, this may be several miles off course. Time of day is irrelevant, it is always rush hour, and so allow approximately 90 minutes for each actual mile you intend to travel. Do not make the mistake of trying to follow road signs, the local authority have cunningly arranged them so that all routes lead back to the centre in, I assume, the hope that you never leave. Finally, try to keep items like cyanide pills and razor blades out of you and your passengers' reach as you travel, you will reach a point where they feel like the better option. Eventually, just 6 short hours after having left my home I was finally opening the gate that led to the car park. I couldn’t see the lake at this point but yet still the excitement of the new challenge soon www.nashtackle.co.uk
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overwhelmed the feeling of desperate despair that was left in the pit of my stomach by the journey I’d just endured. I grabbed a cold bottle of beer from my cooler box, a small bucket and my fish spotting kit setting off on the uphill walk to get to the lake. Being an irrigation pool the lake sits high above the farmland it’s designed to hydrate, so that gravity can feed the vital water to the fields when needed. The gradient of the land increases as you reach the pool, this means that right up until you reach the crest of the hill (which is effectively the artificial banks of the lake) all that can be seen of the water is the tantalising sight of rushes wafting in the breeze. Given Alan’s somewhat negative description of the pool as a ‘hole in the ground’ my anticipation wasn’t high for a tranquil little setting when I began my journey, especially as this particular area isn’t well known for its natural beauty, however now standing at the base of the hill I was beginning to think I was at the wrong pool, as the luscious greenery and peaceful countryside belayed the grim picture of the pool painted to me by others. I took a deep breath and took in the feeling of hitting 32 www.nashtackle.co.uk
a water for the very first time. Flicking the lid from my bottle of beer with the butt of my electric cigarette, I took a sip and began my ascent. Spectacular it wasn’t, but neither was it the ‘hole’ I’d heard it described as. I looked out across the water to be greeted by exactly what I expected; a 2 acre, reed-lined, teardrop shaped pool. Looking down the straight bank towards what could be described as the ‘pointy’ end of the pool I could see little by way of obvious features. The well maintained grass banks surrounding the lake extended back for a good ten metres before the farmers field started, the ‘pegs’ were gaps cut into the thick reeds surrounding the pond. Nothing by way of bank side features were present and the uniform way in which the waves created by a gentle breeze were making their way across the lake suggested the bottom of the lake was similarly bleak. This didn’t bother me in the slightest as my carp angling generally revolves around the carp telling me where to fish as opposed to me finding a feature and hoping I’ve picked the right spot.
Pulling my Polaroids down from their resting place on top of my head and readjusting my cap to block out as much of the afternoon sun as possible, slowly, carefully, I made my way to the edge of the water and inched apart the reeds to give me a better view of what I had been told was crystal clear water only to be met by dirty brown water stirred up by the wind and rain that had retreated only hours ago. A good hour was spent wandering the pool, but with little to see and nothing else to go on, I headed back to the car to collect my tackle and hatch a plan, I decided that while the light was dying I would drop one in the margins and chuck a pop-up out into the middle(ish) to give myself half a chance while spending the night looking and listening for some better options to work with in the morning. In terms of bait and tackle I had no intention of changing anything, my simple rigs attached to a light helicopter set up had managed to fool some wise old fish over the years, I rarely worry about this part of my carp fishing I know what works for me and only change things if a particular set of circumstances dictates it. My
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attitude to bait is much the same, Nashbait Scopex Squid in a mixture of 10 and 15mm seemed to be accepted by every carp I’d ever put it in front of so there was no point in rocking that boat either. Even with only my lightweight overnight gear, the walk back to the lake was considerably harder with the barrow in tow. Initially I had intended to fish right in the middle of the lake but by the time I’d made the summit of the hill the first peg I came to looked much more appealing and given that the wind was blowing nicely into that particular corner it wasn’t a hard decision to make, with my rods sorted I set about making my return journey lighter by empting another bottle of beer. While watching the water a figure making his way towards me across the field caught my eye. “I’m the bailiff” he announced with an out stretched hand. I was simply relieved not to be greeted with the thick Brummy accent that I’d been trying to decipher from everyone else since landing in the midlands a few hours earlier. He turned out to be my favourite type of bailiff; happy to leave you to it as long as no fish or other anglers are disrespected. Quite rightly he wasn’t about to do my fishing for me but instead led me around the
lake pointing out things that might (and did!) prove to be helpful. He confirmed the lake was a bowl with no major features and that it wouldn’t hurt to observe the gradient on the outside/dry slope of the pool to give an idea what the inside gradient of the margins might be like. After putting me in the picture regarding recent captures he didn’t outstay his welcome (another rare but welcome bailiff quality) and left me to get on with my first session in peace. With a couple of rods in position, I set up house and sat on the grass by my rods until the early hours soaking up the atmosphere, before retiring to my bag for the night.
I was woken the next morning by the rising sun, turning on my phone I noticed that it was Friday 13th groaning to myself I pulled the bag over my face to block out the early morning light, before long the urge to get up and get stuck into some fish finding overwhelmed me and I dragged myself up and perched myself on the edge of the bedchair as I fired up the kettle. I distinctly remember being midway through my morning stretch/ yawn combo as the alarm burst into an angry one toner, instinct kicked in and before I knew it I was stood in my boxer shorts knee-deep in the lake, with one hand holding onto the rod and the other trying to slow the ferocious
Far Left: A simple balanced presentation. Left: Light lead helicopter rig – deadly! Bottom Right: Long hairs work well for me. Right: Perfect for setting the trap.
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momentum with which the spool was spinning. The carp made it to the middle of the lake before I managed to slow it down and turn it. To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever expected a take less in my life, it wasn’t until I had the fish within feet of the bank that I really acknowledged what was happening. The water was much clearer than it had been the previous evening and I could see an angry mirror carp tearing powerfully up and down the marginal shelf in a bid to release itself from the now somewhat nervous angler attached to it. The first fish from a new water is always a relief, but to have one within 12 hours of first setting eyes on a rock-hard venue is really special, which just makes the ‘don’t fall off’ feeling all the more intense. I’m glad there were no other anglers there to witness the fiasco that could loosely be described as a fight between me and the fish as I stumbled and fell over everything in my path. Had it been a boxing match the fish would have won hands down on points, as it happened I delivered a lucky knockout blow as I bundled it into the net and secured my victory. I secured the fish and readied the landing/weighing equipment, chuckling to myself at what the
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commuters on the adjacent duel carriageway must have thought as they saw a half-naked bald fella waving around 12ft of carbon in a field during their journey to work. At 21lb 10oz it was a fish known as ‘Floppy Tail’, together with the feeling of elation having caught so quickly it’s capture had left me with a little bit of a quandary. Secrecy has long been debated in the angling world, I for one am happy to tell all in most cases as long as it doesn’t affect other anglers, but on this occasion I wasn’t so sure. I had been told that many of the syndicate members would wait until the lake was fishing well before coming down and fishing themselves, I didn’t really want to return for my next session to find a load of locals riding my success, I also noted that catching quickly on a hard water is something that tends not to endear you to other anglers in my experience so at that moment I made the decision to keep my success to myself, for now. It was the left hand rod placed at what I imagined was the base of the marginal shelf that had produced and not 20 minutes after floppy gracing my net it was back in position. Although I had to leave by 12 that day I was still keen to find some fish and learn as much as possible, so I set off on several laps of the lake. It
was some 90 minutes later when I flopped back down onto my bedchair defeated at having not seen a single sign of life other than the odd little perch. I lit the stove and sat back re-living the hectic capture from earlier that morning when suddenly from out of nowhere a huge dorsal fin broke the surface just inches from my rod tips. Having set up the shelter as far away from the lake as the farmers field allowed I couldn’t see into the water from where I was, so I dropped to my knees and made my way quietly to the waters’ edge only to see the unmistakable shape of the big common ‘Porky’ leaving the area. The feeling of disappointment at missing the chance of having a good look at her was soon replaced by one of excitement as there, a few feet below where porky had been, was a large common... and it was feeding! On closer inspection it was clear she was one of the A-team and could be one of two broad-sided midthirty commons that reside in the lake, I didn’t care which, she was feeding on boilies I’d crumbled in the margin the night before looking well catchable. The problem was that she was directly under my rod tips so any movement at my end would surely send the cagey animal out of the area, I knew deep down the best course of action was to just lay on my belly and watch her, but I hadn’t sat in traffic most the previous day to look at carp, I was going to try and catch her. Still on my belly I lifted the right hand rod positioned in open water from its rests and carefully crawled with it to the next peg some 50 or so yards down the bank. From there I could wind in the rod well away from the area without fear of spooking the feeding leviathan. Once the rig was retrieved I unclipped the lead it wouldn’t be needed at this close range, pinched off the bright but obvious pop-up replacing with a bottom bait matching those I had thrown in the previous night. By the time I had crawled back to the spot the common was just leaving, having been joined by two smaller commons while I was gone. Taking the opportunity I lowered my bait onto the exact spot that she had been feeding on, sunk the line and made my retreat. Before long the fish had returned and were investigating the area, I watched with my heart in my mouth as each fish upended over my bait only to turn away at the last minute, the frustration of watching this meant that my proposed leaving time on midday was continually pushed back until it was almost dark. On that note if my girlfriend reads this the traffic was horrendous and it really did take me 12 hours to get home. And as for my second visit, I’ll tell you more about that next time. www.nashtackle.co.uk
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MAKE YOUR NEXT SESSION MORE FRUITFUL The Citruz range of Airball pop ups is the result of the most exhaustive testing of attractor combinations yet. Covering thousands of man hours documenting the reaction of experienced carp to dozens of blends and levels with different additives the result is the one hookbait that consistently brings bites when others fail AVAILABLE IN: PASTELS | RAINBOWS | WHITES | 10MM 15MM 20MM (Each pot contains 3ml concentrate spray) CITRUZ CONCENTRATE 30ML
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Carp are vulnerable to surface tactics during the spring. But as the weeks pass and angling pressure builds, those same fish can soon become incredibly tricky to tempt with a floating hook bait. Drawing from several life times worth of hard earned knowledge and experience gained on the bank, Nash Tackle have developed a comprehensive range of products purpose designed to combat the problems associated with fishing for pressured mid water and surface cruisers. BOLT MACHINES Cautious finicky feeders can be difficult to hook on the top, really big carp can be particularly clumsy surface feeders and tricky to nail with a floating hook bait. Providing you have first got the fish feeding confidently and competitively, fishing with a Bolt Machine will completely eliminate any surface hooking issues. The resistance created by these unique surface controllers will effectively nail any fish that makes the mistake of sucking in a hook bait. Compared to conventional controllers, the hooked to landed ratio of the Bolt Machine is far superior A long range version also allows safe areas that are normally unreachable with floaters to be explored with ease, this is another deadly tactic! ZIG FLO – FISH TO LAND THEM! Zig Flo is low viz, ultra-buoyant and has a very high knot strength and abrasion resistance in relation to its diameter making it the perfect choice for both surface and zig hooklinks and also as a floating main line. Zig Flo allows the angler to fine down for those finicky bites without the risk of losing the fish during the fight. HOOK CHOICE - MIXERS AND FLOATING PELLETS The short shank and wide gape of the Fang Gaper most definitely makes it a very grabby floater hook – top choice for many. The long straight dangerously sharp point, straight shank and downturned eye of the Twister is another deadly combination. The curved shank Fang X has a reputation for going in deep and creating ultra-reliable hook holds when surface fishing, when fishery rules require barbless patterns to be used, the Fang X is the hook of choice for many. The beak pointed Uni is another popular barbless pattern, the ultra strong and dependable Uni is the first choice for some very successful big fish specialists. RISER PELLETS The Risers have been designed to drift across the surface of the lake with a percentage of the pellets falling and rising in the water column. Just like a hatch of natural food, this unique action seems to trigger the carp’s natural instinct to investigate and feed – no other bait produces this kind of feeding response, Risers are unbeatable for triggering bites when surface and zig fishing . 38 www.nashtackle.co.uk
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ZIG BUG FLOATER HOOK BAITS Using proven fly fishing techniques and materials such as deer hair and marabou, we’ve also developed a range of reliable artificial surface baits that retain consistent buoyancy at all times, they can be repeatedly cast with confidence even at extreme range. There are Riser Pellet, Dog Biscuit and Bread hook bait options available to cover all situations likely to be encountered. All three have been thoroughly tested and have proven capable of tripping up the wariest of surface feeders. These are ‘must have’ items for anyone serious about their floater fishing. SUCKERS AND HOOKABLE FLOATERS 10mm pop ups are a popular choice as a durable surface hook bait, the problem is they tend to sit high in the water which makes them a far from reliable hooker. Although at first glance, Suckers might look like just another pop up, the buoyancy has been specifically fine tuned so they sit lower in the water just like a soaked biscuit or floating pellet. Hookable Floaters provide a soft yet durable easy to side hook alternative to the Suckers, these are perfect for fishing amongst pellets and floating biscuits.
ZIG BUGS Although depth is always crucial, on a given day, as with any type of lure fishing, a particular bug pattern or colour will often provide the key to success. Getting in tune with the explosions of natural food, fly hatches and other events that regularly occur in the carp’s underwater world will be a new concept for many anglers, it’s a fascinating and vital skill to learn.
ZIGS On most waters zigs seem to be less effected by angling pressure and seem to just go on working. So if surface action is slowing, zigs are always worth a try. Although we think of carp as bottom feeders, they actually spend a great deal of their time anywhere and everywhere but. Carp are inquisitive creatures, their inbuilt survival instincts compel them to investigate any occurrence natural or otherwise that could potentially provide them with food. Zig Bugs have the proven ability to trigger this natural curiosity and often produce bites when all other tactics including conventional zig baits such as rig foam have failed.
ZIG LINKS Combined with a Diffusion Weed Safe Bead, a tungsten Zig Link eliminates tangles on the cast and introduces an element of movement when a carp investigates and attempts to suck in the hookbait. Our tests have proven that Zig Links improve hook holds and put more carp on the bank.
Remember, carp spend much of their time cruising the mid to upper layers. Mastering the Bugs will maximise the chance of success when other more ‘one dimensional’ tactics are destined to fail.
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ADJUSTABLE ZIG FLOATS Our low viz adjustable Zig Floats will allow you to simply and easily search out the depths with adjustable Zig tactics. When baiting with the Giro Bug Mix and Risers, interchangeable orange and black sight rings also make the float easy to spot on the surface even at range. BUG BOX The Bug Box can be stored in any Box Logic tackle box or Soft Box and holds up to twenty Zig Bugs. Crucial hook points are protected and the correct colour or Bug type can be quickly and easily selected. BUG JUICE This is much more than just an oil based attractor spray, the Bug Juice contains a unique blend of ingredients specifically designed to mimic the water born ‘eat me’ signals created by the carp’s natural food. GYRO BUG MIX This purpose designed ground bait contains a complex mix of highly soluble ingredients that give off potent water born food signals. Tiny pellets, dried insects, larvae and other small semi buoyant particles also permeate the water creating a column of attraction from the lakebed to the surface. In many ways this incredibly attractive and reactive mix mimics a natural fly hatch, carp are drawn to the disturbance like a magnet and quickly become fascinated and completely preoccupied with the complex multi-layered attraction created by this unique ground bait mix. BALL MAKER The Ball Maker provides a quick and easy method of compressing the Gyro Bug Mix. On the bank or at home prior to fishing, dense compacted ground bait balls that will stay intact even when catapulted long distances can be quickly and easily manufactured.
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KEY FEATURES:
THE PEAK OF PRAM HOOD DESIGN
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• Four pole rigid frame configuration • Heightened Apex centre ridge for enhanced headroom and accessibility • Unique roof ventilation system • Full width rear mosquito mesh ventilation panel • Sealed inner mesh capsule design prevents intrusion from insects and wildlife • Mosquito mesh windows with zip and Velcro closure • Clear PVC door panel • Letter Box door • Heavy duty door mat • Supplied with tension bars • Velcro rod retaining straps on bivvy and tension bars • Includes carry bag and Nash T pegs Approximate Dimensions: Inner Capsule: 150cm (h) x 260cm (w) x 195cm (d) Weight: 14.5 kg
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NASH KNOWLEDGE TOP TACTICSFROM THE NASH TEAM
SIMON CROW This is by far my favourite form of carp fishing. I will spend hours fishing in this way during the summer months, traveling light with minimal kit and looking for the carp in the edge. The key isn’t just finding them though. You need to be very careful in the way you feed them up or you can risk ruining a situation right at the start. I will never fire free offerings on their heads to begin with and I will only ever start off very light. One or two Slicker Floaters or Mixers near to where the fish are is enough to give them a taste for your bait. I’ll then sit and wait, watching for the all important trigger fish. Once one has sampled, I’ll then introduce a few more freebies little and often, holding back on the hookbait until the fish are really feeding hard and competing for the bait. I much prefer the Hookable Floaters on the hook more than any artificial bait. A single side hooked one is all that’s needed, offered on a small size 8 Uni hook. Nothing beats the excitement of
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watching carp feeding in this way, it’s just awesome! And as for zigs, the key is to have the confidence to try it and persevere with it. Lots of anglers seem to lose faith in the method because they can’t grasp why a carp would pick up a tiny bait suspended mid-water. As a result, they will cast a zig out for only a short period and then give up on it when it doesn’t produce. The fact is they do catch lots of carp and they will not only do it in the day but in the night time too. Although it works on all different types of venue, I think it really comes into its own on the shallow clear waters. I also think the best way to fish a zig is to rove it around, trying it in one spot for a couple of hours before recasting it somewhere new. It also pays to try different depths and find where the carp are. Even a small adjustment of a few inches with a zig can be the difference between catching or not.
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OLI DAVIES I love floater fishing and during the summer months often spend all day chasing the carp round and putting baits in front of them. In the heat of the day they can be hard to tempt, often only really feeding hard when the sun starts to go down and the temperature cools. For me, this evening period always proves to be the most productive time, and often I will fish right into dark until I can’t even see what is going on. Many people give up too early and rush to get the bottom rods out for the evening but by hanging on and fishing on top right to the death, bonus bites can most definitely be had as the fish get stuck in and lose their caution. The failing light also helps with tackle concealment, meaning that your end tackle isn’t so obvious silhouetted against the surface, so stick at it and don’t give up too soon!
ALAN BLAIR FREELINED FLOATERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All you need is a hook on your mainline, a pair of glasses and loads of energy. I have caught more carp like this than ANY other method. My favourite hook bait is a Soft Hookable Floater because I can quickly hook a new one on without messing about with hair stops, and baiting needles. Hookable Floaters will absorb a certain amount of water and after a while they become ultra-slow sinkers which can really work in your favour. Even the most spooky pressured fish are really confident taking one of these. As the bait drifts down through the water column, no carp can resist!
And as for zigs, from May to October, get those carp hammering the Riser Pellets and fish your zig 8 to 12 cm over depth on the surface. You can use multiple rods and get the feeding bang on without having to concentrate on a fish actually taking the floating hookbait. Fish in conjunction with the Floater Bug (Riser Version) and always use a zig link to completely eliminate any tangles. It also helps to twitch the hookbait, putting some movement into the bait will really grab the carp’s attention. All these ideas will catch you plenty of fish this summer, go on, what have you got to lose!
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W
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LO W
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THE F
The river systems in Britain are still a very much unexplored frontier, with miles and miles of water to go at they offer that bit of mystery and magic, which is often missing from the modern day carp scene.
So where to start? Well exactly the same as you would on any lake...try to find the fish, and likely looking areas and make note of them, on a big river there are definitely a few key places to start, the number 1 area for me for a long term swim is the area with the most weed.
What with most lakes having all fish named and the captures published on social media as soon as the fish hits the back of the spreader block, sometimes it’s good to get away from it all and get lost in the reason we all began carping… the mystery and the buzz of what lurks beneath! It really is a bit special not knowing what might turn up.
Rivers hold tons of weed, and are probably far richer in natural food than most people would realise, as with lakes, find weed and you find food and cover. Obviously the slower areas of river are often the areas where weed beds accumulate, check out the downstream section of large islands, or where the river forks into a backwater, above weirs can often be a good place for big weedbeds.
I started seriously targeting the rivers 5 years ago now, and must admit it’s become a bit of an addiction, don’t get me wrong I love fishing in all its forms, and fishing for carp whether named or not excites me, I always make sure I have a few nice lakes to settle on while the river is closed during the traditional close season.
Lock cut mouths The entrance areas to lock cuts are often flanked by an island of sorts, and this breaks the flow creating a large deep slow section of river. The bottom is often sandy and silty in these areas and again will always produce fish at some point, especially winter.
One of the biggest questions I get asked about fishing big rivers like the Trent or Thames is where to start, and with good reason, as literally there are hundreds of acres of water to go at with miles between locks and weirs, it’s no wonder the carp can be hard to find. I certainly don’t claim to be an expert, as I’ve just spent the last 4months of river fishing with only 3 bream to my name! And believe me I searched. However over 5 years of fishing big rivers and having enjoyed some success, puts me in a good position to pass on a few observations and useful tips. 44 www.nashtackle.co.uk
GO WITH THE FLOW
Boat moorings If the boats are lived on then the carp will often visit these areas for an easy feed, as the boat owners often throw out odd scraps of food. Duck feeding areas These areas are not the easiest to fish due to the business and the amount of birdlife/people.....when the people have gone home and it’s getting dark...or early morning they can be a banker spot again these are good for winter. As with all fishing, time spent watching and learning is never wasted. Get out while it’s hot and eventually you will find them. The next thing is probably the most important of all BAIT... The river anglers best friend. Boilies will always make up the bulk of my baiting, I do use a lot of particle as well especially early summer. My favoured boilie is anything with a good fishmeal content for the summer, and a nice smelly fruit bait for the winter, boilies do tend to hold the fish and keep them returning as they know what’s good for them, boilies also withstand the attentions of the chub and bream better than particle and pellet. (My summer
baiting will always contain a certain amount of my winter boilie as well.) Having said that if fishing with a quantity of boilies is not an option, then a big bucket of mashed bread, 2 kilos of frozen corn, with a kilo of your chosen boilie chopped into it will be enough to draw in the fish. This is especially so in summer with a good glug of sunflower oil added, then there is maize, at around £12 for 20+ kilos it won’t break the bank and the fish love it. Sometimes though a slice of bread is enough, a piece of bread flake drifted down to an area holding fish will rarely be ignored on a river. Pre baiting is more important than fishing What I mean by this is you don’t have to spend 48 hours or more on the bank, quick Friday overnighters work well for me and I’ve managed to land plenty of good fish. For example, I baited my chosen area (chosen due to seeing 1 fish in a shallow area off a large bend) I baited for a couple of weeks, 3 times a week without fishing, and then dropped on the spot for 12 hours, catching 2 during the night. I then baited in the morning, and a couple of times midweek, and then dropped back for the Friday night, again catching fish.
This pattern was repeated for most of the summer and autumn with my actual fishing time on the bank relatively short. The spot didn’t get hammered and I enjoyed a steady and consistent catch rate mainly due to the fish receiving a lot of ‘safe’ food. Hard work and effort will definitely pay off, keeping the bait going in 3 times plus a week takes a bit of planning and commitment but the rewards will make it more than worthwhile.
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GO WITH THE FLOW
Simple Rigs Big hooks, strong hooklinks, tough dependable main line, that’s all you need, there’s no need to overcomplicate things on the river, just keep it simple. There is so much more I could have covered, but hopefully this is enough to grab your imagination and give you a taste of what river carping is all about. Just get out there and have a go and learn for yourself, get the bike out and go exploring or if you can, use a small boat. I’ll leave you with a little story of one of my favourite river sessions that highlights how a bit of time spent looking can really pay off. A few summers ago I was out for a walk with my wife, and as always these walks often revolve around a lake or river!! We strolled through a town centre stretch of river and sat to watch the loonies feeding the mass of ducks and swans, As we watched I noticed a few of the swans spooking away from something in the water, As I peered in with my polaroids (essential kit when wife walking!) I noticed a rather large carp hoovering up the bread as it drifted down past the birds. After a few minutes several more carp arrived mopping up the bread and thus ended my afternoon walk! Luckily my wife is very understanding, and within an hour I was home and back with my gear. These areas are a nightmare to fish during the day and do require a certain amount of patience! Anyway, the stalkers were rigged up with pva bags and little white pop ups, I literally lowered the baits in just past the feeding area and stood watching the rod tips in anticipation. Within the hour the rod was away and I had in the net a stunning 20+ scaley old mirror.
Top Right: Simple rigs can be the most effective option Above: All the hard work paid off with a stunning common
it was a lot quieter than the previous day, I lowered the rods over the area and stood back for no more than ten minutes before a fish was in the net quickly followed by a further two absolute stunners!
"Big hooks, strong hooklinks, tough dependable main line, that’s all you need..."
Being self-employed means I can always tweak my working days if a carp catching opportunity presents itself, so the next morning I was straight back down. Thankfully 46 www.nashtackle.co.uk
Top Left: A perfect river scaley
The final fish was the one though, It felt like I was playing a catfish at first and the little 9ft rod was literally flatrodded on the first run, It eventually ran out of steam and a rather sweaty nervous me managed to lift the net over a stunning looking common, the applause from the gathering crowed made the situation seem a bit surreal as the needle on the scales swung round to just over 30lb!
I was battered by then so decided to go home, but upon returning to my van, I found a large yellow metal plate chained to my wheel -I’d been clamped! But even so, the £100 release fee seemed a small price to pay for banking such a stunning fish!
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CORKS : 9FT & 10FT 1.75lb | 2.25lb | 3lb | 3.5lb | 4.5lb
SHORT RODS, BE T T ER H A NDLING Scope速 rods redefine carp rod performance and capability, allowing the focused angler to strip out their gear and be totally mobile - fishing more accurately and effectively than ever before.
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A MAN FOR A With the changing of the seasons my fishing also changes, as I move to species that are (hopefully) more obliging when the conditions are cool. This normally consists of an intensive pike campaign in the lead up to the New Year, before moving on to either roach or chub and barbel once we are into January.
Last winter I spent my whole time concentrating on stillwater roach and really enjoyed the winter sessions spent under my Titan on the reservoir, 48 www.nashtackle.co.uk
but at the same time I missed fishing running water. So for the start of 2015 it would be time for a change of scenery. My fishing in the early part of the year was spent on a low-stocked river in the hope of a big chub or barbel before the end of the river season. Unfortunately, one of the really big fish didn’t trip up, but it was an interesting chance to put some of the new Nash products through their paces.
The Scopes First up were the new Scope rods that are now available in 1.75lb and 2.25lb test curves in both 9 and 10 feet. I chose the 1.75lb ten-footers for my river fishing, as I wanted to use gear that was mainly aimed at the chub, but which could handle a big barbel should one come along. If barbel had been the main target then I would have stepped up to the 2.25s. These are just perfect for playing big barbel on, giving you full control as the fish chug around the river.
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PAUL GARNER
ALL SEASONS Fitted with betalites on the tips these rods were ideal for the super-mobile approach that I opted for on the river. With so few fish and so much river it was important to keep as mobile as possible, so I cut my gear down to the very minimum. Each swim would be fished for an hour before it was time to move on, which could entail a walk of anything up to half a mile to the next swim in the dark. With just my Nomad Ultralite chair, Scope rucksack loaded with the
essentials, and my Scopes I was able to be on the move in moments and never once felt tempted to sit tight in a swim out of laziness. Most nights I would be fishing until the early hours, and as fatigue sets in, it is easy to start breaking rod tips as you push your way through the undergrowth to get to some of the more inaccessible spots, yet the short pack size of the Scopes enabled me to get in and out with the minimum of drama.
The shorter length of the Scopes was ideal for what was quite a narrow river, rarely more than about 20 metres wide. A lot of the swims required accurate casting to put the rig close to overhanging trees, or dropping baits into tight spots in the margins, tactics that the short rod concept excels at. I caught both chub and barbel on my night excursions, but the bigger fish did their best to avoid me. Yet I caught enough to be seriously www.nashtackle.co.uk
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impressed by the new Scopes and they will be my constant companions on the river in future. The Key In conversation with Keith Jones last year he happened to mention that the barbel in his local river had taken a distinct liking to the then in-test Key bait. In fact, I already had a few kilos sitting in the freezer, but as it turned out I stayed on the stillwaters throughout 2014, so the bait never got used. Reports from some of the other lads also suggested that here was a bait that might rival the original Monster Pursuit as a barbel bait. I don’t normally start fishing a new river with a bait that I do not have 100% confidence in, but such was the feedback about the Key, especially in the winter, that I decided to put all my eggs in one basket and use this for my winter river campaign. I normally pre-bait lightly in the winter, and so the Key was the ideal bait to apply. I could introduce just half a dozen baits in each likelylooking spot without the fear of filling the fish up for too long. When fishing I would introduce no bait at all, apart from a paste-wrapped hardened hookbait and a tiny PVA stick of broken boilies. My aim was to create a small patch of attraction that any resident fish would quickly find, having already become accustomed to the taste of the bait. After a couple of trips just to bait up I finally started fishing and within an hour a near 6lb chub was in the net. More followed, along with the odd small barbel as the bait proved a very consistent catcher. Recently, whilst talking with Duncan Charman, it
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transpired that his winter results had been very similar with the Key proving to be very consistent even during periods of less than ideal conditions. Swapping baits to something new is always a big gamble, especially on a new venue, and even more so in the depths of winter, but I came away feeling that I had made the right decision, as my confidence in the Key is now brimming over and I am sure it will play a major part in my river fishing this autumn. And so to Spring And so, all too quickly the river season came to an end and I was left contemplating my next move. As luck would have it, I had a trip booked for the end of March at Scottish super-water Lochnaw in search of the big roach that inhabit this scenic venue. Now tactics here are not what you would expect from your average roach fishing. Mini-boilies tend to sort out the bulk of the bigger fish, so I decided to pack a couple of bags of TG Active in the car, along with the usual gallon of maggots.
target for the rest of the spring - a very big bream. As I sit and write this from my Titan I know that somewhere out in the huge acreage of my chosen gravel pit resides a shoal of monster bream. With the greater distance and heavier leads required to fish these big pits I have switched over to the 10ft 2.25lb Scopes, which are absolutely perfect for the job. In fact, most of my kit is ‘borrowed’ from the carp fishing scene. Boilies or Mutant corn hookbaits, are fished on simple hair-rigs made of 10lb Zig Flo Line and 2oz flat pear leads fished on Nash safety lead clips. Hopefully they will find the banquet of pellets, mini-particles and 4G Squid boilies that I have laid out for the bream will do the business. Certainly, I am not lacking in confidence in the bait and tackle that I am using. All I need now is for the bream to do their bit.
After the first night of the trip it was becoming obvious that the small roach had woken up and were devouring maggots like they were going out of fashion. My Sirens were getting a serious work-out as the maggot rods just never stopped all night long. Now I don’t mind working hard for my fishing, but it was pretty obvious that the maggots were not going to get through to the specimens. Out came the Method feeders, loaded with dampened stick mix and on went a single 10mm TG Active boilie, over a bed of Slicker Hemp. The next night passed without incident, as the little fish couldn’t handle the bigger baits, which at least allowed me to catch up on some sleep. On the final night though a fast bite just on dark resulted in me hooking into what felt like a heavy fish and soon a lovely roach of a smidgen under 2lb 8oz was in the net. With the roach trip out of the way it was then time for me to knuckle-down and concentrate on my main www.nashtackle.co.uk
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Q
When using particles, what are your thoughts on using particle hook baits rather than boilies? [ Dan White ]
Julian says: I do fish a variety of waters Dan and in all honesty the amount of anglers who use particles, particularly particle hookbaits is minimal in my opinion. This gives you a massive advantage as I have found when adding particles to my boilie crumb in what I call "mush ".... The first thing I would say about tiger nuts is that less is more if you understand that expression. Whilst a few baiting ups with them all around the lake will get the carp used to finding them here, there and everywhere there truly is no need to overdo it when you are fishing yourself. That does not help at all. Personally when fishing with, and over tiger nuts a handful or two is the MOST I would use. As Roger Smith famously once said think of each tiger nut like a single boilie NOT a grain of hemp and you will do far better. If particles, particularly tiger nuts have been done to death then you may need to start balancing out your hookbait but if not then one straight out of the bag is spot on. The only problem with tigers is that in comparison to say a 15-20mm boilie a tiger nut is quite small so the weight of a hook has quite some impact if the carp get a little wary. I tend to use a Twister 6 as my go to hook choice so a tiger nut can unbalance it when they get pressured. In which case I would definitely add an insert be it cork or foam. Personally I have found that using a small pop up (trimmed so it and the nut just sink with the weight of the Twister) with a tiger nut in a 'double bait' presentation is a better idea Dan. When using tiger nuts unless I am stalking I like to use them in combination with other feed for more impact. For fishing over, personally I'd use 60% Slicker Hemp, 20% boilie crumb, 15% Tiger Nut Slush and 5% tiger nuts. I'd also break a few of my boilies up into bits and pieces to mirror the small pop up I was balancing the tiger nut out with so it just looks like 'another broken bit of feed'.... Brilliant method for catching carp particularly in the summer months and a huge advantage over the boilie only brigade.
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This one took a liking to Tigers
Q&A
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JULIANCUNDIFF CARP FISHING LEGEND JULIAN ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS!
Q
Hi Ju l catch es, can y o ing i Gree n we u give m ed – n] e than a few ti p ks m ate [ s on Julia n say Paul weed as s: really for the la most of Course m my fi st tw ate, p fishe sh en PROV d a IDING in weed ty years. ing has b rticularly e you'v b F e e y i r n in f o stly ore ud e you fi found th o your h its nothi if you've the om n e sh th n e eas fish ? Ob ework fi g to worr ot y abo vious rst. L ier it et ut Hook will b point e. in but t ’s presum 20-5 g and lan e h e clo 0 d ser in is 'ge is about ing a car p t a bo do-a a t 0-20 ble b you fi at' fis ut ya n h bank d the fis ing whic any furth rds is not h and h is n that er in an is ot w fishin s h c g into ill get you hoose th fair on t eavy wee ue, e spo he ca know d a bite dark, t rp the d where yo draw a d ! Next, p closest t . So iagra articu o the u are ark. M m of casti larly great arkin th ng if g b cast ut you a your line to if you e tree line you are or sw lso n w h so yo a i th S ve ee in you a rrive g it to. Be d to have pot On L to recast u ine M in at th you k the c awar e a n o plann ow wher rods in a e of what rrect tre rker is e e p i i you s ng is esse weed, sn anic, part s around line to icula ags a y hould ntial ou so rly n to you u b se fo e fine as avoid di d suchlike in the da if s r 'nor r mal' b long as th aster. Rod are. Prope k Soft e r o a t c n t o d o m st m ba it ang bination reel wise The n alking gea are w l ing. ew S r o r up hat c wise it nee ope and D graded co warf arse g ds to is NX ra T b e hook D-Cam in e the righ nge are id ar are not t eal I c and h 12lb enou o n e ?T an a old. It carp u g has e d person he minim n tell you. h. nder ally I'd Line noug um I w let yo the ro h u d a Bolt B down. I u tip but a elasticity dvocate 1 ould use Top: Succeed in the n abr se Dif t ead c o 5lb fo cus as f take weed. in we lip and rub usion lead ion resist hion an an r ance ed. In ber. I gry ers w at all th w ve it a Middle: Be prepared for cast o nd either u ry heavy ant that le h a Weed at won't S w a r s the weed and have the break tie the le e PVA str eed I do n d discharg afety ad rod tips up. in a o e stron way style to the ho g to secu t use a ta d on the il rubb re the . The g and o k le n h e hook Bottom: Fishing close in is wise ooklength gth swive lead on th r l it’s a e a good option. There w w it ill g h Fang X or T enerally b light line I use can only b e wiste b e r in siz short and over right pop u one winn I use e 6, 5 e p r s but Dan.. ap or 4. pop u p ove op up to as it warm . Bait wise matc r boilie chop in s u t pa he hm pe find t d 4 G in h crumb, Sli y feed. T nd the we spring cker H hat, it ypica oles in ed ta lly s bite ke e time.. the weed mp and so I'd fish a s 4 . Find ... m them e broken G and w a hen t nd hey
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Q&A - JULIAN CUNDIFF
Q
I’ve just joined a new water and been told they don’t take floaters – surely that can’t be right? [ Mike Smith ]
Julian says: Been there, worn the t-shirt and
unless its abroad they are WRONG...Very wrong ( the abroad bit is that my expert carp fishing pals liker Brian Skoyles tell me the carp just don't seem to like floaters in France etc..)... In this country there are prolific surface waters, good surface waters, difficult surface waters but NOT ones that don't produce at all. When waters like Horton, Wraysbury and co produce on the surface then anywhere can when effort is applied....The key is effort and patience. In the ' olden days' surface fishing generally comprised of anglers 'trying' some crust or Chum Mixers when it was hot. Give it half an hour chasing the carp round and it either worked there and then or you didn't bother. If that effort was put into bottom bait fishing nothing would be caught off the bottom either. Nowadays there truly is no excuse for that and with the range of surface baits and tackle Nash have its a massive advantage to have over the negative thinkers....The first MUST is to get them feeding. The second to build up their confidence up past the point of no return and the third to keep it going....
1. My surface mix tends to be a mix of Riser Pellets, Slicker Floaters and mixers. I have a 5 Litre bucket that has a dry mix of 60% Riser Pellets, 30% Slicker Floaters and 10% bog standard dog biscuits ( as in the Chum Mixer variety from Asda ) When I go fishing whether I am solely surface fishing or not I ALWAYS Spomb or catapult out some in front or to the side of me. If I have plenty of room I often wang three to five Spomb loads into the middle and catapult out the same amount in front or to the side of my swim when setting up my bottom bait kit. You'd be amazed how quickly carp will be on these even when you have not seen them in the first place. If I was solely surface fishing I'd creep round baiting half a dozen spots with said mix. If it was choppy I’d add some Slicker Juice to flatten the water. Strawberry Oil in the colder months and Pure Crustacean in the warmer months. Sometimes you will get an instant response ( summer and winter ) and sometimes you need to work at it. That could mean 30 minutes or it could mean all day. But if you are prepared to sit behind dormant bottom baits all day then firing surface feed out is far more exciting. The key is to keep trickling it in to get that first response. Sure occasionally it won’t happen but by and large the more you try the easier it is to get one or two 'curious'.... 2. Once you get one or more having a swirl its game on. Trickle out some more feed (either by overcasting that Spomb or by catapult) and build up their confidence. The trick is competitive feeding. One carp can be very selective but if you get more interested they will compete and can’t afford to be as choosy. Ideally I spend as much time building up their confidence as I do getting that first swirl....It may take 10 minutes, it may take another hour or so.... 3. Once they are competing amongst themselves on the surface then, and only then is the time to try a hookbait by overcasting and drawing the hookbait into the melee. Keep adding feed and fill your boots..... Believe, work and be patient Mike and you will prove them wrong.....
Zig Bug Hookbaits have it covered
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Q&A - JULIAN CUNDIFF
Some of my favourite products
Tigers are one of the best baits out there
Create your own unique mush!
My own mix of mush colouring up a margin spot
MAKING JULIAN'S MUSH I’m going to finish off this month with a few more thoughts on ready to use particles. Although I have used particles since I first started carp fishing in the early eighties I think it’s only fair to admit that the last five years have really seen me use them to maximum effect on my short sessions. It’s alright cooking up a pile of hemp, tigers or whatever for a weekend session but on my six to sixteen hour sessions it became a little more problematic. Do I make it, not use it and bring it back or do I make it and use it come what may even if it wasn’t the best tactic on the day. As life got busier I simply didn’t have the time to prepare particles especially when I may not be using them in the first place. However with the advent of ready prepared particles they have become a huge part of my carp fishing summer and winter alike. With the release of the new Nash ready prepared particle range there is absolutely no reason why anyone shouldn’t capitalize on their benefits, I know I am. The great advantage of the ready prepared particles is that they are just that, ready prepared for you and I. No spending hours in the kitchen and garage soaking and boiling them just pop down to the local stockist and get what you need.... before they sell out that is!! Nash particles come in sensible weights and with them being sealed correctly won’t go off if unopened. If you do decide to use some you can take the rest that you have not used from the opened packet and stick it in the freezer for next time. Although there are a number of ready prepared particles in the new range the two I am concentrating most on are the
Slicker Hemp and Tiger Nut Slush which are perfect for my style of angling. It’s no secret that I place a lot of faith in what I call "mush". This is boilie crumb with added particles to a consistency that really clouds and colours the water and leads to multiple catches rather than just picking the odd one off now and again. These are my tips on using them with our boiled bait range... 4G Squid. A kilo of 4G Flake and add Slicker Hemp and Tiger Nut Slush until you get the consistency you want. Generally I use about a 6:1 ratio of hemp to Tiger Nut Slush in the mix. I tend to do this the night before I go fishing so that the Flake soaks up plenty of the liquids from the Slicker Hemp. At the waterside I add a couple of handfuls of 10mm 4G boilies to the mix and Spomb it into position. A little pop up fished multi-rig style and you are cooking on gas. The good thing is you can take back any of the prepared mush you have made up, stick it in the freezer and use it next time. Key. A kilo bag of Key Flake is taken from the freezer and when I am waterside, I add Slicker Hemp and Tiger Slush to obtain the consistency I want. Because the Key Flake is soft anyway don’t do it the night before or you will find it resembles pate rather than mush. I also add a limited amount of 10mm freebies and fish either a Key hardened hookbait with stringer or Cultured Hookbait over the top. If you’ve never really got to grips with particles before then I can’t stress how big an advantage they can be, especially these from Nash. Good luck and I’ll catch you next time. www.nashtackle.co.uk
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ARTICLE TITLE
CARP CAN TASTE THE DIFFERENCE
PARTICLE: SALTED MINI MIX | SALTED MEGA MIX MIXED CANDY TIGERS | SLICKER SPICED HEMP | SLICKER HEMP BOOSTERS: SLICKER SPICED HEMP OIL | CANDY NUT JUICE | MAIZE SYRUP 56 www.nashtackle.co.uk
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SALTED | SPICY | SWEETENED
www.nashtackle.co.uk
ARTICLE TITLE
4G SQUID 30 years of bait perfection
From the UK’s first ever 60 lb carp – fittingly caught by Gary himself – to European records and personal bests by the thousand season after season, Nashbait’s Squid Mixes have become legend. Now, over three decades later Nashbait launch 4G Squid – the ultimate conclusion in the most outstanding family of carp baits ever produced.
www.nashtackle.co.uk
www.nashtackle.co.uk
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ISSUE 20 • SPRING 2015