Catch Reports
Rick's Back!
Posted in Catch Reports on 24th February 2009Following a few months break from fishing, Essential Baits stalwart and well know big fish angler Rick Golder has decided to get the rods back out, and it certainly didn’t take him long to get back amongst the big fish! Opting to use our Creamseed frozen ready-mades with a Black Pepper combo, Rick visited a Surrey gravel pit for an ‘overnighter’ before work, and soon found himself locked in battle with a stunning mirror of 37lb 8oz. Welcome back Rick!
Note: Just as we compile this catch report, we’ve had a call from Rick to say he’s been out again and nailed another ‘thirty-seven’! You can’t keep a good man down.
Hard Hook Baits (Mike's view)
There are often times throughout the season when I find myself having to use hard hook baits. There’s nothing worse than reeling in after you’ve seen a frenzied amount of fishing activity over your baited area, only to find that your hook baits have been nibbled away by nuisance fish! Some venues are obviously more prone to nuisance fish activity than others, but it’s not just nuisance fish that can be a problem. Diving birds or even pick ups from swans will often result in ‘missing hook baits’!
Hard hook baits will alleviate this problem, in fact, I actually think it’s advantageous when a diving bird picks up my hard hook bait. It gives me confidence that my presentation is good, and as the bird drops the rig, I actually believe it straightens everything out and gives me a better presentation that I can achieve via casting. I can remember fishing at Frampton some years ago, when the only time I could seemingly get a bite, was after a coot had picked up and dropped my hard hook bait!
Top Tip
After you’ve made a batch of hard hookers, leave them out on a towel to air dry for at least ten days, preferably in a warm dry place. Once they have sufficiently dried out, put them in a polythene bag and add a small amount of ‘Boilie Glug’ or ‘Liquid Food’ and shake well. For extra convenience transfer them to an empty pop-up jar or similar before placing them in the fridge or the freezer until needed. If keeping in the fridge, make sure you give them a good shake every few days and top up the liquid if and as required.
