Catch Reports
Somerset duo smash personal bests!
Posted in Catch Reports on 20th June 2009Phil Whiterod from Bridgwater, Somerset decided to make the long trip to Sandhurt lake in search of a new personal best, which ironically came from the same venue two years previously when he banked a 34lb 4oz common. On this occasion however Phil smashed his previous best by over 5lbs to catch this pristine looking common of 39lb 9oz.
A recently released yellow B5 Fluoro pop-up proved to be the downfall of the big common, but if that wasn’t enough excitement for one trip, elsewhere on the same venue, Phil’s fishing buddy Stuart Aspin, also from Somerset, was doing battle with a big fish himself. Stuart’s fish turned out to be an immaculate 39lb 6oz mirror and as was the case with Phil, a new PB to boot!! The big mirror fell to a Shellfish B5 bottom bait glugged in our black pepper liquid food and fished over a bed of B5 free offerings.
What a session that turned out to be! Two good mates, two PB’s and no doubt two happy anglers making the long trip back. It looks like the B5 has once again proved how effective it is at targeting the bigger fish.
Boilie Paste
Mark Stubbles with yet another fine cold water carp. Mark is an extremely succesful and consistent angler and instinctively knows the rewards little edges can bring.
Many anglers tend to overlook the advantages that paste’s can give. Throughout the colder months I nearly always wrap a thin layer of paste around my hook bait. This not only gives the bait a better ‘leak off’ in terms of attraction as the paste slowly dissipates, but also gives the hook bait a completely different texture.
Paste is also an essential requirement if you prefer to make your own cork ball pop-ups or balanced baits. A 10mm cork ball with approx 3mm of paste wrapped around it will give you a nice balanced 16mm hook bait. To make pop-ups however, you will need to wrap a thinner layer of paste around the cork. I find that a 12mm cork ball with approx 1.5mm of paste wrapped around the outside creates pop-ups buoyant enough for most presentations.
Top Tip
We make the paste soft enough for most applications, but if you find the paste starting to dry out a little, just dampen it down with a ‘Bait Glug’ or a ‘Liquid Food’ and re-mould together. (Rinse hands in warm water first)
If you need to leave the paste standing for any length of time, make sure you wrap it up in cling film otherwise it can quickly dry up. It will be fine to wrap up in cling film and leave in the fridge for 24 hours if needed.
