Catch Reports
Back with a bang!
Posted in Catch Reports on 31st July 2009After a short break from the big carp scene following his capture of the Black Mirror, Essential bait boss Mike Willmott wasted no time getting back into the swing of things by banking his latest target fish in the shape of this immaculate 37lb 3oz mirror (above right) from a very tricky undisclosed venue. Such was the carp’s confidence in the bait, when he went to remove the hook, he found it was lodged over 10” back and had to borrow a pair of 12” pike forceps to remove it!!
A number of other good fish have fallen to Mike and Lee following a pre-baiting campaign at the low stocked water, with the latest being a lovely dark chestnut coloured mirror that Mike believes is one of the best looking carp he’s ever seen!
Unfortunately on a sad note, the otters seem to be catching just as many carp from the venue as they are and having had first hand experience of otters on their own lake as well as Ashlea Pool, Mike believes it’s only a matter of time before these fish are wiped out.
Footnote: Mike has recently started a new mini series of articles in Carpworld for anyone interested and part one appears in the July issue.
Boilie Glugs
The use of boilie Dips/Glugs to increase attraction levels can be extremely effective, particularly on short sessions or for using single hook baits when you want to boost the food signals.
For 'glugging up' your baits, just pour approx 20ml of your chosen liquid into a 1kg bag of boilies and shake well to ensure even distribution. This can be done before placing them into the freezer or after they’ve been taken out. If applying the liquid after the boilies have been taken out, it’s best to let them thaw out first before adding the liquid. It's also advisable to add the liquid to the boilies a few hours before you hit the bank, thus allowing a little time for the boilies to soak it up, although this isn't imperative.
For boosting your hook baits only, one useful ploy is to leave them permanently soaking within the solution and this will really ‘kick out’ the attraction. Bear in mind that pop-ups are likely to loose a little buoyancy if doing this for long periods. Alternatively you can just pour 10ml of the liquid solution into a jar of pop-ups and shake well. This will give them an extra boost without effecting buoyancy levels too much.
