Catch Reports
Its a Family Affair!
Posted in Catch Reports on 17th October 2007Essential Bait boss Mike Willmott has recently returned from a 5-night session on a Belgium river with his Son and Daughter, where despite cold frosty conditions they managed to bank a total of 19 carp. The highlight of the trip was this immaculate brace of commons weighing in at 36lb and 38lb 14oz. Proper Belgian beauties.
All the fish fell to the Winterised version of the Shellfish B5 which always seems to ‘kick in’ once the first few frosts arrive. The latest appearance of the West Country bait baron finally puts pay to any rumours that he has completely lost his marbles and is still hiding out in the undergrowth of a large Colne Valley gravel pit!!
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.
