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A Common Occurrence!

Posted in Catch Reports on 16th January 2009

Gary King has been fishing for carp for over 26-years, but until recently has never had a thirty pound carp grace his net. We think it’s fair to point out however that Gary probably fishes less in a year than most carp anglers do in a month!

The elusive thirty pound barrier was soon put well and truly behind him this winter though when he caught the two biggest commons in the lake on consecutive trips! The first was a deep chunky common that settled bang on the 30lb mark, whilst the second was a long lean specimen that recorded a weight of 30lb 2oz.

Considering the long hard winter we’ve just had, with most lakes freezing up for long periods of time, two cracking winter thirty commons are a right result in anyone’s book, let alone when you’ve waited 26-years for them! Both of the big commons tripped up on the cold water version of the legendary Shellfish B5 – as you would expect!

The benefits of Pellets

Team Essential member Lee Carpenter with one of his many big fish. Underwater attraction and stimulation plays a big role in Lee's success and pellets are one of the best ways to achieve this.

The use of pellets as a carp fishing bait has been well documented over the years, but their success isn’t surprising when you begin to consider just how many young carp have been fed on them during their early years. Most carp will instantly recognise pellets as a viable food source, and the fact that they break down quicker than boilies means that they release their food signals more efficiently. This will usually encourage smaller fish into the area first, but will often trigger a feeding response from the carp shortly afterwards.

Pellets are also an extremely versatile bait, that can be introduced in a variety of different ways. One of the best methods is to use them inside mini PVA bags with a few crushed boilies. The full package is no bigger than a tea bag, but leaves a nice little pile of food perfectly presented and difficult for the carp to ignore!

Larger beds of pellets can also be very effective, particularly on heavier stocked venues when trying to create competition for food. On lower stocked venues however, a few pouch loads of pellets sparsely scattered around your baited rig will undoubtedly increase attraction and keep the carp searching for food. This method will always keep a food trace in the area and increase the chances of pulling fish into the baited zone.