Catch Reports
Black Snail strikes on White Swan!
Posted in Catch Reports on 03rd April 2011Long time carp angler Jim Hepper seems to have been on the carp scene since man was created and many old school carp anglers will remember Jim from his early day pioneering exploits with angling legend Rod Hutchinson. Jim won't thank us for saying he's been around the block a few times but his experience and knowledge is second to none and we're glad Jim has chosen Essential Baits to help conquer his modern day quests.
On a recent visit to Dinton's White Swan venue Jim put the new Black Snail through its paces and immediately got off the mark with this stunning looking mirror of 32lb. A cracking start for the big fella and the first time the bait was ever introduced to the difficult venue!
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.
