Catch Reports
Pete Springate smashes Somerset record with a 60-pounder!
Posted in Catch Reports on 08th July 2013Well the above heading rocked the carp world for several hours recently when Mike Willmott posted it on his facebook page, but despite frantic calls from the weeklies begging for the exclusive story and the rumour mill going into overdrive, it was indeed a massive tongue in cheek wind up!!
However, it was actually a true story because Mike never even mentioned it was a fish, and left this to the imagination of the media and general public to draw their own conclusions. The truth of the matter is that Pete put a trail of B5 out to tempt 'Victor' (one of Mike's giant tortoises) out of his home and to the waters edge before having his picture taken!! The pair then giggled furiously as the phone lines went into meltdown!
The following day Mike and Pete visited Ashmead as guests and Pete used the B5 to very good effect yet again, but this time on a fish! The result being a lovely 29lb 8oz common. The pair then returned to Mike's Springwood fishery and caught several fish between them up to 28lb 8oz. What a wonderful week of wind ups and whackers!
Long may we all continue to smile in this often too serious carp bubble we live in at times...
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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.
