Angling Tips 'n' Tricks.

                       Welcome!

Tip #1

 This tip is about bait.

Hawaiian Pineapple -
HCP Baits.

More to the point, storing it correctly. Most anglers will notice that there are many types of bait on the tackle shop shelf. However, the two main types are Shelf-life and Freezer Baits. Both have their pros and cons of usage but Shelf-Life baits definitely have the upper hand on convenience. On the other hand, Freezer baits are far better for the fish and they also have a more appealing attraction to the fish with their more natural ingredients.

But, the most depressing thing for an angler is to find all their bait has got freezer burn!

Freezer burn is especially harsh to boilies because of the high water content. Burn occurs when the bait is incorrectly stored, it happens because the air surround the bait is too cold, therefore they must be in an airtight container to prevent it. Extreme cold draws the moisture out of the baits and thus, dehydrates them. When defrosting your frozen baits, make sure not to open the bag! Opening the packaging/container allows the moisture from the baits to escape and dry the baits out, this causes cracks and makes the baits very brittle. The perfect boilie, for example, is soft and like dry paste inside. These are baits that are highly digestible and full of goodness, you can achieve this texture by slowly defrosting and using a highly nutritious bait.                                 

        

So there we go, three tips in one article!

• Don't have your freezer too cold, if the missus allows! 
• Store your baits in airtight packaging.
• Take your time when defrosting them.

Happy fishing and happy catching!
 ....and don't forget to read the next tip or trick!





Welcome again.

Tip #2

It's time for a new Tip for today!

This week's tip is about PVA.
Well, where to start? PVA has boomed in the carp fishing society over the last few years.

• 'How do you use it?'

Well, there are many forms of PVA. Firstly, there are Nuggets. This is dissolvable buoyant foam. It is used to keep the hook away from snags or deep chod.
Secondly, there are Tape and Strings of PVA. Like the Nuggets, the can protect your rig, but also allow baits to be tied on, to then be left free around your hookbait. Genius!
Last, but by no means least, Mesh and Solid bags. These two are dedicated to dissolve away to allow a bed of bait on top of which you hookbait sits.

Now, I will show you how these can be made-up for YOUR fishing.
To use PVA products, ALL tackle and bait needs to be dry - otherwise it will dissolve on contact.

To make a PVA mesh stick you need to;

• Use a suitable rig with a loop at the end.
• Next, acquire a PVA mesh system - Many companies sell them.
• Add you damp mix to the funnel and compress hard.
• Tie off the funnel with an over-hand knot.
• Use a baiting needle to thread the 'stick' onto the loop on your rig.
• Slide it down to mask the hook.

After the mesh dissolves, the bait will surround around your hookbait.

To make a PVA Solid bag you need to;

• Use a short, supple rig to fit inside the bag.
• In-line leads are preferred for this set-up for ease of use.
• Fill the bag with 1/3 damp bait.
• Place the lead in flat and com pact down - leaving the rig outside.
• Fill the bag until 1/2 full and place hookbait and rig in flat.
• Cover with more bait and compact down.
• Finish it off by tying some PVA tape to secure it and trim the tag ends.

The lead, bait and rig are all compact inside.

Thanks for reading, and keep checking for next week's Tip!



Welcome to Tip #3 !

This tip is not really a tip at all!

It is in fact, a rig. I have chosen to show you how to tie this rig because it has proven great effect for large Carp. The majority of its use is with boilies but it could be adapted to fish anyhow and anywhere.

1. First, you need to take 12 inches of supple coated braid. I choose Suffix Sheath Skin in 25lb breaking strain. This allows me to fish anywhere with strong enough tackle to do the job. After that, strip back 5 inches of coating to leave a supple joint in the material.

2. Secondly, tie a over-hand loop knot in the supple section and pass the curved hook through the back of the material.

3. To continue, whip up the shank of the hook –trapping the ‘hair’ with it. After, pull the ‘hair’ away and continue whipping up the shank. This intern kicks the ‘hair’ at a more aggressive angle.

4. Pass the stiff section through the back again to secure the Knotless Knot. Stripping the coating off allows enough for a supple ‘hair’ and section before the hook.

5. Take your bottom bait and you pop-up and cut them flush to each other. Then, thread them onto and baiting needle.

6. After threading your baits onto the ‘hair’, you need to place a small boilie stop to secure it.

It’s easier to use a strip of stops and then cut one off when placed in the loop.

7. To allow you to change rigs easily and be able to thread PVA stick onto the rig, tie a Figure-of-eight loop knot.

8. Use the end of a strong baiting tool to pull the knot down tight. Remember to moisten the knot before tightening fully.

The finished rig in a test-tank.

Note; the buoyancy of the pop-up and the weight of the bottom bait balance each other out, this leaves you a neutral buoyant bait.

For a personal choice, you can add a blob of rig putty to pin it to the lake bed.

 Oh, and don't forget to watch this page for the next Trick or Tip !



Hello again, this is Trick #4!

I just want to say, thank you for the support of the CarpMadMan.


Tangles! It's always been a fisherman's nightmare, it's demoralising and frustrating to wind in only to find - sometimes after several hours - a useless, tangled rig.

But you've stumbled across the solution - this post - I'm going to teach you how to prevent them.

We've all had them:

• The hair wrapped around the hook.
• The hooklink has wrapped the lead.
• The hook has caught on some debris.

But they can be prevented. So many ways, we better start.

Different PVA products.

Firstly, PVA - as previously mentioned in Carpers Tip #2 - can be used to great effect to reduce tangles, there is one main feature with PVA tangle proofing, it masks the hook point.

This is actually a good thing as it is usually the first thing to catch on anything that would ruin your presentation. As it is PVA it will dissolve away from the hook allowing full functionality of your rig.

Using any PVA fishing material will ensure confidence in this set up.
I like to use PVA nuggets to keep my rig away from any debris, it also allows my bait to come to rest on to any lake bed material.

Secondly, I always use some kind of material above the lead.
 

Anti-tangle tubing.

Be it , rig tubing, leaders, or lead core, it is of most importance to all of my fishing to use any of them. Again, they all have one thing in common, they are all ways thicker than the mainline or hooklink material. This is used so that it is harder for the thinner line cannot wrap around the leader.

Finally, 'feathering'  may take some skill but it's of great use to any angler. 'Feathering' is a way of slowing the speed of the lead which, in turn, kicks the rig away.
As said, it is tricky - for some - to feather it correctly at the right time. The trick is to gently touch the spool's lip as it is a few yards from hitting the water. Following that, 'feeling the lead down'  can aid in helping present a cunning rig. This too is an art but can allow you to know what the lake bed is like and tell you whether you are fishing on the right spot. Feeling the lead hit the bottom can tell you what the lake bed is like, i.e hard and fishable or soft and unsuitable for a rig.

To do so, simply allow the lead, as it falls through the water colomn, to fall on a tight line.

Another carp fallen to pinned-down tubing.

Hello again! This is a Wintry Trick #5

• Just a quick note; I'm up for any suggestions for the Tips 'n' Tricks it would be great to see what you fellow anglers would like to hear from me.

Now then, better start on with the trick. It's maggots!
Now most anglers must think that "They're just for silver fish".
But you couldn't be further from the truth, at least during the chillier months that is.
Carp, like all fish, are naturally attracted to maggots and other larvae, and that's why it's a fantastic Winter bait - on it's own or with other small particles.
I like to add it to Spod mixes, in conjunction with PVA mixes or using them to tip off a hookbait.

The versatility of maggots is enormous and it's a waste not to use them.

People often complain that they're too expensive.

Instead of using the £10 pounds for the boilies you were going to buy, the amount of maggots you could buy for a tenner is more than ample - Remember, it's Winter, they don't want alot.

Many Carp anglers would think of how they could present a 'normal' carp rig for maggots.
Well that's what I'm here for; to help you tie a simple 'bottom bait' maggot rig, you'll need

•  Some dental floss.
• Maggots -  only about 10 or so.
• A large rig ring.
• A fine sewing needle.
• A standard hair rig.

Firstly, tie the rig ring onto the 'hair' of your rig - half way from the knotless knot and the loop is good. Then, take about ten centimetres and thread it onto the sewing needle. If the needle is too big the maggots, that you then thread onto, will burst and not wriggle. Following that, pass the tag end of the floss and tie onto 'hair' loop. Lastly, tie the two tag ends together to form a tight ball of maggots on the end.

It's a simple rig that will work over any small particle due to it's natural but subtle appearance.

Happy catching
  and please send me any of your catches with details and I'll post them up on 'Our Photos' tab.


A new rig to teach.

Welcome to  'Riggy' Tip #6.

 Now, it may have been a little while since I last gave you a Carper's Tip. But, through this gap, I have been preparing for the open season - June 16th - and another ultra long trip in July (look out for these dates).
Along the way, I have picked up a new rig, this is preferred in conjunction with a PVA bag or large stick      - see Carper's Tip #2. This rig incorporates a standard supple section with a tiny stiff base, the theory is that it will kick away the hooklink, when the PVA bag dissolves, from the lead. This leaves a more presentable hookbait, but still within and around the bag mix. 

But enough of the explaining, I'll show you how to tie this rig.



You'll need these materials.

Strip off 6" of coated braid.

Use a trimmed off pop-up and
 a small 12mm boilie.

Cut off 2" of stiff fluorocarbon.



You can clearly see the silicon hook tubing.
This helps kick the hook over in the mouth. 

Add 2 silicon tubing pieces and tie

 the hook on with a favoured whipping knot.

Then tie on the fluorocarbon boom with an albright knot.

On the other end tie a figure-of-eight loop knot.



The finished rig in the test tank.

My free offering bucket mix.

Welcome to  Bait tip #7.

 After reading 'An Interesting June 16th' you may have arrived here in search of my 'how-to' piece.
Well here it is. What you'll need is a tin of chickpeas, a couple of handfuls of fast break down pellet, HCP Baits Coconut Crunch boilie crumb, sweet corn and HCP Baits Coconut Crunch glug.

To start, you need a large round bucket as you can end up making quite a bit of bait - and it also makes it easier to mix.

A few handfuls of sweet corn to start.

I like to start with sweet corn but this is just a personal preference but I do like to put the larger food items in first. Sweet corn is a bait that cannot be ignored by most fish and it is just another food item fish can get lost in. I then add the chickpeas as they are another large food item. They are softer then sweet corn and I like to keep them whole so you have to be careful when mixing as they can easily become mashed.

Chickpeas are very versatile.

I then choose a fast breakdown pellet that works well with the flavour scheme I'm going with. As this is a sweet and almost nutty mix, I will choose a pellet suitable for that. I also wanted to steer away from the trout and halibut pellets as they are used a lot on the waters I fish.

The fast breakdown pellet gave a
greater food value to the mix.

I then proceed to add the boilie crumb. Just like with the pellets, I will add a boilie that is similar to the mix I'm trying to achieve. Again, Coconut Crunch is a bait I have a lot of faith with and its rigorous testing in France too has had proven results.

The finished mix with a liberal
dose of matching liquid
and the boilie crumb.