Catch Reports
85lb of carp in 5 mins!
Posted in Catch Reports on 01st December 2008Here’s an exclusive report that you will not find in the weeklies and has been kept quiet for a few weeks. Andy Clark from Stroud has had an incredible run of big carp from a difficult southern gravel pit, including the capture of two mirrors weighing in at 52lb 8oz and 33lb 3oz landed within minutes of each other! In fact Andy informs us that he was playing the ‘52’ when his other rod ripped off before banking the big British brace!
Prior to this Andy had been steadily baiting up with a customised version of the famous B5 and over a total of 10-nights fishing during a 3 week spell, managed to bank eight carp with three of them going over 45lbs! The weights in order of capture were as follows: 45lb 8oz, 32lb 3oz, 26lb 4oz, 24lb, 52lb 8oz (pb), 33lb 3oz, 35lb 4oz, and 45lb 6oz!! Now that’s what we call top B5 bombing mate!
Publicity limitations do not allow us to name the venue or publicise some of the fish, but we are grateful to the fishery and to Andy for supplying the enclosed information to Essential on an exclusive basis.
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.
