Catch Reports

Smash and Grab!!

Posted in Catch Reports on 20th January 2008

Lee Willmott doesn’t seem to find that much time to go fishing in between rolling hundreds of kilo’s of bait each week, but when he does, he always seems to make up for it! Once again, his latest short ‘overnighter’ saw him on the banks of his own fishery, Springwood Pool, and on this occasion he managed to smash the lake record with this stunning 35lb 12oz mirror!

The big fish, which hadn’t seen the bank for over 20-months, fell on the stroke of midnight during an aggressive storm, but the winterised version of the Shellfish B5 was enough to finally tempt the elusive specimen out of retirement. Lee introduced 25-free offerings and a kilo of matching B5 pellets to a silty depression at 30-yards to bank the ultra-shy mirror.


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.