Martin Bowler
banks a 41lb carp on a Method feeder – read his deadly tactics
SPECIALIST anglers tend to focus on a single species, but while such dedication can pay dividends there are times when it can cost you a worthwhile catch. Of course, if you think all fish other than a carp are a nuisance then avoiding getting bites from other species is the way to go. I have never been of this mindset. I enjoy catching fish large and small, and quite often I will deliberately fish for everything that swims, or at least carry a spare set of tackle that will allow me to open every window of opportunity as it presents itself to me. I was in just such a frame of mind when I embarked on my latest fishing trip, and what a red-letter day it turned out to be! I began my preparations two days in advance and yes, I know I am repeating myself when I say the effort you put in away from the bank should be equal to that applied while you’re on it. This time bait was the priority. I poured a kilo of 2mm Bloodworm and Krill Sticky pellets into a bucket and added a big glug of Cap Oil and Liquid Krill, enough to cover them. A splash of water then softened the pellets, added slowly so all the liquid was absorbed. This was a four-step process, carried out morning and evening. If I’d added the same amount of water in one go I’d have been left with a mush more akin to groundbait, but this way the pellets would hold their shape while becoming squidgy and carrying loads of extra attraction.
Preparation inspires confidence, and by the time I opened the fishery gate I was full of it. The warm afternoon sun was pleasant, but a clear sky in spring can also spell a cool night, which fish don’t favour. On the upside, spring brings fish on the feed, so I decided to stick to the game plan and introduce three pints of Spomb mix to an area 50 yards out where the water deepened and the bottom was clear.
For such close range work I prefer mono to braid, as it’s easier to manage. I rigged the reel on my E-S-P spod rod with 10lb Syncro XT and a tapered leader. The mix was made
up of 12mm
Krill boilies, Krill Cluster, the same type of pellets I had been soaking, and some trout pellets. Once in the lake a lovely oily slick spread over the swim.
I was happy to catch any of the specimens that swam in the lake and my tackle reflected this – Drennan Specialist distance tench and bream rods with Series 7 BR reels and 12lb fluorocarbon mainline. My terminal rig was a 35g Method feeder with a short braided hooklength and a size 10 E-S-P Curve Shanx hook.
Groundbait would normally be deployed around the frame, but now I could use the mould to squeeze pellets around the feeder, resulting in the sort of neat bed of pellets that usually only a solid PVA bag can achieve. Sitting on the pile of feed, like a cherry on a cake, was three-quarters of a
12mm dumbell just begging to be sucked in. It couldn’t fail!
As darkness fell and bats replaced birds I wondered what fish, if any, would fall for my trap. Secretly I hoped for a big roach, but when the indicator danced at midnight it was a bream of about 9lb that thumped on my rod.
Perhaps greedily I was hoping for more and bigger fish. I squeezed another payload of pellets around the frame and used the spool clip
and power gum to ensure I was over the baited spot.
The same rod was away again in the early hours – another bream. After I’d replenished the feeder I did the same with the second rod and sure enough, it was this one that signalled the next bite just as light tinted the horizon orange.
The jag-jag sensation told me everything I needed to know well before I saw my prize – a roach, and a good one at that. By now there was no need for a torch as the landing net scooped up a silvery trophy.
A lack of tradition in my approach had in no way diminished the roach’s stature, a magnificent creature of over 2lb. My night’s work was done, but I hoped daybreak would bring another species.
Carp would be looking for breakfast, so I nipped to the van and swapped over to heavier test curve rods and more robust line. Previous experience had taught me that once the hippos got their heads down everything else would be bullied away, and to encourage this further I catapulted in a kilo of Krill boilies. My terminal tackle was unchanged – every non-predatory species loves a mouthful of pellets.
An hour later the alarm screamed and 30lb 4oz of mirror carp rued its greed as it had its picture taken with me.
Another fresh batch of pellets was then cast back to the clear spot, sending a slick up into the water column. Soon enough, another whiskered mouth sucked up all the food items on the feeder, including my Krill dumbbell hookbait.
That mouth belonged to a huge 41lb 8oz carp, proving that sometimes a ‘catch all’ approach is the best.
It’s certainly the most fun!