FEEDING

“In cold weather, I feel my way in and only pop in a few grains of standard couscous via a small pot on the pole every drop-in.

“As the fishing improves I can then build up the amount being fed, not only to satisfy the fish but also to keep them on the deck – feeding such a light bait in 5ft of water can draw carp off bottom and that’s when line bites become a problem.

“Later on I’ll also begin to drop in a few bits of giant couscous to give the fish a taster of the hookbait.”