FIRST FIND WHERE THE CARP FEED

Q I’m planning on baiting up a new water. Would you bait just specific areas or would you introduce it to all areas of the lake? The lake is an old gravel pit of around 10 acres and most of the 20 members use bait from different companies!

A Dave Lane: I’d start off lightly, given that the weather is still warm and late summer is not a renowned feeding time. The fish will probably be using the same areas most days, so baiting the entire lake would be counter-productive and a waste of bait!

Watch the lake at dawn and see where they show or fizz up – these will be the actual feeding areas. Once you know this, keep the bait going in little and often. I’d prefer to put in half-a-kilo every day, rather than just throw in 5kg once a week. This will get the fish used to finding fresh bait in certain areas.

As it gets towards autumn and the weather changes, the carp will feed more heavily and you can increase the amount of bait going in.

The real payback will probably come in late September and October, my favourite months for boilie fishing without a doubt. Don’t expect too much while it is still hot. But stick with it, as the good times are not far away.

You mentioned that most anglers are using different baits. If you know the other anglers well then try to persuade a couple to go in with you on your baiting programme as this will help immensely. Some of my best long-term results have come on waters where we have had a baiting team, and all used the same bait over an extended period of time.

The carp get used to finding one decent bait source and, in time, treat it with less caution, which obviously results in more bites.