Why it’s time to break out PVA bags
How match ace Adam Wakelin goes the distance
THE clocks may have gone back, but we’re still not quite into out-and-out micro pellet fishing for carp.
The fish are still hungry, still feeding and still on the hunt for those bigger 4mm and 6mm pellets that have been fired at them all summer by pellet waggler and bomb anglers.
However, the pellet waggler has now gone by the board and carp on big venues such as Boddington Reservoir have pushed out well beyond the range and accuracy of any catapult. So what to do? The answer is simple... PVA.
Match anglers were slow to cotton on to the benefits of this material which has been a staple tackle component for big-carp anglers for decades, but we’re now up to speed and are beginning to understand when and how to use the stuff.
PVA bags are commonly nicknamed ‘tea bags’ and, put simply, they allow you to introduce feed super-accurately, often on top of your hookbait at any range that you can cast a bag and bomb to.
The PVA breaks down quickly in the water, leaving your bait amid a large mouthful of pellets for the carp to hoover up.
So, given that you may need to still be feeding big pellets but at a range that the catapult can’t get to, there’s only one show in town to get the job done. The other bonus of filling a bag with hard pellets is that you’re more likely to catch carp – dampened micro pellets are brilliant for really cold weather, but while things are still on the mild side they’re likely to get you as many skimmers and smaller fish as they are big carp.
The bag will work all the way through winter, and when it gets properly cold you can begin swapping some of the larger pellets for micros to keep the bites coming.
For the next week or two, though, it’s all about going large.
WHAT’S IN THE BAG?
I’m basically trying to imitate my hookbait with what’s in the bag, so that a feeding carp finds the pellets and eats the lot.
Therefore, I’ll go with a 50/50 mix of hard 4mm and 6mm carp pellets – low-oil pellets can slow down the breakdown process, so I steer clear of these. This size of pellet is what the carp have been eating all summer, so they shouldn’t view them with any suspicion.
PVA CHOICE
The bag needs to break down
quickly, and I go for Guru’s Speed Mesh PVA System – this breaks down in less than 20 seconds and that’s ideal for me.
The sequence (right) is how I tie bags, and I always go for round ones. You can tie a sausageshaped stick but this works better with micro pellets, I find.
When to tie the bags is also important, as a fresh bag will break down faster than an old one. Therefore, if I think I’m going to be waiting a long time for a bite in cold water, there’s nothing wrong with using a bag tied three days beforehand. This will break down a lot more slowly than a bag tied on the morning of a match.
If bites are coming quickly, however, then a fresh bag will be miles better.
LEAD SIZE
You’ll not be able to chuck a bag to a distance of 60m using a 1oz lead, so you need to have a selection to hand. For casts of over 70m I’ll fish a 2oz lead. For up to 60m it’s 1.5oz, and short chucks only need 1oz.
If your lead and bag are somersaulting as you cast them, then the lead is too light. Change up until it all flies true.
All my leads are the inline Guru Squares with an elasticated stem.