The Coach Sweetcorn skins
THIS WEEK: Slip on a corn skin (or six) and catch bigger carp
THE bigger carp in many commercials have seen it all and at this time of year become wary of the usual hookbait offerings.
But top matchman Phil Reynolds has been enjoying great autumn results by tweaking corn to offer the fish something different…
CORN SKINS!
“A couple of years ago I first tried the skin of a grain of sweetcorn on the hook. It was near the end of the day and I’d almost run out of bait, but I found a few bits of leftover corn on my bait tray.
“I couldn’t believe it when my float shot away and I caught the best carp of day from my margin swim,” he said. “Since then I have used corn skins as a hookbait almost every time I have been to a commercial and it has definitely helped me catch the bigger fish.”
Phil’s corn skins are the outer shell of a kernel of corn with the contents that are usually in the middle squeezed out. But why are they so effective?
“I’m convinced their high visibility in clear water make them appealing to fish,” he said.
“I put five or six skins on a big size 14 and that big ball of yellow stands out well. It’s also a very light bait that it won’t take much of an effort to be sucked in.”
HOW TO FEED
As the water starts to cool, you have to be careful how much you feed. Phil finds that a small cup of micro pellets and a few grains of corn every now and then over each line are more than enough.
“When big carp are the target you want to introduce enough to draw only one or two fish in at a time or you will end up Phil Reynolds with a corn-skin munter!
foul-hooking them as they brush against the line. Two tins of corn and a pint of micro pellets are more than enough for a session.”
TARGET ZONES
Phil targets three areas of his swim and has worked out the best times to fish each one with corn skins.
“My long pole line, usually 13m or 14.5m, is where I will start as this is where a lot of fish will be sat to start with at this time of year.
“A line around 6m out, also in deep water, is worth trying after a couple of hours. Putting a little bait here will attract the fish once the light levels start to drop.
“Finally, the margins always play a part in my plans, even when the water cools.”