GIVE THEM A MAGGOT AND CORN COMBO!

Big carp ace Dave Levy reveals one of his favourite early spring set-ups

FOR SUCH a small bait, maggots have an impressive track record for catching big spring carp.

Every angler has their favourite way of using them. Some lash them in by the pint, and this is fine in winter when natural baits are just about the only thing that the carp, with their reduced metabolisms, are willing to eat in any quantity.

Now that we’re in the throes of spring, however, the fish are on the lookout for something more substantial, with items including pellets, corn and boilies coming more to the fore.

Best of both worlds

Dave Levy has his own way of using maggots, and one that offers the carp the best of both worlds. It incorporates a handful of maggots, but the bulk of the feed is made up of pellets.

It’s served him well over recent spring seasons and, better still, it is easy to tie, tangle-proof and pretty low-cost too.

Dave explains: “I use a rig that doesn’t involve threading huge bunches of maggots on to bait floss, or any other complicated method. I use a small hook on the end of the hooklink to attach just a couple of maggots to the

top of my fake corn hookbait. This provides the visual attraction and movement that carp home in on, but prevents them becoming preoccupied with the maggots, as there aren’t too many on my spot.

Mixed menu PVA bag

“There are a few things to consider, and the first is the hooklink. My advice would be not to make it too long. Around 8ins-9ins is perfect.”

Rather than spodding out loads of maggots over the top of his rigs, Dave relies solely on a PVA bag to introduce freebies into his swim. In this he puts a small handful of maggots, but the bulk is made up of pellets.

He says: “I pull the hooklink through the mesh bag using a stringer needle, so that it can’t tangle on the cast, but it’s important you make these bags up properly. Pour pellets into one end of the bag, and this is the end that you pull the hook into. The pellets prevent the hookpoint snagging on any maggots, which can burst them and prematurely melt the PVA.

“If I were to use just maggots in the bag, they could mask the hookpoint, rendering the rig useless, but there’s no danger of that because of the pellet buffer.

“It’s a set-up that has served me very well in spring on a range of waters where the carp have seen everything. If you’re struggling for a bite on conventional set-ups, I suggest you give it a go!”