FIVE WAYS TO WIN

It’s not as complicated as you think, and where big carp are concerned, paste is hard to beat in summer…

with paste baits

VARY THE BAIT SIZE

A LOT of anglers still reckon that the bigger the piece of paste, the bigger the fish. This rarely rings true, and double-figure carp will sometimes take a small bait more readily than a big one. Experiment with hookbait size to find out what’s right on the day – anything from the size of a 5p piece up to the diameter of a £2 coin!

ADD SOME FEED

SOME paste anglers feed nothing, relying on bits that come off the hook when they ship the rig back in being left on the bottom. This can work well, but normally feeding some other baits will help to get the swim going. Hemp and corn are two winners on this score, the corn being bright and visible to give carp something to home in on, while hemp is a great bait for keeping carp on the deck. The normal strategy is to feed a small helping of both in a large pot on the end of the pole with the paste hookbait popped on top.

USE LONG FLOATS

FLOAT choice depends on swim depth but in 5ft of water, a 4x12 or 4x14 is ample. Paste floats have a long stem for stability and an equally long bristle. This not only allows you to see when the paste has come off the hook (the bristle will rise out of the water) but will also let you read bites that little bit easier and make a better judgement on when to strike.

EXPERIMENT!

PASTE is a bait that lends itself to a bit of DIY, and a lot of people have their own special recipe that they seem to guard with their life. A bait you make yourself will always be better than a pre-prepared one, because you can alter the consistency on the day. Sometimes paste that is almost dripping off the hook will work, while on others a much stiffer mix is best. You can add other ingredients to the paste powder such as crushed hemp, crushed pellets and even liquidised luncheon meat. Another good tip is to roll the paste hookbait in micro pellets before shipping it out to give it a different, crunchy texture.

IGNORE KNOCKS

YOU will get a lot of indications on the float without the bristle actually pulling under and these should not be struck at. Often, carp will nudge or nose a piece of paste before sucking it in, so provided you have left enough tip on show, it’s a case of waiting until the float buries before striking. Bites can be incredibly positive when they are feeding well, so you won’t be left in any doubt as to whether or not a fish is responsible.