BAG UP ON THE BIG-FISH METHOD
Try my customised mix for a new PB this summer
IMUST admit I have a soft spot for the Method feeder. Visit any commercial fishery and you’ll see anglers catching match carp on this tactic, yet it’s such a rare sight at big-carp fisheries.
However, some of my biggest fish have been caught on the feeder, and you can expect to pick up specimen bream and tench as an added bonus.
The Method feeder is ideal for newcomers to carp fishing because it removes one of the most technically demanding aspects – baiting up accurately. With the Method you’ll always have loosefeed right next to the hookbait, just where you want it. If you don’t own a spod rod then Method fishing enables you to get plenty of bait out well beyond catapult range, and by clipping up so you hit the same distance every time you can be sure that all of it ends up in the same tight area.
Here, then, are my tried-and-trusted ingredients to pack around the frame.
At the start of a session I’ll make several quick casts with the feeder to start laying down some bait. Cast out, leave it for five minutes for the groundbait to start to break down, and then retrieve and repeat anything up to a dozen times to get some bait laid down in the swim.
Because the feeder is the only way we are going to be introducing bait I like to pack it with plenty of particles and pellets – small baits that will keep the carp grubbing around.
Carp are quite messy feeders, and so these small particles will hold them in the swim for ages, and the longer they are in the swim, the better your chances are of a bite.
Use a good quality Method groundbait as the base of your mix. This is inherently attractive, and will bind the mix to the feeder on the cast, yet break down in just a few minutes, releasing the particles and attraction into the water.
Hemp is an essential part of my big-carp mix, but one that you need to use carefully.
When added to groundbait it will dry out and float, so I keep a separate bowl to which I can add just a couple of handfuls of groundbait and a pinch of hemp when I need to load the feeder.
FLAKED MAIZE
Resembling cornflakes, flaked maize is a great and inexpensive bulk ingredient for carp mixes. Soak it in water overnight to soften it up and let it expand.
You’ll find it will start to exude a milky liquid that carp love the taste of.
GO SMALL WITH PELLETS
Small 3mm pellets are the best size to add to Method mixes, because the small baits will bind together better and not cause the mix to break up on the cast. Use halibut pellets, as these are the most attractive to big fish.
ADD A FISHY FLAVOUR
Carp love tinned fish, such as pilchards, sardines and tuna. Break up the fish into tiny pieces to give the mix a pungent fishy smell. Just a small amount goes a long way, and you’ll see the oil slick created as the groundbait breaks down.
HOOKBAITS
Carp tend to hoover up everything around the feeder, so use small ‘wafter-type’ hookbaits. A 12mm boilie is a good starting point, as it’s durable and easy to hair-rig. Plastic corn is another great alternative, available in a wide range of colours.