Five best bomb baits

Bomb fishing is the ideal tactic at this time of year when the weather is unpredictable. Chris Telling reveals his top baits for this great method

IN MARCH 2012 UK temperatures were recorded as high as 23ºC – yet roll forward a year and the average for the same month was a bitter two degrees. If nothing else, it goes to show that the weather is highly unpredictable at this time of year and that you’ll need a tactic with the potential to score during an unexpected heatwave, or when you need to de-ice your car before a session. There’s one obvious choice that comes to mind for many seasoned anglers, and that is the bomb. Whether you are patiently waiting for the odd bite with a single bait or using your catapult to feed over the top, this approach will serve you well. Marukyu’s Chris Telling relies on the bomb more than anything else during this erratic period. But it’s not as simple as chucking out and hoping for the best. “I will always use the bomb at this time of year. The weather on the day and the species I am after will dictate the bait I use,” explained Chris. “Over the years I have tried pretty much everything I can get my hands on in the tackle shop but I have whittled it down to five baits that have all earned a place in my armoury.”

1. MEAT

“Luncheon meat rarely gets used until it really warms up, but as a single cylinder on a hair rig it can be deadly. Chop a block of tinned meat into slices around 2cm thick and punch out cylindrical hookbaits. This is my first-choice bait when I am confident of hooking big carp in cold water. I dye it yellow. Big carp have seen every trick in the book but the added colour is likely to be something they haven’t come across and will lead to them falling for the trap. Place a few handfuls of punched meat into a food bag, add a glug of your chosen additive, blow air into the bag, seal it, shake it and place it in the fridge overnight.”

2. BOILIES

“On days when I know it’s going to be a waiting game, I will use a pop-up boilie on the hook. Unlike bread, it won’t disintegrate over time and will stay in its original form underwater for an absolute age. If I am chucking to an area where I know fish are living, I will leave the bait in place until the tip goes round, even if that takes half an hour or more to happen. Experimenting with the size and colour of the popup is key, and each day will be different. Take a range of baits in sizes between 6mm and 10mm, with white, orange and bright yellow all very effective colours. When the tip goes round, you can expect a lump to be attached!”

3. PELLETS

“Pellets are unbeatable if it turns into T-shirt weather in the coming weeks. Use a banded 6mm for F1s or an 8mm for carp but never put the catapult down. Fire four or five pellets over the top every couple of minutes, recasting frequently to make a little noise that draws fish in. Most anglers use brown pellets that are available in every tackle shop, but switching to another colour such as red can help put more fish in the net when the going gets tough. Pellets really are the ultimate warm weather bomb bait and I’ve put some of my most memorable catches together when it has been warmer than average at this time of year.”

4.SWEETCORN

“This is probably the most versatile bait of the lot as it can be used when it is cold or warm. When the temperatures are low I will simply hair-rig two grains and cast out and look for signs on my tip. If it doesn’t nudge at all, it tells me there are no fish in the area and I will then recast to a different spot around 15 minutes later. When it gets warmer, I will get the catapult out and fire a few grains of corn over the top every now and then. This works especially well in shallow and clear water. A couple of tins are enough for a session and the noise of the bait impacting draws fish in, when they can’t miss the bright yellow kernels.”

5. BREAD

“Fish don’t always sit on the bottom, and when I feel they have risen off the deck I will turn to white bread. Use a punch to take three small cylinders from a slice and hair-rig them. Make sure you use quite a long hair, as bread expands underwater. Bread is really buoyant so it will pop up off the deck. How long your hooklength is will dictate how far off the bottom it comes. I start with a foot-long version in open water. If I am not getting any bites I will step up to as long as 4ft in deep pegs. Give your bread an extra edge by spraying on a generous dose of Marukyu Choco Cream. This has a distinctive smell and definitely helps attract extra bites on tough days.”