MITCH HAMMONDS:

I’ve been doing plenty of prep work for when the restrictions are lifted.

I’ll be starting a new adventure on a large sailing lake – it’s a deep pit with some real monsters lurking – and this has got me thinking about the pulling power of the bait and hookbaits I’ll be casting.

With depths to 20ft- plus and plenty of carp being caught from these depths, in both summer and winter over the years, I felt it would be necessary to further improve the attraction of my handrolled ‘ Super Krills’.

Following the guide that comes with the special little tube of goodness from Sticky’s Hookbait Making Kits, I add egg albumin ( to harden the baits and prolong their life and beat smaller nuisance fish or crays) betaine, GLM and liver powder along with 2ml of squid bait spray.

This massively boosts the baits and gives them a distinct smell from the free offerings.

After rolling and boiling the baits and while they are still steaming in a sieve, I sprinkle over a heaped spoonful of a secret powder I’ve knocked up. Doing this while they’re drying helps to pull the powders into the baits as they sit and steam on the drying rack.

I hang the baits in small mesh bags away from direct sunlight and in a ventilated area off the ground until dry.

Once they’re hard, I put them in a sandwich container and add a drop of krill liquid ( that comes in the kit) and salmon oil to make the baits sticky enough to receive another spoonful of my special powder. I roll them around the container and leave them to dry. I repeat this process three or four times or until I am happy with the paste- like coating.

It’s very satisfying to catch on bait you’ve made yourself, as well as keeping you busy during these strange times.