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W|N: FANTAST|C s|iI4:B WoRLDW|DE PoDs AND ACCEssoRlES

O7 rditorial

08 carp sceneThe TC readers' chance to have their say. EveryIetter orinted wns a orize from ManIine or Fox.

4 Jun ior Carp SceneThis t ime it 's the kids' turn as young Total Carperscatch carp and win Nash gear.

78 rcr Showcase PreviewCet the lowdown on the latest f ishing show. TheTCF Showcase w i l l be he ld th i s Apr i l ,

52 rue-s ,N' StuffWhat's occurring in the wonderfuI wor|d o carpfishing? Keep up to date r ight here.

32 outt ia" The BoxBread, the orgotten carp bait that can give youthe edge on your water. You' l l want to try this!

4 Happy oayslan Day heads to Drayton Reservoir and revealsexactly how effective the TC subs gift can be.

7O overnighterWe give Lewis Read 24 hours to outwit some ofTheale Two's residents. He doesn't disaoooint.

94 rtt" HaulerHow can breakfast cereals make your zig rigsmore productive? Tim Hodges has the answers.

o5 orr The Wa||The first part of Nick Helleur's new series in whichhe' l l be catching carp in unusual surroundings.

58 ruo*h"tn MonkeysNeil Smith and three companions head to Francefor a ew days' The resu|t.. ' four PBs'

164 encyclopaedia of CarpCarp ace Dave Lane tal

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9 cota.wuter Carp BaitsThe baits to use and those to avoid for non-stopaction when the weather is against you.

26 nig MasterLearn to tie Adam Penning's fluorocarbon pop-uprig. You can take this to any venue and catch.

48 ndvice squadour star-studded pane| o experts sets to work onsolving TC readers' carp fishing conundrums.

82 r r Top Tips - PVA ln WinterUse these essential tips and make PVA work foryou throughout the colder months.

89 eack To Basics - SpoddingThe ins and outs o this often-essentia| tacticexplained plainly and simply by the TC boys.

37 wlnte. WinnersLeon Bartropp reveals the key to getting quickbites in the cold.

54 rno* Your KnotsEvery knot you'l l ever need to know and one ortwo you might not! A|| here, and easy to ol|ow.

54 et,t'lg solar comp1OO tz,zsz Chub Token-collect comp114 esas Etang Marotles comp

TOTAL CARP 05

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MARC COULSONe l lo andwelcome toyet another

feature-packed issueof Total Carp. I haveto confess to nothaving done a lot ofcarp f ishing over thelast month or two,what with worl( andfamily commitments,

-ot to mention the fact that it 's winterlD , r r rg these spe l l s oI inac t i v i ty I l i ke to

. "1 as Lhough I am s t i l l ge t t ng my ' f i x ' and: .m luc l

GARPSGENEHave your say and get your mug in Total Carp!

HOWTO WIN!lf you have something to say, a storyto tell or a catch picture that youwould l ike to be cons idered forpubl icat ion then send them,with details of where you caughtyour fish, to: Carp Scene, TotalCarp, DHP Ltd, 2 StephensonClose, Drayton Fields, Daventry,Northants, NN' l 18RF.Alternatively, you can e-mailthe information to: carpscene@dhpub.co.uk . P leasesend jpeg imagesonly.

Each month we will publish readers' lettersand catch pics, with the best receivinga superb prize. The Letter or Catch OfThe Month, as chosen by TC editor MarcCoulson, will win a complete boxed set ofbrilliant Fox EOS-r remote alarms, includingreceiver.

These are the latest in cutting-edgedigital technology and are packed full offeatures, such as tone, volume, sensitivityand night-light control.

There are three alarms olus receiver inthe prizes, so i you get yourse|f pub|ishedand Marc chooses yours as the best entryof the month, you'll be the absolute envyo a|| your carp ang|ing riends.

As well as the technology inside theEOS-r, they also look the dog's danglies.The compact head is extremely cool anddoes not look cumbersome. They alsofeature clip-on, changeable covers thatallow you to customise how the alarmappears. There are black, mock stainlesssteel and even Realtree camou versions.

|f you are not chosen as the pick o themonth, and sadly there can only be one,don,t ret - there,s a prize for abso|ute|yeverybody.

lf your letter or catch pic appears in CarpScene you will receive a great runners-upprizerom Main|ine. This wi|| be a Iuckydip from great products within the widerange of excellent carp catchers that thetop Essex-based bait maker produces.Pop-ups, pellets, boilies, bag mix - itcould be anything, butwhatever you receiveit will be well worth itand it'll catch plentyof carp. How goodis that?

WORTHYCAPTURESDear TCAlthough I have landed bigger carp in England, Ithink these two Scott ish carp are worthy captures.A recce trip to a large, relatively unfished waterwith the plumbing rod and Smartcast outl ined acouple of features that looked promising.

On the next tr ip I spotted some carp inthis area, so I baited it up and returned u|l ofexpectation. I blanked, but baited up again andreturned the next evening.

Two hours into the session I landed a 15lb 2ozcarp fo||owed a ew minutes |ater by one o 17|b8oz. The brace made it al l worthwhile.Keith Reid, Tayside

Ed: Well done, Keith. We don't get too manycatch pics from north of the border, but thenthere aren't that many carp. I used to receivecorrespondence from one or two guys from theScottish Carp Society, but it has quietened downin recent months. Maybe it s lust a bit too coldup there (that's my token generalisation for thismonth out of the way!).

08 TOTAL CARP

Dear TCI recently f ished, and won, the RAF Carp Champs on CEMEX'sSandhurst Lake. The three-day competition was hard going, with onlyour of the 27 ang|ers putt ing a f ish on the bank' A Mainl ine Fusionboi l ie f ished towards some snags did the business and saw me sl ippingthe net under a carp named Rosie at 371b. This beat my previous PBby nearly 9lb and was the new RAF minor carp record. That was unti lI banked a carp known as Cracker at39lb 9oz. What a result.Graham Vincent, via e-mail

"Ed: 6reat result, Craham. Do you know TC writer Leon Baftropp? Iam sure he used to be in the RAF, didn't he?

Dear TCDennis Wilkinson rom Her|fordshire banked this 46lb mirror fromEtang des Landes on a recent tr ip to France. This mirror was caughtalong with seven other carp to 301b. Needless to say, Dennis was overthe moon.Mary Forstel France

"Ed: Hello again Mary, I hope all is going well over there. lt certainlysounds like it is. I wonder if that is the lake record? I know you havea few biggies in Etang des Landes, but I am not sure how many youhave that are bigger than that. I hope the big ones keep coming foryour visiting anglers and wish you all the best with the lake.

Dear TCI have been fishing a local c|ub water and managed to bank one othe lake's biggest residents at a whopping 5Olb 1oz. The fish fell toa r ig placed right under some overhanging marginal branches, andboy did it f ight. I had only been f ishing for four hours and, seeing asit was only 1Opm, I rang my mate Russ and asked him to come anddo the photos. We weighed the fish twice, on separate sets o sca|es,to ensure an accurate reading. This is the biggest weight this carp hasever been caught at and a new club record to boot.Gerry Gi les, via e-mail

>Ed: That's a right lump, Cerry. Well done!

Dear TCI recently joined a local club water with a view to catching my firsttwenty. Unbel ievably, I succeeded on my very f irst session. I thengradual ly upped my PB by 1lb or so at a t ime untl l I landed a27lb 8ozcommon. Knowing that there weren't many bigger f ish in the lakeI decided to target the larger specimens by using double baits. Theresult was this 31lb 4oz common known as The Patch.Nathan Jones. Essex

>Ed: My mate, and TC regular, Tony Makepeace swears by big baitsfor big carp. I have seen him cast baits out that are almost the size ofgolf balls! He catches his air share of big ,uns, so it must work,

TOTAL CARP 09

.uoos ,oq no Jo fil aq] ?u\aau 01 p.)e//uo| 4ool l pue a4otq

do1 e s,ag 'oo1 nqwa1da5 ut slno sal Je )uopas ut1o1 ,st|oq lno p

auo rlJt/A )teD aqJ uo >laa/A e ]uads I 'S)lN aql q11ta ry31u e op pue

)aJutlA a}el ul ra^o awo) o}8utdoq we l ,D q1tu3utpell 11lexalou e leql ilaqMawos wotg 'ureBe pue 'aJea )$peD e s,]e!.!l:pfEd I am not quite sure what to say to that one, )ohn. As regularreaders will no doubt have twigged, although extremely goodlooking, I am quite a big lad myself. l've never struggled to find stuffto fit, though, mate. Any clothing companies willing to help?

Dear TCI have just been looking at your new website andfelt compelled to e-mail and congratulate you allon a wonderful effort. I really liked the site and,while it is obviously still in its infancy, there isplenty on there to look at and enjoy.

I particularly liked Derek Ritchie's film clips. heobvious|y rea||y has un when out on the bank and Il ike that. Fishing should be fun, after al l .D Maplin, via e-mail

>Ed: Thanks for that! There,s loads of new stuf on the site,wwvvtotal carpmagazi ne. com i ncl u d i ng reviews, vi deos, ti psand competitions, and they are proving extremely popular.

Dear TClrecently broke my PB, which had previously been 14lb 12oz,witha mirror o 19|b 15oz. My brother ribbed me as I hadn't caught atwenty and his PB was 22lb 1Ooz.

However, two weeks later I was the one doing the ribbing when Icaught this 33lb 8oz mirrol smashing both of our PBs. Both fish fell toboi|ies that I was testing or The Bait Kitchen.Marcus Pettifor. Elland

>Ed: Blimey fella, fancy catching your first twenty by bagging athirty... if you know what I mean! Well done mate, you will certainlyhave bragging rights over your brother now!

Dear TCNot wanting to pack away in very wet and windy conditions oneSunday evening I opted to fish another night, hoping that the weatherwould ease. Well, what a result. On Sunday night I landed a new PBo 43|b 12oz, known as Poo|ey's Fish' This Was my on|y fish of thesession and is my second UK forty.Chris Burton, Worcestershire

>E What an absolutely stunning fish, Chris. Although you haven,tnamed the venue, we at TC Towers recognised it and where it lives.The whole office was impressed when this one popped up on screen.Well done, mate - well worth a soaking, in my book.

Dear TCMy PB, pctured here, was caught in the first 1O minutes of puttingthe rod out on a day session. At first I thought she might be a twentyor even a thirty, but imagine my surprise when she pulled the scalesround to 4Olb 1oz. This is the new venue record.Andy Rogers, Wiltshire

>Ed: Another crackingfish graces the pages of Carp Scene. I tell youwhat, you lot seem to be catching loads of good ones just lately,Maybe it's all the tips and advice you glean from the UK's numberone! lust 1 oz over the fabulous 40!b barrier too. I bet you wereshaking at the prospect. Well done, Andy, it's an absolute belter.

2 ToTAL CARP

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orlorSCENEor junior carp stars...

Welcome to . iunior Carp Scene - the pagesdedicated to you, the younger readers o Tota|Carp. We have some great prizes from NashTackle for every letter and catch pic printed.There has never been a better tlme to catchcarp and send in your pictures. No matterwhat the size, i f you have caught a nice f ishor have something to tell Total Carp, sendthe details to: Junior Carp Scene, Total Carp,DHP Ltd, 2 Stephenson Close, Drayton Fields,Daventry, Nohants, NN 8RF or e-mailthem to: juniorcarpscene@dhpub.co.uk .

Please remember to tel l us where youcaught your carp so that we can add you toour maps l

Dear TCMy daughtel Georgina, kepton at me to take her carpfishing and I finally gave induring her school hol idays.We went to Sevington Lakesnear Chippenham. Aftershowing her how to attachher bait and cast accurately,she went on to cataoult 20free offeringi in the generalarea. She sat there for twohours concentraiing on the

rods and al l of a sudden shehad an absolute screamer!

After 20 epic minutes Islipped the net under this14lb 4oz common.Dave Greenwood,Chippenham

>Ed: Creat story and fabulouspicture, Dave. It's greattosee parents taking their kidsout carping - long may itcontinue,

Dear TCI have attached a picture o Dean Lewis from Crewe. Dean hasrecently started fishing with Get Hooked On Fishing from ourBorder Fishery Bay Malton, base. He came to us as a noviceangler and has attended a series of Monday-evening classes wiihmyse|, culminating in the capture of this 4lb minor - a new PB.He caught the fish on a Trabucco margin pole, fishing two grainsof corn down the margin.Dave Smith, Crewe

>Edt Hi Dave - great to hearfrom you again.

Regular readers will knowthat we support Cet HookedOn Fishing and I urge as manyof you as possible to do thesame. When you see a smilelike the one on Dean's face,then you know thattheorganisers are getting it bangon. Well done Dean, andwell done to you too, Dave.

lur,CARTwo super pages,pages,

ALL'S WELLTHAT EilDS WELLDear TCAfter being bitten by the carp bug my grandad and I recently joined myIocal club water. We didn't know a lot about the water ano we wereinvited to f ish a'12-hour competit ion. lt was a hard night and only ahandful of fish came out, probably due to the extra pressure.

Unfortunately, I blanked. Minutes after the whist le blew, though, myright-hand rod screamed off. I struck into the fish and it was fighting reallyhard because the water was deep. When surrounding anglers realised thatI had a good fish on everybody gathered around my swim. ln the end Ilanded this beautiful 18lb common.Luke Guy, West Sussex

>>Ed: Welcome to carp fishing, Luke. I hope you and your grandad catchloads of carp, mate.

That's a cracking fish, especially so early in your career, and what away to catch it. lt's a shame that it came after the final whistle of thecompetition, but you must still be really pleased. I bet a load of the otheranglers were a tad jealous as well, eh fella?

I am not really sure aboutthe whole carp-match fishingthing, but itseems that plenty of people are out there doing it, so more power toyour elbows. If you can have a result like that, even after the match hasended, then they cannot be all bad. Well done, once again, Luke.

4 ToTAL CARP

TDear TCThis is a picture o my son's new PBminor - just one of nine caughi on theday. The fish weighed l9lb 14oz andobliterates his old PB bv 6lb 1oz. Heoo|ed the fish fol|owing his decision toswitch to the margins because open-water fishing was quite slow

Prior to this he baited up an area ofthe margins with a couple of handfulsof corn and half a tin o cat meat. Nosooner had he spotted a good fishfeeding over his bait than he reeled,inand gently lowered a cat-meat ho-g(,r,,'bait into the swim' keeping quiet adlow so as not to spook the fish. Withinfive mnutes he received a screamingtake and bagged the fish.Mr Lesl ie, Blackpool

>Ed: Bri!tiant!

Dear TCMy dad and I have only just startedcarp fishing and, to be honest, wedidn't have a clue. So, we bought acopy of Total Carp and tied some rigsusing your easy-to-follow steps. Withthe help of your expert advice weheaded to our local water. Our firsttwo sessions ended up as blanks butour persistence was finally rewardedon our third.

After about an hour of fishing Isaw my rod tip go and struck into myfirst-ever fish, a J4lb 2oz mirror Acouple of hours later I was in again,and although it weighed only 6lb 14ozit put up a much better fight.Shane Glover, Devon

,Ed: Another happy customer! We dotry and bring you plenty of rigs to tryout over the course of a year and I amglad that one or tyvo of them workedfor you, Shane. Keep'em comingfella, and good luck.

>d: l ceftainly can imagine how happy he

/ was I am,thrilled that he stuck it out as not

- many of his age would have done so.

Dear TCMy nine-yqarold son, Luke Bateman, caught this'fantastic 27lb]common Whn we night fishedat a local lake'near Waltharn'Abbey in Essex. Atapproximately 9.45pm his left-hand rod screamedoff. Following a 1O-minute battle, which was allhis own woik; this beauf was on the bank. He's:always been,inventive with his baits and this wasno exception - it fell to a snowman rig comprisinga tigernut boilie topped with a bright-greentutti-rutti pop-up' once again, Luke outfished hisfather.Richard Bateman, Waltham Abbey

*Ed: Blimey, that's quite a bait combination, but itobviously worked. I am not sure about that WestHam top, though, young Luke!

WIil GREAT NASH GEARICet your letters and catch pics in to Junior Carp Scene and you could walkaway with a fabulous Nash prize.

The star letter or catch wins a pair of fabulous Nash Hooligun rods- perfect or a|| carp fishing situations. These rods not on|y |ook the part'they perform too. Fish with a set of these and you will be the envy of

mates on every single trip. Every other picture published winsthe captor a brand-new Nash beanie-style unhooking mat, ideal

or caringor your next capture on the bank. Thanks to these Nashprizes, junior Total Carpers have never had it so good.

TOTAL CARP 5

RICHARD HOWELL

R,ICHARD HOWELLinter has always been afavourite time of year forme to go carp fishing.

The banks are almost empty andthe fish are in peak condition.There is nothing quite like thesight of a winter carp, with itscolour enhanced by the cold andhighlighted against the backdropof a bleak, winter landscape.

Bait choice is important atany time of year, but it's crucialonce the temperature drops; forreasons that I'll explain. Thereare baits and ingredients that workfantastically in warm water but won'tperform in low temperafures. Boiliesand pellets with a high oil content aegood examples. These are less effectivein cold water because the oils in themstart to solidify when subjected tothe cold. This limits the leak off ofattractors and makes the bait far lessdigestible for the carp.

I tend to avoid oil-based attractorsand base ingredients with a high oilor fat content, such as the malority offishmeal baits and some milk proteins.My favourite winter bait is one that'shighly nutritious but easy for the carpto digest. What's more, I make sure thatit's a valuable food source that they cancontinue to feed on over a long periodof time.

$ith fewer anglers onthe bank there willinevitably be lessbait introduced toa wate over thecolder months.

This arre canldn'tresist a singlefluoro pq-up.

Couple thiswith thereduced naturalfood lardersand what youhave is a primeopportunity toestablish a bait.$Vhat I mean bythis is ensuringthat your chosen bait is introduced toa lake often enough so that the carp

::il:J: accept it as a regular, safe food

\hen establishing a bait I try tointroduce it as often as possiblebetween fishing sessions, baiting upfour or five times a week. Each timeI bait up I introduce a mixture of mychosen boilie, a winter pellet with thesame attractors as the boilies and asmall amount of hemp.

During winter the bird life,as well as the carp, willsoon take advantage

of any regular

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' . 'cl supply. They can polish off a'uple of kilos of boilies in no time.

.':r.rll items of food such as chopped. 'ilics or boilie crumb, pellets and!.urp are much harder for the birds

' .lcar - they're far cheaper too. By..:n.g a mkture of baits you also getr -rrien' of breakdown times, which

\r ([) the smell of food in the area for:l:.1cr periods.ll.ritir.rg up at night also helps to

\r cl) the birds off the bait, at least for- :(\\ hours, giving the carp more of,:: , rpportunity to find it.

'When baiting

-;. lt night I almost always use a spod,.:i \()ur accuracy depends on prior

;.:(.)Jration. Nip to the lake during.:-'r li.gl'rt and locate the spots you want' ir.rit. Line up the cast with a far-'.,nk nrarker, such as a pylon or tree,. , : : . i r r rurk the d i s tance on your ma in::rc. I nrark the line with a small piecet insulating tape, using a different

rrrloured tape for each mark. By liningup with your far-bank marker and

Thraughoutthesessio| l b.anked

1O carp usi*g thetactks atj.*ed,

casting the spod until your reach thetape you can ensure that the spodlands in the same spot every time, evenif you can't see it.

If you are going to embark on awinter baiting campaign you muststart before the cold weather reallysets in. So, to start a campaign noqin February, isn't a great idea. Early tomid-autumn is when you want to startintroducing bait to your lake. Ideally,I'11 use the same bait all year roundand steadily get the fish feeding onit and recognising it as a food sourcethroughout summer. If you do this thenbear in mind that you'll be using thebait through winter as well, so don't

::'j.""T: with a high oil or fishmeal

There is no need to use hugeamounts of bait when prebaiting. Thekey is to bait regularly and once youstart you must keep the bait going in.A couple of weeks without introducing

any bait and you might as well nothave bothered starting the campaign.

Although a baiting campaign willgive you the best chance of continuedcold-water action, it's not alwayspossible. If you can't afford the bait,don't fish often enough to warrantstarting a campaigfl or don't live nearto your chosen venue, then you willneed a different tactic.

I am fishing at Evesham Vale inEvesham. This is my first visit to thewater and I will need to approach thefishing in a totally different manner.I will be maximising my chances ofaction by fishing for one bite at a time.

Single hook baits and small PVAbags recast regularly to locate the carpis what I'll start with. With the coldweather and the fish not feeding in anyquantity there is no feason to ple thebait in. If the carp do feed, then I wantmy hook baits to be almost their onlychoice.

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ToTAL CARP 2

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For single hook baitsyou can use either afood-source boilie or ahighly visual hook bait.\(rhen using'singles' Ifind it best to experimentand change the colour ofthe hook bait regularlybecause certain colourscan outfish all others onany given day. Yellow,pineapple pop-ups seemto be everyone's favourite}:'L-viz bait and have beenoverused, for want of abetter term, during the lastfew years. Sure, they catchcarp, but then the carp haveseen them a thousand timesbefore. I try to vary things alittle because there are so many colourand flavour variations that work welland could prove to be an edge overthe anglers who don't experiment andrepeatedly use yellow, pineapple pop-ups. I've had a lot of success on whiteand green baits lately but rarely seeanyone using these colours.

I use pop-ups when fishing singlehook baits and the only pop-up rig I'veused in the last eight years has beena 360 rig. I know some people distikethis rig due to the pattern of hook that

is used, and I know and respect afew people who have gone into printon this subject. Their concerns arewell placed because they only havethe carp's welfare in mind. That said,I was fortunate to be pri\,y to this rigat a vey early stage and I've caught alot of carp on it. I can honestly say thatI've never found this rig to cause moredamage than any other. I use it on myown waters in France and would neverdo so if I thought that the rig was inany way suspect.

The advantage of using single hookbaits, or small PVA bags, is that you'renot tied to any one swim havingbaited it up. How many anglers pilethe bait in only to see carp show insome other part of the lake and don'tmove because they've baited up? If yougo for the hook-bait-only approachthen you have no such excuse. I willconstantly be

looking for showing fish and willbe willing to move at any time if anopportunity presents itself.

I'm starting at the southern end ofthe lake, which is the furthest walkfrom the car and the least-flshed areaof the lake. I can see the maiority ofthe lake from here and if carp startshowing elsewhere then I will be ableto spot them.

Having not seen a f ish since myanival I survey the swim, wonderingwhere to position my baits. There issome coloured water by the far bank,caused by a inlet pipe, which is worthputting a bait on. Sure enough, soonafter casting a maple Technipop on a

360 rig to this spot I bag thefirst carp of the day. It's afantastic-looking fi sh anda great start to the day.nother bait goes a fewyards to the left in slightlydeeper water and the thirdrod is cast about a rodlength from the far bank.Over the next couple of

, hours I pick up fish fromthe inlet spot and thedeeper area to the left,but the rod cast to the farbank produces nothing. Irecast this rod but drop

TRCHARD HOWEL,L

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it short, into the deeperwater. Maybe the coldweather has caused thecarp to seek sanctuaryin the deeper areas ofthe lake. Five minutesafter casting a PVAbag of boilie crumb,

22 TOTAL CARP

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''.\-friendly hemp and low-oil pellets

the deeper water the alarm bursts:o life and I bag myself a carp. Boilie-,rnb is a favourite addition to my''.\ approach and a great addition to:r winter bait mix. It gives off all the'::action of your hook bait without

. .' ing the cap arty substantial food. : I S .

\s I said earlier, I like to do:iething a little different tonorm. Single-hook-bait

ring is synonymous:ir casting out an ultra-

bright, overfl avoured pop-up.This doesn't always have to bethe case as a single, food-sourcebottom bait will often produce.In fact, it can be an extremelyeffective tactic, especially onwaters that are often fisheds/ith hi-viz baits. You can evencombine the fvvo tactics in theform of a snowman rig. Again,a great tactic and one that'sakeady banked me a couple offish today.

There's no doubting that bites areharder to come by in winter, so youhave to capitalise on every opportunity.Stick to using rigs that you haveconfidence in and ones that you knowwork. Always check your hook pointand if there is any doubt about itssharpness then change it. A blunt hook,even if it's only slightly dulled, will cost

you fish.I'm lucky enough to catchfish on all three rods today,but the bites all come froma relatively small area of

thelake. After recastingregularly I was able to locate the fishand catch a few in the process, butthat's the way it goes in winter. If youcan find them, you can usually catchthem.

It,s been a geat day's fishing and I'vethoroughly enjoyed myself, I'11 be backout again soon for sure. As it happens,I might just pop in at my local lake onthe way home. Got to keep that baitgoing in, you know how itAll the best, Reg.

Bos! This ghastie wasanother single-hook-

bait victim.

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yello\4' seed .nix

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A combination ol brand named ireezabaits. An ideal !1/ay ot pre-baiting

t5,25 {lSmm} ort6,75 {iOilil}

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recipe {i.e.) Pink Fusion

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S i s ] t ox c r i : ,^ : .ri i 2ckq Simon Crow'We're 5 years on rom the very irst batch o baitI had rolled by &d, r ,nn ' t - ,c lnr I ^ . r . ic fp , cr . , -nat not onceharre I encountered a problem with the servicecf{ered by the company'.

Steve Briggs'ln England it's very hard to get a decenlqp l r l n o l n r r u r ho ro h r r i I h e r r e t n c e r/ - ' - - ' ' * ' ' ' - - /

just don't l';orkllke tha:, it is obvious lhat they care aboljt whattnp , / dn L rhnL i lho l r r r rq inmorc

Martin Fod'l was very. very impressed by ihe service Iloro ived & : ' : ' r f I ron/o^, i ' r I am tne gdhOr

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rllLl,i iii any anglers have latched,11j1 iii ;1ir irjii onto the effectiveness of,"fi l,'.rlri iii,.mono or fluorocarbonhook links instead of coated braids;particulaily when cold and clearwinter conditions make rig visibilitya major factor in our carp fishingsuccess.

For many years I have used long,mono hook links and, although thisis nothing new (certainly anglerslke Lee Jackson have been writingabout long, light 81b hook links inwinter for many years), it is still a rigthat very few anglers seem to use,

The main eason for this is thatmany anglers are not confidentenough to fish this light, particularlywhen you bear in mind that we allgenerally use hook links that arerated in the region of 15lb to 251b.Suddenly, 8lb or even LOlb seemssuicidally light, but in practice is thisreally the caseT

A lot of anglers are not aware iusthow much pressure can be exertedthrough a standard 31b test-curvecarp rod, or should I say just howlittle pressure. I have carried outtests and the absolute maximum thatyou can pull is between 5lb and 7lb,depending on the test curve of therod. I should add that this was at the

ADAM PENNINC

point where the rod was creaking andabout to explode, while veins poppedout in my neck - far in excess of anormal fishing situation.

So why do we use such stronghook links? The main reason isbecause stronger lines are invariablythicker lines. Thicker lines are alwaysgoing to be tougher (more abrasionresistant) than thinner lines and are,therefore, better at dealng with hea\,Yweed, mussels and sharp gravel.

However, if you are faced with avenue that is generally free of weedand snags, why not fine down yourtackle and use a hook link that islighter than your main line? I canguarantee that the finer you go interms of pesentation, the more bites

you will receir-e. Cleady, bites are notthe narne of tl-re game - it is landingfish safelr-. So always bear this in n.rindand ner.er fish so light that you cannotland the carp.

So what constitutes a' l ight'hooklink? I regularll. .r." fluorocarbonsas light as 10lb and have taken carpto well over 30lb on 101b IQ XtraSoft without any problems at all. Ialso like Berkeley XL, which makesa lovely soft hook link in either 81bor 101b. Generally., 6lb is as light asI will ever go, but, and I must stressthis, this needs to be used in open-water conditions where there areno obstacles. Knots need to be tiedcarefully and soft rods of no morethan2.75lb will help too.

Start by tying a small hairloop in the end ofsome 10lbI{orda lQ Xtra Soft.

Ycu don't need too many bitsfor this rig and it is not toodifficult !D tie.

H uses it to tllread the pop-up onto the hail rig. Keepthe bait tight to the hook.

Look, Adam's baiting needlematches his llainline'lhttiFrutti pop-up!

Now, attach th hook bytying a hnotless knot (seepage 1)4).

The 12in hook link is thentied to a Ring Srvivel on aninline-lead set-up.

lorm a small braid loopnext to the hook link andthen pass the tag through...

He then u'raps a smallamount of plrttl' alound theshot. Job done!

N-ith the lr.inter nlonths now upon.rt. the weed has died back, the carp.rrc often fighting less manically.iircl. rvith the clear water also being.()nrething to consider, r.ou would do.1 l()t $'orse than try light mono links:,) set a bite or two.

The problem with using pop-.:)s on mono links is that I can'rcver get them to sit right - the::reterial tends to curve up from the., )unterbalancing n'eight to the hook,.i hereas I prefer the bait to sit directly,:ror.e it. The stiffer the mono, the:r()fe pronounced the problem is,:rcl. even with something like 10lb'..rorocarbon, the.irve is so acute that

. :hink it looks really,riful. I couldn't fish' irith confidence.

I riginally played:',rund with curingrc problem inrc late 1990s.

. :()und that by' 't having the

,unterbalancing' . r t tv p laced:rcctl1. onto:c hook link it

. ,: rr.ruch more'-rrtrral lv ' , with.c hook and.,it poised directly.,rve the weight. (If ACF contributor::.1 rrrate of mine Jirn Shelley is.rding this, I haven't copied your.klcr rig' fella, but it did tickle me:ncn'hat when I saw it!)

To achieve this Isimply water-knotted (like a grinnerknot tied around the hook link) alength of supple braid and attached asplit shot to the tag end towards thehook, cutting the other tag off. Leavinga small separation of around 3mm to4mm between the knot and the shot,blob the end of the braid with a lighterto stop the shot from sliding off.

In some cases the shot, dependngon size, will be enough to balance thebait but I prefer to mould a small pieceof rig putty around it, which makesit look a lot neater and allows morefinite balancing where required.

In practice, this arrangement allowsthe counterbalance to sit gently onthe bottom with the hook bait aboveit. If it is tied w-ith the putfy mouldeddirectly onto the hook link, due to itsstiffness it is forced to curve up to thebait ratl'rer than run in a straight lineup to it.

I like to use the rig with a small,bright pop-up on a long link of around14 incl.res. I n'ould opt for IQ XtraSoft fluorocarbon in 101b or, if thelake is still s-eedy I would step upto 121b. Occasionally, if I am fishingoDen \\'ater and there is no weed or

snags, I would have no hesitationin dropping to 8lb. For this I wouldopt for something like the TrileneXl that I mentioned eatlier. This is awonderfully soft and supple line thatis very sffong for its diameter.

The long hook link allows thisrig to be fished over light bottomweed, fallen leaves and other bottomdetritus. In fact, it is perfect for this!I balance the bait so that it just sinksand often fish it as a single hookbait with no freebies around it. save.perhaps, a small PVA bag.

In the water, the rig looksincredibly inconspicuous, is a bitdifferent to other rigs and, mostimportantly, ensures that your pop-upsits correctly. Give it a go this winterand, hopefully, your alarms will besinging despite the frost.

I've used it to great effect on manydifferent types of water, so you cantake it anywhere. Good luck!

Adam spots a carptowzrds the far margin,

nick on a Plh bag..,

... and makes a smoothcast to where the fishshowed. He's so good...

... that $ithin minuteshe is walking backwards

a, top4carp > top4carp d

6 EEtoo4caro 6}1 trn4.27n :._/ fan,ra.-. ./-.-./

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For whatever reason, breada forgotten bait these days.

ts

However, Croig Woddingtonbelieves that it can add an extraedge to your angling.

rmed with loaves of bread,baguettes and finger rolls,Craig erects his brolly to seek

clter from the elements. It's teeming::h rain, the wind is relentless and it's::lv chilly. He has polyhene bags full' :rread, liquidised and whole, and a':ge of the excellent sonubaits.com.i ourings. These are used to create-. Lrltra-attractive PVA breadsticks that.. l;e revealed a bit later on.'re re sat on the banks of the

l if ic Castle Ashby Fisheries in:thamptonshire. It's a beautiful

. cn' that's steeped in history. The:ure estate lake holds a good head- rackingJooking carp, with many. r originals over the 201b mark.ire are three lakes on the complex; :'ick,vard, Grendon and Scotland.

Craig is fishingScotland because itgenerally holds thebigger fish; the othersare more suited to thematch lads.

"I can't understandwhy bread seems to bea forgotten bait," Craigbegins. "It's extremelyversatile and can be employed intomany different methods - PVAsticks, on the hook or even inconjunction with imitation bread.Carp adore the stuff and, if usedcorrectly, it can be a devastatingtactic, especially on commercialwaters such as Castle Ashby."

He's fishing the popular Peg13, which offers him the opportunity offishing tight to the island opposite. Thecarp regularly patrol the overhangingbushes, sunken lilies and tree roots- it's a renowned winter hotspot.

"Scotland is very shallow and,therefore, fishes well throughout thecolder months. My main plan of attackis to keep on the move. The carp areoften localised at this time of year andwill huddle together in tight shoals.If they're not an)'where near theisland then I may up sticksand try the far endbecause

x'6s#'

the lake narrows. It's a huge areaof quiet, sheltered water and is awayfrom the match anglers that are in theneighbouring swims at the moment."

Iith the rain easing, Craig punchesfwo rods as tight as he can to theisland. Both land within a few feet

and he's ready foraction. I say'punch'because he

with a low angle of trajectory, whichprevents the line catching on anyoverhanging obstacles. One thing thatI'm intrigued to find out more about isthe multi-coloured PVA sticks that he'semploying.

..These are just a couple of thngs Ido to capitalise on the advantages ofbread. It's basically liquidised breadbut with the addition of flavour andcolour. It allows me to fish a variety ofhook baits over the top and stands outon the lake bed, sending food signalsthrough the cold water.

..I simply place several slces ofbread, without the crust, into a foodblender. I then blend it until it turnsinto a white fluffii texture, like a kindof groundbait. To this you can add anyflavour ofyour choice. I prefer thesonubaits.com range because they'reextremely colourful and give off extraatttactants. I'm using tutti frutti - again,a proven winter winner."

A few hours pass with not so muchas a bleep. Consequently, Craig leavesme to mind the rods whle he wandersdown to the far bay to try and findthese elusive carp.

"One trait that I've found with CastleAshby is that once you've pinpointedthe fish they're pretty easy to tempt.As a result, I'm going to bait up a fewmarginal areas in the bay and hopefullyinduce a couple into feeding. Thisis where the liquidised bread comesinto its own. Simply blend howevermany slices you requre' You can thenadd water or glug to form a

CRAIG

consistency that allowsyou to create cannonball-sized baits.!hen introduced into the water it willbreakdown slowly, leaving a brightcloud on the lake bed. I then try toincorporate a matching hook bait.

"Imitation bread is great whenfishing over any lake bed debrisbecause it can be popped up by simplyanchoring it with a split shot or sometungsten-impregnated putty.

"Other white hook baits that I useinclude boilies, imitation sweetcornand breadflake, although many anglersstruggle to use it. If hooked incorrectly,breadflake will either fall off during thecast or prove ineffective with regard tothe hooking efficiency. The commonmistake that carp anglers make ismoulding t as tightly as possible

around the hook. You will catchthe odd fish by doing this, but byexposing the hook point you wllincrease your chances tenfold.Take a look at the sequence ofhookng breadflake and you'llsee what I'm referring to," heexplains.

Craig remains in the bay foraround 15 minutes and beginsto notice the odd bubble risefrom the lake bed. This isenough to whet his appetite sohe returns to his swim, reelsin two of his rods and headsback to the sheltered bav.

The water is extremely murky andclouds of silt are colouring the water ascarp rip the lake bed apart. He tiptoestowards the water's edge and flicks twohook baits into the muddy water - oneon breadflake and the other on a small,white pop-up.

V{hen you have carp feedingconfidently nearby you have toapproach them with minimumdisturbance. The slightest heavyfootstep or crack of a stick could raisetheir guard and blow your chancescompletely. As a result, Craig hascarefully plopped the hook baits intoposition, slackened the line off sothat it sinks and hidden behind anoak tree. I can't stress the importanceof concealing your presence enough.He's only a few metres away from therods but this is far enough to ensurethat he's camouflaged an{ out of sight.The rods are simply placed on thefloor with the bail arm in a positionwhere the freespin facility can give lineshould he receive a blistering take.

"Here we go mate," shouts Craig, twominutes later, as he springs to his feetand runs towards the rods. His spoolis clicking away as one of the marginalcarp powers out of the bay, removingmain line at a rate of knots.

Craig's light, Korum Neoteric rodscreate a satisfying curve and theshallow lake erupts as a decent double-figure mirror aggressively tears fromside to side,

34 TOTAL CARP

ilu

\:ter several epic runs in thersoon-like conditions it hits the net.

::.rs beautiful chestnut flanks and therth is in perfect condition, with the

::.rin still intact. Despite what many;lers say, it's not always true that-r s'ith a perfect curtain have never.:r caught before - they've obviously.: treen treated properly or evaded:':ure for a length of time.. ire stunning mirror is around 141b.: Craig returns it a few swims up, via- * eigh sling, to save disturbing the..1 nrore than necessary. He attaches

:her pinch of breadflake and flicks'.ick out to the marginal hotspot.\iru need to cast regularly when::q breadflake because t can

-.ltegrate quickly - say, every 30'- rtes or so. I always use it with:nt lead as well, so that it causes

-- inlpact when it hits the water. It's' :reat for fishing at extreme range,' :,rr rnarginal work there's nothing'-:r. If I opt for distance I'11 attach a.:c or irnitation hook bait.":'.c carp have obviously moved on,..-rblv due to the disturbance, so. j places his hook baits in the next::: :rlong. It is possible to follow the,,. cluring winter so it's worth a try.

.i ::fr his rods in place he notices an, :hat may well be worth a look over

:her side. It's an inlet stream that'rccts the stock pond to Scotland

. . The water runs into the bay.::lh the stream and will definitely. :.ic a higher level of oxygen. It may-, rntain fresher items of food such

-::.iils and other organisms that cling. decaving leaves and floating

a : \ .- t:< promptly receives another take,:. :() the breadflake.Just like the

Lrs fish it looks great in its winter.:' nnd is in pristine condition - a' io f1r1;" Ashby Fisheries.::: this area of the bav well':,;lv disturbed s'e head for the;.::ng inlet stream. Craig casts

. hook baits

and introduces mashedbread into the streamso that it falls naturallyover the lake bed,colouring it up at thesame time.

"One trick I've carriedout many a time is toactually colour the waterby disturbing the lake bed.I do this by either gettinginto the water and kickingup silt with my waderson or digging my landing-net pole into the lake bed.This will send fragmentsof detritus to the surface,which carp sift through insearch of food. It will also ensure thatthe rigs are less obtrusive because carpwon't be able to see them as easily," heexplains as an instant bite sees anotherpretfy mirror hit the spreader.

The day has been a real eye-openerand I'll certainly be giving bread a gothis season!

as)swonerl l ,

thre 'a all the d,e .ndevenly into thel

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RoN THoMPso{ -P|ECE CARP su|T. comp|ete|y *id to b both watr and windprc' V|cro fastening om f|ap ovr a MGway zippr. Equipped with debchab| insu|ated hood. La 8'' of |eg5 nfud with hedltdut/ z]p. Provded wir d qui|ted thma] |ining. comes w{h wai b|t. Plenty of large pekeb. Reinfdced knees. Sizes M/ L' xL, /!, p|

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RON THOMPSON SPECIMEN2-PIECE CARP SUIT & BOOTSft k exce|Inlquality, heary'dutythema suit is 1 00% wdteprmf andwindproof' |t inc Udes hery.duty zips,four o6ide p@keb in th bib 'n,

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concept' UnIike its big broth the l]|tr|ite has frame mad

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RRP 0 39.99 . Phone o1 UKs best

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ouR PRtcE s399.99SUPPUED WTHUTTML]TE WINTERSI(NwoRTH S't29.99

Jackal .lacket with zip-outf| ce]ined 'iacketoIP99.99

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r{EW 2007 rRArffitR ClOtHmG DtAl. Four hooded oockeG with zio cce$. Thema| msh Iiner to bothjcket and innrf|ece. Lined h@d, wir drilcord adjustment at font and rar. Drawcord adjustment to both waist

and bottomjacket . Waterproof zips. zip.out inner feece sepdrte gament. Inner, zipped document pocket. Attractiv dmo and Trakker |ogos. Fjeece.|ined jcket has shou|drand|bow n!,lon covE for extr \Marabiliv

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IAN DAY

!meet sonubaits.com man and top

!carp angler lan Day on a blusteryldav at Dra\ton Reservoir to seehow he utilises the superb range ofbaits that are included in our fantasticsubscription gift. Not only will youreceive 12 issues of the UK's number-one carp fishing ll:lagazine, you'Il alsoget 544.80 worth of bait.

He's located on the popular Boardsaea of the lake fu1ly armed withhalibut pellets, Tuna Wraps, TunaSpod MLx and Tuna Casters. In fact,his bait bucket reeks of fishmeal- an awesome cap ^ tactor all-yearround!

..Iizith the reputation of thesehungry Drayton carp I'm convincedthat they,ll have a bit of tuna. \ell Ihope they do because that's all I'vebrought with me," Ian comments ashe hair rigs one of the Tuna'Wrapbottom baits.

Like every carp angler that sees anew bait, I'rn intrigued and make acloser inspection of these nifty newWraps. I pick one out of the bucket,split it in half and take a sniff. Theysmell superb; with a prominent tunaaroma and an interesting paste skinthat looks to be wrapped around aboilie.

"They smell good don't they mate,"says Ian.

"Having used boilieswrapped in paste for manyyears, for both barbeland carp fishing, I'mwell aware of howeffective the tacticcan be. The oroblem.

you have to buy a bag of boilies for,say, 510 and then abag of paste for,5 - not cheap if you're on a limitedbudget.

"This is the reason why the reputablesonubaits.com has decided on theseTuna'Wraps - you're able to get thebest of both worlds for a mere 5.9.99.Plus, 150m1 of Tuna Oil is included."

\ilith the Tuna.Wrap attached to hishair, Ian dips it into the matching oil

and threads on a small PVAbag fulI of 6mm halibut

pellets. He dips this'r, into the oil as well.

to ensure optimumattraction.

,,E B "Vith the water" ' l

I being so coloured,I . . - ^ t ] t t . , r . . ^ . ^ i L

., I probably due to theamount of feeding

caro. I've decided tomaximise the attraction

in my baits. This is todraw the carp towards the

hook bait by smell rather thansight. Dipping the hook bait and PVAbag allows me to do this and, due tothe nature of the oil, it won't melt thePVA," Ian concludes as he launches hishook bait towards a moored boat.

One of the main features of theBoards'swims is that carp can seekshelter underneath them. They alsocontain natural food because weed andorganisms cling to the decaying woodand sunken ropes.

He then carefully sinks the line,minding not to move the lead. Ifthis was to happen the hook couldquite easill, mask on lake-bed debris,resulting, at worst, in a practicallyuseless rig and a blunt hook. It takes a

;llr ',li

+: **,minute to sink the monofilament mainline and Ian places the rod onto itsrests, which are connected to his chairThe innovative Korum chair featuresarms that allow you to screw in yourbuzzbars, making it easy to fish onplatforms or hard swims - ideal forDrayton really.

The choppy surface continuesto twitch the bobbins, so a liner isdifficult to identify. However, the carpin here are real warriors and the takesare normally blistering. His right-handrod tip pulls round and then dropsback within a millisecond. Ian leavesit to develop and his clutch is soonticking away as the fish makes its bidfor freedom.

"They obviously like a bit of tuna,"Ian comments as his light, 2lb test-curve rod takes up fu1l arc.

It fights doggedly just under theruffled surface and as soon as itengulfs its first breath of fresh air, Ianknows that he has the upper hand. Heglides it towards the waiting net andshe's in!

'Blimey, that's a proper hook-holdmate. I've been testing these newfor a while now and the results havebeen impressive. They will be releasedvery soon so watch this space," Ianreveals as he pops the small, size 72hook out of the bottom lip.

The fish is in immaculate condition,with golden scales near the wrist ofthe tail, and its dorsal fin quivers in theblusterv n'ind - it weighs around 9lbbut pro'r-es the instant attraction of therJTraos.

=

=

though, is the fact that

''It's going to be a::ificult tactic to employ today, due

the side wind, but spodding would\' \-ery effective here, especially with.rr Tuna Spod Mix. Carp absolutely

,.krre the concoction of active'-:cekdown pellets, funa, betaine and.:rino acids. The pellets break downr:() a dust that's full of aromas andrpealing fishmeal particles.

'The bucket is full of a mkture of.l15 tool ensuing that the cafp don't'\ ' !ome preoccupied on one size.\rc little trick that I utilise is pouring',-:-e Tuna Oi1 into the pellets. Thisrlps to send plenty of attraction:',rough the layers and clouds the'..lt r - somethng that can be greatn gin-clear Rsheries," he says.-So what are the Tuna Casters then.

,:r-:" I enquire.,\gain, I haven't used them today

:': because of the confidence

enough to hook, or thread onto a hair,while being tough enough to withstandrepeated casting and the attentonof nuisance species. I've found themparticularly good on the rivers, whetherthat be targeting carp, barbel or chub,"is the reply, as Ian's other rod burstsinto life, leaving his Delkim squealing.

His rod tip rips around and thist ime the hooked f ish is on a mission,trying to head br the moored boatin the distance. Following constantpressure, pumping the fish towardshim with the rod tip under thesurface, Ian makes headway andanother scaly mirror is in the net. Thisone's slightly bigger, weighing justinto double figures.

In a mere 60 minutes, during prettypoor conditions, Ian has provedhow effective these baits can be ifused properly. They're high-attractbaits that can be used with totalconfidence.

Ian stays for a few more hours andmanages to tempt several more carpup to around 121b.

See page 44 to subscribe and orderyour package, which will be delivered

straight to your door;

' :r.n-e in the Tuna.i:.rps but I know

cr"d work.. rcr''re basically. Sookable

We've only gone ond done it ogoln - yet onother superbsubscription deol courtesy of Totol Corp ond sonuboits.com . Poyjust 944.80 for l2 issues ond we'll send you o sonuboits.com pockworth more thon 9/l1. Come on, you've been meoning to sign upfor o subscription for oges, do it now before we run out of stock!'These

are truhl tnnovative baits and thefuna W raps, rn particular, look set to takethe carp-batt n.tarket bq storm' To be able to depost highlt1 attractive paste aroundthe hook bait, but without the hassle of havng to wrap the paste t1ourself beforehand,will be both a t[me saver and a serious carp catcher. Cet on'em!(Marc Coulson ,Total Carp editor)

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WHICH WIilTER BAITS?l f you only had three winter baitswhich would they be and why?S James, Leeds

Lee Jaclison sa1's:At the risk of sounding

boring, I think mostpeople that have followedany of my writings willprobably be able to guesswhat one of my choices

is - frozen Richworth Tutti-Frutti boiliesUndoubtedly, the old Tuttis must rate asone of the best baitsof all time and, due totheir highly digestiblemake-up and highlyattractive flavour, I don'tthink there is a water inthe land where they don'tor won't work. Although Idon't think that Tuttis havea great deal of food valuenutritionally during winter,whether fished as a singlehook bait or l reavi ly bai tecwith, Tuttis will usuallyoutfish the best-quality foodbaits around and continue tobe effecrive year after year.Perhaps the one drawbackis that the,v are a very visiblebait, and as \\,ater clarity is often very clearduring n'inter, water birds such as tuftedducks and coots can sometimes provetroublesome because they are also on thelookotrt br a qtrick and easy meal.

My second ctroice for a winter winneris n.ry old faithful, own recipe, Jacko Pop-Ups, marketed by Solar Tackle under thename ofJacko's Specials. I, and hordesof other anglers, have caught literallyhunclreds of \\'inter carp on these. In fact,I find it rerv difficult not to include one ofthese on at least one of my rods. Includedin tlie rub fl'orn Solar is a Pot Shot of thespecial flavour blend that goes into thenrake-up of tl-rese pop-ups, designed to be

so that all of the pop-ups are coated andthen plrt them into your tackle bag readyfor use. I prefer to pour the Pot Shot into aresealable bag, jiggle the bag about so thatthe inside is coated in flavour and then addthe pop-ups and freeze them for around 48hours. I then allow the pop-ups to tha'w outin the bag and then tip them back into thetub that thev came in.

This freezing process serves twopurp()ses. Firstl)', it breaks down thestrllcture of the baits slightly, which meansthat thev s'ill leach off flavours more readilrancl. secondlr-. it ensures that the flavours inthe Pot Shot are absorbed into the pop-upsmore cificienth'.

added toboost the attractiveness.This is because theprocess used when theyare made does boil outa lot of the originalattractors that are addedThe instructions onthe tub suggest thatyou simply pour the

Pot Shot into the tub, shake

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:\hing $'ith these pop-ups, they-: ire fished as singie high-attract' . , ' r cr the rop of f ree off 'er ings.

''' '\\ man set-up on top of whatever' ' n ba i t ) ou a l e u s i ng . uha teve r .

"irps are a $,inter n'inner that will...rl1r irn1-nere.--l cl-roice of \\'inter bait is maggots,:lreir effectiveness depends on a

' - : \ l l e c t S .

::ltisance jsh strch as bream and] .Llclllike . ]f the 'ater tl-rat you:]:f .lting on contains a lot of beam

- - : it. rher- s'ill clrive you absolutely. . i \c \oLl up a l l n ig l-r t once- ::r 0n the maggots. secondly,, . : :r . One of the main reasons

-- :' \\()rk $'ell and attract fish is: ::rcir r isibility aspect. Obviousll',' : : !( )rr tr l i r ls a lot of weed, then'r ' .cconrc bur ied and evade' r( )\\ e\ er. \'ouf watel has no, or.:.1 growth and not much in the

way of nuisance fish, then rnaggots can bethe bait to outfisl"r all other baits throughoutw'inter.

I lnust admit that, although l'd usedma!..ots \'eaS ago to gooc1 effect inl'inter. it s solnething that I'd overlookeclin tllore ecent \.ears' That is until I lrada con\.efs.ltiol rr'ith rnl. old nate Rob]Iar lir-r. ri l-ro l:ls absolutell' slaying 'enr

on the \\ilters t]]at l]e $.as ishing. Robhacl pertectecl rhe rrag-aligner method,incorporet ing Enterpr ise Tackle 's Mag,\ligncr (lrrrbs. uncl fishecl in coniunctionl ith l;ig I)\.\ hrLgs of loads of maggots. Afternr\ con\cr\. l r i ()n s i rh Rob, and mimickinghis tact ic . . \r )n lc () i the c l ther Tackle Boxlac lr ;rnr l I h.LrL -r couple of absolute lytuntrrrt i t \ i : r tcr rcsrt i ts . \\rhat could be better_ st l t rr htI: l I l : . t t s i l t l - i . catch two oI theegootL fr . l r ' . . rc l ) . ick ing L lp at 4.30pm andI h c n l r ' : '

l t o i t : : r : :

u h . r : . , . :

,. ,pnr 'l.hen it's a nice shower,: : L l < p r r l r hy Sp rn - t h i s i s

- . , : : . i . h i r r g i s a l l abou t !

Finally, I'd like to dispel a f'ew'mlthsabout maggots. By their nature, carpanglers norma1ly clroose ed maggots.pe l l r ep r t h i nk i ng t ha t t hey rn i n r i cbloodrvorrns. Well, I've found ordinary'nvhite n-raggots to $.ork equally as,$.e11,tnaybe er-err bette than different Colouredones in fact. and so did Rob, so that's goodenough for me.

Arrglers often kill nla..ots by scaldingtheilt \\'ith boiling lr.ater', thinhing thatthey're going to cra\rr4 as'ay on tl-re lakebed - u.rongl Drop naggots into cold\\'ater and tl-rey aLnost imrnediatel,vbecorne still and rigid. The only reasonthat thev rnove about on the bottom is dlleto the etTects of undercurrents and toq's.

Other than that, rest assured that P\Abags of a f'erv l-rundred free offerings rvillremain in tl-re vicinity of your hook bait.n'aiting for a big, hungry winter carpto come alor-rg and snaffle the lot in. Belucky, see vou on the ice.

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TOTAL CARP 49

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BREAKTIUG.STRAIN QUERYCou ld you exp la in why carpanglers never do the same asmatch anglers and use l ighter

hook l inks than their main l ines?F Barclav. via e-mail

Aclam Pcnning sar-s:Well, this really is agood question. A lot ofanglers are not awarejust how much pressurecan be exerted througha standard 3lb test-curve

carp rod. I have carried out tests and theabsolute maximum that you can pull isberween 5lb and 7lb, depending on therod. I should add that this was at thepoint where the rod was creaking andabout to explode while veins stood outin my neck - far in excess of a normalfishing situation.

So why do we use such strong hooklinks? The main reason is becausestronger lines are invariably thicker lines.Thicker lines are always going to betougher (more abrasion resistant) thanthinner lines and are, therefore. better atdealing with hear'y weed, mussels andsharp gravel.

Hower.er, if you are faced with a venuethat is generally free of *'eed and snags,then *'hy not fine down your tackle anduse a hook link that is lighter than yourmain line? I can guarantee you that thefiner you go in terns of presentation,

Gaz F:rrehanr sa\s:I could indeed; quite afew actually because Ihave spent half of my lifefi shing similar-soundingwaters to the one thatyou've described. A lot of

the estate lakes and meres in my nativenorth suffer from hearry leaf litter anddetritus on the bottom dr.rring autumnand winter, so I've dealt with it manytrmes.

My first choice would, like youmentioned, probably be a chod orhelicopter set-up but they are not theonly rigs suitable for tl-re task. You didn'tmention anlthing about size of venueor how far you need to be able to fish,but one of the first things that I wouldsuggest is dropping your lead size to assmall as ).ou can get away svith. A llzoz

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No matter whatline you use,it needs to bebalanced.

then the more bites you will get, but clealybites are not the name of the game - it issafely landing fish, so always bear this inmind and never fish too light to land thecarp.

So what constitutes a light hook link?I regularly use fluorocarbons as light as10lb and have taken carp to well over 30lbon 10lb IQ Soft without any problems atall. I also like Berkeley XL, which makes aiovelv soft hook link in either 81b or 101b.

or 2oz pear will penetrate far less deeplyinto silt or weed than a 3oz or 4oz version.The second thing I would do is lengthenyour hook links. In your situation I wouldlook to use a lead-clip system with a longlink, probably between eight and 12 inches,and a nicely balanced pop-up with eithera few nuggets of foam or a couple of oldspare buoyant baits attached as a stringerto soften the descent and help it all settlenicely.

To be honest, I imagine that some peoplemight suggest a paternoste-type set-up witha'lead link' to separate the lead and stopthe main line being pulled into the debris.Ho$'eYer. it isn't the sort of thing that I everuse. I ve al*'ays managed perfectly welln-ith a long link, light lead and some kindof custrion in thefornt o l [ , ' . r r t t \- \o r a s t r i n g c r . t \The l r \ t no i n t m { .i i -"*.", B t

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Generally, 6lb is as light as I will go, but,and I must stress this point, this needs tobe used in open-water conditions wherethere are no obstacles. Knots need to betied carefully and soft rods of 2.75lb orless will help too.

With the winter months now upon us,the weed has died back, the carp are oftenfighting less manically and, with the clearwater also being something to consider,you could do a lot wose than going light.

oohsHHoPCNopG

CHOD COIUCERilThe water that | f ish is st i l l quiteweedy and because it's surroundedby trees there are |ots o |eaves

and stuff on the bottom. Our club doesnot al low the use of hel icopter set-ups so Icannot f ish a chod ig. Cou|d you suttestany other rigs that might work over suchbottom debrisTP Frobisher, Lancashire

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HOW TO TAKE COVER:, : :: There are so many different

types o she|ter avai|ab|e thesedays that I don't know which

to choose. Brol l ies, bivvies, domes... Idon't know where to sta' Have you anyadvice?S Pavne. Lincolnshire

Tony Makepeace says:This is a question thatI am regularly askedin the tackle shopwhere I work. Thefirst type of shelter isthe broily. Most have

pegging points, mini sides to keep outthe elements and should be used withfour storm poles for rigidiry These arevery popular with carp fisherman forday sessions and overnighters. Mostmanufacturers now sell these with afull zip-in front to turn it into moreof a biwy. one impotant fact is thatmost brollies wiil fit into the maioriw ofquivers and holdails.

The nert n'pe of shelter is the biwy.These are definitell the most popular andprobablv the nrost confusing because all themanufacrurers are trying to sell you theirlatest version. The best, modern design isbased on the pran.r-hood principle, withfixed elasticated poles and a removablegroundsheet. Options are endless withthis rrpe of bisr'. You can remove thegroundsheet and front and use it as anovernight brolh.B'pe shelter, or witheve}'thing in place you have a sturdy,fu11-biw1. system' Thee will normallybe an optional overwrap that will stopcondensation in the colder months and willoften give you a porch area for muddy bootsor cooking. Vhen packed away they tend tobe short, fat and quite healy, so are ideallysuited to being transported on a barrow. Thenewer breeds of this type have fewer joins

in fewer poles, which make them longer andthinner. Couple this with lighter aluminiumooles and thev are much more suitable forcarrying in a rod bag orrod-quiver system.

Finally, there is the traditional dome. Iclass a dome as the type where you haveto manually thread the poles and the