[Hair rig Help]

30 lb hooklink cannot break on the take. Are you sure something other than carp is not biting through the line?

BTW the hair is too long. Recommend half inch between the bait and bend of the hook as a maximum.  

[Hook Pulls]

Hooks with a short shank or circle hooks have a poor penetration angle and either don’t grab enough flesh or fall out.

[Boiling Corn]

I found this interesting by English author Fred J. Taylor:

‘I took a visit to the USA before I began to associate the ghastly smell of soaked corn (maize) with the fantastic carp taken over there. Out in the hot sun great barrels of maize were left to ferment and after a few days began to smell to high heaven. So much so that handling the stuff (and everyone who passed by the barrel would take a handful and toss it into the lake) necessitated a scrub up with carbolic soap or disinfectant. That smell hung around for hours after the barrel had been disturbed, but there’s no doubt at all that the carp loved it and were attracted to it.

'This was light yellow field corn, similar to what we now call sweetcorn on the cob, but it remained fairly hard even after soaking.'

[PVA cast and return]

Ideally, you want your hookbait to stand out and be more attractive than the loose offerings so that it is one of the first items picked up. You want it to appear like the cherry on top of a sundae, so to speak. You can achieve this presentation with packbait and a buoyant hookbait that lifts just enough to just sit on top of the pile. Or you can use a PVA bag, but still ensure that the hookbait has enough buoyancy to lift out of the pile and sit gently above it. Either way, don’t pull it back.

[Telescoping rods?]

Due to their compactness they are ideal for long distance travel, by plane for example. The action is compromised by the number of joints. They are usable if you have to, but don’t expect them to cast as well or play a fish as nicely as a two-piece rod.

[Losing corn from hair rig]

A slice of yellow foam ear plug makes a good hookbait for fishing among corn and it pops up bootifully!

 

 

[Fall Grits Packbait]

Thanks Iain 

[Fall Grits Packbait]

Thanks Dale,

That one works for me in the spring but not the fall. Perhaps it is the type of flavor that needs to be changed.

[Fall Grits Packbait]

Does anyone have a late fall grits mix? I heard to use whole kernel corn and water instead of creamed corn as the wetter. Thanks

[Throw back pic 06!]

Not convinced the forum decline is all down to facebook etc. This began when it became unfriendly towards non-members and people like Phone could no longer post in the bait section, for example. This is not a criticism, just an observation.

[A challenge to all of is!]

What you guys are doing is admirable.

Be careful what you handle though. We had a bailiff here pick up a discarded corn can and cut his hand on the tin. He caught Weil’s disease, apparently transmitted by rats eating out the can and pissing on it. Anyway, he died from it, a healthy bloke in his twenties. Tragic.

Always use tuff gloves or tongs.

[Renewal]

Willem, sorted thanks

[Renewal]

I have the same problem.

I also tried the store and clicked on international membership but it still didn't take me anywhere.

[Are Boilies Overrated]

I find that boilies are good when you want to read a good book without any interruptions

[A tablespoon of salt]

Thanks for the help guys.

The consensus seems to be that a TBSP is filled level or just over level.

Now all I need to figure out is whether it is Morton Kosher Salt or Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt! 

[A tablespoon of salt]

Many packbait recipes call for a tablespoon of kosher salt, but what do you guys take as a tablespoon?

Is it a level tablespoon or a heaped tablespoon?

This might seem a bit trivial, but a heaped tablespoon is twice the amount of a level tablespoon!

Thanks

[How to make a make shift backlead in a pinch?]

I use an egg sinker and the very flexible gardening wire used for tying up garden plants. Pass the wire through the sinker and give the ends a twist to secure. After casting, fold each end back over the mainline. It comes free easily if the line gets snagged. 

A cheaper version can be made by tying the wire round a stone or anything else with a bit of weight to it instead of a sinker.

[Hair rigs again]

I use Solar 101 size 4 hooks.

I doubt if you can get these, but any sharp J-shape hook should do.

I would not use circle hooks for carp.

[Hair rigs again]

Quote

 

 

I think what you are describing is the slack-line method that has become popular in some quarters over here in England.

When the lead is fixed or semi-fixed to the swivel, carp have been observed to pick up the bait, get pricked by the hook, and react by twisting and turning against the lead to get rid of the hook. The angler receives little or no indication on the bank and the fish frequently sheds the hook.

To counter this behavour, anglers are using a running lead and slackening the mainline right off after casting. Because the line is free to run through the lead the carp cannot use the lead as an anchor point to shake the hook out. There is absolutely no resistance. The fish panics and moves off at speed, giving the angler a proper run.

This slack line method works best with a fluorocarbon mainline which is heavier than nylon and sinks completely. Everything lays very flat on the bottom, the fish is not suspicious and line bites are minimised.     

I use packbait compressed around the hookbait  (or lead) not a feeder.

[Sad news]

Saddened and shocked to read of this.

I enjoyed his videos and it seems like only yesterday that he was pointing at me and saying: “Don’t go away”.

R.I.P.

[2nd Time Out at New Venue]

In the summer, in the middle of the day, it’s shallow water for me. If it’s weedy, so much the better. That’s where they be.

 

 

[Flavors]

Vinsanity,

Thanks for the reply.

I was (foolishly) put off using Anise by the following references:

"Anise oil is favoured by rainbow trout but not by carp. " Studies on fishes’ favourite foods I: Feeding tests of carp, yellowtail and rainbow trout, M.Takei, 1967.

"Compounds that have failed to induce food search include anethol (the active ingredient of oil of anise)." Fish Chemoreception, ed. by T.J. Hara, 1992.

I suppose it just goes to show that you shouldn't take too much notice of what a scientist says!

[Flavors]

When you guys refer to Anise, do you mean LorAnn anise oil or an artificial flavour?

[Texas Pete]

Found it to be very good in summer, too, but wondered if it would work in spring.

[Texas Pete]

Has anyone had success with this on their pickup in spring?

Thanks