(THIS ARTICLE IS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CC MOORE)
Like many other anglers, I’m happy to use the standard size of 15mm boilie for the majority of my UK fishing, where these are a main part of my bait offering.
There’s no doubt, however, that size does matter, and a little tinkering in this area can bring results, particularly on pressured waters.
BIG BAITS FOR BIG FISH?
Bigger boilies of 18mm - 24mm are common in carp fishing in the rest of Europe, but not so much here. In reality, there’s not a lot of difference between a 15mm bait and an 18mm one, and yet we still shy away from using them.
I’ll turn to these larger baits when the venue I’m targeting is full of nuisance species such as roach, bream and tench. Increasing the bait size to as much as 24mm can reduce the interference from these smaller fish, but still get bites from carp.
One thing bigger baits won’t do, though, is catch you fewer small carp – you’ll still catch plenty of singles and doubles.
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ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
With most of us using the same sized baits, there’s no doubt that tricky fish on really pressured venues do wise-up a little. This is where dumbells and a move away from round balls has been a massive edge. They’re not quite as effective as they once were, now they’re more readily available, but they’re still worth having in your armoury.
BUY DUMBELL BOILIES FOR CARP FISHING HERE.
A simple change to bigger or smaller baits than everyone else is using will pick you up a few more fish too. I like to decrease the size of my boilies in winter, down to maybe 10mm because the fish aren’t eating much, and I don’t want to fill them up. With smaller boilies I can make my spot look far more visually attractive but still feed the same weight of bait – 30 x 10mms instead of just 10 x 15mms.
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MATCH THE MICRO HATCH
Hookbait size is important in a situation where I might be trying to replicate what the carp are naturally eating. When fishing with solid PVA bags, for example, a big hookbait among a load of micro pellets is counter-productive. You want something light, small and balanced that just flies into the fish’s mouth almost by accident.
There are, of course, also times when the carp are micro feeding on naturals, and there’s no point trying to tinker with boilies to catch these fish. This is when you have to replicate their diet as close as you can and change to using maggots and worms.
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SEASONAL CHANGES
Hookbaits change from lake to lake and also from season to season. In spring, my hookbaits are generally bright, alternative baits to what I might be feeding. So, in this instance I have no problem with them being a different size too, and I’m more than happy to fish 12mm bright pop-ups amid a scattering of 15mm and 18mm boilies.
As we move into summer, and the fish have been hammered on bright ones, I ‘match the hatch’ as closely as I possibly can, so everything blends in. So, not only will my hookbait be the same size as my freebies, it will be the exact same colour too. That leaves the fish no way of spotting my hookbait and potentially avoiding my trap.
By the time it comes to late autumn and early winter, I’m looking at moving back to fluoros and brighter hookbaits again, and, as previously stated, smaller free offerings too.
Have a play with your bait sizes on your next session and you might find it catches you an extra carp or two.
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TOP TIP
Every lake holds those rare visitors to the bank – really cagey fish that just don’t get caught. More often than not these are smaller fish too.
It’s not that they aren’t feeding, it’s more that they’ll often micro feed on the small items on the spot like bits of hemp, corn and pellets. I tend to not chase these fish – the bigger targets are often boilie munchers, but if you fancy a crack at a rare one, reduce your hookbait right down to mimic these smaller baits.
PRACTICE THESE TIPS ON THESE BRILLIANT CARP FISHING VENUES NEAR YOU.