Without a doubt, what you put on your hook is one of the most important pieces of the big-carp fishing jigsaw. Assuming you’ve got your location right, if the fish don’t want to pick up what you’re offering them, you won’t catch – it’s as simple as that.
Now, it has to be said that carp will eat almost anything at least once. It’s the only way a creature without hands can investigate what’s in front of them. But, when the fish have seen all manner of things thrown at them, you need to consider how you can make the bait attached to your hook the first thing that they zone in on.
Colour choices
The first consideration many take into account with hookbait choice is colour. The trend that seems to carry weight on most venues is that, early in the year, bright yellows, oranges and pinks work really well. Then, after the fish have spawned and have likely made a few mistakes with anglers’ rigs, they’ll be far more suspicious of these blatant ‘in your face’ offerings. This is when switching to a ‘match the hatch’ colour can often result in an increase in pick-ups.
Don’t discount colours entirely, however – after all, two of the most successful carp baits out there, sweetcorn and bread, are hardly discreet, are they? Consider the contrast that’s made when selecting your colour choice. A white bait on a silty bottom will be easy for a fish to spot, which could either make it investigate or force it to flee.
The colour conundrum is all about experimentation, trial and error, and finding what works on the day. You can always tone it down by using washed-out shades that closely resemble the appearance of old baits on the bottom – something the fish recognise as safe to eat. Think along the lines of muted pastel shades rather than more garish hi-viz hookbaits.
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Give it a boost
In the last decade or so there’s been a revolution in ways carp anglers can boost their hookbaits. There are now a number of products on the market that leach off colours and flavours into the water. There’s no better way to entice fish towards your trap. Some of the best products are the Korda Goos or similar.
Leave your pop-ups or hookbaits soaking in one of these prior to your trip so it penetrates deep inside them for long lasting attraction. Alternatively, just quickly coat your bait before casting out for a fast-acting burst of flavour and colour on the spot.
Experimentation is once again key, because the over-use of these types of products can soon lead to the fish wising up. Most companies also do their own matching bait boosters or liquid enhancers, and these are worth considering as soaks or glugs for your hookbaits, just to make them stand out over your free offerings.
Hemp oil, salmon oil and fish oils are also worthy of a splash or two on your baits, and will certainly make it more likely the fish will slip up as a steady leakage of tantalising attraction rises to the surface.
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Take care
Showing true love and care for your hookbaits has been, and still is, a massive edge for some of the country’s best carp anglers. Many will cure and cultivate their baits in liquids and additional powders, for an end product with a dissolvable outer skin that slowly breaks down around the bait, sending the carp into a frenzy as they try to pinpoint the source.
You can get the same effect by wrapping your hookbaits in paste, something more commonly seen done on the rivers by barbel anglers. But if this all seems like too much hassle, cultivated baits have become more commercially available, and are a must-have in any serious carp angler’s bait box.
Sticky Krill and Manilla Active are examples of such products that, without any further tinkering, will release a steady stream of powdered attractors that both rise in the water and fall to the bottom around your spot.
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Give it some movement
Topping your hookbaits with a few worms or a bunch of maggots can be a phenomenal way to get bonus bites – particularly on zig rigs. You don’t even need to feed a lot of them – just that little wriggling natural offering can be enough to spark some interest. They’re not recommended for venues dominated by smaller species, which will peck away at them, but for carp-only waters it’s a really under-used edge.
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Ditch the boilies
Yes, you read that right! Sometimes just ditching the boilies can transform your results dramatically. If you’re feeding heavily with particles, match the hatch by making your hookbait of a similar size and texture to everything around it. Plastic corn is phenomenally successful when fished over spod mixes. Its buoyancy means it offers good rig mechanics, you can flavour it how you like, and it’s available in a variety of colours – even glow in the dark! Have a play on your next session and mix it up with your hookbaits. You may just stumble on the golden ticket for your water.
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