DNA Baits

If you have no confidence in your bait then your catch rate will suffer. Fact.

For the first year of my dedicated carp fishing I was unsure on what bait to use so I tried quite a few. I tried The Cell and Fusion from Mainline and had a few fish on them but nothing consistent. I was given a bait to try by my mate Doug at TMT Baits which was a Pro-Active Pineapple with a tiger nut base which produced a few fish as well. I tried Nash Squid and Scopex, Dynamites Scource and Halibut as well as others but I just couldn't single out why I wasn't 'loving' the baits I was using.

Anyway after a few more months and a new session I had heard that a local bait company had been producing some cracking bait and that they offered free samples. So after doing a bit of research I found them residing in the Maltings in South Milford which is just around the corner from me and I popped in for a few free samples.

I was very impressed with what I saw. No freezer burns for a start! A lot of the baits that get shipped around including, the Cell, I noticed had bad freezer burn! I don't know if it was due to the shops storing the bait or it being frozen after manufacture or what but it just puts me off slightly. Anyway from what I saw and the buzz from everyone on the internet the baits seem pretty special indeed.

So I took the plunge last year and decided that picking one of their baits and giving it a good try out was only the way to go! I put in an order for 5kg's of NuttaS along with some corker wafters, a kilo of 18x21mm dumbells and some liquid food.

After a quick overnighter to A1 pits with my daughter which resulted in a small common stalked in the edge and a lot of bad angling on my behalf I decided that I would spend a few hours one afternoon on a local lake in Stillingfleet. The plan was to use my usual tactics on one rod and DNA baits on the other. It was forecast to be the wettest day of the year so armed with a bucket of NuttaS boilie crumb, a brolly and plenty of PVA bags I was looking forward to wetting a line. Stillingfleet pond is not known for its big fish. Every time I have been it has not produced any fish over 10lb for me and they had all fallen for bright pops on multi-rigs, so this trip I was definitely not prepared for what happened.

On getting to the lake there were only a handful of other anglers there and they had set up on the newer side of the lake which suited me just fine as I knew exactly where I wanted to set up and the area was free of lines. I wanted to fish my normal multi-rig pop up PVA bag rig to the reeds and have a NuttaS bag with a Muzza style hookbait on a KD rig in the deeper open water. So out went the rods and up went the brolly and then all hell broke loose. I scattered a few boilies around the NuttaS bag and within half an hour it was away with a spirited little common a new bag and back out with another handful of bait. Again with in half an hour it was away with another little common and at this point I am thinking this is highly irregular for this lake, is it the bait? Is it the conditions? I wasn't sure.

Now I decide to move the high-viz pop and set that with the Muzza 14mm bottom bait and tried something a bit different on the right hand rod with a large 18mm dumbell balanced Muzza again in a bag to the same area. I had another common on the newly moved rod and as the fish was on its way home the dumbell rod rattled of at an alarming rate and as I hit the rod I knew something was very different. The rod bent double and it kitted to the tree bank on the right then came at me and back to the far reeds. After a great fight and seeing the fish on the surface a few times I was finally slipping the net under her I let out a huge sigh of relief and a woooop of excitement. As I set up the camera and scales a fellow angler came round to my swim and helped me with the fish. From a water that has not given me anything bigger than a high single fish because it, lets face it, is my back up runs water that sees more match/pleasure fishing than specimen hunters I couldn't believe it when I lifted her out of the water and weighed her at 21lb 6oz! Shocked and immensely happy!

I followed it with another high single fish before running out of bait and time. What a fantastic session! Sadly for me that was the last time before September that I managed to get back out on DNA baits. The next time I was using their new bait, the S7, which again I was feeding boilies but this time fishing just corker wafters. I had a few fish and some great action but unfortunately the big one didn't show herself this time. Now with the fish having a good taste for the DNA stable of baits then I'm sure she will grace my net again.

Since starting out with the bait in July I have used it on every trip I've been out on, obviously I am not the greatest angler in the world but have had more success than failure. Is it down to the bait or to putting something in front of a hungry carp? who can tell? All I know is the range is giving me huge confidence on the bank.

The fluro range of pop ups and wafters come in great colours, sizes and flavours. A personal favourite of mine was the Milky Malts but they have been pushed aside now by the amazing Wraysberries! Soon to be one of the greatest baits to come from the north with out a doubt.

Their food bait range is growing thick and fast. With new products and innovations coming from the brains of some very talented individuals it will not be long before they are a big player in the UK and Europe bait scene. A score of consultants and fieldtesters work all year round testing the products that Jason Trought, the 'big' brain behind DNA, creates.

2013 will see DNA Baits release several new concepts that are to change and evolve the way we see and use bait. There is only a bright future ahead for this company. I have 100% confidence in them and for me the first choice of hookbait will be DNA. I am not a fieldtester or consultant, just a customer who knows what I like, what I have faith and confidence in.

Whats yours?

Matt

Nash Entity Rods and NXT D-Cam Line! Combo!

So for the past few years I have been using JRC Defender rods in 2.3/4lb test curve as they were all I could afford at the time. I kept them as I really enjoyed the fish playing action of them and at the time saw no need to upgrade. It got to the point however that they couldn't stand up to the fishing that I am doing now and I wanted a rod that could handle a large pva bag at 70+ yards.

As I was doing the marshalling for the BCAC and UKCC last year I was earning Nash vouchers and had been to a few road shows that Nash had at various events. After talking to a few of the guys they recommended the Entity rods in a 3.5lb test curve. So I bit the bullet and got a pair with the vouchers I had earned. Not long after the order was put in I started to hear stories of the rods snapping on people and thought I had made a bit of a blunder with the choice of rod. Later I found out that the rods that were snapping were the 3lb test curve rod and this was because people had been overloading the rod. Trying to cast large bags, heavy leads etc as if it was a 3.5lb rod so that put my thoughts at ease.

I received my rods on a Friday and sods law I was working all weekend so it wasn't until the next week that I managed to get out on the bank and have a go on the rods! So it was early December and cold and I decided to go to a large lake and fish the far bank so I could get some longer casts in. When I took the rods out of their bags I was taken aback by the satin finish and carbon weave, it looked stunning along with the Nash engraved butt caps. I screwed my Shimano 10000's on to the Fuji reel seat and they fit snug as a bug. I fed my line through the 50mm butt ring and then the remaining rings with ease and tied my favoured loop knot ready for a Nash Diffusion leader. I attached my leader which was set with a 1.5oz in-line bag lead shocker style and a short KD rig with a DNA Baits PB fluoro wafter. The lot was then bundled in to a PVA bag and tied of ready for casting. I estimated that the tree line to my right was around 70 yards so I got out the ESP Boilie Pult and spread a few handfuls of S7 14mm boilies along the tree line and then lined up my cast. Now, in hindsight, I should have attached a lead and had a cast out to get my distance right then clipped up before tying a bag on straight away but we live and learn! Anyway I loaded the rod and soon had the bag flying effortlessly out over the lake and straight in to the overhanging tree! Luck would have it that I pulled out of the tree and the bag landed about 5 foot off the bank! Lucky!

The rod felt beautiful in my hands. After using the 2.75 rods for so long I was scared that these beefier rods would feel heavy and clumsy but I couldn't be more wrong. They weigh less than my old rods and have a great through action which makes them 'feel' like a lighter test curve.

So I repeated the process with my second rod but attached my Choddy leader with one of my multi-chods and a DNA Milky Malt pop up. Time to test the rods casting power. Straight in front of me is the no fishing bank and about two thirds of the way across is a plateau which I guess is at around 100 yards. I attached an  Avid 2.5oz distance lead on the end of the leader and picked a far bank marker. Loaded the rod and let forth a mighty cast! Feathering the line as I felt the lead running out of steam it landed on the plateau bang on, now I'm not a great distance caster so was utterly impressed that I hit 100 yards!

Early December Frosts With The Entitys On The Sod Pod

Anyway after an hour or so the chod rod ripped off and from the take I could tell it was one of the smaller fish in the lake as it came in fast and then went mental under rod tip. Again I was very worried that the rods would be too powerful for me and I would bump the smaller fish with their fast lunges. But I should not have worried as the rod performed brilliantly and the fish was soon in the net. Unhooked, weighed and photographed for our records the fish was returned and again the rig was sent out to the plateau. The weather started to deteriorate and get a bit colder just as the choddy went again with another small but angry carp. With two fish in a few hours fishing I was more than happy and too hit 100 yards was even better!

I managed to get back out on the bank with my daughter a few days ago and decided that while I was only using the one rod then it was a perfect opportunity to respool my reels with the Nash NXT D-Cam main line.

NXT D-CAM Line As Good As Subline? We Will See

 I followed the instructions and the line went on my reel very nicely, the low diameter of the 12lb line letting it sit perfectly. After respooling I made a few casts to the far bank so that I could retrieve and bed the line down even better. Coupled with the Entity rods the leads landed exactly where I wanted them to every cast. So with new line and rods now all I need to do it actually catch something!

Entitys With My Shimano's Loaded With D-Cam

Anyway with the rods all set up I tested some line in the margins and if you have not used the Nash Diffusion stuff then you probably wont believe me but it disappears the second it touches the lake bed! I've been using Subline for the past year and while I do like the colouring and how well it sinks I found that it got rough quite quickly and had some bad twists in it after getting a run. I hope the Nash line performs better. From what I have read the D-cam line is very durable and sinks just as well. So here's hoping that a few fish fall foul to the camouflage line and the Entitys guide them to the net well.

Can not wait to get out to Q lake next month and give everything a good old run out!

Till next time. Matt.

Angling Tuition

This is a subject I have noticed stirs some varied reactions and thoughts with in the Carp Angling community. What's your opinion on tuition? 

I personally am all for tuition and the reason for posting this blog is because I am researching tuition before I decide on taking some. I think that if you feel you need that extra boost of information to help you put more fish on the bank and are willing to spend a bit of cash then why not? If you are a beginner who has spent the last few months on the bank trying to emulate everything that is posted in magazines, television and the internet but are struggling to put fish on the bank then go for it. I don't think that tuition is just for a beginner either, those of us still unsure on which rig to use in the right situation, unsure where exactly to fish due to peg limitations or unsure of your water craft skills then tuition can point you in the right direction.

I can hear people saying that water craft can not be taught, that picking the right rig comes with experience and that you can learn so much from friends or folk on internet groups etc so why take tuition? Well I agree with you to some extent. Yes, it all comes with experience but for those with limited time on the bank and people that might not be too good at making friends it can be difficult.  

The experienced anglers out there that have tread the banks and hunted their quarrels over the years and worked hard to catch those beautiful creatures can never have that taken away from them but they may feel that people taking tuition is a form of cheating maybe? Or laziness? I don't really know but they are entitled to their opinions like everything in this sport. 

We must also remember that this is a sport. Around the world hundreds of sports are played and for those that want to better themselves at which ever they choose to take part in then there may come a point were they look at taking lessons. Would we discourage a young man taking golf lessons like we do someone having fishing tuition? 

Tuition is a very personal thing though and there are a lot of anglers who feel they wouldn't benefit from it and just as many that feel they would. There are a lot of ways to learn how to carp fish out there from magazines, books and DVDs to the Internet and friends so why would you want to pay someone for tuition? Well I feel that having someone beside you who has successfully passed coaching courses and has many years of experience from angling all around the country then it has to be able to add something to your fishing. 

There are a few anglers and companies that offer tuition and prices can vary from around £200-£400 for a 24hr session. A great place to look is Fishing Experience. They have several anglers on their books, from the O'Conners who won the 2012 BCAC to Mr Rob Hughes who we all know from the Sky Sports coverage of the BCAC and UKCC. Mr Hughes even offers a 'Below The Surface' option for £295 which would allow you to see exactly how you are fishing!! Now that has got to be worth it! 

One of the other anglers that FX has on their website is Kev Hewitt who gave me this statement about his tuition experiences;

"For me, tuition is all about giving something back to the sport and helping others catch and that smile on their face when they slip the net under a new PB. It gives me as much satisfaction helping someone catch and it can be more rewarding than actually catching myself."

I think that statement will ring true for a lot of anglers who offer tuition, they all want what is best for their clients. The choice for tuition is quite large with some of the top anglers offering it. 

Adam Penning offers an extensive service and covers every aspect of carp fishing. His is one of the more expensive tuitions at £350 for a 24hr session but he offers everything including an spod mix and a kilo of boilies as well as fishing tickets. Anglers have the chance to fish on an exclusive Essex syndicate, Linear fisheries in Oxford or any lake you want. He also offers photographs as well as a video which he will email you after the session and I'm sure he will follow up with you and find out if the tuition has improved your carp fishing. He can be contacted through his angling facebook page. Here

For the northern anglers among us Mark Watson from the Nash stable will be offering tuition soon. He has a few things to finish ironing out but when he is up and running he will have available a full Nash Hooligan outfit for his pupil to make full use of, as well as a great selection of lakes north of Watford Gap! You can keep up to date with all his developments on his Facebook page Here. 

Marc Twaite is also doing tuition and I managed to get a few words off of him regarding his service. 

"I feel the reason for doing private angling tuition is to give something back to the sport I've taken so much from. To see anglers I have over 24-48 hours watch, listen and learn then go onto their syndicate or tricky day ticket water and catch regularly along with a new PB give's me job satisfaction.

I'm a fun guy and don't take life too seriously as some have seen with my videos. This is what has been missing in the sport in recent years I feel angling is a hobby, a passion and a sport that we all enjoy so much so I don't listen or take any notice of the negative comments we read so often! I ignore, then delete them move on and focus on keeping a smile on my face.

I'm fortunate I have great support from Pukka Carpin Rags and on all tuitions anglers get a free T-Shirt. Along with support from DNA baits I can explain all about bait 'why and when' for example, along with my terminal tackle from PB Products I go into finer details on all the range. Explain every situation on rigs and why.

You can read my website and go onto my angler page where I update daily weekly from tips and tactics to questions and blogs. Marc Twaite  , FB or even read my monthly feature in Big Carp Magazine where they call me the Traveller ."

Kordas Darrell Peck also offers tuition through their website, Kordatorial At £300 for a 24hr session he isn't the cheapest out there but Darrell certainly is a carp catching machine with access to some cracking waters. Manor Farm, Thorpe Lea and Linear fisheries being just a few. Darrell has caught some of the biggest fish in the country and is regarded as a pure big fish hunter but that doesn't mean that is all he knows. Darrell has fished with some great anglers and has a wealth of knowledge for catching carp of all sizes. 

There are more and more tutorials popping up all the time and I am still undecided on what to do. I know it would aid my fishing with out a doubt but at the moment saving for a house as well as my own fishing to pay for etc means funds are on the light side. But that's what overtime is for!

So to summarize. For those that think it is a waste of time and too expensive, that is your opinion to voice but I think that anyone wanting tuition should be allowed the chance to decide for themselves and to really look in to it and research whom they want to fish with. If you want to fish with any of the big named anglers then be prepared to travel and part with some cash because they are not cheap but in my honest opinion worth every penny. But don't be put off by others saying you really don't need it, if you feel it would benefit then I'm sure it will do. 

Thanks for reading and I hope this might help you as it has me. 

Matt. 

How 2013 is faring for The Hobo Carpers

Hey guys Matt here.

So if any of you can remember I talked about entering the UK Carp Cup this year but as circumstances are at the moment I can't afford the time away from my own fishing or the funds. But every cloud has a silver lining as they say! I was talking to Kieran not so long back and he has asked me to be his runner for the event at Poolbridge Q lake. We have all ready started our planning for it with a few talks but soon we will get together and have a brainstorm for what we should be looking at doing. Last year K did well taking a few fish from the venue but this year with the info we both gathered from the last years event and a few more sessions on the lake, hopefully we will be in with a good chance to qualify for the semis. As we saw last time anyone can stand a chance if you get it right and are on the fish!

While Kieran will be focusing on his UKCC and GCSEs this year I will be putting my remaining time in to a local lake that is currently under going a lease change and hopefully will be falling to a close friend of mine. If that is the case then I am to record all the fish I catch with photos and weights as well as bailiffing the place, so 90% of my fishing this year will be done there. I do have several trips planned elsewhere in the country and I will definitely be making a return trip to Linear fisheries this year with mind to fish any lake. After the latest Korda DVD St Johns might be off the card but saying that the lake might not be that busy when we are planning to go. Apart from a trip to linear I have Carping For Heroes 2013 in June at Manor Farm in Bedfordshire which I am taking part in fishing as well as volunteering for and that's about it for my angling this year unless something else turns up.

At the moment I am part way through a creative writing course with the writers bureau which is giving me valuable skills I plan on putting to good use here and also into my fictional writing. That is taking up quite a chunk of my time at home and will most probably cut in to some fishing time. But such is life and sacrifices need to be made in order to succeed.

So it won't just be on the bank fishing that we will be writing about this year. We plan to cover rigs, baiting and everything in-between and maybe even some more guest appearances. While we are by no means experts in the sport, the passion that Kieran and myself have should certainly make for good reading.

For 2013 we have a fair bit to focus on and if a PB comes my way that would be great but it is not my main concern at the moment. I hope you have a great year and hopefully enjoy the blog as it grows.