Cants Mere 'Under The Rods Tips'

This blog is going way back to September of 2018, it's crazy how fast time passes, this was a good period to be fishing Cants because it wasn't overrun with people desperately trying to catch a 30. Chelmsford had done a great job in developing Cants from a water overrun with thousands of small carp and turning into a proper 'big fish' venue. Those that have read my older blogs will know that I've fished Cants a lot in the past and then I pulled off to focus on other waters. Living my life intuitively I knew that when the time was right my gut would tell me when to return. What Was My Motivation? it wasn't the size of the carp now in the water, it was simply the desire to revisit a lake that I loved fishing a few years before. 

All my blogs from this point won't be showing the spots that I fish, nowadays a lot of people want things handed to them on a plate and I genuinely don't see why I should put the time into fishing these waters only to let everyone know exactly what I'm doing. People really need to suss out how to catch carp by their own accord. You'll learn nothing about carp fishing by copying others, actually doing this stops you from moving forward and really only offers a temporary solution. The only advice I would really give is to be different in what you do, don't followed the herd, there's more than one way to catch a fish. 

View From The Back Bay

When fishing Cants in the past I liked to focus on the descending bars that are locate on both points of the island. In my mind these were perfect ambush points and I'd had some good results adopting this approach, but Cant's is also a fantastic margin water because, firstly the margins are deep, and secondly you have so many overhanging trees and bushes, let us remember that carp love the margins, so I'd made up my mind that I was going to basically fish underneath my rod tips super close in. For this approach to work the lake needs to be near empty and you have to be as quiet as possible, with the way carp fishing is nowadays these two elements are almost impossible to come by. However, on the days I chose to fish there weren't many people about especially up the back bay where I planned to go.

My plan was simple, fish mouthfuls of bait under the overhanging bushes either side of my swim, I was going to use my baiting pole to drop the rigs covertly and quietly. This was at a time when baiting poles hadn't become the latest fashion accessory, actually hardly anyone used them, I'd constructed a really long one adding sections using carbon wrap and carbon spray glue. Doing this allowed me to purchase long pieces of carbon tube and modify them so they slotted into each other. At the time I was using it I can safely say that it was probably one of the longest baiting poles being used, I went a little nuts in regards to the length but .. hey "you've got to do what you've got to do" to give yourself an edge. The fact it took about an hour to set up and put away was something that I had to make peace with rather quickly. Also, occasionally you might get a shard of carbon in you hand but that just added to the overall comedy value of the dam thing.

Custom Made Baiting Pole

This Is Only Half Of The Total Length

I was only going to be using a few sections to ship my bait out under the bushes either side of me, due to the depth of the margins you could get away with tucking the rig right under the marginal growth and you were still in a really good depth of water. Unlike my older Cants sessions where I fished a lot of bait spread around the area, this time I was opting for a mouthful in the shape of a solid bag. I knew the carp hugged the margins so there was no real need to load the swim up with bait in the hope to attract them. In my mind, if you could get the bait bag under the bushes any fish that came along wouldn't hesitate to suck it up. I used a large PVA bag which I filled with crushed Boilies and pellets of varying sizes, I stuck with fruity flavours, I'm still using Starmer Baits, I wouldn't change from their bait even if a gun was held to my head, before shipping the bags out I'd inject them with some liquid feed.

Once both bags were placed I wasn't going to move them, I genuinely felt confident that "if" the fish drop down to feed then I've given myself the best chance at getting a bite. That's all you can do, carp fishing to me is setting up a scenario where 'if the fish are feeding' you're giving yourself the highest chance of success. This approach doesn't involve loads of complicated rigs and ultra scientific baits, it's all about putting your bait in the right place. Once all the 'rigmarole' was out the way of setting all my gear up and making sure my rods and reel handles were perfectly symmetrical, I sat back watching the water carefully.

It really didn't take long for a bite to occur, the rigs had been in position for little over an hour before I got a thunderous take that ripped the rod tip sharp to the left. Leaning into this fish I knew straight away that it was big, the sheer power of the pulls and lunges were scary, due to the marginal obstructions I kept the rod tip low in the water and basically held on for dear life until the fish tired enough to get a net under it. This fish was a beauty weighing in at a touch over 28 pound, it was built like a torpedo, it was a lovely dark brown, every part of it was immaculate. 

This was the only bite that occurred on this session but I planned to head back the following day to adopt exactly the same approach. This trip was eventful in more ways than one and it had to be seen to be believed. I'd arrived slightly later in the day for my second trip, everything was exactly the same as the previous day. Solid bags were tied and carefully placed under the marginal growth with my baiting pole, the day passed with no action. As the sun started to lower it was 'game on', everything felt right and I knew a bite was imminent, I sat perched up the bank when all of a sudden my alarms gave an unorthodox set of blips. My left rod pulled right round to the left, my pod fell downwards to the left and the rod flew into the water. 

This all happened within a second, I had no time to think so I slide down the bank and dived headfirst into the lake, the rod had disappeared so I lunged my arm in the vague direction that it went off sailing. As I stretched full reach and lowered my arm through the water my little pinky finger managed to connect around the line between the spool and the first guide on the butt section of my rod. As I picked the rod up with both hands and lifted the fish was still on, I was now standing in the water fully clothed up to my stomach. The carp on the end of my line was going nuts but after an intense fight I managed to slip another dark Cants common under the net cords, scales fell to 29IB.

This fish was totally worth a drowned phone and a set of warped bank cards that got flooded in my wallet, because it was a lovely warm evening I dried off quickly. No other bites came that day which doesn't surprise me because me jumping in headfirst probably spooked half the lake. I drove home that evening smelling of both Cants and the carp that lived there. Because my approach appeared to be working I decided to head back up a few days after I "took my dive". It was all very regimented by this point. I quietly made my way to the swim, kept low to the water, tied my bags, extracted my pole and silently slid both my rigs either side of the swim under the marginal growth. 

Just like the previous sessions nothing happened during the main part of the day, the bite came just as the sun had gone down, the light was fading. My left rod tore off at a crazy pace, a huge vortex of silt and leaves erupted from where my rig had been covertly placed. This carp felt like a beast, it was pulling hard towards the bushes but I kept the pressure on, this caused it to dart into the small bay to the left of me. The vortex's were huge and the bottom was being kicked up every time in lunged on another powerful run. Slowly and surely I was gaining ground and as it got closer to me it was clear that this was a big carp. As the net slid under this fish a huge amount of relief washed over me.

This fish was big and the scales sunk to 33IB exactly ... what a fight and what a fish, the last two carp I had out of Cants sort of made me feel like I was building up to one on the 30's so the whole scenario felt strangely poetic. This would be the last time that I fished Cants because I would end up dropping my Chelmsford membership. I was getting tired of the journeys up and down and I wanted to find a few more waters closer to home. Not only that but all the venues were really starting to get busy and when this starts to happen I naturally pull off looking for places that offer solitude.

The Carp Haven't Changed, The Marketing Has

Having taken a 5 year break away from the water, separating myself from the bullshit involved in carp fishing was such a refreshing feeling. This will be a theme that I'm going to continue to follow, I have zero interested in anything carp fishing related other than when I'm physically on the bank fishing myself. Having started angling in 1990 my frame of reference in regards to catching carp came from practical experiences which involved actually being by the water. You learn by doing, you don't learn fuck all reading forums and watching bullshit videos uploaded by tackle companies and self-appointed heroes. 

The above statement might sound strange but let me explain, forums and videos on all subjects are full of people parroting and repeating what they've heard elsewhere. Original thought is a dying art, I look forward so much to the day that I can have a conversation with someone that actually has their own opinion and ideas as oppose to ones that have been implanted in their head by 'Team Korda" and all the other wankers that claim to be masters of the pastime. These people are salesman that fish and nearly everything they come out with is designed to remove your hard-earned cash from your ever decreasing wallet. 

Let us remember that marketing is perception control and over the last decade the 'marketing machine' within carp fishing has gone into overdrive, led by a bunch of clowns that started to fill the heads of the easily led with overcomplicated horse-shit that catches the angler more than it does the fish. Let us also remember that the carp haven't changed, it's the carp fishing industry that has, it's this that creates the illusion that the carp are the ones that have advanced beyond comprehension. Shortly before walking away from fishing I saw just how effective the marketing and mind control around carp fishing had become.

When the whole country was on Furlough/hush money, my new waters were overrun with guys all fishing exactly the same as each other. I'd sit there surrounded by leads and spods flying all over the place, everyone would turn up to their swims, cast a lead about looking for a "hard spot" and then proceed to spod kilos and kilos of bait over the apparent hard spot. The moment someone would vacate the swim the next guy would turn up and do exactly the same thing. It was a this point I decided I just couldn't be around such nonthinking bullshit so I walked away from my fishing until the cosmic indicated to me that it was time to start again. 

It isn't by coincidence that everyone was fishing the same, it's because they're all consuming the same information which in turn controls their perceptions on how to catch carp. The same can be said for all these new rigs that are being pushed, there appears to be this belief that if you haven't got 72 pieces of end tackle incorporated into your rig then you ain't catching. Let us remember that the more you have on the end of your line, the more there is to go wrong. But the more you have on the end of your line, the more tackle firms make selling you shit you don't need. The simple rigs from the 80' and 90's are still going to catch you pretty much every carp that swims and I've proven this time and time again in this very blog. The carp haven't changed, they're still the same creatures that they've always been and the tried and tested methods will always work.

The Shocker Rig

Their behaviour might change due to the pressure that they now receive, it's common sense that the more people fishing puts pressure on the fish and over time this can make them change their behaviour. But this is usually due to the amount of bait going in the waters, I believe if a lake limits the bait that's allowed to go in, then it doesn't matter how pressured the fish are. If they don't have an overabundant supply of bait being thrown in all the time it means you'd stand a far greater chance at catching them. It's anglers and their over-baiting that makes waters so much harder. BUT ... this isn't pointed out by all the companies out there because the more bait you chuck in the more money they're going to make. The same can be said for those who promote dropping the lead on every take, of course tackle firms and the sell out anglers that shill for them are going to be telling you to drop the lead because it's another constant revenue stream. 

Another observation I've seen in "modern carp fishing" is the focus on distance rather than the margins, the margins are the biggest feature on every lake. I grew up with a firm understanding of this, carp love the margins BUT .. it seems distance fishing is where it's at nowadays. Why Is This? because if you convince everyone they have to be fishing at 120 yards then you can sell them really expensive distance rods, spod rods, distance line and stupidly priced reels. Promoting fishing the margins or under the rods tips isn't going to benefit the leading manufactures because you don't need "specialised" tackle to fish this way. All in all there's a huge amount of horse shit in regards to how carp fishing is marketed in this day and age and those that have been at it along time can see it as clear as day.

Dropping The Lead Is Great For The Manufactures

To sum up, carp fishing can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it and it can be as cheap or as expensive as well. It's important to understand that a lot of what you're told and sold is a load of bollocks and it's designed to make the leading manufactures as much money as possible. I actually find it's best to look back into carp fishing history to find inspiration as opposed to the "modern" way of doing things. Don't get me wrong, there's been some useful advancements and some of the latest tech products certainly help to make you fish more efficiently. Just don't believe everything you read and watch regarding how you "should" go about catching carp, let us remember that's there's many different ways to do this and it might just work in your favour to steer away from the popular approaches and try something completely different. 

There's A Monster In The Water

I've taken 5 years out of fishing because I was both burnt out and jaded with the UK carp fishing world, I found myself hating being by the water, mainly due to other anglers that have no manners or consideration for others. It appears we're living in the age of the 'catch at any cost' twat that appears to be so fucking desperate to make a name for themselves they will do just about anything to put a fish on the bank. This whole attitude makes no sense to me at all, fishing is suppose to be a hobby not a career path. I decided to write this blog because the flame that got dampened by the stupidity is very much burning again, I've had a syndicate ticket for around 5 years now and it's time to start fishing the place. 

I have 7 years of blogs to write with loads of good fish caught .. BUT.. I won't be writing them all up, I'll pick a few standout sessions. So much time has gone by, even with the notes I've made, I genuinely can't remember most of my trips, so instead of writing half-arsed accounts I'd rather document the sessions I can remember. Stepping away from fishing is something I've done a number of times in my life but I've always come back to it. This time around I've feel I'm on the right waters, they're near deserted during the week so I'll be able to do my own thing without being disturbed by some bucket hat wearing wanker asking me "what time I'm leaving?" so they can drop in behind me and parasite off my hard work.

The session I'm writing up took place back in 2019, I was spending a lot of time on the stock pond down in Hoo, it was a a very hot August and with the sun now lower in the cloudless sky, I loved spending my time down there. You are surrounded by flatlands so there's always a light breeze, the clarity of the world around you is magnified. Despite the size of the water I wouldn't call the stock pond "easy fishing", the fish are quite wise and you have to approach it correctly otherwise you're going to struggle. Personally for me, solid bags worked exceptionally well, you can use them to "bait and wait" or cast to showing fish. 

Caught On A Solid Bag Under The Rod Tips 

I've actually lost count of the amount of carp I've caught out of the stock pond by casting at a showing fish, you can be sitting there all day without a touch, then a fish jumps, you cast to it and a bite can occur very quickly. This is pretty much what happened to me on the day of this session. I set up face to the wind, when the wind is fresh the carp have a tendency to get on the front of it. In these conditions I literally fish a couple of rod lengths out, back-lead and sit further up the bank. I alway like to sit a fair distance behind my rods and stay low because I want to stay off the skyline and be as quiet as possible. "Quiet" is something that isn't practiced by many anglers nowadays, I believe any unnatural noise can put the carp on the defensive, especially on a lake the size and depth of the stock pond.

My PVA Bag Mix

Around this time I was using a very fruity mix in my solid bags, it was a mix pellets, crushed boilies and small 10 mm boilies. Before casting out I'd inject some liquid feed into the bag so there was a nice explosion of flavour as it melted. The approach of the day was simple, I was going to keep one bag on the same spot without moving it and then the second rod I'd roam around with the intent of casting it to showing fish. I remember on this specific day, the sun was beating down really hard, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The conditions were pretty much the worst they could be for carp fishing . .  but .. hey .. you've got to be in it to win it .... right??

Conditions Were Not Ideal

The day started and progressed in a fashion that I expected, no signs of fish, no line bites, no nothing, this was pretty standard for the stock pond. I knew I was going to have to sit it out until I was given a clue, no clues came in the morning and to be honest if I hadn't have been watching the water closely I would've missed the only show that occurred all day. By chance I walked over to the really shallow bay that was a long to right of my swim and as I did I saw the remanence of a vortex with some bubbles coming up. The fish was literally in two and half foot of water, I couldn't actually see it but I thought it would be worth quietly dropping a bag down there. 

I split my bite alarms, now fishing each rod on two sticks, both with a bite alarm on, I tied a new bag up, crawled along the grass to stay off the skyline, got my sticks set up and literally lowered the bag exactly where I saw the vortex a few minutes earlier. Feeling the bag down, it was literally 2ft, if that, I sat up back from the water positioned in between both my rods. If either went off I wasn't too far away, it had only been a few minutes and the rod in the bay gave a few bleeps and "BANG" the reel was screaming, the eruption that took place was like a mini Hiroshima.

I clambered down and grabbed the rod, leaning into the fish, it instantly felt rather large, after the initial bolt it started to plod, silt was being kicked up from the bottom. The bay went from lovely clear water to something that resembled a dark soup. After a few minutes the fish started to slow down, it was at this point I caught a glimpse of it and it looked big, its back was so wide and its depth was crazy. Teasing the fish into the net it hit me that I'd caught one of the 30's, the largest I'd had from the water in the past was 29IB. This was clearly a different fish, its proportions were rather ridiculous. 

A Rather Large Back

I gently unhooked it in the net and managed to get it into my sling, when I tried picking it up it became apparent instantly that this was a heavy carp. I zeroed the scales, hung them on my weighing tripod and, rather awkwardly hooked the sling on, the scales sunk to 34.5IB. The thing that I remember the most about catching this fish was the slight disbelief that a carp like this could be residing in such a small water. It really was a lovely carp, almost perfect without a mark on it, I got a few photos done, got my shoes and socks off and walked out into the water to let it swim off. It wasn't possible to release it without going out into the pond because the margins were too shallow. 

34.5IB

It goes without saying I was pleased with this capture, it's always nice to catch a big fish ... BUT the size of a carp isn't my motivation, it never has been. I was fishing the stock pond because I love how fresh it is when on its banks. Because the sea isn't too far away you can smell the ocean when you're fishing, It has the bluest of skies and when the sunsets, if there's no clouds, you can see the stars. That's why I was fishing this specific water, the size of the fish I caught was pure luck and basically a byproduct of me enjoying my time on the banks of the stock pond.

Peace

Braxted Reservoir 'As The Matrix Slips'

Through the years of writing my blogs I've occasionally touched on a subject that I call the "fabricated reality". This concept isn't some 'hoodoo' that I read about on a crazy fringe website or in a dodgy 'new age' book. This is a theory that came into my mind well over a decade ago, coincidently, it was whilst I was on the bank fishing. If I remember rightly the whole concept came to fruition whilst chasing secrets down on Micklem Mere, it was early morning, I'd managed to get my rods out just before the sun came up. It was poignant because I was the only one on the water and the nearest human was fields away. As I watched 'reality' unfold before my eyes I realised that, within that moment, there was no outside influence to distort my perception of the world around me. It was simply me witnessing everything in its purest form, it was an undiluted example of a beautiful world. 

In theory that's what existence should be, unfortunately it isn't, it never really has been and I fear it never will be for vast swaths of the worlds population. In my head the idea of a 'Matrix' came to mind long before the films were ever released. For the Matrix to exist you need to keep the mass of the population under hypnosis, there needs to be certain mechanisms in place to maintain the collective trance. Firstly you need "repetition", for example, "boring repetitive jobs", "advertisements", "marketing campaigns", "radio playlists", "habit forming activities", "meaningless labels" that create division, the list goes on. From the elements listed above, over time, behaviour modification takes place. It's actually this form of modification that we're seeing now with this 'pandemic'. I believe repetition breaks down your resistance, it literally dumbs you down both physically and mentally, turning may into docile unquestioning shells.

Running seamlessly alongside this is "thought control", this is the most important link in the chain, and it comes in many forms, predominantly through information received. This includes the media in all its guises and the related cooperations, TV, movies, celebrities, algorithms, advertisements, social media, think tanks, and let us not forget the Tavistock Institute of human relations. Literally everything that makes up the "modern age" is continually bombarding both our senses and consciousness to the point where we are being programmed without even realising it. Because this has been part and parcel of our everyday lives since birth, our conscious minds are unaware that it's even happening, however our unconscious minds are soaking up everything, the subconscious never sleeps. 

Answer me this, through everything listed above how the hell can you experience any real undiluted reality?. How can you not be influenced by the bullshit around you when you're literally subjected to it every waking second, and more importantly how can you not be influenced and moulded by everything you're seeing and hearing ... and feeling. All of the above is what's driving the current hysteria we're witnessing, all of the above is what's making people blindly follow ludicrous rules and regulations that, with a little common sense and logical thinking, you'll begin to see the absurdity in it all. Since this 'pandemic' came to fruition I feel the crack within the walls of the Matrix has become painfully obvious, if you aren't starting to see it for yourself then I suggest you look a little harder. 

I believe for everything I've mentioned to be solidified into place you need one last element, "distraction". If you can keep people distracted with the meaningless then you can keep them blind to any form of reality or truth. Too me this is the real virus, it's a virus of the "collective mind", distraction falls in line with thought control, it's the same elements that perpetuate it, celebrity obsession, social media, alcohol, drugs, pornography, platforms that enhance self-obsession, narcissism and self focus, and of course, the media. In my mind 'repetition', 'thought control' and 'distraction' are the three main elements that keep the worlds population trapped within the Matrix. To see through it you have to start using your own mind, collecting your own thoughts, feel confident in your own observations, and most important of all, question everything, especially when it's the MSM version of things you're continually being force fed. The puppeteers behind the media are the same entities that keep the whole system/prison in place.

I see the same patterns forming in modern day carp fishing, all these fashionable rigs, baits and items of tackle don't just happen. It's carefully designed marketing campaigns that are selling you the idea that a certain rig or bait will catch you more fish. Those with a modicum of sense will realise this is all just waffle, it's where you put your bait and rig that matters, not all the bells and whistles coming from the mags and DVD's. Through the years of writing my blogs I often get asked why I don't use "modern" rigs and my answer is simple. I see no benefit in changing from what I've been using for the past 30 years. Understanding the waters that you fish is one of the most important elements of carp fishing, for me everything else is simply a distraction.

So let us take a slight rest-bite from the madness and, 'through words', magically transport ourselves back to the Autumn of 2016 where I ventured up to Braxted reservoir for a day session. As I recall I was pretty 'down' on the venue after my last trip, the small nondescript carp appeared to have taken over the place making it a shadow of its former self. The 'Res' use to be a venue that I got excited about, when I first joined Chelmsford, it was one of those places you could go to if you'd been struggling on other waters. It contained a fantastic head of 20's and you always knew you were going to have a productive day. Nowadays it's just not the same and over the past few years it has lost  the appeal it once held for me. But not being one to shun a gut feeling I embraced the enthusiasm, threw everything in the van and headed up the A12 in the hope I could rekindle some of the lost magic.

My enthusiasm to get the rods out made the journey fly by and before I knew it I was pulling into an empty car park down by front lake. All I had to do now was take the torturous walk up to the 'res'. Today I'd opted to use my little margin creeper rods, mini bait runners and my old TLB bite alarms. I was hoping without my normal 12-footers and stainless steel pod, it might just make the uphill journey that little bit easier. With a fast moving sky overhead and a slight bite in the wind, I clamboured up the muddy farm track. Finally reaching the top, I was met with a beautiful windswept landscape and best of all there wasn't a soul in sight. 

View From The Swim

The wind was pushing nicely towards the dam wall, it made sense to fish on the front of it. It wasn't a particularly cold breeze and the carp do have a habit of getting on the front of the wind more times than not. Everything was going to be kept as simple as possible, I was going to fish small-ish PVA mesh bags with both crushed and full boilies in them. I was basically going to fish a mouthful at a time, hoping this might pick out the slightly better carp. I felt that if I started to pile the bait in the small carp would be on it in no time at all. Both rigs would be my usual 'semi-fixed' setups fished on 3oz leads - "blowback" style, my bait of choice was Tigernut & Maple. I wasn't going to be aiming for any particular spots, the rule of thumb would be one rod fished in the marginal areas and one chucked out into the open. I would only recast when and if I got a bite, there's a pretty heavy stock in the res and you can get bites from most places.

Mesh Bag Mouthfuls

  Blow-Back

So with both rods ready to go I deployed the 'mesh bag landmines' into the chaotic water before me, two very satisfying 'PLOPS' occurred followed by the sweet "DONK" that indicates 'we're good to go'. Having used 12ft rods for so long it felt a little strange dealing with my 8.5ft creepers but there was something endearing about them, matched up with my old skool TLB alarms and mini bait-runners, I was actually really looking forward to getting a bite. With the clouds racing overhead and the water fighting with itself in all directions, I took a much deserved seat under my brolly, taking refuge from the chaos. It was now the inevitable wait, I sensed I wouldn't have to wait too long though. I've fished the res in similar conditions to these many times before and it always manages to deliver a few fish. So, a few cups of coffee later and a hell of a lot of daydreaming, the conditions drastically changed for a moment or two, the clouds slowed down and started to disperse and the water became less confused looking. And, as if someone flicked a switch, within minutes, the clouds came back racing faster than before and with that, the water started to fight with itself again.

TLB's & Margin Creepers

Because the res is up so high the weather tends to be a series of extremes, it's a sun trap in the summer and pretty dam unforgiving in the winter. Amid the juggling of conditions my righthand alarm started crackling and bleeping, shortly followed by a monstrous run. Grabbing the rod and leaning into the fish, the reel spun and I just let the carp race off. Every lunge and pull seemed magnified by the shortness of the rod, the fish was kiting all over the place, I could tell I wasn't hooked into one of the small ones, it felt pretty good. Slowly it started to tire and within the flat spots the carp was creating just under the surface I saw a large tail and a pretty decent set of shoulders. As it came in close I slid the net under a lovely looking common carp. 

A Beauty Of A Common

 

This was such a clean fish and an utter pleasure to catch, this carp reminded me of 'the res of old' where fish of this quality where in abundance. I slipped it home and fired the rod back out into the watery void, somewhere far below the bait landed and a "DONK" was felt. The rod was positioned carefully on the alarm, the bobbin was hung primed for another screaming bite. The day started to pass and I was in and out of minor hypnosis staring incessantly and both bobbins as they swung around in the wind. Occasionally one of them would slam against the bank stick, that sound was oddly satisfying. A couple of hours had past me by before the same rod shot off again, the bit was almost identical, the tip of the rod hooped round and my little bait-runner whizzed a like a pneumatic drill. I lifted the rod in my right hand and gently cupped the spool with my left, this felt like another good fish. The battle was pretty intense, I was fighting both the fish and the ridiculous wind smacking me straight in the face. Because the water level was so low I was standing where at least 5ft of water should be, as the wind blew, small waves were lapping on the tips of my boots. As the carp tired I eased another good looking common over the net. 

A Lovely Mid Double

This was another awesome looking carp, I took great pleasure in releasing it back into the chaotic water, paying close attention as it faded from view as it slowly swam away. No time was wasted, I put a fresh bait on, slipped the mesh bag onto the hook and launched it back out into the 'ball-park' area I'd had the two fish from. My margin rod remained motionless, maybe the dropped water level had something to do with this. In theory I was actually setup where fish would usually be feeding. Thinking back I've actually caught carp from the spot that my rods were on.

Low Water Level

The afternoon started to close in, an hour or so past, the next rod to go was the one up the margin, this was a finicky take. The bobbin danced and then pulled up and slapped the blank. Picking the rod up, the carp had already shot right up the margin, as I applied the pressure it kited far out into the open water. It ran out of steam pretty quick and I soon found myself netting a spirited little common carp. This fish represented what you can expect from the res nowadays, the smaller fish have taken over, unfortunately CAA don't own the fish in any of the Braxted waters so they can't manage the stock in the same way they have on their other venues.

Common Number Three

I put the fish straight back and got the rod back out, opting to fire it a little further towards the open water rather than the margin. The rest of the session was uneventful on the fish front but I always enjoy it when the light starts to fade. One of my favourite things about fishing this time of the year is when darkness falls. I like sitting under my shelter and watching the sunset, the only light that can be seen is from my stove if I use it or from my alarms if I get a liner or a run. I love the isolation of being alone on the water in the dark, there's no distractions, no outside influence it's just you and the surrounding planet, free from the Matrix, if only for a short time. I packed away about 7pm and made my way along the res, down the farm track and into the car park, I'd had a great day and my enthusiasm for 'the res' had been rejuvenated slightly.

The Dark

Starmer Baits '8 Years On'

Those that have kept up with my blogs throughout the years will know that I don't follow fashions or trends, as an angler and as a human I do my own thing and I like to form my own opinions through my own experiences. Many will also know that I don't push or plug the products that I use, I don't really see the point, I might mention the bait in the context of the blogs but that's about it, constant plugging and promoting is one of the mind numbing aspects of modern carp fishing and I don't want anything that I do to fall into that category. We all have the right to make our own decisions on what we choose to use, if you have confidence in what you're using then you can apply the whole of your mind to the most important aspect in angling, locating the fish. It goes without saying that this blog is not a sales pitch it's simply a review and write up of all the new products that Starmer Baits have developed in the past 8 years since I've been using them. They've expanded as a business, now producing both wild bird food and aquatic feed but this blog is going to be about the 'fishing' side of the company 

Going Strong Since 1976

Things have moved forward quite a lot since my last bait blog, if you haven't read that one you can check it out here Starmer Baits Part 1. We've seen a few baits disappear, not because they didn't catch fish, all the baits catch fish it's just the simple fact that some of the flavors sell more than others, so over time the poor sellers get phased out. The positive side to this is, with each bait that falls by the wayside another one is added to the range. One of the first new arrivals was a bait called 'TigerFish', the signs were very strong early on that this was going to be a great seller because it caught from the off, new customers were genuinely getting in touch with their catch reports. I can vouch for its effectiveness because I've caught, and continue to catch a lot of fish on it, as do a few other guys I know that have been on it for a few seasons now. I'd like to emphasize that this isn't a "wonder bait", there's no such thing, you still have to use watercraft and put the bait where the fish are. As we all know, you can't catch carp if they're not where you're putting your baits. I'm no bait scientist but the information I can give you is, it's rolled on a 60/40 birdseed and nut base mix and it has a hint of caramel to it, it's a great bait.

Tiger Fish

  

One of my favorite carp baits from the past was the Honey Nectar, this goes all the way back to the early 90's when Kevin Maddocks produced his own range of boilies. Honey Nectar was the bait I caught my first ever 20 on, all these years later I can still see that bite as clear as crystal in my mind. As time passed, many of the 'old skool' flavors seemed to fall out of favor. When I was looking around for bait companies that still produced some of the classics, Starmer was the one that stuck out. You had your 'Strawberry', 'Peach' and 'Pineapple' but to my extreme joy they were the only ones producing the Honey Nectar. Throughout the past 8 years I used a serious amount of this bait to great effect. A couple of years back due to the 'Nectar' part becoming hard to come by, it got phased out. A new boilie came along to take its place, thankfully still incorporating the vital 'Honey' element. We now have the rather 'sweetly' titled 'Honey Nut'.

An Old Original Caught On The Honey Nut

I jump to different baits like a madman, depending on the time of the year and what takes my specific fancy, but I decided to stick to the Honey Nut for a whole season. I had some awesome catches on it. It's very unique, again it's made on a 60/40 sweet birdseed base mix, to smell, it has the perfect balance between both the honey and the nut and it's a lovely 'unassuming' washed out color, I've found it to be very versatile, having had good results on singles, stringers and large beds, even though I still miss the good old Honey Nectar, the Honey Nut is a great addition to Starmers back catalogue.

Honey Nut

   

The next bait is literally 'hot off the press', it was released last month, there was a fairly long period of both testing and tweaking to get it just right. It comes under the name 'Monster Peanut' and produced really well during the testing stage with carp caught both here and abroad to over 40IB. I was trialing it this winter and it produced some lovely fish for me. As I said before, you've got to put your bait in the right place to get the take, no bait magically makes fish appear in front of you. It's got a similar look to the 'TigerFish', it's rolled on a 60/40 sweet birdseed base mix and, to me, smells like peanut butter, it's a bloody lovely smelling boilie which I'm going to use a lot this coming season and beyond. If you want to offer the carp something completely different to the 'norm', this might be the perfect bait to try.

Monster Peanut

Moving on to the final addition to the premium boilie range and another bait that I rate highly, Halibut & Tuna. It's made with a fishmeal & betaine base mix and it's black in color, it's very similar to the Coconut & Halibut that's now been moved over to the U.F.B range of boilies - 'I'll explain about the U.F.B shortly'. Despite popular belief, combination fishmeal baits can be really effective all year round, I've caught carp on the Halibut & Tuna in the dead of winter on lakes with dark bottoms when, in theory, a bait like this isn't believed to be effective. Once again it's different to a lot of other baits on the market and worth a go if you want to offer the carp something different.

Halibut & Tuna

     

That's pretty much covered the new additions to the premium range of baits, now we move on to one of the main developments that got me pretty dam excited when I first heard about it. A completely new range of boilies has been produced under the U.F.B banner, this stands for Ultimate Feed Boilie. These are a slightly cheaper range of bait but they're still high quality, when they first appeared I saw people slating them saying they must be full of cheap ingredients. I'd like to confirm that this is utter rubbish, no "cheap" ingredients are used in any of Starmers products, people are far too quick to judge. I have zero time for bait snobs and twats that slate companies they know very little about. The range may be missing the odd attractor that the premium boilies include, but they more than make up for it in other ways. You can literally customize these baits in any way you want. They've been specifically formulated to be used in conjunction with the glugs & new liquid feeds, they take on and soak up both these elements perfectly - that's what they've been designed to do.

Candy Sweet Cream U.F.B Soaked In Honey Nut Liquid Feed

The U.F.B has a classic range of flavors 'listed below', most notably the return 'by popular demand' of Garlic Mint. If you want a blank canvas to create your own unique boilie flavor you can buy the generic fishmeal & birdseed bait and use them to add your favored flavors to, between both the glugs, fish oils and the new liquid feeds, which I'll write about shortly, there are literally hundreds of combinations and options for you to experiment with. Two of the range that react very well to the odd 'tinkering' are both the Hempseed & the Bunspice. The possibilities are endless, don't be put off by the price, it's proper value for money and I've caught really well on the whole U.F.B range.

U.F.B Flavors

Value For Money 

 

Moving on, one slight grey area that suffered inconsistencies were the pop ups, this was a factor that everyone involved was aware of. If you're using cork balls/dust or other unnatural ingredients it's easy to get a really buoyant bait. However both Ian and Gareth at Starmer prioritize fish welfare above everything so the challenge was to produce a pop up that contained natural/safe ingredients. I'm happy to say that after a hell of a lot of trial and error, the old pop ups are a thing of the past. There is now a completely new 'buoyant' pop up that is not only safe for the fish, it breaks down after around 72 hours of being in the water, like all the bottom baits do. Last season I fished pop ups 'almost' exclusively due to the weedy waters I was on. They performed perfectly, on the days where the baits had been out all day and a bite didn't come, upon reeling in they still remained buoyant. I'm personally really happy with this development, there's a huge amount of flavors to choose from.

New Revised Pop Ups

Along side the development of the new pop ups a dedicated pop up base mix containing the exact ingredients has been put together that you can purchase and make your own at home. It comes in 4 different blends, Milk Protein, Fish-meal, Sweet Birdseed and Green Lipped Mussel. It has been designed so you can roll it on any rolling table, you can use any combination of flavor, color, additive etc. You simply roll the baits to your desired size, boil them for 2/3 minutes, leave them to dry or put them in the microwave and you're good to go. I'd like to stress the point that you don't need to add extra eggs to this mix.

Pop Up Base Mix

Moving on to another two great products, both 10mm and 6mm pop ups are now available, they come in a range of colors, both 'fluro' and standard. Individually both these sized baits are extremely buoyant, I was really surprised by this when I first used them. I find these great for solid bag fishing, you can create a 'mini snowman' presentation using both the 10mm & the 6mm combined. Not only that but they're perfect for topping off other baits, I personally think the 6mm range is a lovely touch. You have to use your common sense when using a bait this small, two tips I can give you to stop them splitting when threading, is to use the thinnest boilie needle you can get and always make sure the 'hair loop' is larger than usual. This will cure the problem of the bait 'splitting' on the knot of the hair loop ....... I hope that makes sense. Both come in an array of different flavors ranging from tangerine & peach to raspberry and krill.

10mm Mixed Pop Ups

6mm Mixed Pop Ups

That pretty much covers all of the 'boilie bait' developments, add that all to the existing lines and there's plenty to choose from and a lot of what is on offer is different to that of the mainstream companies. So I'd like to move on to one of the products that probably goes down as my current favorite, that's the liquid feeds. This was something that Starmer originally produced way back in the 90's a long time before most, but it never quite took off. Now with the popularity of spombing/spodding and zig fishing, liquids have had a huge upsurge in usage.

Liquid Feed & Sloppy Zigs

The liquids come in a large variety of flavors ranging from Whisky, Indian Spice, Peanut and Pineapple, I've used these extensively and come to notice that as it enters the water it seems to both sink to the bottom and rise to the surface, creating an awesome slick. This is especially good for fishing slop over zigs, 'as you'll see in the image above'. They're PVA friendly so you can inject them into solid bags, glug and soak your boilies, method mixes and pellets, a valid point to note is, they don't dissolve pellets they just make them a little softer. Along with all the above, as mentioned earlier they're perfect when combined with the U.F.B range, you can use a single flavor or add two or three together to create your own unique boilie flavor. All in all, they're a great product and I'm sure many out there will find them useful.

Liquid Feeds

Moving on to another giant step .... pellets, they've come on in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years, they're produced onsite and in-house by a 'mad scientist' machine that both Ian and Gareth designed and built. Once again the use of pellets within carp fishing has surged due to the popularity of spodding. I love to use them in solid bags and PVA sticks, they come in 2mm and 5mm sizes and both low oil and high oil are available. Within the 'attractor' pellet range you have flavors ranging from Coconut Cream, Hot Chilli Hemp and Tigernut & Maple. In the 'marine' pellet range flavors range from Krill, Green Lipped Mussel and Tuna. You also have a 'mixed option' this range contains a mix of flavors and sizes, one of my favorites from this is the black & white Coconut & Halibut pellet. Like all the other product lines there's lots to choose from, I've used all of the pellets off and on throughout my fishing and I find them effective and versatile. Another unique edition to the pellet range is the 'pre-drilled' halibut pellet, these come in 22mm, 17mm and a monster 28mm. Ideal when fishing for catfish, sturgeon and of course carp. These are a lovely product, super smelly and really oily, being pre-drilled there's no problem when sliding them onto the hair.

Coconut & Halibut

2mm Match Mix

  Pre-drilled Halibut Pellet

That pretty much covers the new and latest products, when you put them alongside all the existing ranges you have a very large, comprehensive selection to choose from that pretty much covers any fishing situation. There's a few things I haven't written about but you can always check the website out. Like I stated at the start of this blog, I'm not trying to sell anything here, or trying to tell you that the bait is "the best there is and you should get on it". Baits are a very personal thing and you've got to use something that you feel confident in. In regards to the mainstream companies out there, I've never really been particularly interested in anything they've ever had to offer, not just in fishing, pretty much everything from music to books etc, I've always found myself steering more towards the independent or unknown. I've never really been interested in what anyone else is using or what apparently 'works' and what doesn't. Like I stated at the start of this blog, I'd rather form my own opinion based on my own experiences. If you fancy trying something different and a little 'off the radar' then I can recommend Starmer as a good reliable 'port of call'.

Click For Starmer Web Shop