Quest Baits Blog

Hi Shaun,

What sort of back lead do you use and recommend?

I use four different types of back lead in my own fishing so let’s look at the ones I use and the reasons I use them.

Captive back leads

Captive back leads – Apart from some homemade affairs the only captive back leads I have used for any period of time is the Fox version with the hinged gate system. I find these to be excellent to allow a free passage of line to maximise bite indication. This free passage is essential if you are going to be able to register drop back takes.

I find that captive back leads need to be quite heavy to allow quick bite registration. The first ones I purchased were 1oz (28 gram) from memory but these would lift up in the water on the take which would therefore lessen the indication on the alarm and bobbin.

Rather than purchase another set of back leads I simply cut off the weight, slid on a flat in line Korda lead then re-tied the original back lead on. The Korda lead gripped the swivel of the Fox Captive lead just as it would on a standard semi-fixed in-line rig. My captive leads were then just over 2oz and they certainly perform better and release easier than they ever did at 1oz. I also feel they actually sit better being less inclined to topple over with the added weight at the back. continue reading…

Romuald Bayon

Angling started fairly long ago for me. As a child, I would follow my father every time he went tracking pikes by boat on French lake or when he went fishing roaches with live bait that smelt so lovely that it made you feel like tasting them. Being at the water’s edge makes me feel good and have a huge breath of air.

Then came that famous day on the river bank where we had settled for carp. There was a dazzling, start, a magnificent fight and, unfortunately, unhooking. This moment will be engraved in my memory for ever and that was the first of countless nights spent tracking Dame Carp on the water’s bank. I started on little brooks with superb fighting commons, then went on angling on great lakes and then on private lakes.

Today, I am 28 years and I am still looking forward to spending time at the water’s edge. Learning new techniques again and again, living new fishing situations. I am very proud of bringing my contribution to Quest Baits and being next to great anglers such as Shaun Harrison

See you soon at the water’s edge,

Romu

Ever wondered just how far you need to cast past your marker float to ensure your lead lands on the marked spot?

Maybe you haven’t considered it before, but if you let your lead go down through the water on a tight line it actually swings in an arc… so potentially ends up closer in than you think.

So how much allowance do you need to make?

We asked Jim Kelly & he came up with the excellent spreadsheet tool below. Here’s Jim’s comments;

For most situations swing is negligible, it is only a factor in very deep water close in. The assumption is that the lead falls on a tight line. In real life there is also a catapult effect backwards due to line stretch. Energy is stored in the line and when released the line shoots backwards. This can be easily observed if boating baits out, put the line under tension and release. I have no way of calculating this as it depends on:

• Type of line
• Velocity of lead on impact
• Mass of lead

Feathering the line or dropping the rod tip on impact with the water will reduce catapult effect. Catapult effect can be an advantage on very silty/weedy waters as it slows the lead down and hence it doesn’t go as deep into the silt/weed.

Interested to find out?

Click here to open the casting swing calculator as a XL Spreadsheet file.

We all like to see truly huge carp… well here’s one for you!

October 2009 Danny Fairbrass lands Gigantica’s largest resident – the Giant at 72lb. He’d already had several 40’s and a 50 before catching the Giant on his final night. Just look at the size of this magnificent creature!

STARTING FROM SCRATCH….

I’m fortunate enough to visit a lot of Angling Lines waters, many of them very lightly or never fished before I get there.  Because of this the information usually available to the customer has yet to be compiled and I really am starting from scratch.  This blog piece is about how I tackle an untried/untested venue in France.

I try to research the venue at home and the first place I visit is Google to search for maps and photos of the lake.  I search for alternative names for the venue particularly on French angling and tourist websites. Most lakes have been fished at some time in their history and it’s amazing what you can find out with Google and a Babelfish translator.  My visits are a week at most but can be as little as three days so I like to be well informed

Next it’s Metcheck or my new favourite Accuweather for a long range weather forecast for the time my visit.  I pay particular attention to new winds, wind strength and atmospheric pressure.  Fish don’t always follow the wind, buts it’s always worth searching the windward side of the lake on a new wind. continue reading…

TAPE
Tape can be used to form stringers or for tying off the tops of solid PVA bags. Tape also has several advantages over PVA string. It doesn’t shrink in water. Due to its thicker profile, the tape holds strung baits better, great for long-range casting. Also, this thicker profile opens a bigger hole in the free baits, allowing more scent to be released.

SOLID BAGS
Flat, solid bags that can be filled with all manner of freebies, regardless of the size of bait used. Their disadvantages are that they are slow to form and tie, always pierce solid PVA bags with a baiting needle, as this will help the trapped air escape, preventing it from floating.

MESH
Made from woven PVA thread, this stocking material having an open weave, doesn’t suffer from trapped air. Usually comes in long lengths allowing bags of any size to be made up. The other advantage of mesh is that they are much quicker to make than their solid counterparts.

RIG FOAM
These buoyant nuggets are either hooked on to or folded over the hook before casting. Once in the water, they hold the hook off the bottom until the nugget dissolves. The hook will then gently settle on to the bottom of the lake. Rig foam is indispensable when fishing over silt or weed. When the rig is cast in, the lead will either sink into the silt or dive into the weed and the rig foam will help stop your hook from being masked.

PVA LIQUID BAGS
Small stamp size PVA bags that are filled with liquid, such as flavours, slimes or dips. This is a great edge when you are fishing single hookbaits. The liquid puts out a strong level of attraction into the swim, but the only food item is your hookbait. It can be placed on to your hook or placed inside any PVA for a extra edge.

Thanks, Samantha