Quest Baits Blog

Having read Spencer’s post from last week it occurred to me just how many anglers probably have hung their rods up over this particularly difficult and frustrating winter of frozen lakes and snow blocked tracks.

Well, a word of warning here, nature is starting to wake up again along with the carp becoming more active. 6am this morning the birds were singing their hearts out as I sat drinking my wakening cup of coffee. I strolled outside, lean’t against the bridge of my garden pool and couldn’t help but smile. Nature was telling me that everything is starting to return from the winter slumber.

It really is time for you to be thinking about dusting the gear down if you want to tempt yourself one of those gorgeous late winter carp still sporting the beautiful reddy orange tinge they develop during the winter months.

Winter carp usually look as though they are in their full peak of health as well as usually being up in weight, which is total evidence that they still carry on rooting around and feeding all through the winter.

continue reading…

Archie & a 3lb 8oz Perch from a previous session

The Braddock’s spice range we have recently re-introduced are proving to be a great success and nothing nicer for me than to receive a report from Archie himself on an incredible catch of big perch on the Xotic Spice.

It all started after picking up a fish of 2lb 10oz while stick floating on a local stretch of river. He returned a couple of days later to tackle it properly, but still using the same 20′ rod, an 18 hook, and half of a small dendrobaena worm.

First he mixed up his favourite Choppy Mix, consisting of dead maggots, casters, and chopped worm. This was bound together with a groundbait heavily flavoured with Xotic Spice, and introduced to a metre deep near-bank swim via a bait dropper. The water temperature of just 36 degrees F, (2.3 degrees C) meant four hours of biteless trotting, but near sunset he took perch of 2lb 9oz, 3lb 2oz, 3lb 10oz, and 4lbs, in successive runs through.

A great day with a sting in the tail, as he lost the biggest perch of the session after a long battle due to that small hook pulling out of the fish. He’s going back to the swim with beefier tackle, so watch this space.

We spoke previously about the ever faithful Chod rig, however it is far from the answer to all our rig problems. Different fish feed differently and in particular Commons seem to be much more cagey around pop-ups and choddy’s than those greedy Mirrors. In my current syndicate water is a carp that is very very rarely caught however when it is nailed it seems to be on pop-ups quite some way off of the bottom!

I’d just like to add a couple of pics of the other two rigs I use. With these and the Chod in my armoury, I never need anything else.

The Merekat Rig

The Merekat rig.

The title gives it away a bit!

An x-line hooklink (Maxima in summer/cloudy water) tied with a no knot, but with the hair trapped by just two turns of the knot, with a further 5 turns up the shank. A stiff rigger hook is the perfect hook for the rig, changed to a Korda Choddy when fishing over gravel, as they have a beaked point. A figure of eight loop fixes the hooklink to the swivel. I particularly like this rig with a bottom bait with a small plug of a matching pop up, nicely balancing the bait. The Merekat rig… Simples!

My multi-rig

My multi-rig

Invented by Micky Kavnanagh, made famous by Johnny Mac and made personal by me! The Multi rig.

I use this rig for pop ups, bottom baits and my favourite with twin barrel shaped bottom baits.

The benefits of this rig are numerous, however being able to change your hook in seconds is a massive bonus. Yes you spend more on hooks, but you definitely get more pick ups by doing so! continue reading…

I don’t know about you guys, but it seems an eternity since I’ve been angling. It’s well overdue but finally the time is here to get back at ‘em!

Like many anglers, the time spent not angling is usually spent thinking about it, spending money on new tackle essentials and of course thinking about our bait choice is even more important. A quality bait and sharp hook are by far the most important items an angler can have, however shiny toys are always nice!

Shiny toys catch you no more. We still like them though!

No they don’t catch you more fish, but having nice things is always desirable. continue reading…

A cold River Trent session

Yet another one for the diary – John Paley has organised an event which should appeal to all river anglers on Friday February 26th 2010 at the ‘Old Chandlery Cafe’ at Sawley Marina just off Junction 24 of the M1 motorway – Doors open at 7.15pm.

Bob Roberts will be giving his own unique illustrated talk on fishing the River Trent. Many of you will know Bob from his many years successful match fishing as well as his more recent big fish activities. Just the thing to fire you up for the last two weeks of the river season. I’ll certainly be going along and it is sure to be a very well attended event so make sure you book your ticket early by telephoning 0115 854 5244 or 0115 972 2525 (Synergy Tackle).

Tickets cost £10.00 which will include a first class buffet. There will be a charity raffle held with all proceeds to ‘Help for Heroes’

Hello Shaun

I need some help please I have just started to fish a lake which has a little weed on the bottom so I have started to play around with the reverse combi rig. I cannot work out how to tie on the supple braid for the hair part so I was just using IQ for both the boom section and for the hair. But after seeing a picture of your rig in Carpworld I think it could be the missing piece I have been looking for.

So I was wonder if you have the time if you could send me a few pics to show me how to tie this rig as you do as I am almost there my e mail is……..

The above is an email I received to-day. I have left the persons name off so that you can see I treat questions with confidentiality. If ‘Mr Stiff IQ’ wanted to keep this as a little trick up his sleeve on the venue he is fishing then I’m not one to alert the anglers there as to what he is doing.

This is a good question and one I have received several times since I first published it after my success catching Buffalo Carp on it in Texas exactly this time last year. continue reading…