Quest Baits Blog

Michael Chipolina Wrote;

I am fishing a lake that the carp tend to pick up baits that have been washed out after a couple of days.When I reel in my baits that have been out for two days, they have either gone or they just fall apart.  I want to leave them out a bit longer how do I make them last longer (two days plus)

Hi Michael,

Great question and one that Shaun would probably give the most in depth answer to.  As he is still hopefully catching a few Buffalo carp in America, I will give you my thoughts and I am sure Shaun can add to this on his return.

You say they are picking up washed out baits, I have found this before myself on a couple of pressured waters.  Have you tried to rehydrate your baits in say hemp juice or lake water?

Shaun has wrote extensively on the subject in the past and you can read all about this in the article section of the website.  Basically Air dry your boilies (freezer baits) until they are rock hard, then place them in a tub and cover with your chosen liquid.  They will soften up and their colour will fade, A large proportion of the strong aroma (flavour) will disperse.  This by itself will give you baits that have the appearance of having been cast out for a couple of days and you will immediately have bait that the wary Carp will feel confident in picking up. continue reading…

Dear Jim 

I have just read your article on Grosley with much interest as I am taking my son and nephew in April, and I was a bit surprised to see the weather was so cold. We have booked pegs 17a 17b and 18, have you got any other advice for me and should I take my own bait or save some space and buy on site. One more thing is the tackle shop ok or should I stock up on rigs weights before I go. Sorry to ask such boring questions but these bit of info are not on the web site 

Hi Chris, no problem with your questions. Last year was very unusual weather wise, but it is always good to be prepared. I have been to this area in April, it has been 25 degrees in the day and minus 5 at night it can be that variable. 

When we were there the tackle shop was not up and running. I would always take my own terminal tackle anyway as I am extremely choosy about hooks etc.

Bait wise I would check with the venue that they have the bait you want. If not Quest will send bait to the venue if you wish.

The obvious area to fish, if you are in pegs 17 a and b, is the island you may need a bait boat as it is at least 110 yd chuck. Peg 18, I would suggest fishing the margins of the peninsula. Cast to it (it is a fairly long chuck) and walk round and bait up.

When we were there we  used hemp very sparingly (10 spods full per baited area) and avoided pellets as they only attracted bream. There are no chats. 

If you want to know anything else just ask and good look.

Jim

By Jamie Simpson;

Friday 12th December and another quick overnighter on the Trent was on the cards.

Having had to abort the session the previous Friday after just half an hour due to high water levels and a large amount of debris being carried through, I was more than keen to get back down for another session.  All seemed right, the level was only about a foot up on summer levels and the water clarity was reasonable.

I was cast out within minutes and was more than happy with the spots as I have had a few fish from them this season.

I feel that knowing the area you are fishing is vital if you are only there for a limited period and it is almost dark when you arrive.  Due to this I always have my rods ready with hookbaits on when I arrive and leave my leads in a side pocket of my rucksack along with my buzzer bars.

One problem you get with the river is that the topography changes over the years and snags can get moved every time the high levels and floods come.  Even existing snags change and get more branches etc attached to them, so feeling the lead down is vital even if you think the spots are clear. continue reading…