Quest Baits Blog

By Jamie Simpson

1) Observation is vital, take advantage of trees and high banks to get a good view point.

 2) If you are heading to a new lake for the first time and don’t know what to expect, do as much groundwork as possible. For example Carp Talk, Carpworld, Crafty Carper, forums and carp meetings are a great source of information. Position yourself on a peg that gives you a view of as much of the lake as possible. Watch what others are doing and you can build up a picture of how to approach the venue. Don’t be afraid to ask the regulars, but don’t be pushy either. On 99% of lakes you will find people more than willing to help once you get to know them.

3) Whilst the carp are now becoming far more active, they will not be in full gorging mode just yet so go steady with the bait and gradually increase the amounts depending on results.

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4) Don’t be afraid to be different and try zig rigs, or a particle approach etc. You will often find that on most venues people will say that such and such doesn’t work on here. The truth is often that no one has even tried it or they have done at the wrong time or in the wrong place. The best way is often to try it for yourself. I know this seems to slightly contradict tip No. 2 but you will only do as well as others if you do what they do all the time.

5) PASTE! I cannot emphasise enough how many fish I have caught that I believe was largely down to its use. Here are a few advantages; instant attraction, different shape to that of a round ball which spells danger, hook point protection. It will break down over a period of hours anyway… so there’s really nothing to lose anyway.

6) Carry a bag of floaters just in case. I have had a couple of occasions late March and April where they have been ready for the odd floater and if you can be one of the first to use them during the year the chances are you will catch them out before they become wary of them again.

By Jamie Simpson

Carp fishing has certainly been developing at an amazing rate over recent years. Just the other day I was sat having a chat with a good mate of mine and we got on to the topic of bait.

Now this conversation went down the route of how much bait you would use in certain circumstances, which has got my brain really working.

In my early days this bag would have lasted me weeks

Going back to the late eighties and very early nineties I would knock up a four egg mix and expect it to last me a couple of weekend sessions at the very least. Well I reckon that a four egg mix equates to about a pound and a half of 14mm baits, which would be a couple of hundred at the most. Generally that would be it, no pellet, hemp, corn or anything else.  On arrival I would generally put in a couple of pouch fulls and if I caught I would add another pouch of boilies and so on. I remember putting in half a bag one day and worrying about ruining my chances.  It’s crazy to think that way now but I was naive at the time and having come from a coarse background of fishing a few maggots and the odd grain of corn, 14mm boilies seemed so big. continue reading…

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…

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…

Martin Vaughan wrote:

I’m off to Spain next week to fish the river guadiana (the orellano). Being a bit of a novice I’m after any advice you can offer on rigs. What coated braid would u recommend, length of leadcore & hooklink ? Its a guided trip with Extrema Fishing and all i have to supply is end tackle so any tips or advice
would be gratefully appreciated.

Hi Martin,

I assume you will be targeting Carp rather than Catfish. Not knowing the river in question makes answering a bit vague but here goes.

I would certainly recommend a strong braided hooklink such as 25lb Silkworm or similar, if you prefer coated braid then you won’t go far wrong with Korda Hybrid.  In my experience river carp certainly aren’t rig shy and basic heavy gauge set ups will suffice. 

I would use hooklinks of at least 18″ and about 4ft leadcore leaders.  Assuming the reels are supplied then I would imagine they will be spooled up with line around 18lb.

Hookwise I would suggest size4 minimum and would recommend either Korda LongshankX (tough as old boots) or Rigsbiz R2 hooks. 

There is no need for clever blowback rigs or even shrink tubing as a basic no knot knot will be fine.

continue reading…

By Jamie Simpson

Ok so I thought this piece may be helpful to anyone who has little or no experience of fishing in France.

Travelling to France for a fishing holiday can be a daunting prospect, yet the draw of large Carp and a slightly warmer climate is almost impossible to resist.  I thought I would just put a little list of things that may help and hopefully a few other bloggers can add to any that I miss or have overlooked.

• Always carry a High Vis jacket, emergency breakdown triangle, spare bulbs etc as this is a legal requirement in France now.

• You will definately need your drivers license, insurance document and ownership document.

• A silly one but you wont get far without your passport. continue reading…