Quest Baits Consultant Ron Key talks to Phil Calloway about his recent trip to Texas for the Buffalo Carp.
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Browsing Posts published by Ron Key
The location of carp is not such an easy task when we move into the colder months. My time on the bank tends to be shorter, fishing time is at a premium with the shorter days, and time for fish spotting is limited.
Rolling and leaping carp are rare, as are the tell tale feeding bubbles so often seen when the fish are more active. They are less likely to be actively moving around the lake seeking food, so one answer is to take it to them.
When I’m winter fishing at least one of my rods will be roaming. Every half to one hour I will recast to a different area of the swim.
I like PVA mesh tube as it breaks down very quickly and releases the bait. Attaching a small bag of crumbed boile or Quest Maximum Action Pellets to the hook increases the attraction without feeding the carp too much.
This will often stimulate a feeding response and put that bonus winter carp on the bank.
By Ron Key
By Ron Key
Only been here a couple of hours
In the last year rather than stick to one main syndicate water I have fished lots of waters both in the UK and France. Most of these waters were completely new to me, many I had not even seen before I started fishing.
Of course I could write about how I used watercraft, searching for gravel spots, weed beds, bars, drop offs, gulleys, bottlenecks and all the usual elements that go into choosing our swim and the places we fish in them.
I’m going to take that as read though and concentrate on feeding.
When I approach a new water; unless I know for certain the fish are feeding heavily, and fish are getting caught, it’s unlikely that I will start by creating large beds of particles or boilies from the start.
by Ron Key
American Signal Crayfish are here and they are spreading virtually unchecked. I first encountered them a few years ago in the Colne Valley where there were actually stocked in some waters to cultivate as food. They eventually escaped and have now spread over the whole of mainland UK. They are much larger than our native crayfish, and carry a fungus that is deadly to them. From an angling perspective they are so frustrating.
The crayfish are relentless they will try to eat everything; this includes your hooklink and boilie stop. I gave up using mono hooklinks very quickly as the crayfish nipped the line seriously weakening it. I use soft braids or coated braids now; they tend to fold when nipped rather than deforming but they do need examining regularly for damage. I also hide the hair stop when possible as this is usually the first thing to be eaten, leaving your boilie free for the crayfish to rob you. At best the only indication you will get is a single beep of your buzzer and you are no longer fishing.
