Get Creative: Thinking Outside the Box for Better Carp Fishing Results

I’d been tinkering with some new bait ingredients that we plan to launch, proper old school stuff brought back into the range; being eager to see if they were as good as I had been told they were by my mate I decided to pop down to Whelford Pools for a short Sunday session. After a leisurely stroll around the lake, I decided to set up in an area I knew quite well, meaning I could keep disturbance to an absolute minimum, these Whelford fish are cagey at times, being fished for around the clock.

I had in the past done well on treated zigs, so this I opted for black foam baits heavily soaked in natural Betalin, a great attractor, and one that comes into its own in colder weather.I soon started getting liners, enough to make me rethink, and after changing depths and nothing to show for the efforts I decided to try some of the new bits on the bottom. I was fishing with the new Nut 365 Boilie and a hook bait with a bit of a twist using a couple of the new bait additives that go into the nut bait. Basically, the hook bait was soaked in HBSE and then coated with powdered Betalin B powder, it smelled awesome, no carp in its right mind would resist this sweet, creamy mouthful. After casting out a small five bait nut stringer to one of the active spots I decided to see what might happen…………………………

I didn’t have wait long as thirty minutes later I had a steady take, resulting initially in a dull fight, that was until she was under the compressed ESP 10’ Quickdraw rod, everything then became fully tested as the fish kept on kiting towards the bankside trees. After a few choice Carpenter words I safely netted the fish, which looked like a nice upper twenty. The fish was quickly weighed, and I suddenly started shaking as the needle settled at 32lb 12oz a nice way to start off with a new bait, and a proper nice first carp of the New Year.

Olly, the Whelford bailiff came over and took some nice shots of the fish, before I gently released her to the chilly pond. Thanks Olly the photos were pukka!! What a lovely fish, and I actually got caught smiling on camera LOL. The rig was a simple Ronnie rig utilising an ESP barbless claw hammer and other rig bits, all reliable gear that I have so much confidence in, as they say if it’s not broken……….but then also sometimes thinking outside of the box can pay dividends on these short sessions.