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FEATURE

A

fter a prolonged period

of lying almost

dormant, the carp will

be waking from their

winter slumber and starting to

get about the lake in the

process. Warmer days and

longer periods of daylight will

spark this awakening and,

although the carp are still far

from ready to start feasting, an

easy meal will often get sna ed

up. Carp feed on sight during

the spring, so having a hookbait

out there that stands out like a

sore thumb can be an extremely

e ective method.  e idea is

that as they begin their travels,

exploring areas of the lake that

they may not have visited for

several months, they pass these

hookbaits, spot them easily and

sample them in the process. One

pot of bright pop-ups could be

enough to culminate in your

best spring ever – you just need

to put them in the right place.

 ere’s no real need for free

o erings at this time of year; a

single hookbait is generally enough.

However, bait can be applied and

the bright hookbaits still work

equally as e ectively.  e boilies

spread around the hookbait can be

used to draw the  sh into the area

to feed and the bright bait will soon

grab their attention, often resulting

in a quick bite. If you place a single

bright hookbait amongst a pile of

drab/standard colour boilies, you

simply cannot miss it, highlighting

how e ective the method can be.

 e important thing to remember is

that although some carp will be

looking for food, there are plenty of

others that are far from interested

in a big meal, so be careful not to

the type of hookbait you can use –

they really can be whatever you like.

 e important thing is that they are

bright in colour, and in an ideal

world, pumping out attraction too.

A standard, out-of-the-tub pop-up

will be more than enough to tempt

a bite, but it’s worth going the extra

mile to ensure that your hookbaits

are not only unmissable, but

irresistible too. Kiana Carp Goo has

taken attraction to a new level – all

of us at Korda have it in our

armoury.  ere is a large range of

di erent  avours and colours,

A

fter a prolonged period used to draw the  sh into the area

BRIGHTHOOKBAITS BRIGHTBRIGHT

Bright Bright Bright Bright Bright Bright

hookbaits really hookbaits really hookbaits really

come into their own during come into their own during come into their own during

the spring, so now is the time. the spring, so now is the time. the spring, so now is the time.

If you haven’t used them If you haven’t used them If you haven’t used them

before, then you’re before, then you’re before, then you’re before, then you’re before, then you’re before, then you’re

missing out!missing out!missing out!

overdo it when

introducing bait;

10-20 baits

around the rig is

Soaking your hookbaits

in Goo over a long period

of time will transform

them into something

quite special

A cold water

Goo victim –

one of many

that have found

the Goo a little

too inviting

 is carp found the snowman hookbait too much to

resist inset: A snowman is a  rm favourite – the

addition of a small pop-up makes the hookbait almost

impossible to miss and also counterbalances the rig

more than enough.

 ere’s no limit to

which perform in several

di erent ways, but the one

thing they all share is the power

to pull carp down to eat, which

is perfect for this time of year.

A bright hookbait cast to a

showing  sh can be a deadly

method, and the carp will begin

to show themselves during the

spring.  ey show for several

reasons as they wake up at the end

of winter and if you’re watching the

water and seeing these signs you

can capitalise on them. Casting a

single pop-up rig, in particular the

chod rig, at these shows is a very

e ective method that will produce

plenty of action if you can do it

discreetly enough.  is is the beauty

of the chod rig: it can be cast almost

anywhere and will present over

almost any terrain. When you’re

casting into unknown territory,

there’s nothing better.

Aside from the use of pop-ups,

which are the typical bright

hookbaits, you can use snowman

rigs, plastic corn or even balance a

pop-up with a shot or putty,

forming a bottom bait. For those of

you that prefer to  sh hard on the

deck over the cleaner gravelly areas,

the aforementioned options are

perfect.  e snowman is a

Korda 1064.indd 48 20/03/2015 08:43:38