Angling Lines Blog

This article first appeared on the Quest Baits Blog & is reproduced with kind permission

I thought I would add this little email correspondence which has gone on to-day and is so typical of so many other ones I have most weeks. It is regarding our ‘special way’ of producing shelf life boilies which definitely shouldn’t be confused with other companies shelf life methods.

Shaun Harrison.

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Good Afternoon

I’ve been looking at the Magnum White boilie for fishing from now into the winter on a local syndicate. Having a few issues with the crays but hoping to get past them.

Is the Magnum White only available in shelf life as I cannot select freezer on the web site

Thanks, Matthew

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Hi Matt,

Magnum White has only ever been produced in the shelf life version. There really is no need for freezer baits with some ingredients. Remember we don’t use preservatives in our shelf life baits.

All of the catches you see with Magnum White have been made on baits produced to our rather special shelf life method.

The annual Carpology ‘Big Tank Test’ where the carp show which bait they (the carp) prefer to eat was won this year with our Magnum White. Last year we beat all the other bait companies brave enough to submit their baits for a public test with our Ghurkka Spice. Again it was the shelf life version of Ghurkka Spice we submitted despite producing some of the Ghurkka Spice in a freezer bait form continue reading…

I’ve not long returned from a trip to Monument which is situated about an hour from the port of Saint Malo. The lake is around 5 acres in size with depths from around 2 foot down to 10 foot. The lake is not over stocked allowing plenty of room for the fish to grow on.

This was my second trip to the lake this year with the last trip being in March. The weather then was cold and wet with the fishing being hard. It was the last week of September when I made the second visit which turned out to be one of the coldest and wettest weeks of the summer. Despite the inclement weather conditions Paul Brooks and I still managed 22 good sized carp to 35lb 9oz.

We had decided to use boilies only for this trip, with the main bait being HG42 and HG47. I was baiting hard with around a kilo of bait being introduced after every occurrence on the rod. Paul went lighter.

The results showed which approach was the more successful. I managed to wheedle out 15 carp and Paul 7. All the fish fell to bottom baits fished on the blowback rig with average weight being in the upper twenties.

The HG42 is without doubt the best all round bait that I have ever used, being a winner on every water that I have fished.

At the end of October I am off to test a new lake for Angling Lines which is basically totally unknown water as for fish stocks etc. I have the location and I am aware of its size and features but it is basically an exploratory trip. Jim Kelly will be my fishing companion for this week and our main bait will be HG42. We are planning on taking boilies only so we will have a fresh supply of shelf life’s to take on the journey. There will be an update of this trip upon our return in November.

Paul Cooper

Paul Cooper’s 2012 Fishing Diary

Carp Fishing Tactics – 56 Technical Videos

Hi Shaun,

I have been using your bait for a couple of years now & I’m going to Margot on 20th April next year.  I was wondering if you could give me any idea what worked well out there for you… if it was just boilies or pellets introduced worked its magic too.  There doesn’t seem to be many blogs which help!

Many thanks, Roy

Shaun Harrison Answers:

Hi Roy,

It is a few years now since I visited Margot but the winning method for me was a wide scattering of 10mm boilies of mixed flavours (I actually mixed every flavour and colour we do) and bulked that out with Garlic Feast too. I fished 3 rods on the same baited area with different set-ups to start with – pop up, bottom bait and snow man.

Most of the takes that week fell to a snowman set up with different flavour combinations but the Special Crab did appear to shine through that week.

I was baiting with around 2kg of 10mm’s and 5kg of Garlic Feast each afternoon and sprinkling the odd catapult pouch of boilies over the top at intervals too. This was around August time from memory so the weather and water temperature will possibly be a little cooler when you are there but not significantly different.

Certainly the mixed bed of different colour and different food signals is something that has worked well for me on a lot of waters.

I would have thought that Angling Lines would have some up to date news if you check their website and blog. They usually keep them up-dated. Like I say it is a while since I went but the above methods produced around 70 fish for me that week.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes, Shaun Harrison

Carp Fishing in France at Margot

There’s no easy way to get your chosen boilie out, no matter what the size or shape, unless you use some of the following.

Throwing Stick

These come in variable sizes and diameter depending on the brand you use.  I find that a throwing stick gives me a better spread pattern of round bait for 10mm to 24mm baits over a large clear area of the lake.  This gets the carp moving and roaming around the area and gives you a better chance of getting the carp confidently feeding in numbers.  Brilliant to use at showing fish and very quiet in the process.

The Spomb

This I have just recently used and I recommend highly.  They are capable of holding any shape, size or chopped boilie and get out to a feature of the lake at great distance.  There is no spillage like the normal spod or rocket depending on the angler of course and is very accurate in its flight.  Great for baiting up at distance and suprisingly effortless.

The Catapult

The catapult can be used for single baits only at short distance or at range depending on the brand and the elastic.  I have found using a pouch over a marker around 30-40 yards you get a very close baited area, say a hole in the weed or a small clay/gravel hump of the lake bed.  Ideal to carry with you at all times when stalking and a major piece of my armoury.

The Spoon

The spoon is fantastic at getting bait out there quick – no matter what size or shape.  This is the perfect tool for pre-baiting close in quarters of the lake or a bay for example.  Straight out of a 10k bag or bucket the spoon can scoop up the bait with ease and within minutes its all out there.  It also give’s you that great spread pattern of boilie or chops which really helps the carp get there heads down for a free meal.  A major tool for pre-baiting and getting them out there in numbers very quickly.

Just a reminder that all these Items you use give off a different sound when the bait hits the water!  This can be the sound of a dinner bell ringning for them hungry carp.  Wether your fishing at range, in close or to a small feature of the lakebed these tools will help you get the boilie to them with confidence… and as they say, I dont leave home without them.

Find em, feed em, catch em!

Marc Twaite

This post first appeared on the Quest Baits Blog & is reproduced with kind permission

Carp Fishing