Hi guys just returned from the annual French trip that didn't get me a forty but a PB Common of 38.08, truly stunning fish, but to be confident when fishing abroad that your baits are intact you have to protect them in one of 3 ways.
The reason for this is you can be on a water that holds crayfish along with Poisson Chat which are a small catfish which just destroy your hookbaits so there's nothing worse when you wind in only to find a bait whittled down or even missing.
I have found these methods of protection can be utilised on our own waters, you might think from what though. It can be a real headache seeing Coots, Tufties diving down and occasionally picking up your hookbait . In the back of your mind your always thinking is the bait ok, but using the following methods you are guaranteed that everything is still intact.
Method 1
Air drying your baits thoroughly until they are like stone, this is a great way but if your on hard fished lakes where your baits might have to be in the water for 48hrs then they are going to soften thus allowing them to be picked at.
Method 2
Meshing your baits, might initially look unreal but look at Pic 5 and see that once swelled up in the water it just looks like your freebies. Follow the following steps and pics to produce a perfect meshed bait.
Pic 1 – Picture of all the items you require, the mesh can be bought from some tackle shops or visit your local market and look on the material stalls.
Pic 2 – First step is to place boilie in mesh, then wrap tightly and hold mesh in place with forceps.
Pic 3 – Using a length of nylon, of around 10lb tie off with a couple of overhand knots.
Pic 4 – Once you've trimmed the nylon using a match or lighter singe the ends to seal so the knot will not come loose. This also makes the finished item look neat and tidy.
Pic 5 – You can see the difference once the bait has taken on some water.
Method 3
A new idea from Carp ‘R' Us and that's the Rap It, this comes in varying sizes to meet the requirements of most boilie sizes. Follow the following steps and pics to produce a perfect Rap It bait.
Pic 6 – Shows all the items you require.
Pic 7 – Cut the length of Rap-it to the diameter of the boilie , no bigger. If you cut too big on the shrinking process there will be excess to trim off as it only shrinks to a certain limit of around 50% of original size.
Pic 8 – Using a baiting needle pierce all the way through to hold in position and also protects your fingers from the next step.
Pic 9 – Boil the kettle and place the boilie close to the spout (where the steam looks invisible) as this is the hottest part and turning slowly watching the Rap-it shrink round the boilie . Be careful as a steam burn is worse than boiling water.
Using these last 2 methods you can sit behind your rods confident that your baits are sat intact, this makes your fishing so much more pleasurable so get out there and give them a go.
