ups as well. Iíve seen pop

Baits though have changed beyond recognition to when I first chucked out a bait intended for an elusive carp. I had little to go on in those days; gleaning information from the few books that were around that gave little away. Let’s not forget that carp fishing was a secretive activity and the writers then were afraid of giving too much away. After all, they had spend months, if not years, perfecting a method and/or bait to fool their quarry. My first carp book was written by Jack Hilton and was one of the Catchmore series. It was fascinating and I felt that all was revealed in its pages, it was not until years later that I learned that most of it was exaggerations of the truth, at the time I felt cheated, now I realise why.The second carp book I bought was written by Jim Gibbinson and was I feel, nearer the truth but for a young financially strapped wannabe it was a let-down. After all it was the Kent period of carp fishing and long-range fishing was at its peak; my rods were capable of 40 yards at best. Then, as mentioned last week I found my own carp water and worked it out for myself, with a little help from Carp Fever, thanks Kev. So baits: I first fished for carp with bread, worms and slugs. My first double figure carp fell to a slug. I then fiddled around with pastes made from all sorts, sausage meat tainted with all sorts of flavours were my favourite. I used to make the pastes up and take them down the Thames and try a small piece out for dace. If they liked it I would use it for carp. I caught my biggest ever dace that way, an 11oz specimen from Kings Lawn at Sunbury, I told my Chemistry teacher all about it, do you remember that Bill? I caught carp on these pastes from various ponds but they were never bigger than 2lb. Then I started fishing gravel pits. I had heard of boiled baits so I made ones from desert mixes and drink powders. My Dad kept finches and canaries so I made boilies up from bird food, PTX, Robin Red and the like. Hey, I might have been before my time, if only I had realised. I was an avid reader of everything carpy. There were no specific carp magazines and few articles appeared in Coarse Fisherman or Coarse Anger to do with carp but there were a few, Kevin Clifford and Rod Hutchinson and Pete Drennan wrote some useful things.I caught well on my own mixes, with carp up to 18lb. Then Catchum baits came out and at the same time the Carp Cellar in Watford opened. I spent every Saturday down there trying to learn more. I settled on Catchum’s Seafood mix. I mixed this for a while with the Hi Pro mix that had appeared. The results were instant, and dramatic. I was fishing at the Halls Angling Schemes Longfield and I was catching good carp. I was one of the boys, so it seemed.After my success there in the early 80’s I moved to other lakes, Rodney Meadow and Harefield, Pit 4 as well, and caught wherever I went. Okay, not in high numbers but a carp or two a season was good, believe me. As Rods Catchum baits improved, I kept up and the Original Seafood Blend kept going. In the late 80s I started mixing it with Monster Crab flavour, after all Rod used it himself so it had to be good. Good was not the word it – was awesome. Everywhere I went, I caught. Then Kevin Maddocks gave the game away on one of his Carp Fever videos and sale of Monster Crab went through the roof as everyone got on it. The smell was enough for everyone to know you were using it. Seriously though it is a fantastic combination, if you want an instant bait you can get no better. It will catch and it will catch well. I still use it today.The problem for me though was the smell. Fine when I was a single guy, rolling boilies would stink the flat out. The funny thing was, I got used to the smell but when mates came round they would sniff and ask what the strange aroma was. It did nothing for my love life and when I met the wife I was expelled to the garden! I used to like rolling bait but now I have less time. Thatís marriage and fatherhood for you. Even a rolling machine is a pain. So after several years, I finally succumbed to finding out about a bait-rolling firm. I had changed bait by now, after all you cannot argue with others successes, so I rang around and found the best deal from a firm called the Bait Company. The result of the first order I made was so impressive I have been nowhere else since. The mix I asked for was not an easy one being a fishmeal, but the 14mm baits were perfect and hard, and made exactly to the specification I asked for. First time round, with some doubts, I got some pop-ups as well. Iíve seen pop-ups from rolling companies before, they are , well you imagine. The ones made from the Bait Company are excellent, true to the bottom baits and ultra buoyant. I used them all the first winter and caught fifteen winter 20’s on them. The company does more than just roll bait and a full review will be coming soon, watch this space.My point therefore is made, nowadays all we have to do is go into a tackle shop or look in a magazine and we can order or buy what we want. A long cry from the par-boiled potato, by the way I caught a 7lb carp on one of those back in 1979!

Have fun!