Carp Bait

[redpat1 225]

 

I fished the Medway around the Maidstone stretch around the late 80's till the early 90's and had plenty of quality hard fighting fish up to the mid 20's, these were fish that most people wouldn't have believed possible to capture let alone existed in their local river on their doorstep. Probably some of the best times I ever had, very little money and had to use bait very carefully due to lack of funds. We would strip the trees for hemp, elderberry and tares when available and use just a few choppies mixed in with a boilie hook bait.

Even our tackle was useless but our line and end rigs was where it really counted, we even slept in the open with sod all weather protection, I wouldn't change a minute of it or swap it for the opportunity to catch imported carp. These fish although not big by todays standards were huge to us and had never been captured before. Probably the biggest buzz I had up to that point in my life, it would take some beating still.

Unfortunately, like everything it came to an end as carping became more wide spread and all types were turning up with top notch equipment and buckets and buckets of bait.

I still don't think they got anywhere near our catch rate.

God I miss those days. lol

Pat

Quite right mate,in those days you felt like youd achieved the impossible by catching a carp of any size,all you have to do now it seems is turn up and the 30s,40s and 50s are inevitable it really has lost its magic for me one of the final nails in the coffin for me was catching an upper double one day and some guy walked round told me it was 18+ and was called Sally before it was even in the sling....."the day the music died" for me

 

That's what killed it for me too mate, I caught a mid 20 on a known Kentish lake only for a group of fellas to tell me they had all had the same fish at a higher wait. I couldn't have described it better, it just lost all the magic from that day.......Still, I often contemplate getting back on a few of the hard waters again as hooking a beast still gives me that butterfly feeling in the pit of my stomach a bit

[redpat1 225]

 

 

I fished the Medway around the Maidstone stretch around the late 80's till the early 90's and had plenty of quality hard fighting fish up to the mid 20's, these were fish that most people wouldn't have believed possible to capture let alone existed in their local river on their doorstep. Probably some of the best times I ever had, very little money and had to use bait very carefully due to lack of funds. We would strip the trees for hemp, elderberry and tares when available and use just a few choppies mixed in with a boilie hook bait.

Even our tackle was useless but our line and end rigs was where it really counted, we even slept in the open with sod all weather protection, I wouldn't change a minute of it or swap it for the opportunity to catch imported carp. These fish although not big by todays standards were huge to us and had never been captured before. Probably the biggest buzz I had up to that point in my life, it would take some beating still.

Unfortunately, like everything it came to an end as carping became more wide spread and all types were turning up with top notch equipment and buckets and buckets of bait.

I still don't think they got anywhere near our catch rate.

God I miss those days. lol

Pat

Quite right mate,in those days you felt like youd achieved the impossible by catching a carp of any size,all you have to do now it seems is turn up and the 30s,40s and 50s are inevitable it really has lost its magic for me one of the final nails in the coffin for me was catching an upper double one day and some guy walked round told me it was 18+ and was called Sally before it was even in the sling....."the day the music died" for me

 

That's what killed it for me too mate, I caught a mid 20 on a known Kentish lake only for a group of fellas to tell me they had all had the same fish at a higher wait. I couldn't have described it better, it just lost all the magic from that day.......Still, I often contemplate getting back on a few of the hard waters again as hooking a beast still gives me that butterfly feeling in the pit of my stomach a bit but I need them to be lovely old English fish, imports are for the commercial masses.

 

[WILF 46,566]

I fished the Medway around the Maidstone stretch around the late 80's till the early 90's and had plenty of quality hard fighting fish up to the mid 20's, these were fish that most people wouldn't have believed possible to capture let alone existed in their local river on their doorstep. Probably some of the best times I ever had, very little money and had to use bait very carefully due to lack of funds. We would strip the trees for hemp, elderberry and tares when available and use just a few choppies mixed in with a boilie hook bait.

Even our tackle was useless but our line and end rigs was where it really counted, we even slept in the open with sod all weather protection, I wouldn't change a minute of it or swap it for the opportunity to catch imported carp. These fish although not big by todays standards were huge to us and had never been captured before. Probably the biggest buzz I had up to that point in my life, it would take some beating still.

Unfortunately, like everything it came to an end as carping became more wide spread and all types were turning up with top notch equipment and buckets and buckets of bait.

I still don't think they got anywhere near our catch rate.

God I miss those days. lol

Pat

Tidy mate, used to catch some tidy bags of roach on elderberrys, hemp and tares.......stood in the water all day building a bag......happy memories

[WILF 46,566]

 

 

I fished the Medway around the Maidstone stretch around the late 80's till the early 90's and had plenty of quality hard fighting fish up to the mid 20's, these were fish that most people wouldn't have believed possible to capture let alone existed in their local river on their doorstep. Probably some of the best times I ever had, very little money and had to use bait very carefully due to lack of funds. We would strip the trees for hemp, elderberry and tares when available and use just a few choppies mixed in with a boilie hook bait.

Even our tackle was useless but our line and end rigs was where it really counted, we even slept in the open with sod all weather protection, I wouldn't change a minute of it or swap it for the opportunity to catch imported carp. These fish although not big by todays standards were huge to us and had never been captured before. Probably the biggest buzz I had up to that point in my life, it would take some beating still.

Unfortunately, like everything it came to an end as carping became more wide spread and all types were turning up with top notch equipment and buckets and buckets of bait.

I still don't think they got anywhere near our catch rate.

God I miss those days. lol

Pat

 

 

Quite right mate,in those days you felt like youd achieved the impossible by catching a carp of any size,all you have to do now it seems is turn up and the 30s,40s and 50s are inevitable it really has lost its magic for me one of the final nails in the coffin for me was catching an upper double one day and some guy walked round told me it was 18+ and was called Sally before it was even in the sling....."the day the music died" for me

That's what killed it for me too mate, I caught a mid 20 on a known Kentish lake only for a group of fellas to tell me they had all had the same fish at a higher wait. I couldn't have described it better, it just lost all the magic from that day.......Still, I often contemplate getting back on a few of the hard waters again as hooking a beast still gives me that butterfly feeling in the pit of my stomach a bit

Fair one boys, I like the way that 20 + fish fight....slower and more protracted, not zip arsing around all over the show like 10-15 pounders

[David.evans 5,323]

What a stunning photo, born hunter posted on this thread, would really like a Copy of that mate .brilliant!

[THE STIFFMEISTER 15,676]

Just got myself 10kg of boiled bait sorted for £50 delivered, it's a mixture of all the over rolls from a bait company so mainline, nutrabaits etc in all different sizes, shapes and smells.........should be cock on as I bet not many folk are using boiled bait like that on most waters.

 

£5 a kilo lets you use it correctly too, you can't use boiled bait correctly at £10 a kilo it's too expensive

 

I used to use mainline because I got it at field testers rates of £6 but to be honest I don't give a monkeys what I use as long as I can apply it correctly and not have to take out a mortgage to do it!!

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[Lancashire Hunter 22]

I use bolies alot. And i only use them from one company its only a small company but the baits are top quality and cheap at 7 quid a kilo there called cbs ( carp bait solutions) they got a website have a look see what ya think.