BAITING TECHNIQUES

The Catapault & the Spoon In the beginning there was the Catapault and the Spoon - Both effective methods of delivering an amount of “feed” over your hookbait to “pull” fish into your area, but as carp angling grew it become apparent that these had a limited range (although there are some exceptions in every case). Something was needed to deliver an amount of feed onto the anglers “mark” at much further distances, and so the Spod was born. The SPOD A Spod is basically a tube (either solid or perforated) with a piece of high density foam for buoyancy at one end and a set of fins on the other for aero dynamics. It is attached with two or three wire or plastic lines and a swivel to the main line. This enables the angler to go further ranges than before. As the market grew, the manufacturers began (with the aid of carp anglers) to develop the idea, so different sizes appeared as heavier rods were used. The Spomb Ultimately the Spomb appeared. It enabled baits to fall out easier, especially boillies (without the need to chop them first) that in the larger diameters could wedge themselves (if over packed) into a spod. Looking like a WW2 bomb, it works by springing open on contact with the water. The only disadvantage with a Spomb (I think) is that for all of its size you can only fill one half of it, - a bit tricky with a round boillie. There are different variants, one has a deeper body and smaller lid section. But in any case, I’ve found that an addition of a Spomb float will help with the buoyancy and bait “spread” which ever one you use. The AIRBOMB A new idea is the Airbomb that is loaded exactly the same way as a Spomb, but its mechanics and use is different. Instead of opening on impact with the water’s surface, you clip your line (after finding your distance to your mark) and as you cast, the line hits the clip (on your reel) and opens the airbomb in mid-air, spreading your bait over a larger area. This is particularly good if you are tight against a snag or tree and don’t fancy a retrieve that may result in you losing your Spod or Spomb. It’s also a lot less disturbance on your mark. One thing to remember though - spodding and spombing are very labour intensive, and after 20 minutes you know you’ve been doing it! The THROWING STICK Another development was the Throwing Stick. Available in various shapes, sizes, dimensions and materials, it is designed to throw boilies to a greater distance than a catapult could. A lot easier to use, (and not really a mass baiting tool) the technique to using a “stick” is to be practiced if you don’t want to waste bait - by that I mean, not hitting your mark. This is a good bit of kit as I said before for “topping up”, although I know blokes who will use kilo’s of feed or and there are those who don’t want to disturb their swim with a spod or spomb splashing around (the airbomb being the exception). The PVA BAG And as well as all this kit being developed, others went in a different way, with the PVA bag. At first there was the solid bag that contained the lead, hooklink, baited rig and the feed. Because PVA dissolves in water it is a most effective way of getting a relatively small amount of feed, tight around your rig’s position. The MESH KIT The next innovation was the mesh kit which made it possible to make “sticks” where the feed didn’t have to contain all the components like the bag, and you could simply pull your hooklink through it and bury the hook inside. Or make a small bundle and attach it through the hook point. The mesh kits enable the angler to make up a custom size “freebie” package. Stringers are just PVA string or tape that you thread through your boillies, and is best used where fish are wary of large amounts of feed on the dam bed or if they are resting up in the margins. The SOLID TUBE KIT So if the mesh kits work, then how about a solid tube? Working on the same principles as the mesh kit, the solid tube kit gives you all the advantages of the mesh, with the added extra of being able to inject glug and send that out with just your hookbait and no feed. A PVA bag can be used exactly the same way, but why waste a whole bag? The one downside to PVA is that if a cheaper type is used in the manufacturing process, it can react to the pH balance of the water, leaving a milky residue, or not dissolving fully, which can push your quarry away from your hookbait. You do get what you pay for! So maybe test a piece in your swim before you decide? The BAIT BOAT The original bait boats were catamarans as British pike anglers use them to drop dead baits and the hoppers are the right size for a smolt. These are good for getting your bait and feed into awkward, tight spots. The fact is that you don’t see these used in the U.K. very much by carp anglers, and many fisheries have banned them because “it’s cheating”. And to be honest I agree, if you can’t cast accurately - go practice! But in South Africa they are an essential piece of kit [with a fish finder] because of the distances fished at. The down side is the cost, and the constant worry that at over 300 metres you can see your bait boat sail off into the horizon. Yes I know, there are manufacturers that claim theirs will go to 600 metres, but if you want to test that - carry on! Any way at that distance you are in the ultimate baiting tool territory, namely a dinghy or an inflatable! Surely that’s the evolution complete. Or is it?