We know carp fishing with boilies or particles work, but which is best?
There is no such thing as a best approach to baiting as there is always more than one way to skin a cat. Both a boilie only and particle approach are exceptionally effective in the right circumstances and it’s down to the judgement of the angler as to which tactic he adopts.
OK but how do we choose?
There are all sorts of factors that come into play with your choice. It’s unlikely to be a decision made on the day either as it’s usually impractical to prepare for both. You don’t really want to be going to the trouble of cooking up a batch of particle and carrying a 10 litre bucket of it around the lake only to go with a boilie approach. Similarly it’s not economical to take five kilos of your finest frozen boilies and let them spoil in the heat while you fish over a bed of hemp and tigers. Your decision is, in all probability, going to be made well in advance of your session.
Find out what baiting tactics are successful on your water?
First up we need to look at what works on your venue. Whilst we applaud enterprise and doing your own thing it is never a bad idea when starting at a new lake is to know a bit about what tactics are successful. Some lakes can become dominated by anglers fishing with a particle approach making it very difficult to get bites on boilies, whilst the reverse can also be true.
Don’t be afraid to go against the grain
That said, if one type of approach has been used to the exclusion of all others for a number of years it could be ripe for a change and the first angler to do something completely different might reap the rewards. Either way if you do some research you’ll be able to decide whether you want to buck the trend or go with the flow.
There are, of course, lots of venues where anything goes. These tend to be those waters that see a large number of different anglers such as popular day ticket and club venues. If you are fishing a holiday venue abroad, such as a French drive and survive lake, then be sure to speak to the lake owner well before your trip. Remember, for holiday venues it is in the lake owners best interest that you catch, so they will be more than willing to provide invaluable insight into the going tactics.
Adopt your approach depending on the time of year?
There are no hard and fast rules, rights or wrongs nor do and don’ts, merely a number of aspects that might influence your decision. Time of year is one such. Whilst particles and boilies will both work all year round there are particular periods that one might be preferred over another. Beds of seed baits are usually associated with warmer weather with their prime period being from June to the end September. Carp will happily consume large amounts of particle during this time, when a similar weight of boilies might prove to be too much. Food for thought if you are someone who doesn’t know when to stop with the spod rod!
Conversely, come the autumn, they are likely to require a higher quality food source containing more protein in order for them to condition themselves and put on bulk to see them through the winter. Boilies will suit these needs and might well be preferred during this autumnal feed up. Boiled baits may also rule the roost through the colder months and, in small numbers, during spring.
Cost is a factor for anglers who are fishing over large amount of bait
The big baiters amongst you might want to consider cost. You’ll be applying boilie in smaller quantities than you would particles but ten kilos of boilie is going to hurt your pocket an awful lot more than the same amount of particle, especially if you prepare your own. Particle fishing can be cheaper but there is a trade off.
Particle Preparation
If you are adopting a particle approach for fiscal reasons you’ll have to set aside time to prepare them as, for the sake of your carps’ health, it is essential to soak and boil them properly. They are pretty straightforward to do but it does take both time and organisation which, if it is limited, might be better spent on the bank.
Mmmm, so boilies are more convenient?
They can be much more so, yes. It’