There is no single best way to bait a swim. If you look any successful carp angler, the key to mximising your chances is to be adaptable. This means that you are likley to need to change your approach and tactics depending venue, stock, conditions and a whole lot of other factors that all go towards determining the most effective strategy for any given situation. There are lots of different baiting tactics to employ and each has their day.
Spread baiting – the big fish anglers’ favourite
Of course. Let’s start with the big fish anglers’ favourite baiting tactic – spread baiting. Suited mostly to boilie fishing the tactic involves spreading the freebies over a substantial area. The throwing stick is the main tool for the job.
Slight variances in wind strength/direction, throwing action, boilie shape, size and weight all affect consistency to naturally create a wide baited area, upon which one or more rigs can be deployed. The baiting pattern encourages fish to move between mouthfuls making them easier to fool and enables the use of more efficient and blatant presentations, such as high pop-ups.
As there should be few or no free baits in close proximity to the hook bait there is nothing to compare the rogue one to and it won’t appear to behave differently. Various amounts of boilie can be utilised with this baiting tactic from just a dozen baits to several kilos and the spread from about the size of your front room to that of a tennis court. As the feeding area isn’t concentrated several hook ups might be achieved before the fish become spooked making the strategy capable of producing numbers of carp but it’s also well suited for targeting smaller groups.
Spomb out a tight bed of bait
If a big hit is on the cards a more classic baiting tactic would be the tightly spodded area. It’s a favourite of carp match anglers and can initiate sustained, competitive feeding. Large amounts of bait are spombed onto a small spot and three rods cast within feet of each other.
This quantity of bait in a dense area creates an intense feeding zone with carp competing against one another and likely to trip up. They can often be so tuned into the food source, usually containing a high proportion of tiny food items such as seeds and pellets, that the disturbance of a capture goes unnoticed.
Bottom baits and subtle, low lying pop-ups are most suited so as not appear alien against the background feed. It’s an all or nothing method as all your eggs are in one basket, so choose your spot wisely.
Fish single hookbaits
So does lots of bait usually mean catching lots of fish? Not always. In certain scenarios the polar opposite, a single hook bait, is more effective. Early spring fishing, when carp are just becoming active, is prime time for singles and using no free bait whatsoever can be just the way to tempt a bite.
This baiting tactic relies on getting your location absolutely spot on as there are no freebies to encourage carp into the swim to feed. If you encounter carp bubbling on naturals it is often best not to use any bait other than the one with a sting in its tail. It’s impossible for us to compete with nature’s bounty but a little, bright pop-up might induce an instinctive bite from a hungry carp that grabs it before one of his companions does.
When fishing holidays lakes in France piling the bait in at the start of the session may also not be way to go. If you have not spoken with the departing anglers you may have no idea how much bait is already laying on the lake bed. Fishing the first day with singles is a good way to start off and a smart baiting tactic
. If you get a take or two, then you can top your swim up with some bait.
What about PVA bags?
Fishing with PVA bags is a similar strategy to single hook baits but with a little taster of bait injected into the package. The theory here is that the small parcel of bait attracts the attention of a carp, which sucks at the contents and ingests the delicately balanced hook bait.
Like singles the baiting strate