Well, I'm suffering cabin fever being stuck in the city, plus I really miss carp fishing, which I haven't done in a while. So to stay sane and maybe even get a little action going in the specimen section, I decided I'd put down some "how-to's" based on my BFC experience. Feel free to contradict me and add your own thoughts!
As most anglers know, tiger nuts are a pretty special carp bait. They can be super effective on venues where carp have grown to love them, but they're expensive and when over used on a venue can raise carp's suspicions. Here are some thoughts on mixing it up a little...
The first way to do this is to literally mix 'em up...regular tigers, black tigers, skinned tigers, crushed tigers, large and small tigers. Throw them all together and use to bait up your spot, which gives you a range of textures, buoyancy, colours and shapes to fool the carp into picking up your stinger.
I've found sweetened tigers to be very effective in Cape waters - soak them in talin (indefinitely) to give them a little extra edge.
Adding salt to your HTM mix seems to attract a lot of fish, especially when fishing over silty areas I found. I used this tactic to good effect on the Garden Route dam in George, when I couldn't find any hard patches anywhere at first. It didn't take long for the carp to stir up the silt and gradually "create" a little feeding patch.
Lastly, a little trick to make your particles really stand out when all else fails. Boil your tigers as usual, drain and, while still hot, sprinkle liberally with Nesquik milkshake powder. Keep the nuts moving by shaking the container and coat them well. Once done, seal in bags and stick them in the freezer, ready for your next session. The Nesquik creates a nice cloud of flavour over your tigers that draw in fish. I found strawberry to be very effective in some Cape waters.
With a little bit of imagination and adjustment you can do the same with a huge variety of particles, including maize, chickpeas and lupins.
Tight lines and bent rods!
As most anglers know, tiger nuts are a pretty special carp bait. They can be super effective on venues where carp have grown to love them, but they're expensive and when over used on a venue can raise carp's suspicions. Here are some thoughts on mixing it up a little...
The first way to do this is to literally mix 'em up...regular tigers, black tigers, skinned tigers, crushed tigers, large and small tigers. Throw them all together and use to bait up your spot, which gives you a range of textures, buoyancy, colours and shapes to fool the carp into picking up your stinger.
I've found sweetened tigers to be very effective in Cape waters - soak them in talin (indefinitely) to give them a little extra edge.
Adding salt to your HTM mix seems to attract a lot of fish, especially when fishing over silty areas I found. I used this tactic to good effect on the Garden Route dam in George, when I couldn't find any hard patches anywhere at first. It didn't take long for the carp to stir up the silt and gradually "create" a little feeding patch.
Lastly, a little trick to make your particles really stand out when all else fails. Boil your tigers as usual, drain and, while still hot, sprinkle liberally with Nesquik milkshake powder. Keep the nuts moving by shaking the container and coat them well. Once done, seal in bags and stick them in the freezer, ready for your next session. The Nesquik creates a nice cloud of flavour over your tigers that draw in fish. I found strawberry to be very effective in some Cape waters.
With a little bit of imagination and adjustment you can do the same with a huge variety of particles, including maize, chickpeas and lupins.
Tight lines and bent rods!