Carp on fake baits

[Craig w]

I fished with a guy this week who used two pieces of "pop up" rubber sweet corn on a hair rig, these were the perfect weight with his rig & hook type to make this "neutraly" bouyant. he put this in a small pva bag....

he caught alot of fish this way...
So do we really need all these flavours of boilies etc, or are the fish just sweeping to bottom taking mouthful sized gulps as the move and just picked this up?

 

[GYPSY DAVE]

"do we really need all these flavours of boilies etc"
Light blue touch paper............!
This one should be fun!!!!!!!

 

[GrahamM]

Most of the time, especially when the fish are well on feed, I don't think we do need all the different baits and flavours on the market. But it's those days when the fish are not feeding too well when a different bait, or a bait with a stronger flavour or different flavour, could make the difference between scoring or a blank. Only last Friday I caught a couple of pretty spooky carp on synthetic Chum Mixer:

<a href=http://www.fishingmagic.com/specart/specart.asp?sp=&v=>Digital Diary</A>

And earlier this year made a few good catches of chub and barbel on synthetic caster.

 

[Philip Inzani]

I think with many artificial baits (outside lures)alot depends on creating the right kind of feeding situation. I dont think they are at their best in a single hookbait scenario.

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Philip, totally agree with u...bed of real corn, fake over the top...but I would not use a fake piece of corn on its own except when stalking...Carp will take it on the drop and u can hit them before they realise there mistake.

 

[Craig w]

I agree with you all that in the right situation an artificial bait will work well, but if the carp pick up these little flavourless pieces of rubber over a bed of pellets or particles which in murky water they have no way of seing will they pick up anything that i use on a hair just because they are cleaning up the bottom?
or even ...just maybe they would pick up a hook with NO bait on if it was in the correct position as they clean up the area of lake bed?

 

[Craig w]

........im Not saying im going to chuck a line out with no bait on though.

 

[GYPSY DAVE]

oh, go on.
The replies would be a riot!!!!!!!!!

 

[Philip Inzani]

Actually it is possible to get them to pick up a bare hook but as you say it has to be in the correct position and again you have to setup the right feeding situation. For example I can recall a couple of occasions when I have been using very soft baits in a PVA bag in the margins. They have been out a long time and then I get a run. I really am certain that at the point the Carp picked it up it was no longer a solid bait, just basically a pile of mush with a hook under it. The same can be done with particles like hemp. By precise baiting in the margins and having the just a hook under the pile it is possible to get a pick up. but obviously any sort of undetow or current will mess it up. I dont invisage anyone would try it as a standard approach but it can be fun as a sort of alternative challenge from time to time.

 

[Ray Bewick]

Is there any danger to the fish from lost synthetic hookbaits?

 

[GrahamM]

None of the artificials I've seen look big enough to cause problems. I'd say all of them will pass straight through them okay. And apart from that, the artificials I've used so far stay on the hook very firmly and can be used over and over again.

 

[Craig w]

I have a small pot of the fake 'pop up' corn and it states that it is made from non toxic materials

 

[Ray Bewick]

luverly! - thanks for pointing that out.

Regards