WELCOME TO the first of the new live blogs on the new-look Angler’s Mail website. Mondays will see a new addition to the Carp category, and the first blogger in it is… Nash.
Thank to Nash man Keith Jones for supplying this round-up, with contributions from some top names within the Nash stable.
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NASH BLOG 1 FOR WWW.ANGLERSMAIL.CO.UK (Mon, July 30)
ALAN BLAIR
WOW – what a year it’s been, what with the launch of so many successful products like the Titan Brolly AS, the unbelievable fish catching Zig bugs, our De-Cam mainline mono that carp can’t see or detect and not forgetting the Siren Bite Alarms. It’s hard to believe we have had time to work on much else…. how wrong could I be?!
As well as a number of blockbuster products there has been a staggering amount of epic new developments just beginning to come to fruition and although I can’t say much at the moment – just wait to see what will be hitting the tackle shop shelves near you in the autumn.
We have also been continually pumping out the most cutting edge video material both through our successful You Tube Channel Nash TV and our action-packed promo DVD that we launched in the early part of 2012. It’s well worth checking out Nash TV whether you want to see our latest products, the most up to date techniques, some really humorous clips or just some enormous carp. Have a look: www.nashtv.co.uk.
2012 is also the third year of our ever expanding fishery roadshow. The show team are now venturing all over Europe and will also be visiting a lake near to you –it’s well worth checking out any of the up and coming dates or venues and popping along to get involved in all things NASH. As for me – I have fished this year more than ever and loved every minute of it.
At the moment Kevin (Nash), the office team, all of our consultants and field testers are out on the bank living it, for us it’s not just a job its a way of life – carp fishing – I wouldn’t change what I’m doing for the world. Good luck for the rest of your summer – hope you get amongst some stunning fish.
We’ve been getting around – here’s the Nash roadshow team in action. Alan Blair (the No.1 at Nash tackle) is bottom right, next to the young lad in red.
BAIT GURU GARY BAYES
I’ve been extremely busy this year with the alterations to the legal labelling of bait now the ‘powers that be’ have re-classified fishing bait as ‘fish feed’ that could end up in the human food chain. Not that any commercial fish farmers would spend carp bait money on stock pond fish but in some countries they do still eat what they catch.
It’s taken all winter to work it all out, get the translations done, scrap the old packaging, buy in new, purchase printing machines etc, just what UK manufacturing needs isn’t it, more un-seen overheads. It’s left a bad taste in my mouth and has put us behind on production and development so my personal fishing, running my lakes and everything else has suffered a lot. We’ve only just caught up really and are sorry for any Nash Bait users who have had a job to get hold of our baits.
Anyway, that’s the boring stuff, the exciting bits are I’ve got a long list of new developments I’m working on and also a few products from the past 2-3 years that are nearly finished. Two are boilies, my passion. Both the nearly finished boilies are catching a lot of fish on the waters they are being tested on. Also wherever they’ve been taken as ‘never been used before baits’ they are working and catching from the off which means just like all Nash baits, the new boilies will provide both instant and long term success.
BILLY FLOWERS
Floater fishing can be devastatingly effective at this time of the year but as angling pressure mounts carp can become increasingly hard to tempt off the top and will often stubbornly refuse to take a floating hook bait.
The new Riser Pellet mix from Nash is proven to provide an edge, this unique floating pellet mix causes preoccupation on the surface just like hemp can do on the bottom and really increases the chance of a carp making a mistake. But rather than fish a floating hook bait in amongst the pellets, try a Nash Zig Bug anchored two inches below the surface – deadly!
Zig Bugs have scored well for some Nash consultants, including Bill Flowers and Julian Cundiff.
JULIAN CUNDIFF
I guess I don’t need to tell you how up and down the weather has been this summer ( mainly down and what a summer eh…) and how difficult that has made the fishing at times.
Because of the changeable fishing conditions one thing that I have picked up on is that the carp are not settled at all and there is no consistent area, tactic or approach that will work all the time. With deluges of rain one moment and a brief window of sun the next no wonder the carp are all over the place. For that reason I would encourage you to have many strings to your bow and when you do fish to be able to cover all eventualities.
On some sessions I have been stalking in the edge, then floater fishing at distance, spodding at range and then boilie fishing at close range….and that is just in a 24 hour session. So be prepared for this. Have some floater and zig rigs made up and don’t forget your ‘Riser Pellets’ which are great on the surface and with Zigs.
Have plenty of bottom bait rigs tied up and no matter how much of a pain it is to lug gear having a spod and floater rod with you can produce dividends.
Even on overnighters I will move and have started to change the habit of a lifetime by now setting my Profile brolly up last thing…if at all. On numerous occasions I have found and caught a few fish and then they have moved so having to pack down the minimum of gear is better…. If you are prepared and adaptable you will catch a lot more this summer and I hope to see them in Angler’s Mail magazine or meet you on the bank
KEITH WILLIAMS
This time of year I like to carry my stalker rod and visit lakes for a couple hours of stalking, normally in the evening after it has been sunny. In these conditions when it has been hot , carp are easy to locate. Just taking a rod and a few other bits and pieces can really bring you success. Offering loads of excitement or alternatively it can be so frustrated leaving you pulling your hair out !
Bait wise I use Nash mutant plastic corn and loose feed hempseed, mixed with a tin of sweetcorn. For the rig a simple set up comprising of a small lead set up on a Diffusion Leader with a running lead, will suffice. The sharp end normally consists of a Fang X size 8 tied KD style. The Mutant corn will take flavours but the best thing I like about them is they sit perfectly on a KD rig, due to the correct bouncy. With a PVA nugget on the hook you will know the rig is sitting perfectly and it is then just a case of waiting for your rod to bend round on a confident take!
NICK MADDIX
I have to admit that my carp fishing has been put aside lately, instead I’ve been using the odd weekend to get out and do my first few sea fishing sessions on a mate’s boat.
Dan aka ‘Boo Boo’ has been bringing the boat down to Essex and we’ve set sail in the Southend area so far. Having never tried my hand at any form of sea fishing it’s made these sessions pretty exciting to say the least. It’s all a learning curve but we’ve managed some nice fish considering how little we know. My biggest and best so far has been a smoothound which we guessed to be getting on for double figures, as well as the smoothy we’ve managed a few bass and other species – all very good fun on a 9ft stalking rod!!
Work wise, it’s manic! The new gear is coming in and flying off the shelves quicker than we could hope for so it’s good to know you guys and girls like the gear! The weekend just gone was The Great Northern Fishing Show at Cudmore Fisheries and I think it’s safe to say it was a great weekend for all who attended, we met plenty of keen anglers and managed to catch a fair few carp for the kids which is always rewarding – Bolt Machines, Riser Pellet and Zig Bugs doing the business throughout the weekend!
NIGEL SHARP
He’s had much bigger, but Nige was pleased with this 22.
At a little over 22lb a recently caught baby plated mirror might not be the biggest fish in the lake that I’m currently fishing but it’s one of the nicest looking ones and also rarely caught. It fell to a Scopex Squid pop-up fished on a hinge rig over a light scattering of freebies rather than my often used choddy.
The reason for a change in presentation was down to the area that I’ve been consistently baiting and catching the odd one from which had started to become much clearer so there was no need for chod rigs anymore. Sometimes we only have to change one thing to win a bite and with the addition of a boom section I was lucky enough to get it
right this time and won this bite. I’ve no doubt the next stage of this journey will be bottom bait presentations so I’ll be ordering some Nash Fang-X’s soon. Being as we are now in the middle of summer scratching time and the water has gone tap clear I’m also thinking of giving the Diffusion Leaders a go to see if they’ll make a difference during what I call the tuff time of year.
Like I said earlier I’ll only be changing one thing at a time to see if they make a difference. This way I’ll learn as I go and won’t get confused by throwing too much at them at once.
RICH WILBY
I was chatting to a guy at my lake earlier today and we both agreed one of the hardest things about summer carp fishing in the UK is the unsettled weather. It can go from hot to cold, windy to still, or heavy rain to bright sunshine in the space of an hour. This makes it hard to try and predict or get a tactic to work for any amount of time.
I usually walk around my day-ticket water, Mustang Lake, three times a day and at this time of year, I can see carp on the top one minute, then the next fizzing up in the deeper areas. My advice to all the anglers that come down, is to stay open minded and try a few different things that might respond better in different conditions. A static approach using the same rig and bait on any day-ticket water for 24 hours is not the best approach in my experience. Simply changing from a yellow hookbait to a pink one can make a massive difference on well stocked venues.
One thing that does stand out in the warmer months is just how effective pellets are. I would not go to any decent day-ticket carp venue in the UK without a mixture of pellets and considering that I love to solely use boilies for most of my fishing that says a lot for just how much I rate pellets. Talking of pellets, they’re great scalded up and moulded around a lead or method feeder. You can ball them up as well and fire them out with a catapult, which is much quicker and different to spodding.
Lastly my own summer fishing has taught me to always look in the margins all the way around the lake before I start. Summer carp love getting in close, even sitting or feeding right under the swim. Too many anglers are guilty of not even considering baiting a spot in the edge, but it is still one of the best places to catch carp in the next couple of months. I never head out without my polarised glasses, I’m sure they catch me several extra fish each summer.
KEITH JONES
Its funny how we often refer to the lakes that we fish as ‘still waters’ when in actual fact nothing could be further from the truth. At this time of the year even on the calmest of days if you take a very close look in the margins you’ll see there’s so much activity going on below the surface.
Just recently I’ve watched strange micro currents that seem to occur at different levels as they swirl and rush through tiny gaps in the weed, the minute creatures and small snails that inhabit these areas have to work really hard to move against these currents or even just to stay where they want to be. There’s a real storm going on and it’s fascinating to watch. The hatches of natural food that occur during the day are fascinating too, being aware of these natural occurrences can be a real asset.
On the lake I’m fishing at the moment some days the water is full of natural food, it’s like a soup and the fish can literally swim around with their mouths open hoovering up the food. A Zig Bug fished mid water is the only thing that seems to produce a bite on these days. But then there are other short periods when the water is gin clear and devoid of any creatures. This is the time when the lake really fishes well and a simple rig and standard bottom bait produces multiple bites.
Keeping in tune with your water really does provide an edge! So join us again here soon for the next Nash Carp Blog to stay in tune with what we’re doing, plus some more handy hints.
Related video
Click below to see Zig Bugs explained by Nash men for AMTV
THE NEXT CARP BLOG WILL APPEAR ON MONDAY, AUGUST 6.
The blogs have started, one per day. Categories appear at the top of our blogging section – be sure to check back regularly, here on our refreshed and buzzing website!
Here’s the list of all the new blogs and when they go live:
MONDAY: Carp crews on rotation – Korda, Fox, Nash and ACE.
TUESDAY: Steve Collett, Mail contributor and ultimate all-rounder.
WEDNESDAY: Angler’s Mail HQ – yes, us!
THURSDAY: Specialists from Pike Anglers Club, Korum and Pallatrax, on rotation
FRIDAY: Carl & Alex, Angler’s Mail juniors and video diary makers.
SATURDAY: The Angling Trust – guys at the governing body.
SUNDAY: Colin Mitchell, veteran coarse angler and top journalist
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This week’s Angler’s Mail magazine has lots for carp fans. Be sure to check it out!