BAIT GUIDE 2013
So what is a PVA stick? Well it’s a small PVA mesh bag full of attraction that you thread onto your hooklink. The key to creating a good mix is to use top-quality ingredients that are absolutely brimming with attraction. I like my stick mix to have little in the way of food content, yet be full of flavours. You’re not aiming to feed the fish, you just want to draw them towards your hookbait. As well as adding attraction to the area around your hookbait, sticks also have a multitude of other advantages. They camouflage the hook, protect the hookpoint and totally eliminate tangles. Now you can see why I use them so much! I’ve tried a whole host of effective stick mixes over the years, but I recently stumbled across a combination that was a little bit special. By combining Sonubaits Hemp & Hali Crush, Salted Nut Crush Groundbait, Super Seaweed Flavour Shaker, Currami Booster Cloud and Hemp & Halibut Liquid Enhancer, I discovered a mix that big carp found simply irresistible. So why is this mix so attractive to big carp? Well one of the key ingredients is the combination of the groundbaits and Flavour Shaker. Hemp & Hali Crush makes up the bulk of the concoction because it contains crushed hemp and pellets, so it releases loads of attraction when it’s on the bottom. Plus, when you add PVA-friendly liquid, it is the perfect consistency for creating compact PVA bags. The reason I add Salted Nut Crush and Super Seaweed Flavour Shakers is predominantly because of the salt content. There’s been an influx of anglers adding salt to their bait over the last couple of years and, as long as it’s done safely by using bait that contains low levels, I think it can be a real edge. Like humans, carp need
a certain amount of salt in their diet, so they will quickly respond to a bait that contains it. I think the most important ingredient in the mix I use, and any effective stick mix for that matter, are the liquids. They add incredible amounts of attraction and little in the shape of food content. If you use the right varieties, you can ensure that your mix releases attraction at various levels of the water column. Personally I think combining Sonubaits Booster Clouds and Barbel & Carp Liquid Enhancers gives you the best of both worlds. The Booster Cloud isn’t oil based so it releases attraction in the lower and middle layers of the water column. The Hemp & Halibut Liquid Enhancer on the other hand does contain oil, so it releases plumes of attraction to the surface over a long period of time. If you use the correct combination of liquids, it doesn’t matter what depth the carp are sitting at, because the liquid attractors will draw them straight towards your hookbait. Stick mixes can be used in a variety of different scenarios. They are perfect for nicking bites when the fishing is tough but, on the other hand, they are also brilliant for drawing the
H emp & Hali Cru sh Salted N ut Crus h Super S eaweed F lavour Currami Shaker Booster C lo u d H emp & Halibut Liquid
carp straight to your hookbait when you’re fishing over large beds of particles or boilies. Although I’ve had great results on the stick mix listed in this article, you may have your own idea about what ingredients you’d like to use. The great thing about stick mixes is the fact that you can alter them and customise them to suit the venue you’re fishing. Take a look at the complex range of groundbaits, liquids and Flavour Shakers that the Sonubaits team has created. If you experiment with them, you could end up creating a winning concoction that could see you annihilate your current target water. Like with any tactic in carp fishing, if it doesn’t get used very often it can be extremely effective. While other anglers are concentrating on the latest whacky rig, try increasing the attraction around your hookbaits using PVA sticks. You will not be disappointed!
Stick mixes will draw carp straight to your hookbaits
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