Bait Bans

Total Carp Staff  |  Feb 22, 2012  |  First Published: Feb 21, 2012

Question: A few waters near me have boilie and nut bans, so I am curious as to what baits you would use on these venues? Jason Ellis, via www.totalcarpmagazine.com



Marc Coulson says: Bait bans are a bugbear of mine because they usually stem from the fishery owner being misinformed at some stage and, subsequently, making a knee-jerk reaction to the detriment of his anglers and even the fish in the lake. Boilies are the most nutritious carp bait used on a regular basis and such a ban will often stunt the fish’s growth potential.

Nut bans are slightly different because the failure to properly prepare many of the nuts we use can actually lead to problems. It’s rare, but it can happen.
Anyway, as for alternatives, the most obvious one is pellets. Carp love them and they’re extremely versatile and easy to use. Don’t overdo it, though, especially if you’re using particularly oily pellets. Too much oil in the carp’s diet is not always a good thing.

Also, provided you prepare them correctly, or use the ready-to-go ones that so many companies produce these days, particles are another obvious choice. Hemp, corn, maples, chickpeas, mixed seeds and many more effective particles are excellent carp catchers.

In a perfect world you’ll convince the fishery owner that his boilie ban is probably based on flimsy logic, and he may eventually change his mind!

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