Bait

Stick mixes and liquids are among the best forms of baits to use at this time of year – maximum smell and attraction but limited feed to fill the carp up; you want them to look, but pick up your hook bait in a competitive feeding scenario. Available in a range of sweet and savoury/fishy flavours, Bait Aktivator is the perfect liquid to boost pellets, boilies and particles or to add a cloudy element to spod mixes. Stickmix is ready to use straight from the bag and with an almost moist texture you can form neat little parcels of attractive feed around your hook bait in an instant, with the use of some PVA mesh. I would also like to try and mix it with a few of the liquids to see if it’s possible to make a Method groundbait mix that will explode, releasing various effective attractors throughout your swim.

Never has a more appropriate name been given to a product, as the rest of the DHP office staff will testify after we accidentally sprayed some on bait while indoors. The smell is not offensive, we’ve likened it to beef-flavoured Hula Hoops, but it lingers for days. Herein lies its strength. Just one spray onto a hook bait, floater or zig and, unlike many additives, it stays on the bait for a very long time, multiple casts in fact.

A blend of finely ground tiger nuts and mixed particles, rounded off with palatable enhancersRRP: £7. 90 for 2kgContact: 01920 438338or www. baitfeedonline. co.

A selection of various shaped and flavoured shelf-life boilie offcuts. Great for prebaiting and good value too. RRP: £14. 99 for 5kgContact: 01920 438338 or www.

We review some of the best carp catchers that money can buy. Matching pellets to the Graze boilies. The mixed sizes ensure fast release of attractants and keep carp grubbing around. TOTAL ANGLING Graze PelletsRRP: £8.

We review some of the best carp catchers that money can buy. BERKLEY Gulp! Squid Liver BoiliesDescription: Shelf-life boilies that are packed with natural ingredients and soluble attractants. They have a unique smell and should catch you carp throughout the year. Squid flavours and liver extract give these boilies their unique taste and smell.

We review some of the best carp catchers that money can buy. KENT PARTICLES Mixed Combo Pellet Description: If you’re looking for a large mixture of pellets, Kent Particles has the solution. With good nutritional levels and a variety of shapes, sizes and flavours, it’s a winner. They prove excellent in PVA bags and work well in a spod mix.