Bait

High-quality tiger nuts which are cooked inside the tin so as to maximise flavour and attractionRRP: £2. 49Contact: 01473 241811 or www. bait-tech. com.

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

Chilli-chocolate-flavoured, white, bottom baits and pop-ups, round and barrelsRRP: £5. 99Contact: 01952 210535or www. sonubaits. com.

Oil-based, classic liquid flavours including molasses, sweetcorn oil and shellfishRRP: £2. 99 per 250mlContact: 01666 575330 or www. cotswoldbaits. com .

Two-tone, balanced hook baits and matching pineapple dip. Great value!RRP: £10 for two of eachContact: 01246 540140or www. dragoncarpdirect. com.

A fine particle groundbait with 28 active ingredients, designed for the fast release of attractantsRRP: £6. 99 per kiloContact: 0300 3031012 or www. marukyu. co.

I was sent a tub of each flavour of these and asked to take them out and give them a whirl. I immediately discarded the black ones because they made me wretch! I am sure that the carp will like them, though. So far I have caught carp on all of the others, but the orange Fatal Attraction (smell like Chocolate Orange) and pink Optical Illusion (smell like the Old Indian Spice) have by far been the best performers, with the latter being my absolute favourite. I use the small, round pop-ups inside PVA bags and they’re quite easy to balance, especially if they’ve been soaked for a while in the matching liquid.