This article could be deemed quite topical after reading Graham’s article in the March issue of Coarse Fisherman magazine, in which he mentioned how some anglers feel they have to either slot themselves into a certain section of angling or are slotted into these sections by other anglers!

It is with this in mind that I relate my own experience along these lines, but my experience included both my baits and me!

I fished a water a couple of years ago on a guest ticket and arrived early evening to see the final period of a seniors match in progress. I checked if it was okay to fish and was told that I was most welcome but it hadn’t been doing that well for the match.


Turbo tench water
I set up and cast out, my Fish & Nut paste on the quiver rod and a 12mm soaked pellet on the buzzer rod. It wasn’t very long before the tip shot round and I was introduced to what I have come to name affectionately as the ‘turbo tench’. These are around the 3-4lb range and go off like maniacs. Shortly after the buzzer had me on the rod again and after a tussle that belied the size of the fish a 12lb common came to the net. While I was re-baiting I was already making a mental note to check on membership prices when the tip shot round again, this time it was another common of just over 10lb.

As the gentlemen were packing up and weighing in, quite a few took the time to unload their gear at the approach to the path to come and have a chat, which as far as I’m concerned, is always most appreciated. They all introduced themselves, as they knew I was a new face, and asked what the fish weighed. When I mentioned that I had managed four fish to around 25-26lb they laughed and said it was a good job I wasn’t a member as I had won the match! This warm welcome and the pristine fish had made me determined to join and I bade them well and settled back in the chair.

MR WRIGGLES FRUIT & NUT PASTE

It took a long while for Mr Wriggles to get this one just right as they didn’t want a paste that could only be used on the pole or float, they wanted a paste that could stand up to a cast and would last long enough on the hook.

It is unlike any other paste available and literally oozes oils and attractants. To make the best of its binding qualities they recommend using one egg and slowly adding the mix until it is of the required consistency. Any unused paste can be frozen for later use.

It’s £ 1.50 for 500g direct from Mr Wriggles

I had two more tench on the quiver and one more low double carp on the buzzer before I gave in and packed the quiver rod away to replace it with another buzzer rod due to the failing light. As dusk came I noticed a few more younger anglers than the previous gents (not too hard as the ‘boy’ in the match was 60 plus) setting up. Well, I had a cracking evening’s fishing totalling over 55lb of tench, carp and a couple of crucians and vowed that next time I visited it would be as a fully paid-up member.

This I did a few days later and the fishing just got better, I totalled over 80lb of tench and carp this time for a day’s fishing, including a very nice carp of 15lb 4oz. I noticed that the same group of younger anglers had once again set up on the opposite end of the lake, but could not really see how they were doing due to a long line of beautiful overhanging trees.


Turbo tench for Dave
Getting back to the link with Graham’s article, I was managing at least two sessions a week on this beautiful water and had found that the fish really appreciated my baits and the catches got better and better.

I got to know some of the other members and soon heard of a guy that was ‘cleaning up on here’ and had only recently joined. Things made more sense when I talked to a couple of guys who came past on their way to the ‘bottom’ swims. It seemed that there was a carp angler who was visiting the water and catching everything that swam! As is often the case with younger lads, expletives were in great evidence in their explanation, which went something like, “there’s an effin’ carper that comes here now and catches effin’ everything! He must be usin’ effin’ boilies as they are the only effin’ things that catch like that. It says in the effin’ rule book that they are effin’ banned so he must know he’s breakin’ the effin’ rules!”

It became very evident that the lads I had seen at the other end of the lake on some of my previous sessions had obviously seen my rod pod and buzzers, assumed without talking to me that I was a ‘carp angler’ and that this status obviously meant that the only bait I knew how to use was boilies!

Anyway, one Sunday I was enjoying another fruitful session and got talking to a very nice gent who had brought his young son along for a session. He also relayed a similar version of the same rumour and I felt it was time to come clean. So I told him he was talking to the very same carp angler and I showed him my ‘boilies’.


A nice common from the ‘turbo’ water
We had a good laugh about it and I gave his lad a big ball of the paste and I had a very enjoyable time watching as the lad found the ‘turbo tench’ with it. And no, I have never used a boilie on this water. One of the reasons I joined, apart from the ones stated earlier, is the fact that it reacted so well to paste, pellet and worm.

By no means am I a master angler with the ‘perfect’ fishing bait, as my bank manager will no doubt confirm, but I had total confidence in the baits I was using and used a different approach to a new water – and it worked. I let my membership lapse last year but I will be rejoining this year. Now where did I put that Rod Hutchinson T-shirt and my Fox rucksack!

Seriously though, the nice thing was that I was not under suspicion from the majority of the elder members simply because I had got to know them and was quite open about what baits I was using (well I sell them for a living after all!), and I would have been quite happy to let the guys know what I was using.

But it could have been much worse for me, maybe even going so far as me having my membership revoked and all because I and my baits were ‘labelled’ on ignorance and assumption, just as Graham has mentioned in the past. So well done to you Graham, hopefully you may have done a bit to stop situations like this for others.

Dave says he’s not a master angler but he is most certainly a master baiter. Take a look at his website:

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