A miserable autumn day beside a cold, wet and windswept coastal pit saw Lee tucked inside his bivvy when FishingMagic caught up with him but despite the conditions, and despite the fact it was a tough water on a very tough day, he remained optimistic and cheerful.
It was definitely a case of get under shelter and get the kettle on and over steaming mugs of tea Lee talked about the bits and pieces he never leaves home without when he’s on a carp session.
1. Snails and Liquid Green Lipped Mussel
“This is my favourite bait combination of all time” explained Lee, “The snails have been widely available for some time now through a few suppliers but many anglers seem not to be aware of them, which suits me fine!”
Lee soaks the snail shells in Bait-Tech’s Green Lipped Mussel to enhance their attraction and fishes them in spod mixes and PVA bags, often with an Enterprise Tackle artificial snail hookbait – also soaked in the same attractor – fished over the top. “The snails create a brilliant carpet of highly attractive particles which carp just love and which anglers fishing for other species like barbel and chub should also be aware of.” he added.
2. My Cremated Pet Ferret
“OK, so this is a weird one but I could never go fishing without the remains of my much loved and much missed pet ferret! She went everywhere with me when she was alive and she is my lucky mascot now that she is sadly no longer here. You’ll always find her box tucked under my rods, most carp anglers have a lucky mascot they bring with them and sit under their rods and she is mine!”
3. The Kettle
Few session anglers are without a stove and kettle and Lee is no exception.
“This is an obvious one and probably doesn’t need mentioning but you did ask what I could never go carp fishing without – and I could never fish without the kettle. A hot brew is essential to keep me going, especially on days like today!”
4. Solar Tackle Cone
“This is a nice piece of kit, it is ideal for precision shaping hooklengths and shrink tubing and can create whatever angle you require from a really agressive bend to a gradual curve. It is perfect for Chod Rigs as well as the hook section of hinged stiff rigs and I use it for most of my rig making.”
5. ACE Multi-Tool
“Like the cone this is a really simple bit of tackle, but one which is incredibly useful.” said Lee.
“It’s nice and bright in a fluoro colour so it’s difficult to lose, it’s easy to grip, perfectly sized to fit in the tackle box and has three fittings: a loop for safely tightening hooks, a hook to accommodate swivels and rings and a stepped stainless point with two diameters which is perfect for pulling loops in stiff booms or creating small loops when splicing leadcore leaders.”
6. Scissors
“Like the kettle this one probably doesn’t need to be mentioned but all anglers need a decent pair of scissors and these suit me perfectly, they are nice and sharp and great for slicing through braid and mono – job done!”
7. Chilli CSL
“We are back on the bait here” said Lee. “I love corn steep liquor as an attractor and this Bait-Tech version is combined with a nice hint of chilli which is another brilliant attractor and it gives a great edge to any bait. I use it on particles as a soak, in groundbait and spod mixes.”
8. N-Tice and Tuna Oil
“I’m finishing with another of my bait combinations, which has caught me a lot of fish. The N-Tice is a really versatile meaty groundbait which binds up nicely and has loads of attraction on its own but I find it goes particularly well with the tuna oil to create an active mix with loads of pulling attraction.”
