How to use liquids to boost your carp fishing baits – Jim Wilson

Having carp fished for decades, I’ve seen the revolution of bait first-hand. There’s so much available to us nowadays, it’s hard to keep your head above water.

One of the main strings to my bow is the use of good-quality liquids in combination with some sustenance.

Liquid ingredients are often denatured when used in boilies and pellets, so it makes sense to include a little extra as compensation. A liquid is the most soluble form of bait you can apply, so it’s going to offer the best levels of attraction.

As with anything in angling, it can be a minefield to the untrained eye, with lots of colours and smells to get your senses around. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with bait these days, but there’s certainly a difference when it comes to the crème de la crème of liquids.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CARP FISHING BAITS IN THIS ARTICLE ABOUT BOILIES.

When best to use them

To get the most from your chosen liquids you need to consider the time of year you’re going to use them. In spring and summer, when the water is warmest, pretty much any liquid goes. It’s only when the water cools in autumn and winter that you should consider shelving a few until the following season.

As a rule, anything with a high oil or fat content is best used in spring and summer. For example, fish oils and potent fishy liquids such as L-Zero-30T are much more effective in warm water than in cool conditions.

Hemp oil is the only exception to the rule because it’s as soluble as an oil can be, which tends to help it be more effective than fish oil in the cooler months.

WANT THE BEST BOILIES FOR YOUR CARP FISHING? CHECK OUT THIS BUYER'S GUIDE.

Boosting loosefeeds

When it comes to applying your chosen liquids, the world is your oyster! You can do anything, from soaking Krill or Manilla boilies in a matching glug to pouring neat liquid foods directly into your Spomb.

We all have our little ways, and I’m going to discuss mine here, but feel free to adapt them to suit your style of fishing or experiment and find your own.

Boilie crumb features heavily in my angling, so long as nuisance fish aren’t a problem, as I find it’s the best form of a boilie. With the outer skin broken, the crumb is so soft and fluffy that the fish can really get through it and gain a huge amount of confidence. I soak mine in a matching glug, which helps to increase its attraction and get it down to the bottom a little quicker, so it’s less affected by undertow and wind.

During summer, I like using a lot of particles mixed with boilie crumb. Depending on how much bait I plan on using, I’ll choose either hemp and corn or hemp, corn and pigeon conditioner. The latter is for big baiting trips, either as a prebait or when I know I can give them some grub.

PICK THE RIGHT PARTICLE BAITS FOR YOUR CARP FISHING IN THIS EXPERT TIPS ARTICLE.

Into this spod mix, I like to add liquids that kick off natural food signals, because with a large quantity of bait you don’t want to introduce anything that could be overpowering. I tend to use either Pure Shrimp Liquid or Pure Calanus Liquid. They’re universal and suit either Manilla or Krill boilie crumb. Being high in natural salt, and rich in free amino acids, the liquids take my mix to the next level.

I can’t recommend adding liquids into your armoury enough! There’s no doubt that they’ve helped me catch bonus fish I wouldn’t have had otherwise. With so few anglers making the extra effort to include them in their baiting, along with the busier banks and extra pressure these days, it pays to think outside the box.

JIM'S TOP THREE LIQUIDS

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