Specialist bait cannot be developed from a laboratory. Correctly designed bait only comes together after hundreds of hours of effort and extensive field testing. In other words we have to go fishing, on lots of different venues, to see if the bait really works!

I first started selling bait in 1978, and I confess to have made lots of mistakes since then. More than 30 years later I am still as enthusiastic as ever, and I am keen to help others catch fish and avoid making the mistakes that I have made! My bait formulations focus on carp and barbel, both of these species share common tastes and diets. The new range of bait for 2010 capitalizes on this food link and I am very pleased to launch taste4carp and taste4barbel for this year.

The increasing popularity of fishmeal based bait, and the heavy use of fish pellets, were the catalyst for my idea to create a different bait concept. Carp and barbel derive much of their diet from angler’s bait. I therefore decided to try recipes that were nutritionally different to that which others anglers were using. I wanted an instantly effective bait but also one that would continue working long-term. This is important, since we know fish always return to eat a food that is nutritionally beneficial.

I made several new recipes, mostly by using ingredients that I already trusted, but also including new ingredients from the food industry. These baits were adjusted for both carp and barbel diets. I substituted the fishmeal based ingredients with meat, milk and vegetable proteins.

My theory was to provide fish with a totally alternative food source, rendering my own bait completely different to others.

Fortunately, the new theory worked, and a fishing pattern soon emerged. Bites and action came thick and fast, as carp and barbel reacted positively to the new nutritious food source. The best response came on fisheries where pellets or poor-food-value bait was being used. I started this bait concept more than 8 years ago, and I can safely say that very few fishing baits have ever had such a long period of field testing! Results using the new taste formula have been fantastic, and I am looking forward to sharing these ideas with others.

Specimen hunting for big carp and barbel has produced all sorts of good ideas and techniques.  Many of these ideas are found by accident, and many are found by luck. A famous sportsman was once told by a spectator that he was lucky. The sportsman’s reply was a classic one. “Yes” he said. “It’s a funny thing. But the more I practice, the luckier I get!”

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