| Other than your carp fishing rods, reels, buzzers | | | | item is not just limited to actual fishing, but can |
| and bivvy, there are several items of tackle that | | | | help you out in the camping, cooking and any |
| despite their relative insignificance I'd be hard | | | | number of essential tasks you'll need to undertake |
| pressed to fish without when I venture abroad on | | | | while carp fishing. However, tying a rig or |
| my carp fishing holiday in France. Some items it is | | | | preparing your end tackle you'll certainly need a |
| worth stocking up on to avoid running out and | | | | set of sharp scissors, and or a knife. Once you |
| others literally make the difference between | | | | have a fish in he bank you often need a pair of |
| fishing effectively and blanking. | | | | pliers to remove the hook. To this end I always |
| | | | carry both a Swiss army knife and a Leatherman |
| 1. Catapult: Baiting up is an essential part of my | | | | Tool. Why both? Well the Leatherman as 'almost' |
| fishing as I imagine it is for most carp anglers. To | | | | perfect as it is... doesn't have a corkscrew... I |
| this end one item of tackle that effects hugely | | | | guess they don't drink much wine in Oregon!!! |
| how I fish, how accurately I fish and thus my | | | | 6. Spod Rod: A spod doesn't necessarily mean |
| results is a decent catapult. I've been using | | | | you want to bait up at distance. While you can |
| Drennan & Fox Catapults for a long while | | | | bait up well in excess of 100 yards with a Korda |
| now and I find the form, and shape of the cup | | | | spod and a correct rod, I often like to use them |
| perfect for accurately placing boilies and particles | | | | as simple bait droppers and place a spod of bait in |
| at up to 50 yards. I couldn't really imagine not | | | | the margins or at short distances. A catapult can |
| having a couple of these items in my bag. Elastics | | | | do a good job but it spreads the bait all over the |
| break regularly so you need to have a back up. | | | | swim. Often a spod of hemp or pellet right on the |
| While a baiting stick can suffice, if you need to | | | | bait can be more advantages than a wide bed of |
| bait effectively between 30 and 50 yards you | | | | food. |
| can't beat a good catapult. | | | | 7. PVA: I carry string, tape bags and funnel |
| 2. Baiting needle & boilie drill: I carry a whole | | | | netting in my bag. All have their own application |
| variety of these in duplicate, as they all serve | | | | and used in the right way these will all catch you |
| purposes and are all essential at some point. I use | | | | so many fish. PVA is a brilliant invention. I'll leave |
| short needles for simply putting a boilie on the hair | | | | the various uses for another articles but suffice it |
| to long ones for adding stringers or multiple baits | | | | to say, I have a whole choice that I carry with |
| to a rig. Secondly I'll have a drill so I can put a | | | | me and it will give me a perfect presentation for |
| hole in hard baits and pop ups. One of the | | | | a whole host of fishing situations. The possibilities |
| problems I've found even with the stainless | | | | are endless!!! |
| versions is that you can easily break off the hook. | | | | 8. Spare batteries: Ok how many items of tackle |
| I therefore carry everything in at least duplicate. | | | | now work on batteries. Buzzers, cameras, |
| Without these items I can't fish... so they are | | | | electronic scales, headlamps, torches, etc... So |
| essential. | | | | you'll need to be carrying a whole host of |
| 3. Marker float rod: How can any angler cast out | | | | different sorts. Fortunately they are all common |
| without knowing over what he is fishing? I see so | | | | and can be bought in any service station, |
| many anglers turn up at my lakes and not have a | | | | newsagent or supermarket Europe wide. Most |
| marker rod... This really amazes me!! Ok, if you | | | | common ones are PP3, Triple A & AA. |
| see a fish crash out or it is obvious where they | | | | 9. Binoculars: Ok maybe not essential, but if you |
| are you can cast without first plumbing. But if you | | | | can accurately see where the fish are moving |
| are setting out for a week in a peg, you need to | | | | you can put a bait on them and maybe bag a |
| know what you have to fish to. Features can be | | | | carp to two that you didn't think would come to |
| obvious like islands or weed beds, but finding the | | | | your net. I've often woken to see movement as |
| exact limits of the later or gravel bars, silt beds or | | | | distance, and need confirmation that it is carp and |
| deep holes requires some investigation. The only | | | | that they look like they are feeding... Coypu, coots |
| practical way to do this from the bank is with a | | | | and Muscrats all do a great imitation of a carp, so |
| marker rod and float. Finally once you have found | | | | an accurate identification can see you perhaps |
| an areas you think merit a bait placed on it, you | | | | land an extra fish. Then you have bubblers. If you |
| simply pop up the float and you have a perfect | | | | can follow the direction a feeding fish is moving |
| target to cast to and to bait up to. | | | | then you have a chance of placing a bait in its |
| 4. Petzl head light: If you are planning on fishing | | | | path and picking up a bonus fish. All this is helped |
| nights you'll need some form of light. Ok the old | | | | by having a decent set of pocket bins you can |
| Kevin Maddocks style of fishing totally without | | | | use to spot activity. |
| lights, is not mine, I don't though, advocate using | | | | 10. Stove: Finally this one is for me coz I can fish |
| halogen or petrol lamp, left to burn all night. | | | | much more effectively if I have regular fixes of |
| Nowadays you have variety of discrete LED | | | | caffeine. So I always carry a stove. For years it |
| headlamps, the most robust and useful being the | | | | was a Coleman, but this meant smelly unleaded |
| Petzl Tikka. I've used these for a number of | | | | fuel and blocked generators.. Recently the gas |
| years and they emit a nice diffused, yet | | | | stoves have improved immensely over the basic |
| nonetheless bright beam. The batteries last | | | | Campingaz ones from a few years back. Now |
| forever and the are sufficiently small and discrete | | | | Primus for instance do brilliant ones for reasonable |
| to permit you to sleep with them on your head. | | | | price. |
| 5. Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman Multi-tool: This | | | | |