If you don’t want the hassle of fishing solid bags, then I can offer you a few alternatives, or at least some food for thought. Not everyone can or has the time to pre-bait, so in these conditions it’s time to think outside the box.
Let’s start with fishing singles and what colour pop ups to use. It’s written that a fish’s eyesight diminishes during winter, so this is why you read so many articles telling you to go for bright colours. Aside from that, have you ever thought about water clarity or colour?
In crystal clear water I crack open the fluoro white pop ups, as this not only gives you a washed out looking hook bait, but will stand out perfectly on those silty area’s you’re targeting. In these crystal clear waters and with heavily pressured day ticket fish, this could just be the alternative edge you need. So the next time you’re out give a little thought for the water clarity – if it’s crystal clear you know what to do. An alternative to this is a dark red pop up, again think of the contrast on the bottom, as well as hopefully keeping the bird life at bay. Consider adding a sweet dip for an additional dimension to your bait. I glaze a few several days before I go. This way it doesn't affect buoyancy, but does give you extra pulling power.
Give a little thought to how the liquids might disperse in colder water. An easy way to do this is to place the rig in a glass of cold water. Check this ever 30 minutes to see what’s happening to the pop up. If you want to really test it to the extreme simply place the glass in the fridge. It’s attention to detail like this that will give you the confidence and save you time. A liquid that congeals will add little attraction value to your bait, where as something that disperses better in cold water, vodka or hemp oil for example, will give you much more attraction and enhance your chances.
It seems like every weekend lately has been filled with rain, so unless you’re double bagging your solid bags they could easily split open before you get them out in the water. To wade out into the lake 35 yards in shallow water to cast a solid bag is a disaster waiting to happen. I also find the PVA bag prone to leaving residue around the top of the lead stem in the cold water we’re still seeing at this time of year and reduces my confidence when presenting a quick meal for my intended target. My alternative is a cured hook bait.
Cured hook baits are high leakage and often hardened, so unlike a solid bag that might be cleared out by small fish, these baits will slowly leak attractants for hours and remain resilient to unwanted attention. They are also perfect for fishing silt areas in winter, as they retain their smell where regular baits would be quickly overtaken by smelly silt. When thinking about flavours and bait dips for your cured hook baits, go for the ethyl based ones. These are not affected so much by cold-water conditions – again you can test these out in the fridge or glass of cold water.
I have also been drilling my baits out and plugging them with cork, but if you add a pop up for a snowman rig, you can enjoy the benefit of high leakage and the sight attractor of a fluoro pop up.
Here’s my quick tip to create your own cured hook baits.
1) Take about 30 boilies out the freezer and place in an air dry bag for 24hrs.
2) Then place the boilies in a freezer bag, adding enough glycerin to coat all the baits, leaving them for a further 24hrs.
3) Then add some of your desired bait dip and leave for another 24hrs.
4) When the 24hrs is up place back in the freezer ready for your next session.
I will often make my balanced rigs up the night before, placing them in a tub with a little bait dip till the time I need them. To get the best out of your rigs, fill a large bowl with water, cut different lengths of cork and test how much will change your hook bait from balanced to a wafter. Simply lift the bait in the water and watch how it falls too. This will tell you if your hook is turning as you expect. You can do the same with different sized pop ups creating the perfect snowman rig. It’s attention to detail like this that takes away any doubt and ensures you are fishing 100% effectively.
