How to prime a spot
What does 'priming an area’ mean? How do they go about this and what sort of area do I look for? What should the baiting situation involve? Martin Hales, via e-mail
Paul Hatton says: “‘Priming an area’ means that you are introducing bait beforehand to give you an edge when you are fishing. It is a fact that carp are far easier to catch when they are feeding confidently but to get the best out of this method it requires a little thought.
“I like to look for areas that are overlooked which seems to be the best way on many of today’s pressured venues. It maybe that there is an area which is not so accessible to anglers because of a long walk; it could be that a swim is too awkward to fish because it’s too overgrown. The carp will already spend time in these safer areas as they are less pressured but wary fish will know something isn’t right if you just turn up and fish.
“Simply putting bait into these areas a day or two before you fish will give you an advantage but a campaign over a longer period of time is far better. Introducing bait twice a week for a month or two will have a greater effect.
The quantity required much depends on the number of fish in the lake so feel your way in. Particles are a cost effective way of getting carp to feed in your chosen area but try to include a good quality boilie that will basically give the fish everything it needs. If the area isn’t fished they will become confident that the food here is safe to eat which will make the cutest of carp very catchable!
“Try baiting two or three areas in case you are rumbled by other anglers or simply can’t get on your primed areas. Keep an eye on your areas while you aren’t fishing, the spots will become cleaner by the day as the fish feed, light weed and debris will be shifted leaving a perfect dinner table on which the carp will happily feed as often as possible. That’s what I called a primed area – now get fishing!”