Refined winter hookbaits you need to try

Tiger Nuts: Plugged and Unplugged

These two bangers come courtesy of Korum’s Brand Manager, Mat Woods. They are refined, balanced, attractive and have a little sight bob (in the case of the ‘Re-Plugged’ version, there’s three!). Here’s how Mat puts the two presentations together, starting with the ‘Tiger Plug’…

1. Using a Corer Drill (Nash do them), score out a plug of tiger nut, leaving a neat hole through the middle of the nut (you can use that bit later…)

2. Now push the plunger down and it will reveal this little pellet of creamy nutty goodness.

3. Next, using a pair of scissors (or knife), trim one end of the plug down as flat as possible…

4. This is so an Avid Carp Sight Stop (you need the ‘Short’ version), which is the same diameter, fits neatly and perfectly on top.

5. You can use any colour Sight Stop for this, but Mat prefers good old yellow.

1. If you’re using the Tiger Plugs, you’ll also get one of these left behind, perfect for balancing out.

2. Mat uses yellow foam to plug the gap. Again, most available foam sticks fit the hole perfectly. Trim the foam down so it sits flush against the sides of the tiger, providing a sight bob.

3. An Avid Carp Sight Stop provides another little sight bob, so you have one from all angles.

4. The finished rig works wonders as a single hookbait, or over baited spots as a slow sinker.

David Meek’s Germ Rig

We apologise. If you purchased last month’s edition you’ll have already seen this in the ESP supplement which came free with the issue. However, because it’s such a great maggot arrangement we decided we just had to give it some more column inches for those that missed it.

1. Whip on a size 4 Para-Point hook to a 12-inch length of coated braid using the Knotless Knot. Add a Hook Rig Swivel to the tag end and then create a ‘D’.

2. At the other end, tie on a Uni-Link Swivel using a Figure-Of-Eight-Loop Knot.

3. Now take a 6mm pop-up, slice the top off with a Stanley blade and push this down onto the barrel of the swivel. The easiest way to do this is to pass some bait floss through the Hook Swivel, thread on the pop-up using a baiting needle and then position it onto the swivel’s barrel.

4. You then need to use a sewing needle to thread on your seven maggots to the bait floss before securing it to the Hook Swivel using a couple of Granny Knots.

Peperami Arrangement

The deliciously greasy and spicy goodness that is Peperami, is up there with maggots and Richworth’s Tuttis as one of the all-time winter classics. Whilst it’s deadly just fished as a disc cut straight from its stick, here’s a couple of other ways to fish it, and make it seem that little bit more attractive to the carp…

1. Just like the tiger nut tricks, you want to fish this on a very delicate rig: a small, aggressive hook with a supple, exposed end section in the hooklink.

2. Now cut off a piece of Peperami, mount it lengthways onto your baiting needle and then trim off the edges.

3. Take a piece of rig foam (pick whichever colour you fancy) and trim it down. Thread these both onto the Hair and then secure with a bait stop. Attach a teeny PVA bag of micro pellets and the small cut-offs of Peperami.

1. The second means of presenting a piece of Peperami is based around the same theme as the Tiger Plug. Using the Corer Drill, punch out a piece of Peperami.

2. Thread this onto your Hair and then add your Sight Stop.

3. And just like the previous presentation, attach that small PVA bag of mini pellets and cut-offs of Peperami.