To My Younger Self By Joe Morgan

If I could have a word with my younger self, the first thing I’d say is, “Don’t start smoking!” It’s a ridiculous habit that I’ve still not managed to kick. Fishing-wise, there is a whole host of advice I’d like to give my youngest self. However, Joe (the editor) has asked me to concentrate on one area, so I shall try… 

Natural baits, i.e., maggots, worms and casters, were seldom used during my early carp-fishing days. They seemed to be deemed a waste of time, given that everything in the lake wanted to eat them. The first time I realised their unique power, and their superiority over any other bait was during my time on Dream Lakes. Every year, when the lake shut at the start of October, the bailiffs would have a week’s fishing. The rest of the time calendar we’d have just the odd dabble. Seven-day weeks and eleven-hour days were pretty tiring as it was, but add a few bites during the night and they would soon start taking their toll. It would affect both your energy levels and your enthusiasm for fishing.

We were all buzzing at the prospect of a whole week’s fishing without having to cook, clean and look after people. It has been mentioned many a time that all you needed to do to haul during this week was use peanuts and hemp. Every previous year, these tactics had resulted in crazy hits for those fishing—obviously because the baits were banned when the lakes were open. 

Having cooked up a load of hemp and peanuts, we couldn’t wait to start emptying the gaff. To cut a long story short, though, three nights into the week, no one had caught anything. One of the bailiffs even stopped fishing and packed up in a sulk, much to the amusement of others.

Before leaving the lake, one of the remaining group of anglers left me two pints of maggots that had died after being suffocated for too long. Wondering whether naturals might make a difference, I used a splicing needle to thread a good number onto a hair, before trapping them in a tight bunch. My rig comprised a simple Knotless Knot tied with soft braid, a size 6 hook and 3oz inline lead. Before chucking it out to a bubbler, I hooked on a small mesh bag filled with dead maggots. The rig had been in the water no more than ten minutes before I banked an upper-thirty.

Over the next two days, I caught fairly consistently, until the action stopped completely. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’d run out of maggots!

Thanks to Rob Maylin’s Mag-Aligner and his incredible results at Sandhurst, maggots appeared on the front pages of carp-fishing publications for probably the very first time. Rob was catching carp twice a week that usually saw the bank only once a year!

Although maggots have now become a common bait for winter carp fishing, they can also bring exceptional results during the warmer months. In recent years, I’ve used maggots to good effect where locals have said they’re a waste of time. Shallow areas not usually frequented by bream and tench can be great places to pre-bait with maggots. I’m not talking loads, either. Often, just a handful is plenty. I like to bait a few spots on my way around a water, and on my next lap, if I see that any are gone, I’ll shoot off and get a rod. Carp simply can’t ignore the food signal given off by maggots, worms and casters. Their predatory instinct kicks in and they can’t resist having a snuffle. Even if you merely add a pint to a bucket of spod mix, the mix will be 100 per cent more attractive and will no doubt help you catch more fish.

Tipping hookbaits with a few maggots is a good way of gauging whether other, smaller fish are eating your free offerings. They also add loads more attraction to your hookbait. Rather than superglue, I use a braid needle and thread them onto a hair. I believe more attraction will then ooze out of them—I can’t stand superglue and will avoid it at all costs.

As a tip, I’d suggest cutting off a tiny piece of rubber corn, or something similar, and threading it onto your needle before your maggots or worms. It will grip the hair and allow you to get your stop in place.

Another piece of advice I’d offer my younger—and indeed older—self, is not to be afraid of chucking a bunch of slow-sinking maggots or worms in front of carp if you can get close enough to them. Watching Alan Blair hook a couple of fish using this tactic about 15 years ago on Church Pool was a massive eye-opener.

I wasn’t at all happy with how I was fishing, having been unable to find any spots whatsoever. Up at 3.30 the next morning, I found a load of fish milling around just under the surface on the end of a gentle breeze. It was the height of summer and super hot, even though the sun was still a way off coming up. 

I shot back to my swim and bodged up a slow-sinking worm set-up. After I’d returned, it was clear that a large group of hippo-sized remained, and I wasted no time in picking out the biggest of the bunch. After four casts in front of him, he finally stuck his fin up at me in disgust. He then headed out into the lake, never to return. I knew that it was likely they’d all do the off once I hooked one, so I wanted to try and pick out a nice one.

Another big common appeared from my left. He’ll do, Morgan, I thought. The cast couldn’t have been better, and the worm fluttered down gently in his path. This one was far more into the idea of having worms for breakfast and he inhaled the lot at the first time of asking. As I struck into him, he turned. I then had full view of his length, and pristine dark wood carving of a body. A fairly short battle ensued, and a few bum squeaks later, an incredible 38lb common fell into the folds of my net.

Surprisingly, they didn’t spook from of the area. I managed to bank a couple more using the same tactic before packing up and heading home.

To sum up, I would say to my younger self, “Don’t be afraid to try naturals. They will always outfish any other baits, wherever you can get away with using them.” Never try, never know!