As anglers, we all have our favourite baits for certain species, and once these are established in our minds, it’s often hard to deviate from them. But what do you do when you're on your way to the lake, only to find that your tackle shop is out of the bait you trust most?
This was the predicament Mark Fox faced recently. What began as a planned crucian carp session using casters ended with him catching a new personal best of 4lb 3oz, thanks to foraging a bait many have forgotten in this modern era of angling.
WANT TO CATCH CRUCIAN CARP ON THE FEEDER? CHECK OUT OUR GUIDE TO SOME AWESOME FEEDER FISHING RIGS TO TRY.
“As I drove down to a southern club water for a crucian session, I had it in my head that I’d be fishing with casters," Mark informed us.
“But when I arrived and visited the tackle shop, they were totally sold out! They didn’t have any maggots either, and with the crucians proving tricky this season, plus smaller baits tending to dominate catches, I was a bit stumped as to what I’d do."
“I figured my only real option was to go down the pellet and boilie route, so I settled for a swim that the wind was hacking into and planned to fish the Method feeder, with one rod on a 6mm pellet and the other on a boilie," he said.
As Mark and his friend were chatting and setting up, he noticed an elderberry bush nearby, full of the rich, dark berries it is famous for. After reminiscing about the species they used to catch with them years ago, like roach and chub, and noting how the berries could emulate casters, Mark gathered some elderberries to use instead of pellets and boilies.
IF YOU WANT TO STAY COMFORTABLE ON THE BANK, GET YOURSELF ONE OF THE BEST FISHING CHAIRS.
“I added a few loose berries to my groundbait mix and hooked two berries onto a size 16 instead of a boilie."
"As they’re so soft, there’s a chance you’ll lose one on the cast, so by hooking two I was confident I’d still be left with one on the hook. I had to leave the bait hanging out of the feeder too, as they simply squash if I tried to compact them into the mix," he recalled.
“I gently swung the feeder onto the spot around 10 yards out, and first cast, I caught a tench. It was a confidence booster, and after recasting, it took just 15 minutes before the bobbin smacked against the rod and the alarm screamed off again. I knew that it was a decent fish, but was still amazed to see a huge crucian surface!"
“At 4lb 3oz, it sets a new personal best by 2oz. It was also an immaculate, young-looking fish, which is a good sign for the future."
“That was the last fish I caught on the berries, but I did also add two other crucians of 2lb 7oz and 2lb 5oz using banded pellets."
“To be honest, I’m glad that the tackle shop didn’t have any casters in stock! It made me think about my fishing in a totally different way, and while I wouldn’t want to fish exclusively with elderberries, right now it’s certainly the prime time to use them.”
AS THE WEATHER IS ON THE CHANGE, WHY NOT HAVE A LOOK AT THE BEST FISHING HOODIES TO KEEP WARM AND DRY.
