A new year and a new range of Bankside goodies are ready to be released. The new D-LIVER range has been tested thouroughly and has taken plentiful captures to over 50lb already. D-liver has a superb meaty taste and smell that is instantly recognisable as a nutritious food source. Combining our exceptional liver powder, special blend of flavours and taste enhancers this bait offers a real alternative and more importantly is completely different from most baits available today. If you're looking for that edge this year, then why not give it a try.

D-Liver will be available in 12mm and 16mm, these are boiled for a minimum time to ensure maximum nutritional value is retained. Matching Pop Ups, Shelf Life paste, Xtract and Bag mix is all available providing a complete range for all fishing situations.

D-Livering The Goods Already

Someone who has been doing rather well this winter whilst testing the D-Liver range is Nigel Williams from Cheltenham. This pristine 31lb 8oz common from a tricky undisclosed venue is one of only a few fish banked this winter, so well done Nige. A glugged D-liver pop up over a scattering of freebies was the successful tactic. Nige Commented 'There are quite a few anglers baiting areas all the time on this venue, so I needed a bait that was different and one that I would have confidence in. Judging by the fish showing over the spots all the time, D-Liver certainly encourages interest and will be my first choice for this year'.

Team Bankside member Stuart Morgan is certainly no stranger to big barbel and with less than 48 hours of the river season left he's struck yet again with this stunning 14lb 3oz specimen landed during a short evening session.

Stuart commented 'this fish fell to a boilie hookbait fished alongside a PVA bag of Grubber Pellets and is a great way to finish off the season.'

The underwater world always fascinates carp anglers, and in this exciting new series Rob Hughes dons a snorkel and has a look at bait presentations, tactics, how rigs behave and also see some stunning carp footage of the creatures that we love in their natural environment.

Bankside Tackle will be one of the first to get stocks of this brand new DVD, but if you can't wait until then please click here for a preview of what Carp: Above and below is all about. 

AWESOME UNDERWATER FOOTAGE 

Part 1 of Carp: Above and Below sees the team venture out to the awesome Abbey Lakes complex in northern France where the fish are pretty clued up and the water very clear. Join Rob Hughes and pals Jon “Shoes” Jones (aka The Trickster) and Lee Croson on a fantastic session where the lads catch some incredible fish giving their tactics for success. We investigate the deadly “parachute bag” method and see exactly why it is so successful with slo –mo underwater footage of what happens when your rig hits the bottom. In addition we look at a fantastic stringer presentation with a twist, and also how to get the best from your hook link set ups. It’s enlightening stuff and Rob manages to land a stunning 57lb Abbey mirror in the process showing his tactics are bang on. 

TIPS FROM THE BRITISH CHAMPS

The 2008 British Carp Angling Champions Jon Finch and Ian Poole join us to give an insight into some of the strategies and baits that netted them the top prize in UK Carp angling and bag a 40lb common and a 50lb mirror in the process. Finchy has been out to Abbey a few times before and applies his wide range of knowledge but it’s Pooley's first trip so we can see the approach from two different angles and how successful these boys can be. 

ADVANCED BAIT BOAT USE

There is no question that using a bait boat can increase your success, and Viper’s Keith Williams lets you in on some of the advanced ways you can use a boat. We look at the use of bait boats, how they drop their bait, what the presentation looks like and also some advanced tips and tricks to give you an edge. 

The beginning of the year always sees lots of new products launched and the latest gadgets from the ESP stable never disappoint. By popular demand the ESP Curve-Shanx are added to the increasing hook range. If you're a fan of Korda Kurv's or Kamasan Carp Maxx, then these new ESP hooks will certainly have a place in the tackle box. Super sharp, Teflon coated and a gradual curve, this hook will turn over and grab hold of rig cautious carp. Available in all the regular and intermediate sizes.

Next up are the ESP Ready Tied Leadcore Leader Helicopter Rigs. Now available in 1m and 1.5m lengths and in four colours: Weedy Green, Original Camo, Sandy Gravel and Choddy Silt all with colour coded beads and sleeves. These are the best ready tied leaders on the market; perfect splices everytime, reliable and safe and a testament to ESP high standards. These will also be available in the Bolt Clip version later in the year.

The Original Ghost Hooklink has been a popular seller for anglers wanting a stiff Fluorocarbon Hooklink, but can be limiting on its presentations. The New ESP Soft Ghost is limp and supple and ideal for a wide variety of more flexible rigs and presentations. Its other characteristic of being denser than water also helps the rig to lie tight to the bottom. ESP Soft Ghost is available in 10lb, 12lb, 15lb and 18lb breaking strains.

Using the correct rig when fishing solid bags is absolutely critical to their success, and this is the rig I've been using for my own fishing since 1999. Some of the rig components have changed since that time, but the basic set up of a very short braided hooklink has remained exactly the same.

STEP 1

These are the components you will need to tie up my preferred solid bag rig.

STEP 2

Cut 7 inches of Supernatural braid off the spool and tie a small loop in one end.

STEP 3

Add the hookbait of your choice. The bait shown is a Richworth Tutti Boilie Pellet which are brilliant in solid bags.

STEP 4

With a hookbait on the hair it's now easy to get the length exactly right. I prefer a small gap between the hookbait and the hook.

STEP 5

For the knotless know I prefer 8 turns around the hook shank.

STEP 6

I like to add a short length of 0.75mm silicon tube to enhance the turning effect of the hook.

STEP 7

Cut down a Korda Anti Tangle Sleeve as shown and thread the short piece onto your hooklink.

STEP 8

I tie my hooklink to the swivel with a four turn Grinner Knot. A hooklink of around 4 inches is a good starting point. 

STEP 9

Push the shortened Anti Tangle Sleeve over the eye of the swivel.

STEP 10

Warm up some rig putty to make it more pliable.

STEP 11

Add a small piece to middle of hooklink.

STEP 12

The finished rig. Simple but very effective when fished inside a solid PVA bag.

Good luck, and keep checking back for more 'How To's' very soon.

Solid bagging is a great method that's still way underused on a great many venues both at home and abroad. It's certainly my favoured way of fishing bags, and this is how I tie them up.

RIGS AND BAIT

My favoured rig for bagging couldn't be simpler and consists of a Korda Square Pear Inline Lead and a 4 inch Korda SuperNatural hooklink. Keep an eye out for a future 'How To' when I will be showing exactly how to tie up this rig.

For a bag mix I much prefer a mixture of small pellets and usually go for a mix of Grubbers and Mini Grubbers, or the ready mixed Mini Mass. Hookbait choice is a personal thing of course, but one of my current favourites are the new Fruit Bomb Pop Ups. For a more subtle approach I favour a single 14mm K-G-1 bottom bait with a few extra broken up baits also added to my bag mix.  

STEP 1

Start off by layering a small handful of Bankside Mini Mass pellet into the bottom of the PVA bag.

STEP 2

If you're using any bait in your bag mix that could foul the point of the hook, you can protect it by hooking on a very small piece of water soluble foam.

STEP 3

Place you hookbait into the bag in this position. For clarity I've shown the rig still on top of the bag.

STEP 4

Carefully fill the bag half full with pellet and at the same time layer the hooklink from side to side. The lead can now be pushed into the top of the pellet.

STEP 5

It's important not to overfill the bag with bait at this stage, leaving yourself plenty of PVA to work with.

STEP 6

Twist the top of the bag.

STEP 7

Tie off with a couple of overhand knots of PVA tape.

STEP 8

Start to shape the bag into a casting shape by pshing in the two corners.

STEP 9

You should get a loose flap of PVA on each corner.

STEP 10

Moisten with salive and stick each corner to the bottom of the bag. Try and get the bag as tight as you possibly can as this will help with casting accuracy.

STEP 11

Carefully trim up any excess PVA.

STEP 12

The finished bag ready to go.

Keep checking the 'How To' section for many more features over the coming months.

Team Bankside