TYPE OF BAIT: Quality boilies for most of my fishing-XLR8/KG1, a bucket of floaters in the van during the warmer months.
WHY YOUR FAVORITE: The developments in boilie ingredients and production has in my mind been responsible for the weight gains we have seen carp achieve over the last twenty years. In my experience of boilie fishing, a large scattering of boilies using a throwing stick gets the carp moving in between baits which in turn helps my rigs do their job when the fish right themselves to search for the next boilie.
HOW TO USE BAIT: The boilie can be used in many different forms: whole,halved,chopped or crumbed in bags,sticks or using pva tape. If I had a margin spot going that I could bait by hand I would mix whole and broken boilies, for further out in the lake I use a throwing stick with whole baits over a wider area-if weed growth allowed, if not then a smaller spot amongst weed would be baited with a spod, if using bags then I would use crumb and broken baits- the list of possibilites is endless really.

SET UP : Bottom baits, snowman rigs with a nice scattering of boilies in the vicinity.
PLACE TO FISH : Redesmere, Hush-Hush north west syndicate, Wellington country park(06-08), Acton burnell top lake.
SWIM: Wherever the fish are! If I had to narrow it down: Redesmere-the stream, Acton top lake- the conker tree.

My first twenty- many many moons ago. Boxing day 94 catching the then lake record at capesthorne hall 32lb 2oz then the following september catching the male common from redesmere at 37lb 5oz. Lake record floater caught carp from a private syndicate. Catching an old history fish from the pad lake. First forty and a brace of forties from wellington. Catching the big common from Acton bottom lake. BCSG membership.

TIP 1: Your eyes,ears and determination to suceed are your biggest assests, use them day and night to locate fish.
TIP 2: The sharpness of your hooks is paramount, check and replace on a regular basis.
TIP 3: Preperation plays a big part in my fishing- spare rigs tied long with no swivel attached are more adaptable to different scenarios, a pot of ready tied stringers or a few pva bag rigs ready to tie on and cast out may nick you an extra fish or two. Organise your kit-make it easy to get fishing quickly should an opportunity arise.

Carry on enjoying my fishing, I have a new syndicate water from march 2010 onwards so I need to get to grips with the lake, it's moods and it's inhabitants. My sessions will be shorter but hopefully more regular this season which should also sharpen my approach and lighten my overworked barrows load!. Using the new XLR8 bait and a few sexy edges from the richworth stable in my fishing this year.