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STRINGING THE SEASONS TOGETHER… Posted by John Kneebone

Southwest carper, John Kneebone reveals his simple tactics and minimal approach for early spring bites!

The simple yet overlooked PVA stringer!

The ‘transitional' period between seasons can be a tricky time to fish for carp, and I think early spring can be one of the most difficult. Yes, the days are now warmer and longer and the carp are also responding to the improved conditions with increased activity - it feels like it should be all systems go! It's easy to think its time to reach for that big bait bucket and give it to ‘em, and sometimes it is, but very often we're still on an amber light so to speak, we've not quite hit green.

So, what is the answer? Well, for me there are some methods that go a long way in solving the problem or rather prevent you from getting things seriously wrong in the first place, and those are PVA tactics. Now before we deep dive into the mechanics of PVA stringers and PVA mesh presentations, I firstly want to talk about one of the main reasons behind their success at this time of year - and that is the boilie and a boilie approach!

As a self-stamped ‘boilie angler' one of the first things I'm looking to do at the start of the season is introduce a ‘food-source' boilie to begin installing bait confidence in the fish for long term results throughout the season. This could of course be reintroducing higher levels of a boilie from the previous season - and even if I'm fishing multiple day ticket venues where I may not have long-term results in mind, boilies will still be my primary bait approach.

The appetite of the carp will steadily rise from increased activity, as well as a growing instinct to gain condition and energy to spawn. The boilie answers this dietary need, so choosing a good quality boilie with a high and easily digested nutritional value is an absolute must for me. When the carp are clearly hungry and up for a feed then great, I have something I can give them in larger quantities, but when baiting levels are unclear, I still have a bait that I can apply minimally with great effect. One bait with a wide spectrum of applications that all support each other, which ever one I choose to employ. In simple terms, whether it's a kilo of freebies or just three baits on a stringer, I'm still giving the carp something they want, something they need and therefore something that will generate bites!

THE SIMPLE STRINGER

Firstly, for those of you unaware, PVA stringers were invented way back in the day, when one bright angler (I don't know who) discovered PVA string - product that melts in water. Meaning you could thread baits onto the string, tie that onto the hook and once cast out onto the lakebed the string would melt away leaving the free baits right next to the hookbait. Nowadays PVA tape is more prevalent to string, but the term ‘stringer' remains.

In the present day, it's crazy to think how underused PVA stringers are, I mean think about it? You're hookbait is sat next to a few similar baits that not only add extra attraction but also go some way to disguise the fact there is also a ‘dangerous' hookbait in situ. The risk of over feeding is also removed - so what's not to like? I'll tell you - nothing! Potentially, you could even spread a few more baits around the area with a throwing stick and still be keeping the feed minimal. A dozen or so baits spread about that further mimic the stringer and hookbait presentation, which again further disguise it.

As I've said, this is a great tactic early spring when you may need to keep bait levels to a minimum, but the tactic is not limited to just this time of year. Again, I'm going to refer back to how this tactic complements my favoured boilie approach where I'm looking to instal bait confidence in the carp. With that established, carp will readily take my chosen boilie with little to no hesitation and quick bites are then on the cards. Meaning I can begin a session with stringers without lowering my chances, and without having piled in some bait I'm not tied into a swim - meaning I can easily move and stay mobile if needed. Great tactics in summer when the fish can be quite nomadic, but also in winter when you might be moving around a lot trying to locate where the carp are held up. In any case you're fishing for a bite at a time perfectly, which is always a great place to start!

HOW TO TIE A SIMPLE PVA STRINGER!

STRINGER TWEAKS

Like many tactics the simple way of making stringers can be tweaked. Not necessarily to improve upon it, but just to have other ways to employ the method and achieve the same result i.e. a few freebies around your hookbait. One way is to create a ‘Parachute Stringer'.

Like the standard stringer method, you basically thread three boilies onto a section of PVA tape. The difference comes in then tying the two ends of the tape together to create a little triangle of baits. The stringer can then be thread down your hooklink and onto the shank of the hook, which is perfect for any Hair Rig as by doing this the Hair is trapped in place. Ensuring that it can't spin around the hook and that the hookbait is well positioned.

The only other real tweak I might make to any stringer is the number of baits used. If I'm in a situation where I feel the carp are on high alert or spooky of rigs, say fishing at close quarters in the edge then I may scale things down a bit. Perhaps a whittled down hookbait with a stringer consisting of just two half baits. The same applies to casting longer distances where a single bait stringer is more aerodynamic and streamlines. In complete reverse, if I'm fishing at a comfortable range say 30-50yards and I feel the fish will respond better to a few more freebies I may increase the number of baits of the stringer to six or more. Anymore than that and a mesh bag of baits is probably a better bet.

HOW TO TIE A PARACHUTE PVA STRINGER!

BOOSTING ATTRACTION

I also like to create the standard and parachute stringer with PVA mesh before just gently nicking them onto the hook. Much of whether you use PVA tape or mesh is down to personal preference, as they both work equally well. The only small reason why I may prefer the mesh on occasion is when I'm boosting the presentation with a liquid. As the mesh tends to hold a little more liquid a little better - not losing it all on the cast.

Obviously, you need to choose a liquid that's PVA friendly so it won't prematurely melt the PVA, but also one that's relatively thick and can hold onto the stringer/hookbait. The Smart Dips and liquids tick both boxes and are perfect for this. Super boosting the ‘food source' attraction of the presentation, which is great, but there is another benefit.

Because these liquids are PVA friendly they prolong the time it takes for the PVA to melt, a very handy quality to have when fishing in deep or warm water. With an increased melt time you can be confident that the rig has hit the deck before the PVA melts.

TOP TIP – USE A BOILIE IN THE MESH STRINGER AS THE HOOKBAIT!

A great way to increase the anti-tangle properties of your presentation is to use one the boilies in the mesh stringer as the hookbait - here's how it's done!

TOP TIP – USE A QUICK CHANGE SWIVEL TO BAIT UP WITH MESH BAGS!

If you only want to lightly bait your spot this method can really work well. Reducing disturbance and removing the need for a Spod rod. Simply make up a few PVA mesh bags then attach to your normal fishing rod ‘clipped-up' to your chosen spot. Cast out and feel the lead/mesh bag onto the lakebed then add you rig and cast to the baited spot!

PVA MESH BAGS

I can't really talk about PVA stringers without looking at PVA mesh bags, as I'll call upon both methods for the same reason. To apply a small amount of feed just enough for a bite near to my hookbait when using a lead clip set-up. The stringers are perfect for a few boilies and when nuisance fish may be present, but when the silvers aren't a problem a PVA mesh bag does allow you to use a touch more feed, as well as a mix of baits or small items.

Chopped boilies, boilie crumb, pellets and PVA friendly particles all fall into this bracket either on their own or combined. Although more often than not, I tend to use Response Pellets matching the flavour of my boilie as the bag fill. This way I'm still going with the flavour label I'm confident in but also using a bait that will breakdown quite quickly. As the pellets breakdown they release an all-important food signal into the water column to attract fish from all levels. Add a couple half boilies to the bag and I have the best of both worlds - add a liquid a liquid attractor to this, and you have a presentation difficult for the carp to ignore!

SUMMARY

There are so many benefits to PVA stringers and the minimal style approach I have described here, yet these tactics are, as I said in the beginning are vastly underused. Nevertheless, they are tactics and an approach where there is little to no negatives. Only positive elements that can will help you achieve the goal of any fishing session at any time of year - catching carp!

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