This entry was posted on by Steven Crowe
Fishing with PVA Bags may be a common tactic but in the carp fishing world, but in the right situations it can also be a devastating tactic for match anglers with those in the know using it to dominate matches on open water carp venues! A method that normally picks out the biggest carp, it is a tactic that every match angler should have in their armoury!
In this months ADTV Match Masterclass, I have bought the cameras to local venue of mine that is the perfect venue to show the effectiveness of fishing with PVA Bags or the 'Tea Bag' as it commonly referred to by those in the know! In this blog, I run through how and when I choose to use PVA Bags in my fishing as well as all the little edges I use to make the most of this method and keep fishing coming througout a session to accumulate match winning weights!
So what is a PVA Bag? Well it involves putting your choice of bait into a mesh bag that melts in the water allowing you to fish with a small pile of bait where your hookbait is right in the centre. Although this is not a tactic that works everywhere, there is definitely a time and a place where this method will outscore any other, so it cannot be ignored!
My preference is to use this method exclusively in open water on deeper lakes when targeting bigger carp (5lb+). I find this method is not so effective when catching larger numbers of smaller fish or when fishing towards islands, as a method feeder or hybrid feeder is much quicker and effective in this situation.
As this method tends to pick out the larger fish in the lake, I like to up the ante with my set up. My first change is I prefer to use a longer feeder rod for this tactic, choosing a 12ft rod over a shorter 10-11ft rod as it gives me more leverage when playing larger fish that like to kite or dive into nearside snags. This is paired to a 4000 sized reel loaded with 8lb line.
My second change is to use a micro lead clip set up similar to carp anglers with a small hooklength swivel that sits inside the lead clip creating a semi fixed rig, which helps to increase the hooking potential of the rig. This is then paired to a 30g lead that weighs heavier then the PVA bag I am using today so it flies straight on the cast. Lastly, I use a fluorocarbon hooklength which is incredibly stiff, ensuring my seperation from lead to hookbait when on the lake bed, tied to a size 12 strong wire hook with a bait band.
A disadvantage of this tactic can be the time needed to tie a PVA Bag, especially in a match scenario where every second counts. To combat this, I will tie several bags ready to go either before or during a session, while I'm waiting for my rod to pull off the rest!
I will then have a few hooklengths on my side tray which I will thread the PVA Bags on ready to go. So all I need to do when I need to recast is take my hooklength off the hooklength swivel and stick a new one ready to go in seconds. By doing it this way, it is even quicker than reloading a method feeder!
One of the main advantages of this method is the versatility in what baits you are able to feed. With this tactic, you are able to feed pellets, groundbait or any baits that are PVA friendly, compared to a method feeder where you are restricted to only feeding softened 2mm/4mm pellets or groundbait.
For me, I like the fact that I am able to feed hard pellets accurately at a distance that the fish on most venues are not used to, which I find is why this method tends to fool the biggest fish in the lake.
My go to choices in the summer to feed in PVA Bags are 3mm or 8mm Dyamite Baits Swim Stim Krill Pellets with a bit of slightly dry groundbait again from the Dynamite Swim Stim range. You can then change between these options throughout a session to find out whats best on the day.
Hookbaits choice is quite personal but for fishing with PVA Bags, I tend to exclusively go down the pellet or pellet shaped hookbait route, choosing to swap between flavour or colour to trigger a bite.
For my bright coloured hookbaits when I feel the fish need a stand out hookbait, I carry a selection of the 7mm Dynamite Wowsers in pink, white and yellow. However, on pressured venues, I find you need to fish a bait that closely matches your feed bait, so in this situation I carry a few tubs of 8mm pellets which I have boosted with different flavours. The fish are then able to home in on the hookbait thanks to the flavour seeping from the hookbait, but will not spook off the bait as the colour matches the bait they are feeding on confidently.
My favourite trick with this method to eek out those extra bites is to use liquids in conjunction with my PVA Bags. To do this all you need to do is make sure that your liquid of choice is PVA friendly, so as to not melt the PVA bags before casting. I also tend to steer clear of any oil based liquids as I find they slow down the melt time of the PVA which is extremely detrimental especially in winter.
My favourite choice for summer carp is the Dynamite Baits Liquid Carp Food Worm and all I do is put a good amount of this liquid in a bait box and will smear the bag and hookbait so that it is completly covered in the liquid. The liquid is then absorbed by the PVA Mesh, Hookbait and Feed giving a massive flavour trail in the water that will draw carp from far and wide to my hookbait.
Todays session has been a perfect illustration of the effectivness of PVA Bags on open water lakes. In front of me I have a rope which stops you from casting halfway and by repeatedly casting and building up an area I have managed to catch a decent carp most chucks, with most of my bites coming around 6-8 minutes after casting.
I have changed the baits in the PVA bags and have found that feeding hard 8mm pellets has had the best response from the fish. However, just to show how instant the use of liquids with PVA Bags is, I have tried this at the end of the session and have had my quickest bites of the session. So, if you have a local open water venue that is full of decent carp, then give this method a go and see how good it is for yourself!