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ADAM RAVENEY DITCHES THE SPOD ROD ON SMALL VENUES, IN FAVOUR OF A SUPER SIMPLE, FORGOTTEN METHOD!
ADAM RAVENEY DITCHES THE SPOD ROD ON SMALL VENUES, IN FAVOUR OF A SUPER SIMPLE, FORGOTTEN METHOD!
Reading the mainstream angling media, you would be forgiven for thinking the UK is riddled with vast gravel pits, but the reality is the number of smaller venues far outweigh them. One of the best small venues in the country is without doubt the famous Milton Abbas in Dorset. Set in idyllic countryside, this unique venue is fed by a chalk stream, which helps maintain stable temperatures throughout the colder months of the year. This creates an environment like no other; there’s a reason why it contains big fish of all species and that is down to the water quality. Being such a narrow lake, with no massively deep areas, spodding isn’t really required but if you want to fish small baits, how do you do it?
The answer is to look back in the history books, and ask yourself "what did we do before spods were invented?" Personally, I used a lot of scalded pellets and groundbaits to weigh down the mix and help compact it into balls. These can be loaded into a catapult and fired far enough to fish any spot on a small venue like Milton. The method is often overlooked in this day and age, but by using modern baits, you can make a super attractive mix, that breaks down into a carpet of fine particles. This creates a competitive feeding response that only mixes made up of small baits can, and on a place like Milton, where most people catapult straight boilies, it is very different.
This baiting strategy suits Milton perfectly, as the spots are so small in between the masses of weed. With so many anglers using boilies, the fish are well accustomed to a pile of round baits rather than a nice carpet of fine powders and pellets. Don’t get me wrong I still use boilies as well, it’s just a bit different using the smaller baits.
In terms of the mix itself, it is very simple. It all starts with Bloodworm Pellets which are renowned for their pulling power. The whole breakdown process is what makes the pellets so attractive and the act of scalding them only accelerates that. To the scalded pellets, I add liberal amounts of Liquid Liver. This is a relatively underused liquid, probably down to it not smelling particularly nice, but I can assure you the carp love it! The warm water used on the pellets helps distribute it around the mix and produces a nice cloud on the lakebed. The final element of the mix are the powders. I use a mix of Active Mix and Krill Powder, with a sprinkle of Liver Powder. Once mixed in with the pellets, it should form a ball easily, but break down relatively quickly to form the all-important carpet on the bottom.
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