I have only recently started fishing this method and I can say on commercial fisheries on the right day it can be very hard to beat. Fishing paste can be some what frustrating at times as the bites can be difficult to read and keeping the stuff on the hook can have you pulling your hair out. Listed below are details of the rigs I use, how my pastes are made etc, I am by no means an expert at this method but I have picked up a few ideas and how to put them into practice, hopefully by reading this report you will get an insight into this method of fishing and hopefully help you on your way to catching a few fish on this super method.

What Paste to use? Groundbait/Pellet/Ready made

This is down to personal choice and what’s easiest for you; I mainly make my own pastes from either groundbait or small feed pellets. 

Groundbait paste/ Ready made Paste powders

1. Take one bag of Swim stim green and pour 50% of the contents into a 3 pint bait box. 

2. Now slowly add water to the groundbait whilst mixing together with your fingers.

3. Continue to mix and fold until a smooth paste is achieved.

4. For a smoother paste add more water and for a thicker paste add some more groundbait, no mould the paste into a ball and there you go you should now have your own paste ready to go.

TOP TIP - You can also make your own paste powder by grinding up feed pellets in a liquidizer.

Below are images of me making paste from a ready made paste powder in the same way as mentioned in the above process. 

   Pellet paste

1. Take one bag of Sonu Baits fin perfect 4mm feed pellets, pour 50% of the pellets into a 3pint bait tub.

2. Now pour in enough water to just cover the pellets.

3. Allow the pellets to soak for approx 25 minutes.

4. Next tip the pellets onto a maggot riddle (the smaller the better) now push them through, this should break the pellets up into bits; now pour back into the bait tub.

5. Next take a dinner fork and mash the pellets up into a smooth paste with the odd bits of pellets left amongst it , add more water now if a smoother paste is required.

6. Now mix and fold all the paste together into a ball and you should now have your own paste ready to go. 

What rigs? And the components that make them up!

This is all down to personal choice and what you are confident in using, everybody has there favourite mainlines, hooks etc, the main requirement for this type of fishing is a float with a longer than normal bristle and one with a very strong body and stem to withstand the abuse the float can be subjected to when fishing this method due to the fact not only does it attract a larger stamp of fish but on some venues 100lb+ bags of fish are caught regularly. The reason you need a long bristle is for bite detection, this is due to the fact that the float will be bobbing up and down and fair bit as the carp gill feed sucking up all of the particles, plus you will get lots of line bites which happens because when fishing paste you are putting a bed of bait down and this will draw quite a few fish into the swim at once, and when this happens some of the feeding fish will rub against the line causing the false bite on the float. So by using the longer bristle this go’s some way to elevating this problem there are many float patterns on the market with some aimed pacifically at paste fishing.

Delivering the paste and feeding.

This is where I struggled in the start like so many others especially when some people suggest using cable ties, paste wings, pots etc to get the paste in the swim especially when you are using super soft paste which is literally dripping off the hook. I have tried most ways of delivery the paste to my swim, the easiest way I have found is to use some sort of pot which is positioned on your power top 2. I use the new Fox power toss pots myself positioned about 10-20 inches down from the connector, I find these ideal for the job allowing me to put a large enough ball of paste and a few feed pellets in when  required. The trick to getting the paste in the swim is to firstly place the paste into the pot with the line hanging down one side of the top kit, now ship out to the desired position then lower the tip of your pole so its nearly touching the water, next turn the pole in the direction of the line and which side it is hanging over on the pole (if the line is hanging over the left hand side of the pole turn the pole to the left and vice a versa). Now the paste is in the water let the float cock and then try to keep the pole as still as possible to prevent pulling the hook from the paste.

Feeding now this is another area where I feel it’s really down to the individual, some angler’s feed big pots of pellets others feed hemp. My Way is to kick start the swim with a big pot of pellets and a couple of balls of the paste mix, then I just rely on the paste which I am putting on the hook to feed the swim, after all you are feeding the swim automatically especially when you don’t hook every fish as the paste is turning to a enticing carpet of feed on the bottom of the lake, I then just add half a pot of pellets as an when I think the swim needs a boost.

What is a proper bite and what is not?

Now this is the hard bit and where most be struggle and to be honest no matter how good you are you will miss bites that’s for sure, on what I have learned and experienced in my own fishing is as follows –

·          Sharp Quick dips / float go's right under – 90% of the time this is a bite.

·          Float comes up in the water more than normal – This is a bite the fish as taken the bait and has come up in the water. (This also happens slightly when the paste falls of the hook when you are using the paste to pull the bristle down that last bit).

·          Slow bobbing or taps – when this happens resulting in the float staying above the water line – 90% of the time this is line bite.

·          Float doesn’t cock into position -  The fish has taken the ball of paste on the drop so strike or you have moved into a shallow area of water (reposition the float or plumb up in the new position)

These are just some of the bite registrations I have experienced and as I have previously said I am learning and adjusting my techniques all the time so hopefully this will help you at the start.

The images below show how I hook the paste and how it breaks down in the water.