Bait

For as long as I can remember I have had a tub or two of Mainline’s pineapple ‘wangers’ in my bait bucket. High-attract baits work at all times of year but at this time of year they seem to come into their own, especially those based around high leakage in cold water conditions. These are absolute winners and I wouldn’t mind having a pound for every carp that has been caught on one.

Available in round and barrel versions in several sizes, they’re versatile enough to use with most presentations. My only slight gripe is that Mainline’s pop-ups have become ridiculously buoyant in the last year, almost certainly in response to the growing trend towards chod rigs. This has put an end to me using them as a hook bait inside a PVA bag (an old presentation but one that still works brilliantly on well-stocked waters in particular), because I simply need too much shot or wire to balance them.

However, it does mean they make great baits for pop-up rigs and they do maintain their buoyancy for long periods, which is essential. Oh yeah, and as pineapple baits go, these have to be among the best smelling!