Daiwa Sports Ltd

There is no doubting that PVA bags are still a deadly method, however with so many anglers using them these days it’s important to keep refining your approach if you are to stay one step ahead and keep the action coming.

A bag smaller than a 2p coin is more than enough to get a bite

A lot of my thinking behind using PVA bags is that I’m looking to draw maximum attention to my hookbait and get a bite as quickly as possible. Therefore it’s important to think about the size of the bag you use as it’s surprising just how much bait even a small bag can hold. Tie a bag up and drop it in the margins and you’ll see what I mean when it dissolves.

From my experience a bag the size of a 2 pence coin holds a mouthful of bait that is more than enough to get you a bite from a passing carp. Small bags allow you to cast further if needed, and they are also useful if you plan to recast regularly to search out a swim, as it means you’re not leaving piles of bait all over the place.

Corn and pellets - a deadly combination

In terms of what you use in the bag itself the list is almost endless, and it’s worth thinking past the usual handful of trout pellets with a boilie hookbait. One of my favourite alternatives is sweetcorn; it tends to be underused these days despite the fact that carp absolutely love the stuff. A couple of grains of corn mixed with a few pellets to remove any moisture that might melt the PVA can be deadly, particularly in the colder weather.

Another one of my favourites is finely crumbed boilies as they form a lovely pile of attraction around the hookbait. I tend to tie up a bag with three whole boilies, thread one onto my hair and then crush the other two up using my fingers. You can get a really fine crumb doing this and also mould the bag into an aerodynamic shape that is perfect for casting.