Natural SelectionPart Two Shellfi sh and Crustaceans

In part two of this miniseries, Alex Bransby gives all the information you could possibly wish for, and more, on the subject of shellfi sh and crustaceans. There are no limits to the uses of all these little lovelies.

Having visited and detailed the wriggly world of worms and insect larvae in their

various forms in the fi rst part of the series, it’s time to move on to another natural food group that has helped contribute to some momentous captures over the years, and that’s the use of shellfi sh and crustaceans.

I could probably write a whole book

about the use of this food group, as there are just so many species and ways in which to incorporate them in a baiting scenario. I shall, however, try to narrow it down to what I believe to be the most effective species, together with a bit of background information and also how you can apply them to your angling to reap the rewards.

Crafty Carper 81

Alex Bransby

Age 32

Hometown Northampton

OccupationBiochemist

UK PB46lb 12oz

Favourite venueSt. Ives Lagoon

RodsGreys Torsion

ReelsDaiwa Infi nity 5000 BR

AlarmsDelkim TXi

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82 Crafty Carper

The Natural SelectionAlex Bransby

MUSSELS

Mussel fl esh is great for use when stalking.

Smashed-up mussel creates plenty of juice and is perfect for loose feed.

GLM is an amazingly powerful natural attractor.

What Are They?I couldn’t possibly jump straight into the many uses of mussels without fi rst giving you a brief insight into the fascinating and complex life cycle of this highly versatile mollusc. A mussel’s life cycle starts as an egg held inside the female and fertilised by sperm drawn inside her whilst fi ltering water. Once fertilised, the eggs develop into a larvae called glochidia. This glochidia is then released from the female with a view to coming into contact and attaching onto passing fi sh via the body, fi ns or gills of that fi sh. During this parasitic period the glochidia (fertilised eggs) are harmless to the unsuspecting fi sh. This symbiotic relationship between mussel and fi sh is necessary if the mussel is to successfully reproduce

and disperse the glochidia far and wide. After anything from a few days to a few weeks, the glochidia free themselves from the host fi sh and eventually settle on the bottom and begin life as juvenile mussels. These settled young mussels are highly concentrated in areas that are widely known to anglers as mussel beds and can cause anglers problems due to their razor-sharp shells cutting through line. As anglers it is worth considering that often these concentrations of juvenile mussels are located in areas where fi sh tend to congregate and spend time, because

this is where the higher accumulation of glochidia has developed. These young mussels can take several years to mature and astonishingly can live to over 60 years old! As a fi lter feeder, if mussels are thriving then you can be sure that the surrounding water is of the highest quality and, in turn, healthy and rich in aquatic life.

Why Use Them?The attraction properties of both freshwater and marine mussels has been well documented over the years, and when you take into consideration that it is essential

for the mussels’ reproduction to attract fi sh, you begin to realise the natural pulling power of them. Mussels, like most shellfi sh and crustaceans, possess a nutritionally high stimulatory factor due to their inherently rich amino acid profi les, salts, and other amines, along with a high lipid (oil) content. Unlike other fi sh, carp make the most of this food group due to their pharyngeal teeth set well back in their throats that allow them to crunch and grind up the hard shells to extract the succulent fl esh inside. The shell also benefi ts the carp’s diet by providing rich calcium content that is extracted upon digestion. There is no doubt this crunch factor is another big stimulatory attractor for carp, as the sound/vibrations given

“When you take into consideration that it is essential for the mussels’ reproduction to attract fi sh, you begin

to realise the natural pulling power of them”

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Crafty Carper 83

What Are They?When it comes to naturally occurring food in the carp’s environment, one of the most prolifi c and nutritious from the carp’s point of view has to be the humble water snail. Freshwater snails are usually found in groups scattered all across the lakebed during the colder months, but they prefer, during the warmer months, to be in and around any subsurface vegetation. They are basically a fi lter feeder and use their gills to ingest algae from the water column, to then be condensed and eventually digested. Typically, freshwater snails lay their eggs in rows upon all manner of substrate from May to July when the water temperature reaches 20°+. After between 1-3 months the eggs hatch to begin a lifespan that can vary anywhere from 1-3 years. The freshwater snail tends to thrive in rich and calcium/alkaline-high water, which provides a healthy habitat and also helps with the shell development.

Why Use Them?It’s no exaggeration to say water snails make up a huge part of the carp’s natural diet, and if there is an abundance of water snails present on a water, it’s no surprise to fi nd rather large carp present, and this is no coincidence. It’s therefore without doubt a fantastic edge to

incorporate water snails intoyour baiting approach (if possible), particularly throughthe warmer months.

How To Use ThemI like to use them as a crunchy carpet feed on their own, or mixed together with other small food items such as hemp and mixed particles. They have been used in boilie mixes with great success, as well as included in

effective stick mixes and groundbaits. They can be a diffi cult bait to get hold

of generally, although CC Moore now produce frozen water snails, which are highly recommended.

“It’s no exaggeration to say water snails make up a huge part of the carp’s

natural diet”

WATER SNAILS

CC Moore produce some quality bait based on mussels.

The Natural SelectionAlex Bransby

Snail meat, another great stalking bait that is full of juicy goodness.

Imitation mussel is a good idea to help avoid nuisance fi sh.

off as a feeding fi sh crushes its way through all manner of shellfi sh and crustaceans can, I’m sure, be heard/felt over quite some distance by other fi sh due to their ultra-sensitive lateral line and the fact that noise is further amplifi ed underwater. This is why baits containing oyster shell and even egg shell can be very effective – fi sh associate these subsurface disturbances with a feeding opportunity and are quick to investigate.

How To Use ThemThere are so many ways that the pulling power of the mussel can be incorporated into your angling, but here are just a few of my favourites. Mussels can be used in their most basic form by simply Hair-rigging the soft fl esh inside (which for me is an excellent stalking bait), and as a loose feed I like to smash up a few whole mussels to really get those juices fl owing; this can also be introduced as a groundbait or spod mix to great effect. One of the all-time great bait

additives for pure fi sh-attraction properties has to be that of green lipped mussel extract (GLM). It is a true proven natural attractor in powder form that is devastating and can be used in stick mixes, base mixes, glugs, or anything else you wish. If you needed further proof of how devastating green lipped mussel can be, you only have to look at the ongoing success of Odyssey XXX from CC Moore, which contains a hefty 10% GLM, to see the impact this powerful natural attractor can have on your results. If looking to continue along the GLM approach, CC Moore have produced a whole boosted mussel range with hookbaits containing a staggering 25% inclusion of GLM, as well as a matching stick mix and pellets. To complement these, the liquid mussel extract contains high levels of liquidised mussel to create a very potent feeding stimulant. If you decide to go down the route of using pure mussel, either smashed up or whole as loose feed, and don’t like the idea of using actual mussel fl esh on the Hair, then a brilliant alternative is the use of an imitation mussel like those produced by Enterprise Tackle. They look very similar to the real thing, avoid the attentions of nuisance fi sh stripping away at the hookbait, and you can always be sure that it is sitting on the Hair exactly how you want it to for longer periods.

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The Natural SelectionAlex Bransby

These miniature water snails contain all sorts of essential nutrients such as calcium and valuable salts to create an awesome addition to any baiting scenario, and may well be just the edge needed to get those stubborn natural-feeding carp to let their guard down. The use of water snails as an actual hookbait would be my preference; once de-shelled the meaty part of a snail is surprisingly durable and should stay fi rmly on the Hair. Recently, an alternative to the real snail as a hookbait has become available, and that’s the new imitation water snails being produced by Enterprise Tackle. They come in various sizes and natural colours to best suit the situation, and can be balanced to perfection by either adding putty or using a small shot as a Hair stop. These do look a bit special and could well be the ideal hookbait if there are smaller species present, or if you are intent on leaving the hookbait out for long periods.

TIE ALEX’S KD-STYLE IMITATION WATER SNAIL RIG

To start, take a length of coated braid and strip away 60mm of coating, then tie a Hair loop about 20mm long.

Next, pinch a small split shot below the loop knot. This balances the buoyancy of the imitation snail.

Thread an imitation snail onto the loop and slide it down so that the shot fi ts into the hole on the underside of the bait.

Take the large loop around the tip of the imitation snail lasso-style, and pull tight, as shown above.

Now thread your chosen hook onto the braid, set the Hair length, then make three turns over the Hair like this...

... then another three turns beneath the Hair, before passing the braid through the eye of the hook.

To fi nish the rig, strip back around an inch of coating above the eye of the hook to create a hinge effect.

This is exactly how the fi nished rig looks – perfect for fi shing over a bed of CC Moore’s frozen water snails.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

COCKLESCockles are another hugely attractive bait for carp, and possess fantastic pulling power due to the high salt content and rich fi shy aroma. Predominantly used as an effective stalking bait, the cockle can be easily Hair-rigged and used on its own or over a handful of free offerings to create the desired effect, straight from the jar.

Alex managed this one with the help of amussel-boosted stick mix.

A new product from Enterprise Tackle is the Imitation Snails; they give so many rig options.

Add some crunch to the spod or groundbait mix – they’re also pretty salty.

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Crafty Carper 85

The Natural SelectionAlex Bransby

What Is It?Another of the great natural power foods is Antarctic krill. As the name suggests, it is found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean in large schools called swarms, which feed predominantly on minute plankton. They can grow up to 6cm in length and can live for up to 6 years. With an estimated 500,000,000 tons populating the Southern Ocean, they are widely regarded as the most abundant animal species on the planet.

KRILLWhy Use It?Krill is very high in nutritional value and has a substantial protein content of around 58%, which is why it is so highly regarded by many bait manufacturers. Krill meal has been used for many years as a bait additive, and due to its buoyant nature, has valuable properties when looking to create a lighter-acting bait because it effectively reduces density, as well as increasing leakage due to its coarse texture.

How To Use ItUp till now, Antarctic krill has pretty much been solely used as a base mix ingredient. However, just recently CC Moore have formulated a new Krill Amino Compound that is set to take the potency of krill to another level. Effectively they have taken pure Antarctic krill and blended it to a pulp, then extracted the protein before putting it through a hydrolysation process and enzyme treatment to further the digestion

and attraction properties. The fi nished product gives off a very rich and powerful food signal in all water temperatures, and the inclusion as

a base mix and stick mix additive puts it to great use. The bonus is that it can’t be overdosed due

to its purely natural ingredients. I have already had great results using this new high-amino acid compound incorporated into my stick mixes, as well as using it as a boilie soak for my free offerings.

“The fi nished product gives off a very rich and

powerful food signal in all water temperatures”

ConclusionI don’t know about you, but personally I love using as many natural products in my angling as possible. I sometimes wonder why we put all our effort and attention into getting our boiled baits to what we feel is the peak of attraction when there are so many naturally perfected alternatives out there – get creative! You’ll be amazed at how much success you can have on some of these great natural baits that can be bought predominantly from a supermarket.

Until next time, be lucky, Alex. CC

PRAWNS & SHRIMP

Above: I believe this helped me bag a string of big fi sh last year.

Why and How To Use ThemContinuing with the crustaceans theme, another of the great natural alternative baits has to be prawns. I fi rst used them many moons ago as more of a stalking bait, a bit like the cockles. They are highly effective on pressured waters that are boilie dominated, and can trigger an immediate reaction because both the shape and colour are totally different to what the carp are used to

seeing and dealing with. They can be used whole or peeled, although my preference is to fi sh either half an unpeeled prawn Hair-rigged and introduce whole prawns as free offerings, or Hair-rig one of the imitation prawns that are available whilst loose-feeding peeled prawns over the top. Both are great stalking tactics and work particularly well if the fi sh in your chosen water have past experience of feeding on crayfi sh.

More imitation naturals – most anglers would be lost without them.

Krill Amino Compound takes krill to another level.

An Added Extra!Last, but by no means least on my shellfi sh and crustaceans list, is an awesome liquid food additive I have been keeping quiet about for a while now. Over the course of last year I believe it was massively instrumental in helping me land a string of big pressured fi sh – CC Moore’s Liquid Shellfi sh Concentrate. In essence (no pun intended) it is a rich blend of various shellfi sh extracts combined with a number of proven fi sh attractors

to create a very powerful liquid that can be used with all manner of bait types. It contains an array of extracts such as crab, oyster, mussel and shrimp, and this liquid food has a very distinctive aroma and salty taste and is

effective all year round. I have had great success by adding it to my particle mixes at inclusion levels of around 30-40ml/kg to dry particles, and I personally like to mix it in after the particles have boiled but are still warm. I have also had continued success whilst incorporating it into my stick mixes at a ratio of 25-30ml/kg.

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