The Krill Active and more recently Manilla Active have had a resounding impact on the market, representing a totally unique way of using boilies and the process of wrapping the bait in what is effectively a fast-dissolving paste is a huge edge that I’ve incorporated into my own fishing, not just this year, but for several years. Make no mistake, developing a boilie as good as the Active range takes some doing with countless years of experimenting, patience, and testing. The Active baits represent what is deemed to be the ultimate in pimped-up boilies, and I get a lot of people asking me what they can add to the boilies to give them their own identity and label as such, but my answer is always the same. That boilie is the ultimate in soluble, locked in super-attraction and if you add anything to them, it will change the coating and the way it reacts in water. Tom at Sticky spent tireless hours developing the process of the coating to ensure it’s damn near perfect, so I’d personally trust what’s already in front of you as a complete nutritional and attractive food source. They are literally bursting with natural attraction, which is incomparable to anything else on the market, with all the benefits to a carps’ needs catered for from the inner core to the outer skin. I’d advise anyone to drop one boilie in a glass of water and just watch what unfolds!

Although my introduction may be directed towards the Active concept, this article is not about the Active boilies. They need mentioning because a lot of people do like pimping up their own baits which is the subject of the matter. If you are one of those anglers that like to tailor-make your own baits to some extent, then there’s a whole host of powders and liquid attractors out there that will allow you to create something which is totally unique to you. Their limit is only your imagination, and with all of Sticky’s products in the Pure range, you can’t really overdo them as every ingredient and product is natural and untampered with and I can guarantee you, the highest possible grade and quality that’s on the market.

I say soaking in more of a general term, I mean more like glazing them and over the years I have been a huge fan of oils for this purpose. The two that I’ve used the most are either the Pure Hemp Oil or Cap-Oil. Some think that Cap-Oil is just for adding to floaters, but it certainly isn’t just limited to that. It’s a very unique, spicy fish oil. Cap is short for Capsicum which is a very hot, neat chilli extract, so if you are handling it don’t touch any sensitive places! I find it goes so well with The Krill boilies, more the standard Krill as you’ll end up creating a bit of a mush if you overdo it. It sounds ridiculous to call something as successful as The Krill boilie standard, but it’s hard to describe it alongside the Active range so I do apologise!

Of course, being an oil, its dispersion is once again felt throughout the layers, especially in the summer months and I would highly recommend it to those fishing straight boilie tactics. Until that water starts to cool at the back end of September/October, I would be happy to use this combo. There’s also the added benefit of the tell-tale slick created by oil on the surface, which informs you of the goings on below the surface.

Another reason why I favour the natural liquids is that they are very kind to the carp’s digestive system, and not only are they good for the carp but they’re easily digestible. It’s important to know that Sticky are probably the only ones in the carp fishing industry which add calcium to the baits, this doesn’t help you catch more, it’s purely for the health benefits of the fish when they digest and process the bait. I’m sure they could quite easily cut ingredients out to profit more, but the bottom line is they don’t, it’s done with the carps needs put first and that for me is what makes them superior on all levels.

In conclusion, there is no right or wrong way of doing things in terms of ingredients, you need to understand how each liquid reacts and works, as well as the powders so you can then gain an understanding of how to get the very best from them and apply it to your angling situation.