I’ve used a lot of liquids down the years such as the Cloudy Liquids, Pure Tuna, Liquid Liver, and it’s important to understand that the viscosity of them determines their solubility once in the water. Take for instance Liquid Liver, that tends to retain its structure after immersion for some time, slowly breaking down and eventually seeping into the lakebed which gives off a long-lasting attraction trail amongst the substrate. Compare it to products like the new Pure Shrimp or Cloudy Liquids, which are thinner or lower in viscosity, meaning they tend to disperse in the water column more freely and will radiate signals up and down like the Cloudy Manilla/Krill name suggests.

One of the liquids I’ve used and taken a huge shine to in recent times is the Pure Calanus Liquid. The salty taste it carries isn’t exactly fishy, or shrimpy, but it’s unique and I’ve used that not just for coating boilies which I’ll come to later, but for creating groundbait mixes. One of my favourite combinations I’ve used over recent times is adding Pure Calanus to Pure Krill Powder, these two form the base of my mix. Krill Powder is quite fine, so when it comes to combining them, you need to add the liquid slowly to form an even mixture. The more you turn and take care with adding the liquid, the more even the mix will become. It takes time and patience, but you’ll be very surprised at what you can create. It can take up to 40 minutes when done right, leaving the powder to absorb the goodness of the liquid and repeating until the mixture becomes just right.

What’s the point in creating something like this then? Well, by using a heavy, attractive groundbait base it allows the small food particles to still reach the lakebed in deep water. In addition to it, I also add a few extra items, such as 2.3mm Bloodworm Pellets which are some of my all-time favourites even though I was a bit of a latecomer to the party. They come with a formidable reputation throughout the industry, which I think is down to them representing tiny particles or bugs that could be perceived as natural food. Next up, I’ll usually add some Krill Active which has been crumbed up, once again for the added attraction but also to help bind the mix. To finish off, I add a handful of hemp at times or some chopped tigers for a fleck of colour, especially if I’m looking to present a similar hookbait. It’s important to add all of these items after your base has been created in a separate bucket, if not, the particles of tiger nuts or hemp can potentially dry out and float away.

To further enhance the mixture, you can even dip into the Pure Naturals range which boats the best powders such as Pure Liver Powder, Pure Betaine Powder and of course, the formidable Pure GLM Powder which is one of my favourites. Adding any of those into the mix super charges it to another level, and once again quantities can’t be overdone with the natural products. If you do want to add any of these powders, it’s best to do so at the initial mixing stage before adding liquids.

More recently I’ve paid close attention to the Pure Shrimp Liquid, and once again I’ve had a little taste and it’s quite simply magnificent. The taste and flavour of that is right up there with the best, so I have started making similar mixes like the ones detailed above but incorporating the new liquid.