Solid PVA bags are a very effective spring tactic

Once spring arrives the carp really start to wake up and become more active, especially once you get some sun and the water starts to warm up.

This means that the fish can be quite mobile, as they take advantage of shallower areas of the lake which get plenty of sun, and this can include in amongst reeds and old dead weed beds.

Presenting a bait to them on the bottom isn’t always easy though, especially when the fish are mobile and too much disturbance finding the ‘perfect’ clear spot can move them off before you even get a rig out there.

Solid PVA bags for fishing amongst debris or reed beds

In this scenario, where you know that the lakebed is clear enough to present a rig on, but isn’t totally clean, or is very patchy – maybe with fresh silkweed or low lying Canadian pondweed beginning to grow – a solid PVA bag can be a great tactic and is a way of knowing that your rig is presented in a way that the carp can still find the hook bait and pick it up.

A solid PVA bag will settle on the top of any debris on the bottom, and will even flatten it, and then when the PVA melts, your rig is left fishing in amongst a small patch of bait, with the hook bait and hook clear and well presented, so if a fish does pick it up, you have a good chance of hooking it.

The other great thing with solid bags, such as the Korda Solidz ones, is that they can be cast into sparser areas of reeds, where the fish are often found in the spring, and unlike a conventional rig where there would be a high chance of it getting caught up on reed stems before it even hit the bottom, you don’t have that issue with a bag and can sit back confident that you are actually fishing – on some lakes this is a deadly tactic in the spring, although obviously only cast into the edges of reed beds and where you have a high chance of actually extracting and landing anything that you hook.

Korda Solidz bags are ideal for a mobile approach casting at showing fish

Solidz PVA bags are also a great option in situations where you are mobile and following the carp around, and as long as you have an idea that it is fairly clear where they are showing, then you can just chuck bags at them and feel for a drop, meaning you can get your rods out quickly and as quietly as possible, to make the most of these opportunities – in much the same way as you might do with a chod rig. For more information on chod rigs and how to fish them, see here.

Many anglers are put off of using PVA bags because they find them difficult to tie and use, but if you’re organised and have spare bags already tied and ready to go and set up on a leader – these can be made whilst you are sat waiting for a bite – then if you do have a mis-cast it is very easy to wind in and quickly switch over the leaders (by fishing them loop to loop style to attach them to your main line), and get it to land where you actually want it to be. Don’t just settle for wherever it lands as you won’t be fishing properly and will lose confidence in the method.

Different sizes of solid bag for different angling situations

The Korda Solidz bags come in four different sizes – XS, S, M, and L – and cover anything from a small handful of bait right up to larger amounts.

To fish with the larger size, you will find it much easier if you have a fairly powerful rod, such as one of the higher test curve Kaizen Green models, and especially if you are trying to chuck them accurately at range.

If you are fishing in deep water then there is a slower melt version to ensure the bag reaches the bottom before it starts to melt, although in the spring with lower water temperatures and generally fishing in shallower areas, the standard Solidz are great in most situations.

What to fill your PVA bag with?

Typically, solid PVA bags are filled with smaller food items, such as micro pellets or boilie crumb, which allows them to be compacted enough so that they cast well.

Ensuring that the bag is properly filled and packed down before sealing it is essential when it comes to making it as aerodynamic as possible, and there are specific ways of filling them and putting your lead and rig inside that help with that, and ensures they cast well.

The Korda PVA Kontainer System is great for solid bag users, as everything you need can be stored in one sealed bucket, including bags that you have tied up on leaders ready to be cast out when you need them.

You can also add PVA friendly liquids to solid bags as well to give them a boost of attraction, and the Korda Carp Goo is perfect for this, as the nozzle can be stuck directly into the bag - you need some small holes in the bag anyway to ensure that it sinks as fast as possible and to release any air that is trapped inside.

Lead systems and rigs to use with Solidz PVA bags

In terms of rigs, a drop-off lead system is ideal for use with PVA bags, and the Solidz leads have been designed specifically for that, with the bait well forward and a recess in the nose to ensure the fish immediately feels as much of that weight as possible when it picks up your rig.

These leads are ideal when used with Dark Matter Drop Off Inline fused leaders – which are just 30cm long and a perfect length for bag fishing – or you can fish them conventional inline style, either with your main line straight through and a short length of rig tubing, or with a leader such as the Kable Solid Bag Leaders or Dark Matter Drop Off Inline ones.

Rigs for this type of fishing tend to be very short, often 3-4 inches, and the hook link material needs to be something supple like Korda Super Natural braid which gives enough movement for the fish to pick up the hook bait, and which can also be folded up inside the bag.

Which hook baits work well in the Korda Solidz PVA bags

Hook baits for solid bag fishing tend to be small, as you’re hoping the carp sucks it in alongside the rest of the contents of the bag, which consists of small food items, and for that reason as well, they are often buoyant, either a wafter or a pop-up. They also tend to be bright – like a cherry on top of a cake – to try and get the carp to home in on the hook bait.

Most anglers choose to use either small wafters or pop-ups, including dumbbell shaped ones, or a buoyant plastic bait such as the Korda Fake Foods corn, maize or dumbells. For more information about hook bait choice in the spring, you can read more here.