Alijn Danau on Club Mix

Tips and recipes from the Belgian big fish angler!

In 1980 there was no such thing as bait companies selling bait in Belgium. You could find ingredients to make your own but it was all on a trial and error basis. Although I’d found a couple of good recipes and had caught quite well on them they didn't have the attractors and ‘specials’ in them that today’s top bait companies offer. In fact it was only when I came into contact with Martin Locke and his bait firm that I started to realize how much more was possible if you used top bait. Ever since I’ve been using Solar's bait since, and that was in 1999, and I've never looked back!

I started off with the Clubs and still to this day it is without doubt one of the best carp catchers available to the market. If you can’t catch carp on the Clubs, you better start a new hobby! Clubs work both instant and after a baiting campaign. The nature, texture, smell and taste of the bait makes any carp recognize it straight away as an irresistible food source. To me bait is the main factor in catching fish. After all, if the fish doesn’t like your bait, you may fish with the best rigs available, but you won’t catch them! Basically, as soon as he starts eating your bait, you’re in with a chance, no matter how rubbish your rig is.

Solar bait is without doubt the best I have ever used and it would be a serious handicap if I had to fish with another bait. Some memorable experiences At Raduta I had a mirror and common over 60lb, backed up with a 54lb during the same session on Clubs. In between those I had another common of 57lb on Top Banana. By baiting up the area with large amounts of Clubs (and Top Banana) the fish really went mad. They were jumping all over the baited area. My mate who was fishing to the left of me did exactly the same with his bait, but it became very obvious that the fish liked the Clubs and Top Banana's more than his. He hardly had any action. This is what a top quality bait does for you!

At Lake Integra, one of the hardest fished syndicate waters in Belgium, the Clubs caught me 95% of the lake's inhabitants, including all the top fish. During one particular session I had 14 fish during a 24-hour trip from a heavily baited area with Clubs. The fish were crashing over a large plateau in between me and the angler who was fishing opposite. Although he had as much fish in front of him as I did, he never had a take. At the end of the afternoon he reeled in and came to see me. He's been a big fan of Clubs since that day!

At Rainbow Lake the big scaley fish (which is now named after me) fell twice for the 14mm Clubs combined with the Red Herrings. So did another 50 or so fish over 40lb on there. If you’re planning a trip to this world record venue don’t be in doubt about the bait you want to use. I cannot guarantee that you’ll catch fish, but I’ll guarantee you that every boilie you put in front of them will be eaten with much appetite! Clover, a Belgian sixty-pounder that lived in a tough and difficult lake near the French border fell three times in only four times I fished the water for Clubs! I once lost the fish inches from the net because the rig parted, only to hook and finally catch it on the next session. He liked the bait that much that his fear was almost non-existent. At the River Seine in France I once had 72 hours of non-stop action after baiting heavily before and in between the session with Clubs. Over 60 takes in just three days/nights. I had to stop because it was so exhausting.

Tips

Tip 1. Don’t be too frugal with the bait. The more you put in, the more you will have in return.

Tip 2. Use 14mm, 18mm and 20mm mixed. This will confuse the carp. It is also a good idea to use a mix of different types of bait. In recent sessions I have used Clubs, Red Herrings and FF5 mixed.