INTRODUCTION

If there is one product that has probably gone further to revolutionise angling over the last few decades and which can be found in the tackle box of almost every Specialist Angler it has to be PVA. From precision baiting, to reducing tangles, inventive anglers have found a myriad of different uses for this simple chemical. Whilst there are some highly popularised methods for using PVA, such as the Dynamite Stick, the permutations are really endless, many is the time that PVA based products have helped me catch. So, as a card-carrying PVA fan, this month I want to describe how I use the various PVA products out there and some of the lesser known, but really useful ways it can come in handy.

WHAT IS PVA?

So what exactly is PVA? Polyvinyl alcohol - chemical formula (C2H4O)X, to give it its full name, is a water-soluble synthetic polymer that is actually produced in huge quantities and used in a multitude of different applications. More than a million metric tons are produced each year, and you can find it in everything from contact lens solutions and shampoo to concrete reinforcement! Fishing makes up a tiny part of the World-wide demand of course, however much I seem to get through!

The amazing property of PVA is that it is water soluble, yet has remarkable tensile strength. I don’t know who it was who first thought of tying baits together using PVA, but we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Certainly, the first that I can remember being commercially available was from Gardner Tackle way back more than twenty years ago, but I bet enterprising anglers were using it on the quiet years before this.

TACKLE REQUIRED

There should be no need to alter your hardware to use PVA. If you are fishing the feeder or straight lead, then adding a small PVA stick or stringer isn’t going to cause any additional stress on the gear. Big solid PVA bags can add several ounces of weight to the complete rig (in the same way as a big open-end or method feeder, in this case it is prudent to use similarly stepped up gear.

To cover all eventualities, I tend to use slightly heavier gear than I can strictly get away with so that I always have the option of attaching a decent sized amount of bait if I want to. Carp rods, for example are 3lb test mated with 80 size Baitrunners and a minimum 12lb line, rather than 2.75 test curve. Barbel rods are 2lb with 50 size reels and 10lb line, instead of 1.75lb.

KNOW YOUR PVA

Whilst knowing a bit about the science behind PVA is all well and good, this isn’t going to do you much good when you go into your local tackle shop and find the walls covered with all sorts of different permutations. There are significant differences in the strength and melt-times of different grades of PVA, but the question is how do we decide which on the myriad available is right for us?

All of the major brand PVA is of excellent quality, but you have to be quite selective in choosing the right one for the job. The most important consideration that the angler can judge is the thickness of the material, because this will have a direct effect on how long it takes to dissolve. PVA melts on contact with water, so the thicker it is, generally speaking, the longer it will take to disappear. Whether you are using tape and string, mesh, or solid bags there will be some variation between brands.

In the Summer months this is less of an issue; I simply choose the thicker varieties, as the slightly longer dissolve time is not going to be an impediment. In the depths of Winter though low water temperatures will significantly slow-down the process to such an extent that careful selection of the thinner types becomes essential if you are not to be left with a ball of gunge fouling your rigs.

Several companies do now produce both standard and fast melt or standard and heavy weave variants, which makes selection much easier, alternatively it is more a case of trial and error, although I will try and outline my favourites to give you a steer of what to use and when.

PVA PRODUCTS

Solid Tape

One of the simplest of all PVA products, but one that I use a lot. Available in 10mm and 20mm wide variants.

The 10mm version is ideal for creating stringers and is wide enough that the baits will keep separate on the cast if required. Bear in mind though that PVA contracts as it melts, so leave at least an inch between each bait to allow them to melt fully.

The 20mm version I primarily use when I think the hook might pick up strands of weed or debris on the cast. Putting a couple of turns of PVA around the hook is good practice on even fairly weed-free gravel pits and when dropping baits between beds of streamer weed on the river.

What I use: Kryston Meltex, Korda

String / Cord

Constructed from twisted or woven fibres, PVA string should in theory have the fastest melt time, although this is effected by the tightness of the weave. Often available in several different thicknesses (depending upon the number of strands), I tend to go for the thinnest types. There are two main applications where I use PVA string.

Firstly, when using lead clips and wanting to dump the lead with minimal resistance I will only just push the tail rubber on to the lead clip and tie a knot of PVA string around the back of the clip to hold the lead in place during the cast.

The second use is for tying the top of solid PVA bags closed. With the bag filled it is necessary to tie up the top of the bag securely, expelling all the excess air to create a solid bag of bait. Although you can do this with thin tape, it is much easier, melts more effectively, and is more secure with string.

What I use: Kryston Molecular Meltdown

Mesh Tubing

By far the most widely used PVA product available today, PVA mesh tubing has become a staple art of many anglers set-up thanks to its simplicity of use. A far cry from the originals that were incredibly prone to snagging and laddering, ruining the neatly prepared bag! Today’s non-ladder designs are really user-friendly and make typing up a PVA stick of whatever size you choose very simple.

There are now several different variants on the market and this is one area where you really have to pick your chosen variant carefully.

What I use:

Summer rivers – Nash Drag Back 28mm

Winter rivers and stillwaters – Nash Webcast 28mm and 44mm

Small pellets / maggots / casters – Nash Maggimesh 28mm

Solid Bags

One of the original PVA products, and although they can be quite tricky to tie properly, for really long range fishing and for presenting baits in thick weed then a PVA bag is still worth the extra effort. I always use solid bags with a short supple hook link and inline lead that can be incorporated into the bag along with some bait to create a solid ball. Using bags of 100mm size and smaller allows you to create a very aerodynamic package that can be cast very long distances.

The major down-side of solid bags is that they do take some practice to make up properly and take quite a bit longer than a mesh bag to make, that said, they are an indispensible part of my armoury. 

What I use: Kryston Meltex Bags in various sizes

PVA VERSUS SWIMFEEDER

You can use almost any bait you choose with PVA these days. The great advantage of this is that you can create a small concentrated patch of bait close to the hook bait. Whilst it could be argued that you get the same effect with a feeder, there are many times when PVA is more effective. Imagine trying to put out a handful of boilies tight to the hook bait without a stringer, or fishing a rocky river with a feeder.

PVA doesn’t win out in every situation though. Obviously the cost has to be taken into consideration. Every time you cast out with PVA there is a financial cost – well as long as it melts! Then there is the time and effort required to make up some PVA presentations – probably the main reason that PVA hasn’t caught on as well in the match scene as it has elsewhere. The biggest problem with PVA to my mind though is that once it melts all the bait is released in one go. In flowing water, or where the fish are very active over the bait, this can lead to the bait being dispersed very quickly leaving your hook bait in splendid isolation. Don’t for one minute think that your carefully presented thimble full of bait sits perfectly still on the bottom, as soon as there is any disturbance it will fly all over the place!

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR BAGS AND STICKS

With such a plethora of PVA based products available it is no surprise that the range of baits you can use with them is almost limitless. Even water based or wet baits, such as hemp, that were for a long time off limits, can now be safely used with PVA.

Boilies

Whilst you can put boilies in a stick or bag, I prefer to use a stringer, simply because this is cheaper and uses less PVA. The only down-side is you can get a small amount of residual PVA left inside the baits, but this does not appear to reduce their effectiveness or effect the fish adversely.

A stringer of half a dozen boilies is a superb tactic when you are trying to target just carp. By introducing just large hard boilies you can certainly reduce the number of bream and tench that you catch. Another useful presentation is to use a 2-3 bait stringer with a snow-man presentation consisting of a 10mm pop-up boilie and 15mm bottom bait. This has to be my all-time favourite carp tactic, as not only does it draw attention to the hook bait, but leads to fantastic hooking as the carp try to suck up the whole group of baits in one hit.

Pellets

Pellets and PVA were made for one another. Small pellets can be packed tightly into bags and sticks, making for an all-together more aerodynamic package. On the lake or river bed the action of the current and passing fish soon spreads out the contents giving a lovely spread of bait around the rig. For anyone looking to fish for bream, tench or carp, then hooking on a small tea-bag sized mesh bag of pellets should be almost second nature as it will definitely bring you more bites.

The smaller the pellets used the tighter they can be packed into the bag, so for extreme range fishing the popular 1mm micro pellets are ideal. Alternatively, you can create a mixture of pellets containing a range of different sizes that will shake down to form a dense package. This is my preferred answer when river fishing, where I use will use a mixture based approximately on the following formula:

1mm Dynamite  Swim Stim Natural Pellets 10%

3mm Dynamite Marine Halibut Pellets 60%

6mm Dynamite Marine Halibut Pellets 30%

Alternatively, several companies produce bespoke stick mixes containing a range of different ingredients, including pellets, crushed boilies, and meals that take all the effort out of making your own mixes. If you are just starting out, or are only likely to use a small amount of stick mix these ready-made products are a great idea.

Particles

Despite most particle baits having a high moisture content and generally being considered as wet baits, they can with a bit of effort be used with PVA. The simplest method is to add no more than 10-20% of wet particles to a stick mix or groundbait. Excess moisture will be soaked up by the mix stopping the PVA from melting. This is ok if you are happy using a mixture of particles and powder (I normally use Dynamite’s Tiger Nut Stick Mix, so the mix has a real particle bias). If you want to use just particles then by adding a few tablespoonfuls of salt to a handful of wet particles you can make the liquid so salty that it takes longer to melt the PVA, although it won’t stop the process completely. As salt is a good attractor in its own right this is a somewhat messy, but useful tactic.

Groundbait

Groundbait is easy to bag and is actually a little use method. A PVA stick containing just groundbait can be a very effective method though. Mixed very dry the groundbait will literally explode, particularly if you incorporate large quantities of light ingredients, such as crushed hemp or coconut. I have used this tactic in the past for catching rudd in mid-water in weedy water where a feeder would not be suitable.

Live baits

Maggots have revolutionised Winter carp fishing in recent years and have spawned a whole industry producing various artificial maggots. I tend to take this a stage further and use a mixture of chopped worm and maggot (don’t add too much chopped worm as the juices will melt the PVA). This is a deadly technique as long as the venue doesn’t contain too many silver fish.

I also use mesh bags of maggots quite a lot for Summer tench and barbel when fishing in weedy venues. With no feeder to catch on the weed and the lead on a safety-clip the lead can be safely jettisoned. I am surprised I don’t see more barbel anglers using PVA, particularly on hard fished venues, as it is a much more subtle way of introducing feed than a feeder or bait dropper.

Liquids

As long as the liquid is not water based then it can be safely used in PVA bags, and there are several methods that can be brought to bear. Most of the time I will soak or dip my sticks in one of the nutritional attractor liquids produced by the bait companies. Red Fish, Liquid Molasses and Marine Halibut Oil are all favourites. Remember though that the liquid will coat the strands of PVA and the longer you leave them to soak the more you will slow down the melt  time.

An alternative method with solid bags is to add a good squirt of the liquid to a bag filled with 1mm pellets. These tiny pellets pack down tight, but the liquid will soak into the gaps between the pellets creating a very dense bag that creates a huge slick of liquid when it melts. Try different liquids in the edge and you will find that some float, whilst others are heavier than water and sink. When carp are cruising around a bag containing a floating liquid, such as fish oil, cast into reasonably shallow water can be a great tactic to pull them down to the hook bait. Conversely, when fishing for bream, I will often let the undertow take a slick of molasses along the lake bed, hopefully giving the fish something to home in on.

On top of its ability to deposit a wide range of different baits close to the hook bait, PVA can also be used to reduce tangles. Normally this is an additional benefit of the bait carrying role as anything that adds weight to the hook will automatically help reduce tangles, particularly when using braided rigs. Encompassing the whole rig inside a solid bag is perhaps the ultimate anti-tangle tactic!

PVA really is an exceptionally versatile material that can be used in so many ways. Whilst the universally used sticks and stringers are very effective, don’t fall into the trap of being blinkered to other approaches, get out there and use your imagination!

PVA STICKS IN RIVERS

I use PVA sticks for about 70% of barbel fishing and almost all of the time when fishing smaller rivers where a feeder creates more disturbance and can snag in weed. It is very easy though to actually handicap yourself using PVA sticks in flowing water if you don’t think about how they are going to melt and where the bait is going to end up. Always attach the stick close to the lead and never to the hook. You want the bait deposited by the stick to be washed down to the hook bait and then disperse downstream, so there is a good probability of the barbel following the trail of bait to find the hook bait. Attach the stick to the hook and all of the bait will end up below the hook bait, limiting your chances. There are lots of ways of attaching a stick, but this is the one that works best for me.

1. •Tie your hook link as normal. I normally use around 2-3 feet of 8-12lb fluorocarbon to a size 10-14 hook depending upon bait size and snags
   

2. •The lead is normally free-running on the main line and rests against a buffer bead and swivel
   

3. •Tie the hook link to the swivel using a four-turn grinner to attach it to the main line, leave the tag-end about 6-inches long
   

4. •Tie an overhand loop in the end of the tag of line
   

5. •Thread on your PVA stick length ways, so that the tag of line passes right through the centre of the stick
   

6. •Use a large clip (the exact type doesn’t matter) to hold the stick on to the line, now when the sticks melts it will deposit the bait above the hook bait
   

BUOYANT STICKS

When I am using a stiff hook link material and short hook link (less than a maximum of 8-inches, otherwise it will loop up), I add a piece of rig foam to the hook end of my Dynamite sticks. This serves two purposes; it stops particles of bait masking the hook point, and it allows the hook bait to fall slowly and away from the lead, rather than impacting down next to it owing to the speed that the rig falls. This is particularly useful when fishing to very small clear spots amongst weed where you need the rig to fall straight down. If you are using longer hook links, or a braid hook link then it is better to allow the rig to fall on a tight line, as this will cause the rig to fall back towards you quite effectively straightening it out.

1. •Load your Dynamite stick with your chosen bait as normal, but finish it off by adding a nugget of dissolving foam, use the narrower diameter web tubing for best results
   

2. •Thread the finished stick on to a stick needle with the foam at the gate end
   

3. •I use a short six inch rig made from 15lb Nash Missing Link, normally with a snow-man presentation. The last inch or so is stripped back and a loop tied with a figure of eight knot
   

4. •Pull the hook length through the centre of the stick and down until it reaches the hook
   

5. •Insert the hook into the foam so that it is neatly masked
   

6. •Attach the hook link to the main line using a quick change swivel and use an anti-tangle boom to cover the link
   

7. •The stripped part of the hook link should just exit the end of the anti-tangle boom creating a hinge that will allow the hook link to fall freely when the stick melts
   

SOLID PVA BAGS

There is a bit of an art to producing very tightly packed PVA bags. First off you must choose a brand of bags that are nice and compact and have strong seams that allow you to pack the bait in tightly. The next step is to use a pellet mix that can be packed down nice and tight, so it must have a large quantity of fine particles. Finally, the rig must also be designed to be suitable to be put into the bag.

1. •I use very short rigs of no more than five inches in length tied using 15lb fine braid. The hook bait is kept small, a singly 10mm, or cut down 15mm bait being ideal, so that it is a similar size to the biggest particles in the bag
   

2. •Use a lead clip system fished on a tungsten leader or lead core, so that the rig can be changed easily
   

3. •Quarter fill the PVA bag with your pellet mix and then put the lead on top
   

4. •Continue filling the bag until it is 2/3 full and then place the hook bait inside
   

5. •Top up with a sprinkling of bait and then twist the top of the PVA bag, working the mixture inside to pack it down
   

6. •Tie a strand of PVA string or tape around the twisted top of the bag to hold it closed
   

7. •Cut away any excess from the top of the bag
   

8. •Stretch each of the lower corners in turn forcing the bait into the centre of the bag, lick the corner and fold it over to round off the bag
   

9. •The finished bag should look like this, almost round in shape it is very aerodynamic and can be cast for miles
   

THE BOILIE CLOAK

Rather than use a standard stringer with the baits dangling down below the hook, I much prefer to wrap the stringer around the hook, so that the half-dozen or so boilies form a protective cloak around the bait. I started using this presentation when fishing over strands of weed that I felt my catch the hook point. When I looked at it under water the small pile of boilies that are left around the hook bait actually looks really visible compared to a single bait.

1. •Thread around six boilies on to a stringer needle
   

2. •Feed the boilies on to a length of 10mm wide PVA tape leaving a gap of at least an inch between each one
   

3. •Hook the end of the PVA on to you rig and make one turn around the hook shank to trap the hair
   

4. •Pass the PVA over the hook point once again and then begin wrapping the boilies around the hook
   

5. •You might need to adjust the position of the boilies so that they are evenly spread as you go to completely surround the hook bait
   

6. •The finished set-up should look like this, the hook being almost completely surrounded by a cloak of boilies