A few tips for getting the best results from your PVA

If you look in the tackle box of any angler in any country where carp fishing is popular, one item you will always find in one form or another will be P.V.A., or Poly Vinyl Alcohol, to give it its full name.. 

In the early 1980's Gardner launched the first PVA product specifically for use in carp fishing. The original PVA String was made by a machine 'weaving' together several narrow strands of PVA tape. This makes the PVA easier to thread boilies onto and then attach to your rig. The original PVA String is strong enough to withstand even long distance casting thus enabling you to fish 'free' offerings, the same as your hookbait, at any range. The beauty of PVA is its strength when dry and its ability to completely dissolve when immersed in water, without affecting or harming its immediate environment in any way (including the fish!).

Top Tips

1. ALWAYS store PVA products in a dry environment. It sounds crazy to remind people of this, but you will be surprised how easy water (and water vapour) can get around the place! Good quality PVA is not cheap to buy but very easy to waste…
  
2. Try storing your PVA in a bucket of dry pellet. Not only will that keep the PVA dry, but it will also take on a bit of the smell and oily texture of the pellet…lovely! Take care with oily pellet though as this can slow down the melt rate in cold conditions.
3. Non-water-based liquids, such as some amino attractors and flavours, can be added to PVA Bag contents to enhance attraction without melting the PVA.
4. Practice making PVA Bags tight and neat; they will fly more smoothly on the cast and sink more quickly – vital when you need the bait to hit the spot fast.

5. When using Solid PVA Bags, don't forget to make a few small puncture marks in them before casting to help them sink quickly. Bags with no holes will float and drift until they start to melt.
6. As you move towards the colder, winter period, scale down the size of the PVA Bags and decrease the number of free baits on your stringers. Carp are much less active in these conditions and will be put off feeding by larger quantities of bait.
7. When making stringers, space the boilies apart to allow water in between to aid fast melting and separation of free offerings.
8. use the best quality PVA you can find. Inferior PVA does not dissolve quickly and will leave a nasty blob right where your hook is, and no fish likes the flavour of Poly Vinyl Alcohol, believe me! Residue from poor quality PVA not melting, or only partially melting, will prevent you getting bites…no one needs a day like that. It's worth hunting around for the finest, even if it costs more – better that than blanking!

PVA is a top method that has revolutionised modern day carp fishing. There are many ways to use it, and you can experiment with what works for your fishing, but when you master the art, you won't look back. All of the UK and Europe's top specimen hunters are looking for the edge that PVA can give, and none of them leave home without it.