22.04.2024

The Pro-Stim Liver Lowdown- CC Moore's New Boilie Range!

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Categories: Reviews

Ian Moore- The Pro-Stim Liver Journey- A Bait Development Insight

Developing new baits has always been my favourite part about running a bait company; in fact, I am always thinking about bait and sampling and sourcing new ingredients from across the globe on an almost weekly basis, even if they are not necessarily used at the time, products that I source that clearly have that wow factor I will keep note of for potential future use. In fact, one of the special liquids that go into the creation of Pro-Stim Liver first came my way back in 2007 and with it being so unique and different to anything I had seen before, I know it had to be used to compliment the profile of the new bait. 

It has now been 8 years since our last boilie launch and one of the reasons, we do not release a new bait every 12 months is the process we undertake in the development, to ensure no stone is left unturned when it comes to testing, tweaking, and improving the bait so we can safely say we have done everything possible before general launch. 

This feature aims to give light on a few key fundamental development stages and factors when it comes to creating a new bait and some of the key central qualities the new Pro-Stim Liver boilies boast that make this bait, in my opinion, one of the very best year-round food source baits we have developed to date.

Bait Colour

One of the first things you will notice when opening a bag of the Pro-Stim will be the colour of the bait; a distinctive rust orange/ paprika red colour, completely unique and created by the 100% natural, high-quality oils and natural spices present in the bait in both liquid and powdered form. As a result, the bait is consistently coloured throughout, meaning that even when washed out for several days, the bait remains distinctive and visual, a key aspect when fishing clear venues. Bait colour was an important part during the testing phase of the bait and we tried a number of natural ‘tones’ of test bait, with the paprika orange being the most attractive natural stimulant during our long term testing.

 

Why the production process is unique…

The production process for Pro-Stim Liver is a multi- stage procedure to create the desired affect we wanted to achieve; incredible long- term leakage and solubility. This process took a long time to perfect, but to create the bait I had envisaged, it was important to spend time getting this fundamental part absolutely right. 

When making Pro-Stim Liver, liquids are pre-mixed and left to settle; by doing this, we allow the key liquid ingredients to react over time until activated. At this point, these liquids when rolled into the bait, spread effectively coating all particles. When heated the nutrients and flavours are ‘encapsulated’ into the bait for long term leakage, taste, aroma and nutrient supply. If you smell the outside of the bait, it is more subtle smelling. When you break the bait open, you can smell the attraction inside; his is unique in PSL and shows how effective it will be in the water for many hours or even days. 

 

If you haven’t had chance to smell this bait, you need to!

Pro-Stim Liver has a very distinctive smoked garlic sausage aroma with a smooth and subtle sweet back note. It is completely unique, but the very attractive aroma also means Pro-Stim Liver can often succeed in getting you a bite when other baits fail; our consultants have tested this bait in various forms throughout two winters, and the ability this bait has in switching fish on to feed is like nothing we have seen before. It also often stimulates a feeding response from fish within minutes of it being introduced into the water. Because of this strong aroma, it lends itself perfectly to fishing short sessions and one- off trips, like French holidays and exclusive lake bookings alike.

I first got my hands on one of the liquids for this bait back in 2007; it is an incredibly powerful meat liquid which has many layers of flavour and aroma and is a different to any other I had seen in the 20+ years I have been producing bait. Pro-Stim Liver also contains an amino acid rich liver hydrolysate liquid and powder giving it a smooth liver flavour, even if the bait is fully washed out in the water. 

Along with the development that has gone into the bait, testing has always been a hugely important variable here at CCM and something we take very seriously before bringing a bait to market. We asked a couple of key angler their thoughts on the bait and how the testing period has been…

Mark Pitchers- Old School with a twist!

‘I first received a test batch of bait some two years ago now, following a conversation with Ian about him working on and developing a new bait to follow in the footsteps of Pacific Tuna; a bait that I have caught hundreds of carp using and still love very much to this day. When you love a bait and have a lot of confidence using it, it is difficult to move away and try something new, as confidence takes time and effort to build. 

 

Either way, I was keen to look at the new bait, especially after Ian had described the profile to me. When I first opened the bag of Pro-Stim Liver, I found the aroma difficult to put my finger on, but equally addictive and quite old- school. The rusty orange colour and soft texture instantly appealed to me, I just knew this was going to be an incredibly attractive and instant bait that the fish would readily accept and digest easily. 

This was confirmed to me over the coming years, where I took this bait on all my trips abroad throughout Europe and at home in the UK, catch every time with numerous PB’s to over 80lbs, even in the depths of winter!’ 

Brad Wegner- Feeding reaction

A big part of my angling for at least the last 10 years has been edge fishing; by that, I mean visually being able to watch fish feed on my spots and see how my bait and rig react. Generally, the edge fishing starts from around April onwards and largely depends on water clarity, but many of the lakes I fish around the nene valley are crystal clear gravel pits; which lend themselves perfect to this approach. 

One of the best things about edge fishing is your ability to learn about the carp and their behaviour; what they like and don’t like and how many other variables such as weather, water temperatures and angling pressure affect their habits. Being able to do this type of fishing means you learn quickly and that nothing is second guessed; it happens right in front of your eyes, unlike when you are fishing out in the pond and making assumptions…

Like Mark, I had previously been using the Pacific Tuna but really start to get onto the Pro-Stim Liver from spring 2023; that year I decided to solely use it for my edge fishing so I could get a ‘genuine’ view of just how effective this bait was. Spring last year was late and it took what felt like a decade for the water temperatures to increase, but I was wary that with the light levels increasing, those carp would venture into the edge. I started baiting the edge spots of an intimate venue and it was apparent, that despite the cold-water temps, this bait instantly turned the fish onto feeding. In fact, that spring, I quickly caught a number of carp before the lake had fully woken up; including one of the old target fish I never caught during my time on there, ‘Double Belly’.

 

That spring made me realise the pulling power of this new bait and from then on, wherever I took it, fishing either out in the pond or stalking down the edges, the fish readily accepted it and ate it in large volumes! I found it works incredibly well early spring in crumb form, allowing all the attraction to escape the bait and deliver that garlic/ liver smell into the water column. As we move closer to the summer months, I switch back to using it in its whole form with the matching Bait Booster Liquid. 

Harry Charrington- Game changer in boilie fishing!

A lot of my angling in the last 12 months has been very limited, especially with having a newborn, I have had to pick and choose when I go, as time is now very much at a premium. I started using the bait off the back of Mark catching so well on it; so in fact, the first time I used it properly was when we filmed the challenge over in Belgium. I know the fish would love this bait and that trip proved it for me, catching instantly from three very different types of venues; that cemented the catching ability of this bait. 

Previously, I have felt the need to increase the attraction of my baits from the bag, with use of liquids and powders, but this bait is very potent and offers incredible levels of smell and attraction straight from the bag! I have pretty much always used freezer baits too, but the shelf life of this baits is so good and so practical, with fishing the shorter trips, I can always have a bag in the back of the van ready to go at the drop of a hat!

Kev Hewitt- Instant Attraction!

Fishing mainly day ticket venues and matches in my angling, attraction, and the ability for a boilie to release attraction quickly into the swim is paramount for me. With this style of fishing, I am often looking at building a hit of fish, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Catching numbers is what I enjoy the most and with that, I need to be confident using a bait that they are readily eating, passing, and coming back for more. 

I have taken Pro-Stim Liver abroad to Rainbow Lake, but equally have caught at home on busy venues such as Bluebell and Horcott Lakes. I generally use it as part of a bit mix, favouring my normal 10mm size, with the mixture of hemp, corn and Bait Booster to compliment the mix and keep the fish grubbing around for longer! 

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