We spoke with Marukyu's top specimen angler Tim Hodges as he put some of Marukyu's bait through it's paces at The Glebe fishery in Leicestershire, to get his top tips to help you catch more fish...

Tim is no stranger to helping anglers like you catch more fish. There are few more helpful anglers around that are so willing to go out of their way to ensure that you catch that fish of a life time.

Over the next few month's Tim will be sharing many of his secrets with you through the pages of this website. But in the meantime, here are some of his top tips and hints that could help you bank that fish of a life time...

Never ever cast without some added attractant!

"I see so many people just fire out a few boilies or pellets and then cast their hook bait out somewhere near it.

"The fact of the matter is that no matter how accurate you think you are, inevitably your hook bait is a lot further away from your free offerings than you think it is.

"I would not dream of casting out without either a small PVA bag, a stringer, or a Method feeder - so that I can be certain that my hook bait is right next to some free offerings. It just works better. If you learn nothing else from these tips - just remember this one tip. It will catch you a lot more fish."

Keep your rig as short as possible

"Modern carp rigs work as bolt rigs - the fish hooks itself.

"Keep your rig as short as possible and you will hook more fish. Ideally, the rig should be no more than 6" (15cm) long - i.e. the distance from your hook to your weight."

How long a hair should you use?

"Don't be afraid to use a long hair on your hair rig - especially when using bigger baits.

"As a typical rule have a gap between the bait and the hair that is as big as the bait you are using - or longer!

"If I am using 20mm baits - I want at least a 20mm gap between the bait and the bend of the hook - and I will go longer sometimes!

"Keep experimenting until you find what is working best on the day."

Fish as direct to your bait as possible for better bite detection

"There is a trend in carp fishing these days to fish slack line to your rigs.

"This is something that I must say I disagree with - and I like to fish my lines tight to the rig with no slack line.

"The reason is simple - I want to detect any movement that happens and unfortunately with a slack line - you only know about the fish that are hooked. I want to know whether there are fish in front of me. I want to see the indications. And to do that you have to fish a tight line."

Ring the changes

"All of Marukyu's baits are designed for short session fishing - they are designed to add instant attraction to the water.

"But this does not mean that you don't need to keep changing what you do. Sometimes you may catch better on a single bait, sometimes a double... sometimes on a paste bait.

"It's important to keep changing the baits until you find out what is working best on the day. And NEVER ASSUME. Just because yesterday you caught well on two boilies - it does not mean it will work today.

"If you know there are fish in front of you - keep changing things round. I would recast every 30 minutes with a different combination until I found out what works best."

Do something different

"Never be afraid to experiment.

"Just because everybody is fishing the same way does not mean you have to. Anglers often get stuck in a rut and fish the same way.

"Do you ever hear people saying that only a certain type of boilie is working? Chances are you will find that everyone is fishing with this certain type of bait - so it's no surprise is it?

"I have caught plenty of big fish just by doing something a little bit different. Try it... it feels good to be a trendsetter and not a follower!"

Barbless versus barbed hooks

"There are tons of arguments out there over barbed versus barbless hooks - and in the main, I am not getting involved... but I will tell you this - you will always hook more fish on a barbless hook - and if you do not give the  fish any slack line it will not come off.

"The way I look at it is this - you have to hook it before you can lose it, so why make life difficult?"

Excite the fish

"The chances are you are fishing a fairly well stocked commercial water.

"Most anglers forget that fish are curious and often come to the splash - and are also almost certainly hungry - so do something to excite the fish and get them feeding in front of you.

"Fish respond to taste and smell - and that's where Marukyu's baits comes into their own. But for added attraction, keep recasting, spodding or catapulting bait in. Remember, little and often is the key - but fish at busy fisheries definitely respond well to noise. They associate the splash with food...

"And don't be afraid of overfeeding either. A double figure carp can easily eat 10 per cent of its own bodyweight in food every day."