A friend of mine always wears gloves if he has to put petrol in his car on the way to a session as he is adamant that the carp will smell it on his baits once he’s handled them. Is he being paranoid?

Jim Wilson:

I absolutely agree with him, Petrol and diesel are something I don’t want to come into contact with on route to the lake or whilst I’m at the lake if I can help it, as I do believe they can’t taint not only our bait but rigs as well. It’s not only when filling up the car either, a lot of people switch to a Coleman during the winter instead of their standard gas stoves, so filling one of those up on the bank can also be a tad risky too! If you have any doubt, I’d recommend you take some disposable gloves with you, just so there’s no chance of the fumes transferring.