UK Carp & Coarse Fishing

August 2026 – A Month of Carp Fishing

August turned out to be a very enjoyable month of carp fishing, especially after an incredibly difficult period of hot weather through June and July. The temperatures finally began to fall, the winds picked up and, importantly, the carp started behaving more like I would expect at this time of year.
After struggling through the heat, it was a welcome change to finally feel that the conditions were working in my favour.

A Change in Conditions

The difference in the weather was noticeable almost immediately. Rather than the oppressive heat we had experienced for much of the summer, I was finally getting some decent winds and cooler conditions.

One session saw a strong westerly wind of around 24mph, and I was much happier fishing in those conditions. I had also noticed that the water level had dropped by roughly a foot, which made accurate knowledge of the lakebed and depths even more important.
The lake I fish is incredibly shallow in places, and some areas are only around 3½ feet deep. It’s easy to overlook these shallow areas, but the carp continue to use them, and this month provided further evidence of just how important they can be.

Location First

As always, location was at the heart of my approach.
I spent time using my Deeper CHIRP 3 and Maps+ to understand the areas I wanted to fish, although on some occasions I reverted to the marker rod once I had established the information I needed.
One of the advantages of Maps+ is being able to do some of the preparation away from the bank. I can sit at home and study the lake, measure distances and work out how many wraps I need to reach particular areas.

In one session, I used Maps+ to measure from the swim to a horizon marker and calculate the distance to the spot. This gave me the confidence to fish accurately, particularly when dealing with a lake containing numerous islands, shallow areas and underwater boulders.
Finding softer, silty areas was particularly important. Rather than simply fishing to obvious features, I wanted to find areas where I believed the carp would naturally feed.

The Fishing Finally Came Good

The catches during August reflected the improvement in conditions.
After the struggles of the previous couple of months, it was great to start putting carp on the bank again.
A particularly productive session produced four carp, including several good commons. The first night produced a 10lb carp along with a tench, but things improved considerably afterwards, with two further carp including fish to 25lb 13oz.
The session was eventually rounded off by an 18lb 8oz common, which arrived at around 6:30 in the morning.

It was one of those mornings where everything came together, and after the difficulties I had experienced earlier in the summer, catching four carp made the session feel even more rewarding.

The Importance of the Right Bait

My bait approach remained deliberately straightforward.
I used Jurassic Particles to introduce a small amount of food onto the chosen areas, complemented with Nutrabaits boilies. On one session, I used 24mm Cream Cajouser Shelf boilies, catapulting them accurately around the target area rather than putting large quantities directly over the hookbait.
I prefer this measured approach, particularly in shallow water. I want the carp to have to move around and search for the food rather than arrive over a heavily baited area.
The hookbaits also remained familiar, with Nutrabaits EnerGize corkie wafters and Trigga Ice hardened bottom baits featuring in my fishing.

The Results

August produced some excellent fish and, more importantly, restored a lot of confidence after a frustrating summer.
There were multiple 20lb-plus carp, with the best fish reaching 25lb 13oz, along with several other good commons and mirrors.

The fish were also giving me plenty of encouragement through their behaviour. Watching carp moving around the islands and seeing them confidently using incredibly shallow water reinforced what I had already learned from previous sessions.

It’s easy to assume that carp need significant depth, particularly during warmer weather, but this lake continues to prove otherwise.

Looking Back

August reminded me why I enjoy carp fishing so much.
After weeks of battling extreme temperatures, conditions finally changed. The wind returned, temperatures became much more comfortable, and the carp started feeding again.
The fishing wasn’t simply about catching fish, though. A big part of the enjoyment came from working out where they were likely to be, using the Deeper Maps+ information I had gathered, finding the right areas of lakebed and then putting together a simple, accurate approach.

The combination of location, observation, minimal baiting and accurate presentation produced some excellent results.

Most importantly, August finished with me feeling confident about the fishing again.
After the heat and frustration of early summer, getting several good carp on the bank—including a 25lb 13oz common—was exactly what I needed.

And with the temperatures finally becoming more favourable, I’m looking forward to seeing what September brings.

Until Next Time

Richard

P.s. I’d written this review before coming out for one last trip, which was planned. It turned out to be one of the best I’ve had on the Airfield Lake.

Read the Catch Report here.

An amazing 20 carp landed over 3 nights, by far my best session on the Airfield Lake.

Get 10% off Deeper with Code – RICHARD10

When the Wind Finally Changed

With the temperatures finally dropping to something a little more acceptable for me, along with a lovely wind pushing across the lake, my swim choice could finally be based more on where I’d seen carp showing over the last few weeks, rather than simply chasing the shade.

It’s amazing just how much the water level has dropped in the space of only a week. I’d pitched up with the wind blowing straight into my face after seeing a couple of nice carp show out in front of me. That was enough of an invitation for me.

Setting up the Frontier was certainly interesting! I’ve found the best way to do it in these conditions is to open it up with your back to the wind, get the middle back peg in first, and let the mallet do the talking. Then it’s a case of walking around the bivvy with both hands gripping everything as tightly as possible, before quickly getting the two front pegs in.

You really do need to have the pegs in position and ready to go, along with the mallet, because if you don’t like banging pegs in, then setting up a bivvy with a 30mph wind blowing straight into your face, combined with rock-solid ground, probably isn’t for you!

I’d be spombing out a few loads of Jurassic Particles once the wind subsided later in the evening, as I wanted them to be as accurate as possible. In the meantime, I’d catapulted a few 24mm Cream Cajouser boilies around both spots.

The traps were now set, so all that was left to do was sit back, enjoy the next few nights and hope they brought something a little bit special.

0216 hrs

The right-hand rod was away.

It wasn’t quite the 27lb Ian had caught earlier from the same swim last week. It seemed I’d followed the smaller carp rather than the bigger ones I’d been seeing since arriving. They were showing further out, but with the boulders between them and me, fishing that far out would simply have been a crazy option.

10lb Common

I was happy I hadn’t blanked. It was an August carp, and more importantly, it had proved that the spot was viable.

0626 hrs

The right-hand rod was away again, this time with a 5lb-plus Tench.

I simply sharpened the hook up and flicked the same 24mm Cream Cajouser hardened hookbait back out.

0800 hrs

I was out of my pit for the day, and I’d concluded that, both on here and at Airfield Lake, the carp seem much more inclined to show themselves after 0900 hrs. Before then, they generally seem to have their heads down feeding, with very little indication of where they are.

0930 hrs

Ian popped over for a few brews and a catch-up. We talked about his early success, having caught a 25lb and a 27lb Common, both from similar tactics to mine. It seemed it was only a matter of time before my rods started producing something a little better.

1041 hrs

After a single bleep around 15 minutes earlier, the right-hand rod suddenly screamed off.

This was clearly a big carp and definitely not another Tench. After a long, hard battle in the shallow water, I finally managed to get a lovely carp safely over the cord.

25lb 13oz Common

I was well happy with that one.

I’d seen them showing at range from the swim; I just needed to get them to come in and feed. I’d been slowly introducing a few more freebies throughout the morning, and the rod was soon back out there with a fresh hookbait.

1130 hrs

The same rod was away again, although it was clearly no carp this time. Another Tench, around 5½lb.

I really should weigh one properly at some point just to confirm their actual weight!

1300 hrs

After not having a single bleep or any action whatsoever on the left-hand rod, it was time to relocate it.

I had the option of putting it closer to the other rod, but that isn’t my favourite solution in here. Because the lake is so shallow, and I fish tight lines wherever possible to try and keep the carp away from the boulders, I’ve found that when the rods are too close together, you simply don’t get the bites.

So, out came the marker rod, and I started checking Maps+.

With the depth only being around 3ft to 3½ft, there was little point in flicking the Deeper sonar around. All the information I needed was already there on Maps+.

After checking a few areas, I finally found what looked like the perfect spot: around 3½ft of water with a lovely silty area.

I reduced the spombing to a minimum because of the noise, using a small Spomb purely for the particles. I was still catapulting the 24mm boilies out, which the black-headed variety of seagulls couldn’t pick up.

1420 hrs

The right-hand rod gave a single bleep.

The bobbin lifted and dropped a couple of times, and I was convinced it was yet another Tench.

Then an angry Airfield Lake carp woke up halfway through the fight and went absolutely crazy in the shallow water. It was an exhilarating battle, although I’m always nervous when they charge around in this depth, especially with the boulders waiting underneath.

Eventually, the carp finally calmed down, and I was able to get it safely into the net.

19lb 13oz Common

Another superb result.

I wrapped the rod back up and flicked it out into the lovely headwind, which was making sitting out there so much more bearable.

0600 hrs

I was up early, wondering where all the carp had disappeared to.

It was flat calm, not a breath of wind, the buzzers had been silent all night, and I was wondering what to do next.

The forecast was for a light north-westerly breeze, with the pressure sitting at 1023mb. I also knew I wouldn’t be able to fish the following week, so the question was whether I should stay for the third night or call it a day.

My head was full of questions.

0900 hrs

Ian popped over for his morning coffees, and we sat chatting.

He’d managed another 22lb Common at around 0500 hrs that morning, taking his tally to three 20s and, amazingly, no Tench!

1200 hrs

I reeled in, and we headed off for a walk and drive around the complex.

With the water levels so low, it was the perfect opportunity to pick up the reference points for the boulders and bars again. It never fails to amaze me just how big some of these boulders actually are when you can see them properly.

I’d decided to stay for the final night, especially as a lovely cool breeze had started blowing from the west, once again nicely into my face.

It was much lighter than the previous days, but actually stronger than I’d expected.

I was now looking for another spot for the left-hand rod, as it still hadn’t produced a single bleep. I’ve always struggled to find a consistently productive spot to my left in this swim. I catch randomly from different areas, but strangely, I never seem to catch from the same spot twice.

1900 hrs

It had finally cooled down.

It had certainly been a bit hot out there during the afternoon, and, as expected, there had been no action on any of the rods.

Hopefully, the hours of darkness would bring some more carpy action.

0649 hrs

I’d been fast asleep again after watching the misty dawn develop earlier that morning. I couldn’t believe I’d managed to fall asleep again, missing another beautiful, fresh morning.

Then the right-hand rod suddenly screamed off!

The carp were bolting around on the surface in the shallow water, making the fight even more exhilarating than normal. I’m always nervous when they do this, because they can so easily knock the hook out when they head towards the boulders. It’s happened to me numerous times before.

Thankfully, the carp finally calmed down, and I was able to get a lovely fish safely into the net.

18lb 8oz Common

A perfect end to the session.

I just needed to get everything dried off from the morning dew before packing away.

0803 hrs

And then, just when I thought the session was over, the right-hand rod was away again.

Another lovely Airfield Lake Common.

24lb 1oz Common

What a way to finish.

The cooler temperatures, the wind in my face and, most importantly, the carp finally feeding properly had made this a brilliant few days on the lake.

Four carp, including two 20s, plus a few Tench and plenty of things learned along the way.

Sometimes it’s not about forcing the fishing. It’s about watching, adapting and waiting for the conditions to come right.

Until next time,

Richard

P.s. Time for another family camping trip.

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