A friend of mine has suggested that it would be a help to put together a beginners guide to carp fishing terminology. As a help to newcomers to the sport and I will also be doing beginner’s guide to other parts of carp fishing e.g. rigs, marker setups, Spod etc.
I hope this will help all you budding carp anglers when you pick up a magazine to understand what you are being told.
Chod – Is the term used to describe the stuff on the bottom of the lake bed (decaying leaf matter) hence the rig was born from this to counteract this problem.
Wraps – The number of times you wrap the line around your marker sticks, to determine the distance you a fishing our from the bank.
Fizzing – This is when you get a huge patch of tiny bubbles coming up over a large area. This is where the fishing is digging on the bottom and creating a fizzing on the surface of the lake.
Bubbles – This is when you get bubbles popping up to the surface and then moving off, as the fish is feeding on the bottom.
Particles – The terminology used for cooked beans, peas, pulses, seed etc.
Loaded up – you have loaded up the line on your reels, you also load up the rod, when casting. This is the point where your rods are at the best point to cast out.
This is an odd topic. Over the many years, I have spent fishing, I have asked myself this many times when sitting up in the same swim each week. I am 100% confident the fish are close by or will pass through my swim in the time I will be there. So, why bother with all this walking around looking for them. The conclusion I have come to (for myself), it depends on the circumstances of your fishing, I feel. How dedicated are you to catching fish on that particular day? This can be affected by the stresses of life or are you just looking for a break from it all.
I have found over the years, this can certainly play a key factor in some of my fishing trips. I think it’s a very good thing and it can help your fishing for future trips. You just need to make sure this doesn’t become the normal route. The car park swim is the best example of this on most lakes. Oddly enough in the past ten years, these have become the best swim on the lake. Probably because they have been ignored in the previous twenty! On one particular lake, I avoided this swim for some time, until one day I had no option. I had seen fish, it just felt right and that swim went on to produce some stunning fish for me.
Even when my fishing is going very well, I still find that I fish the same swim, my favourite margin spots. If you read all my blogs, it has not done me very well this year so far. I sat there the other day and started to think about this and then thought I should do a blog – Why I was in the swim again?
I personally feel that out of all the little margin spots on this lake (and along the day bank), this swim gives me the best chances of banking a big lump. So far over the past couple of years, my biggest is a 34 lber. The swim offers the perfect opportunity as I am hidden behind the bushes.
I drop my bait the other side of the Beech leaves and sit back. There is also plenty of room to play the fish once you have them under control and under your rod tips. All the other swims are very tiny or very open with you sitting in full view of passing fish. I did move around before on my quick one-rod trip. It became clear to me that the fish were moving freely up and down this bank and they would pass this swim every time. It’s more or less in the middle of this bank and the other thing I was worried about was the disturbance of catching a fish. However, I realised one day that a carp 20 or 30 yards down the bank would never know and I soon found myself catching two fish, within my four-hour fishing window, until this year when all have to list so far is one.
I still see the fish moving along this bank, so why change spot? This is the big question I am facing currently and the answer this time was move on. This is a lesson learnt for the future.
It’s been over a week since my last trip, this years number of trips have been reduced down, due to my extension being built and my part-time gardening job, going a bit full time, this happens every Summer. This is a big factor why the number of fish I am catching (or should I say not catching) are down. It’s all about time, observation and it’s simple, if your not out on the lake how will you know wants going on? With that in mind I headed for a drive around Meadow lake first, as I felt like a change would do me a lot of good, even if I blanked.
I didn’t fancy any of the swims on the Airfield lake either. The wind direction was from the N/E and as luck would have it, there were only two swims taken. After a chat with one of the other member’s and twice around the lake I finally ended up here. Which is a swim I love and know it well enough not to put the Deeper out. Instead, I used one of those Fox gripper markers lead to finding the best bit of weed to fish. I put two Pva bags out at staggered distances on to the plateaux and Spombed out some SF tigers, hemp particles, a mixture of size of Catalyst Boilies and a 15mm wafter.
I was going to be fishing under the stars as the wind was quite strong and was moving between N/E and E. It would be quite awkward with the brolly, fingers crossed the mozzies don’t like the wind as well!
The back bay to the left of me was looking very appealing for a day trip as well in the week.
The first take came around at 2330, it proceeded to try and get around the overhanging tree to my right, I have become accustomed to. There was no way that was going to happen! I was very pleased after I had negotiated that part of the fight, I just needed to play the fish out and avoid it going around the point. After a couple of goes and what felt like a lifetime, a very nice 25+ Common was safely in the Nsr50.
The nice feeling after such a long time of catching 10lbers isn’t worth mentioning. A very happy man with such a stunning fish.
My second take came about at 0015 on the same round as before and another common was netted. This one was about 12lb and was soon back to join it’s friends. With another bag done, I was back on the bag again and I couldn’t believe it, the same rod was off again – just after 0200. Unfortunately I had a hook pull, this happens from time to time, especially since I’m fishing in weed.
Rod’s all on the floor, hoping for that 4th take and a bit of a lack of sleep. This is funny, as I was thinking, I would get a bit more than I had been doing at home!
I am out on the Airfield lake for three nights this trip. After a good look round and with no one else on the lake, it was a bit of a hard choice. I picked the bank which had the warm north wind blowing hard on to it. The water was colored up nicely and there were quite a few carp topping, which is a very good sign.
I found a perfect spot with my Deeper (which I have fished before) and it has produced a few nice fish in the past for me.
I baited this spot with 10 balls of ground bait which I had made up in the week for this trip. It is a mixture of Spotted Fin Frozen Krill, micro Pellets, G02 groundbait, a load of liquids and topped the swim up with 4 Spombs of Catalyst Boilies soaked in Minaminos.
The other rod was going to be moved around different spots over the next few days. The first being the corner of the island, all around had been baited with 15mm Catalyst Wafters. I have found this work well on here.
As dawn rose over the lake, I was up early to recast my island rod. The wind had finally dropped and I could get an extra few feet closer. This made no difference as I was still happily camping and not catching, it was the same for Ian as well, a bit shocking as we had seen and heard more fish activity than previous trips out. By noon, we decided to relocate at least one rod each into a different spot and we spend over an hour mapping out swims a bit more with the Deeper.
And found some pukka spots (hopefully may bag us a fish each). My left-hand rod was moved along the margins just off an overhanging tree.
But not to close, as these fish will be in there before you blink.
Well, that takes the biscuit! I’ve waited two days for a take, knowing I was in the right area and I get a dam hook pull – not happy. You all know that feeling and it does happen to us all from time to time. My season is not going well this year and that doesn’t help things.
The rod was recast, it’s time to move on and work hard for the next take – hopefully, it won’t be too long away.
As the last night and day look like is going to be a hot one, I have discided it may be worth trying out a zig rig on one rod. Not sure as it’s only 6ft deep where I am fishing. More of a 4ft pop-up, which is something we did back in the 80s when the bird life drove you crazy. We would put a pataoster style pike rig out with a dog biscuit and fish a foot under the surface.
The rod was moved closer to the overhanging tree with a few balls of ground bait and a large bag of SF mix pellets, that I had put together.
Ian was also still blanking, which was a total shock, after the features and signs of fish on an area to the right of him. This lake is certainly proving hard going at the moment.
Well folks, the third night passed by with not a touch and as my trip nears its end, my talley is just one lost fish. This is certainly pretty rubbish and I continue my run of sporadic catching, which is all part of the joy and sorrow of carp fishing. But where else would I be? With such pleasant surroundings and great company, which keeps me coming back for more, after that unknown monster carp, which from time to time we see out there in the lake. One day it will grace my net and all the past will be washed away.
There is always a next time.
With the kit all in the car and the lake completely empty, there was no better chance to get the Deeper out in some areas I had yet to map out. Much to my and Ian’s surprise there were loads of fish in front of both swims.
Unfortunately, he had to be off and I was able to stay for a couple of hours before the family were due home.
I spent an hour in this swim with only seeing a couple of small fish, which despite my need to catch a carp, they were not for me.
I then moved on to the next one for the last hours and flicked two bags out, filled with mixed pellets and a few Catalyst Boilies. I sat in the shade which was lovely, as the heat of the day was certainly upon us now, not the best time to catch but I was forever hopefull and you just never know.
I love my pike fishing and the Deeper is a great way to locate bait fish in a swim – be it on the river or lake. This helps me a great deal with my fishing when I get only a few hours on the bank. You can search out the bait fish or if you are lucky find a pike. This will stop wasting time in swims with no fish.
With a quick under arm flick, you can check out some great margin features. This can also be used on the river bank to great effect.
This hole contains bait fish and the potential of a big pike.
