UK Carp & Coarse Fishing

https://www.anglersmail.co.uk/news/lead-weights-dropping-75680

And I have been on about this for a few year’s, glad other people are getting behind this.

Richard

With fishing and all sorts of other of life’s problems – when you are struggling to catch a carp and it appears it’s never going your way (how ever hard you try), the trick is not to panic, otherwise you can start changing all sort of things around to try and catch fish.  Don’t get me wrong, things need to be tweaked all the time with fishing but when you are catching fish, you tend to do this by small degrees.  When you are on a long run of blanks you can easily start to change all too much at the same time, this is a fatal mistake and will result in more blanks.

If things are going wrong and you just can’t catch, you need to analyze the big picture so you can determine where you may be going wrong.

1. Are you the only one on your lake blanking?  If you’re not, you are probably doing it right and just need to pinpoint why other people are catching before you change anything.

2. Are you fishing at the right time of the day when the fish are feeding?  Are the weather conditions perfect when you are on the bank?

3. Are you fishing the same old swims all the time?  Could it be your favorite swim is not what it was in the past.

4. Could there be a big hatch going on each time you are there?  We have all sat in a swim with carp everywhere over your bait and you don’t get a fish or even have a bleep, they are just preoccupied with natural food.

These 4 things are very important to think about before you start changing rigs, bait etc.  The worst thing you can start doing is swapping rigs and bait round every few hours’s.  It will not give you a true picture of whether any of them are working and you can easily start to spook the carp out of your swim with to much casting in & out.

Firstly you must not despair.  This happens to all anglers, whether they tell you or not.  It’s best to take note of the above 4 things and then determine if you need to change any rigs, bait.  As long as you’ve not changed your rigs, checking them and using them for the correct situations, like you have done before.  Why would there be a need to change them?  You will have confidence in them.

Bait – as long as you are using a top quality bait and applying it correctly, as you were when you were catching fish, it’s not an issue.  Change between bottom wafters and pop-ups is a perfectly normal thing to do.  You should be doing this all the time anyway, as things do change.

Once you have gone over the above minefield of possibilities.  Hopefully, your head will be a lot clearer and you will have worked out if you have changed or have done something to affect your fishing.  It’s as simple as switching back and lastly there is just good old luck, it can be with you or not.  Remember it’s only fishing and it can all change at a drop if a hat and you can have a trip of a lifetime or the last half of the season can be your best ever and the past 6 months of blanking is all forgotten and a distant memory.  If all else fails, pop over to your local easy club water and bag a few 10lbers, this will certainly make a lot of difference and prove you’re doing nothing wrong, it will give you a great boost.

Hope this helps

Richard

With the weather hotting up over the weekend, I hadn’t planned to go fishing.  However, with a breeze picking up and if I could find a shady swim, it would be worth a go.  I may even get more sleep than at home!

Swim choice was made easy.  I was clearly not going back to the same swim as before and the other area was occupied by 4 other anglers on a social – probably watching the football.

I opted for what I hoped would be the cooler end of the lake for me (and the carp).  With a cool northerly blowing down the lake and according to the Deeper the surface temperature was 28 degree.

I was using a single bank stick as I was after any signs of fish and this would hopefuly show up on the Delkims.  I had got the Deeper out as this end of the lake is very much flat and I needed to find a feature of some sort.  The marker rod had only picked up the odd bit of weed with the fox marker lead on.

Finally, after a good couple of hours, I was happy with these spots.  It’s a funny swim this one at times, but with the wind pushing down here, I was feeling confident with my choice.  I was using the same tactic as before as I have confidence in my bait & rigs.

It was not to be.  The night past with on action on the fish front but I did catch up on some well-needed sleep!  I was up early and home by 9am.

I was a fruitful trip on an understanding of features in the swim.  I always take something from each trip and build upon.

Until next time.

Richard

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Some years ago, when I was working long hours and needed to make sure that every trip fishing counted, I put together a number of steps together to make my life easier going fishing.  In ensured I was not just going through the motions.  I am sure that at some point I was this and it affected my catch results.

1. I always keep my kit organized and ready to go.  Make sure you are topped up with any important item replaced or topped up.  I do this as soon as I get home from my last trip before it all gets packed away in the cupboard.

2. I have found that doing the bait a few days before, will help you be confident that it’s all perfect and it can then be kept in the fridge or freezer until you need it.

3. Make your rigs at home.  You can then make sure they are to your standard.  This is so much easier than trying to do this on the bank.  This way, there is no need for all that extra rig kit on the bank.

4. Take the minimal about of kit you need e.g rig boards, a few leads (there is no need for more than 10 leads).  I use a small tackle box with enough rig bits for 10 rigs.

5. On my journey to the lake, always zone out of work and into fishing.

6.  Check the weather beforehand.  You can start to build up a picture of where the carp may be and swim option.  Don’t get to carried away with the swim options, as this is never a good thing, you will never decide.

7. I always load and unload the car in the same way (I even store my tackle in the same way and also set up like this), this will form a pattern which then becomes normal and will help you.

8. When I am fishing, I write a list of things that need topping up or replaced.

9. It’s very important not to rush, take your time and get into a routine when baiting up.

A. Always have sharp hooks

B. Check rig presentation in the lake

C. Pop up/Wafter check

D. Run the line through your hands to check for any abrasions or nicks in the line

10. My bivvy/brolly is laid out the same way each time.  You will always know where everything is every time, day or night.

Doing this will help you through the winter months when you need to set up and pack up in the dark.

11. Every so often, sort your tackle bag out, overtime stuff slips back into your tackle bag and you find yourself taking more than you need.

12. If possible, have separate bags for bits of kit, so if you are only doing a day, you can remove your brew kit or cooking kit and torch etc.

These things are very simple, however, they will help you and make fishing much easier and you will enjoy it a lot more.

Hope this helps

Richard

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As part of my beginner’s guide to carp fishing, I will stick to the simple answers regarding leads.

Casting leads or distances leads –

These are the pointed ones, which look like bullets and used to be known as Zipp leads.  They are perfected for casting great distances due to the shape and also make less noise when entering the water.  Regarding lead size and the heavier the lead, the further you can cast – this is true to a point but you need to match up the correct lead to your rod and your ability to cast.  You may well find that you can cast further out with a light lead than with a heavier one.  You have to remember, if you’re fishing silt the lead will go in very well, however, because of the shape can easily be pulled out.

Flat leads –

These are perfect for slopes, where you don’t want your bait to roll down e.g margin shelf, sides of island and gravel bars.  They are very effective as bolt rigs, they sit flat on the lake bed. They will make more noise going into the water.  Anglers like to use these in PVA bags but I prefer the Zipp style, as it makes the job much easier due to the shape.  You can easily push them into the bag.  These are best fished on gravel or perfect for clear water as their profile is very slimline.

Pear leads –

Very good for casting but not up to the standard of the distance leads, as it’s all about aerodynamics.  The shape of the lead has most of the weight at one end, this helps the carp prick itself a lot quicker than distance leads and these leads do plug themselves in the silty bottomed lakes.  These leads can be used in most carp fishing situations and is a very universal lead if you had to pick one.

There are plenty more choices however, I don’t wish to over complecate things.

Hope this helps

Richard