JAMES LEWIS didn’t let four blank carp fishing days put him off during a week at Devon’s Anglers Paradise – and then he ended up with two stunning two personal bests.
The 36-year-old police officer, from Chessington, Surrey, first smashed his old 29 lb 5 oz PB with a 40 lb 2 oz mirror before this 50 lb mirror, to wrap up a dream session at Anglers Paradise.
James said: “Having fished the first four days with no real success, not even a sniff from the usual hungry cats… other than a 4 lb eel which was a PB.
“I decided if I was going to blank why not blank at least with the chance of beating my carp PB. So I decided to pay the extra money to fish the Kracking Carp Lake which is a day ticket but stocked with carp up to 55 lb.”
The Kracking Carp Lake at Anglers Paradise in Devon – it lives up to its name!
“Three hours later I broke breaking my new 40 lb PB. Then I had the 50 lb mirror on the nose,” continued James.
“Both mirrors were caught on pop-up artificial prawns and sweetcorn in the middle of lily pads about two rod lengths out on a running lead where I had seen the fishing moving around earlier,” he concluded.
This is a short version of the story that appeared in Angler’s Mail printed magazine. Get the magazine every week for carp fishing and coarse fishing top tips, big news, best products, and venues that are in form.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.
MARK SHAW was so glad he made a top six day trip to Holme Fen Fishery in Cambridgeshire as an alternative to going all the way to France... and this picture shows why!
Mark nabbed this huge 59 lb 12 oz mirror carp during the Holme Fen session then added a 40 lb 8 oz sample.
The Cheadle, Staffordshire-based 45-year-old JCB employee offered Premier Baits’ Matrix boilies over Lilypad Baits hemp and snails.
Holme Fen Fishery is near the village of Colne on the edge of the Cambridgeshire fens. It was developed from a recently completed gravel extraction site, and is managed by experienced duo of Martin Dawson and Mike Hawes since 2010.
The complex is a specimen carp day ticket fishery. It is available for individual or group bookings of 48, 96 or 144 hours starting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.
Want to catch big carp on smaller waters? Angler’s Mail features editor Richard Howard gives you some pointers to hopefully catch the lake's heaviest fish!
SO how do you target those big carp on small waters? We’re talking about better fish on well-stocked ‘ponds’ – the sort of waters you skirt round on the way to the ‘big lake’ or main lake on your local day ticket complex.
There’s hundreds of waters like this up and down the country – you’ve only got to look at Angler‘s Mail magazine’s weekly Where To Fish This Weekend section.
And lots of theses venues have fish around or over the 20 lb mark, fish that are well worth catching – especially on light specimen gear.
A small fishery all to yourself… yes, it is possible!
A small water that you can chuck a 2 oz lead across – islands permitting, where the fish are never that far away. It’s got to be easy right? Wrong!
I decided to drop on one such water, after walking round it for two years and never giving it a second glance until I heard of one or two decent fish in there. And for three or four months it really got under my skin.
And here’s what I’ve leant – my big carp from small waters Top 10 Tips:
1 Fish late in the day.
The keen early morning arrivals have come and gone. Although you’ve probably got to be off by dark, those last three hours can be a great time for a bite or two as the fish can really turn on.
You can end up with the fishery to yourself. If you can get a half-day or ‘cheaper’ evening ticket, even better.
2 Down the edge.
A lot of bigger fish – the upper-doubles or 20s on waters full of smaller carp, tench, bream, roach etc can be nicked out of the edge, and later in the day is the best time to do it.
Whether they’ve got use to patrolling the edge picking up discarded bait from the day anglers or whether it’s just that the bankside is lets face it, often the biggest feature, who knows.
Either way, those bigger fish can often be right under your feet.
3 Softly, softly catchy monkey.
It goes without saying that on such intimate venues and fishing just over ‘the stalks’ that bankside noise needs to be kept to a minimum. Try and lower or swing baits into position, don’t cast.
4 Awkward swims I love them.
That’s exactly where a good fish or two can be holding up often because it’s nice and quiet and gets walked past rather than fished.
Those two bushes with a small gap between them in a corner swim where only the one side of the bush can be accessed from the permanent pegs.
Get a rod and lower a bait tight into the gap itself, if you’re allowed. As long as you know you can get a fish out. Last time I did it I had a 20, one of only a handful in the lake.
Marukyu Krill liquid and powder additives – very attractive to fish.
5 Bait bans – get round it.
Even if boilies, pellets and hemp are banned, you can get round it. I had success on chunks of ragged meat lowered in on a two bait PVA stringer, with a Peperami hookbait all dipped in Marukyu Krill and rolled in Krill powder for a big hit of attraction in the water column. Takes can come very quickly.
6 Free running and slack lines.
With thousands of hungry mouths in this type of water, you need to know if you’ve been ‘picked up’. Mini tench, 8 oz ‘scamp’ carp they can all leave your rig in an unfishable tangle.
I like a free-running leger set-up – something like a 1.5 oz lead, 12 in. of 15 or 20 lb E-S-P Camo Sink Link to a size 10 hook with a standard hair rig.
I couple this with slack lines or a light bobbin and my Delkim sensitivity cranked up, but volume down. Keep an eye on your line below the rod tip for signs of bangs, knocks and activity.
7 One rod is all it takes.
Don’t be put off by ‘one-rod-only’ waters. That’s all you need to land a good fish. If anything it’ll put a lot of mainstream ‘multiple rod’ carpers off, so that’s less competition for you.
8 Sit back.
Whether you’re lowering a rig by hand down the edge, literally an inch or two out or dropping a rig in and walking your rod back along the margin 20 yards, don’t sit on top the fish. You can very easily spook them.
A bit of putty tungsten putty can be useful in the latter scenario or fluorocarbon mainline, to sink the line between rod and rig, providing there aren’t too many branches littering the bottom.
9 Super selective floater fishing.
It’s one of the most selective methods there is for big fish. If it warms up get those floaters out.
Warm evenings can be ideal, even in coloured water, the size of the mouth will give the biggest fish away.
You can literally lower a freelined piece of bread crust, cat or dog biscuit right onto a feeding fishes nose.
Just be careful to let the fish turn after engulfing the bait so you don’t strike the hook straight back out. We’ve all done that.
10 Bait and wait.
Whether floater fishing or bottom bait fishing I like to drip a few freebies into any appealing spots – snags, bushes, alongside rush beds, and keep an eye on them.
You can’t miss the sound of slurps from a carp mopping up floaters that have drifted into a bush, or amongst margin stalks.
You might have spooked a fish or heard a fish crash, note the area and go and investigate.
Lower a hookbait over those half a dozen flavour laced freebies you’ve fed too, in a swim you’ve rested, to see if anything’s moved in.
The method lends itself to travelling light, one rod, a rest or two, landing net, unhooking mat and some bits. It’s all you need. You’ll soon work out the carp’s favourite haunts and hopefully be able to pick fish off from them in rotation.
Read Angler’s Mail print magazine every week to learn loads and stay bang up-to-date with happenings in the carp and coarse fishing worlds!
ANGLER’S MAIL is No.1 for fishing tips and tricks! Take a look at this nifty tungsten carp rig....
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To catch carp off guard, it is advisable to make your hook bait behave differently to the uniform bottom baits that are commonly used on the hair.
Here’s how to make a tungsten rig to critically balance a hook bait to fool carp on tricky waters and when the water is cooler…
1 Many anglers prefer to use a fairly stiff hook link material, in this case 25 lb ESP Two Tone in silt colour. The material comes in three different colours to match the terrain that you’re fishing over – silt, weed and gravel – and consists of tightly woven dyneema core with a translucent polymer coating, ensuring that it sinks well. The outer coating is stiffer than most braids, allowing the hook length to kick off the lead, so when a fish picks up the bait there is always a fast contact with the lead.
2 Taska has some highly innovative rig components. They make a number of products in their Baseline range which are impregnated with tungsten. Their tungsten aligners, which are pre-formed and hold their shape well, make critically balancing baits a lot easier to achieve, and the aligner does the normal job of making the hook turn over quicker in the fish’s mouth.
3 The aligners can be trimmed with a pair of scissors so that you can adjust the weight to critically balance the hook bait so that it will look identical to the bottom baits, but will react in a different way when picked up. The aligners come in two sizes to suit different sizes of hooks
4 Terminate the rigs using a link loop using a five turn grinner knot, eased up slowly with a bit of moisture which will give you a knot strength over the stated breaking strain of the two tone material. Using a link loop like this makes changing you hook length simple and quick and allows you to use a PVA stick if you later decide to.
5 Using some baseline putty, tear off a blob and divide equally into two – wrap around the hook length and roll between fingers and thumb so that you produce what almost looks like a small olivette.
6 Here’s how the completed carp rig should look.
For great carp and coarse fishing advice, catches and features read Angler’s Mail print magazine every week!
PROPER CARP FISHING has started on freeview TV with a proper series for the first time in the form of Monster Carp by the Korda boys. Here is the running order and synopsis as supplied to Angler's Mail magazine by ITV, and watch out for repeats...
1 Monster Carp – Japan
Heading to The Land of the Rising Sun for the ultimate angling adventure, Ali Hamidi, Tom Dove and Darrell Peck kick off the series. They’re on a quest to discover Japan’s legendary carp.
The country is known for its colourful koi, but can the team tempt one of the Land’s unknown monster king carp in the shadows of Mount Fuji?
With laughs aplenty, this is one unforgettable story to open this debut series of Monster Carp.
Tuesday, July 5, 8pm – ITV4
Repeats – Wed midnight , Sat at 6pm and Sun 10.55am.
Monster Carp has just begun with episode 1 in Japan. Angler’s Mail Carp Crew section readers were recently treated to a special feature on the making on the shows, starring Ali Hamidi (left) and others including Darrell Peck (right).
2 Monster Carp – Hungary
In an action-packed adventure in Central Europe, Ali is joined by Neil Spooner and Tom Dove at Balaton, one of Europe’s largest lakes.
The Monster Carp team face testing conditions from boat and bank on the windswept, 50-mile-long water, taking time to sample some of the famous Hungarian cuisine and culture between the action.
Tuesday, July 12, 8pm – ITV4
Repeats – Sat 4.55pm and Sun 8.55am
3 Monster Carp – Italy
In a rollercoaster journey across breathtaking Italian lakes and rivers, Ali is joined by Tom Dove and Danny Fairbrass as they say “ciao” to monster carp.
The boys’ trip takes them from the beauty of Venice right into the heart of darkness as they tackle demanding and, at times, dangerous conditions in search of their quarry on the incredible River Po – home to 60 lb carp and World record-sized catfish.
Tuesday, July 19, 8pm – ITV4
Repeat details to be confirmed soon
4 Monster Carp – Austria
Fishing incredible lakes amongst the Austrian Alps, Ali teams up with Korda chief Danny Fairbrass and Darrell Peck.
They go in search of a well-known 50 lb carp and a mystery wild specimen. Will they end the series with the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the fish world?
Tuesday, July 26, 8pm – ITV4
Repeat details to be confirmed soon
LOVE CARP FISHING? Read Carp Crew in Angler’s Mail print magazine every week!
EMAIL US! Got a view on TV angling or anything topical? Email to: amletters@timeinc.com and you could get into our weekly print magazine.
THE colossal record carp, the Parrot, has been caught for a second time at a 'below weight' 64 lb 14 oz after hitting the national headlines months ago when she was caught at a record 68 lb 1 oz to Dean Fletcher.
Latest captor Matt Jackson tempted the massive mirror carp at the still incredible mark using a CC Moore Pacific Tuna boilie.
Salisbury, Wiltshire-based Matt thought he was in with a good chance of the Parrot as most of the other big fish in the water – Wasing Estate’s Cranwells in Berkshire – had been landed in the previous ten days.
ANGLER'S MAIL takes carp fishing seriously. And our big carp galleries are backed by TAG (The Angling Group) who have top carp fishing brands Taska, Nutrabaits and Kryston.
WELSH wonder water White Springs is in fine form and produced this rare double catch to John Cooper and James Dawson.
The pair finished second in a Welsh Carp Championship qualifier on the Specimen Lake but the highlight of the match was when the local pair both were playing specimens of exactly the same weight from peg 7.
They were just pipped to first place by a tiny 6 oz as John Flewin and Ethan Thomas weighing 178 lb 14 oz on pegs 9A and 10 with ten fish to 27 lb.
In total 40 fish were caught including ten 20 lb-plus carp and three 30-pounders and no team blanked.
CORY CONNOR couldn’t have wished for a better trip to a local Wiltshire pit as he topped a four-fish haul with this 38 lb 6 oz common. The 26-year-old Salisbury-based carpet fitter added three 20s in 24 hours fishing at 15 wraps with Sticky Baits 12 mm pop-ups over 2 kg of scattered Manilla.
AARON BYRNE is well into his ‘urban carping’ and travelled from the second city of Birmingham to London to catch this pretty fully-scaled mirror. The 22-year-old fished Shadwell Basin near Wapping, in the docklands, using a Sticky Baits pink pop-up over BB1 freebies. Aaron said: “After two nights on the urban adventure this was not the biggest of four fish but certainly the most beautiful.”
MYTHS POOL in Essex lived up to its name when Roberto Catania smashed his PB twice topped by this 40 lb 8 oz mirror called Flower. The 39-year-old audio visual support specialist from Bedford used a single white Sticky Baits Krill boilie at 20 yards out and he had a 24 lb mirror earlier in the week.
DAVE ALFORD obliterated his old 13 lb PB carp with this 35 lb 8 oz mirror from top Kent day ticket venue Cottington Lakes. The 43–year-old civil servant from Crayford, South East London, offered a Solar Baits Chilli Club boilie with white plastic corn in a PVA mesh bag, filled with crushed boilie, halibut pellet and baby corn pellet from Decathlon 2 ft away from reeds.
KEVIN PETERS was on a five-hour barbel session on his local River Thames near Chertsey in Surrey when he matted this surprise 26 lb 4 oz mirror then added another of 24 lb 13 oz! He tamed the fish on 1.5 lb barbel rods with a 10 lb trace and a size 10 hook after they picked up a single 15 mm boilie. A fine river fish in our Big Carp Gallery.
A HUGE electrical storm sparked carp into feeding for Lee Graves who had a blank night but then went on to nab commons of 37 lb 2 oz and 36 lb plus five mirrors to 28 lb 12 oz. Sales manager Lee, 40, from Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire, fished Quarry Lake near Chelmsford in Essex with a Sticky Baits Manilla 16 mm pop-up over glugged freebies and matching pellets.
TOM ROSSITER found West Stow Country Park in Suffolk busy but he still had a great trip and included this 41 lb 2 oz beauty in a good catch that included another of 41 lb 8 oz. The 23-year-old from nearby Stowmarket added six others to 32 lb 2 oz in 40 hours on Sticky Baits Krill boilies fished at 60 yards, 15 ft off an island.
BUILDER William Springer tackled his local Swan Valley in Camberley, Surrey, for this 36 lb 12 oz warrior-like mirror. The 35-year-old added a 35 lb 14 oz common plus two doubles in 72 hours using Sticky Baits Krill boilies at 20 yards to a silt patch next to a weedbed.
NATHAN BURROWS had struggled for four days at Erics Angling’s day ticket Willows in West Yorkshire but kept changing tactics and was rewarded with this 37 lb mirror as he was packing up. The 40-year-old roofer from Wigan, Lancashire, used a white single Sticky Baits Krill pop-up cast to showing fish at 110 yards. He gets into our Angler’s Mail Big Carp Gallery.
CHECK out this dark 30 lb 8 oz mirror to Joe Wilson from a local park lake. The 30-year-old national accounts supervisor from Hyde, Greater Manchester, added three low 20s and two doubles in two nights using a Sticky Baits Manilla wafter. He wisely reported his catch to Angler’s Mail!
TERRY CLAYTON paid tribute to Jan Porter when he nabbed the first and second biggest carp in France’s Etang Du Bois Lake.
Terry’s French giants were this huge 82 lb common carp (above) plus another of 79 lb 14 oz.
He was especially pleased with the biggest as it has been renamed JP after the popular all-rounder Jan Porter, who sadly died this spring.
Terry, a tailor from Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, added a 53 lb carp on an A2 Baits Creamy Toffee pop-up.
Who was Jan Porter?
Jan Porter had battled cancer for the previous few years but it was still a huge shock the ‘man in red’ passed away in April 2016.
The 60-year-old became famous for his red attire in the 1970s and 80s while fishing matches, especially on his local River Trent in Nottingham, and also represented Norway in the World Championships and rebuilt the Shakespeare Superteam.
Jan Porter crossed over from match fishing at top level to being a respected specialist and carp fishing all-rounder.
In the 1990s he turned into the ‘man in camo’ as a specimen hunter and became Shimano chief consultant and showed what a versatile angler he was and his enthusiasm, knowledge and passion for fishing came through his media and TV work.
Jan had a passion for music as well and everyone who dealt with Jan had the utmost respect for him…. which was seen vividly through the pages of Angler’s Mail magazine after his sad death.
RIP JAN PORTER.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.
ANGLER'S MAIL takes carp fishing seriously. And our big carp galleries are backed by TAG (The Angling Group) who have top carp fishing brands Taska, Nutrabaits and Kryston.
THIS barn owl called Luna is a charm for Mike Kernaghan – ‘helping him’ catch this 19 lb 14 common plus his main target fish on top.
Mike added the 25 lb 9 oz half linear mirror on just his second trip with his new bird of prey joining him.
The 24-year-old welder from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, tempted the brace from a local reservoir using Nash Citruz pop-ups.
Urban carp hunter Mike explained: “Luna’s brought some good luck! She is 13-weeks-old, and this was just her second session but she’s becoming a permanent part of my tackle as she’s brought no ends of luck in the two sessions she’s had, catching four targets in two sessions with her!”
CARP guide Adam Penning was showing two customers how it’s done before he matted this rarely-caught 38 lb 2 oz mirror. The 45-year-old from Chelmsford, Essex, tackled the Quarry where he found a good margin spot with his feet before baiting with snails he’d collected from the water and a few Sticky Baits Krill boilies.
TEENAGER Kaine Sharp was chuffed when his first river session on his local Medway produced this 19 lb 10 oz mirror plus others of 19 lb 2 oz and 15 lb 4 oz. The 15-year-old from Sevenoaks, Kent, legered Mainline Cell pop-ups over Malted Milk freebies.
ANTHONY POTTON set a new PB and also a venue record for Hendre Lake in South Wales with this stunning mirror of 30 lb 4 oz. The 37-year Middlesbrough exile, who now lives near the fishery in Cardiff, offered a home-made boilie and added a 22 lb 7 oz sample.
INTERIOR designer Katie Watkinson is a top lady carper and nailed this mirror of 31 lb 8 oz on her latest trip to a local Essex club water. The 27-year-old fished to the far bank at 90 yards with 22 wraps with a CC Moore Live System boilie over 2 kg of freebies.
ANDREW RISTE’S first session to the Carp Society’s Farriers Lake couldn’t have been any better as he matted commons of 37 lb 12 oz and 36 lb 8 oz from the Cotswolds venue. Cardiff, South Wales-based Andrew tempted both on a 15 mm Nash 4G squid bottom bait tipped with plastic corn with a kilo of crushed freebies and sweetcorn spodded over the top.
LES MARSH returned to Deepings No.1 syndicate lake where he caught the new Lincolnshire record at 60 lb 5 oz to tempt this 41 lb 10 oz mirror plus another of 33 lb 13 oz. Guisborough, North Yorkshire-based Les, 56, used JH Baits KLF boilies with Hybrid Tackle’s size 4 Armohawk wide gape hooks with Konda hook lengths, fishing 100 freebies and a kilo of Hooked On Baits Blitz mix to an island drop-off.
NATASHA BASHFORD picked up surface fishing straight away when boyfriend Josh Kimble took her for her first attempt at the method and she tricked this 25 lb 12 oz common. The 19-year-old from Lewes, East Sussex, fished a local lake.
TOM LORAINE was plagued by bream during the night on a Lea Valley pit so the next day spent three hours tracking some carp down and the effort brought three fish in four hours topped by this 30 lb mirror. The 32-year-old from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, fished at 90 yards to the back of a bar using Sticky Bait Manila over 3 kg of freebies and 2.5 kilo of bloodworm pellet.
STICKY BAITS marketing manager Jake Wildbore has been manic with the release of their Manilla range but got in an overnighter at Hardwick Lake on Oxfordshire’s Linear complex where he matted this 29 lb 6 oz mirror. The 25-year-old added three others to mid 20s using 12 mm Krill boilies soaked in Pure Krill and coated in Krill Powder.
JAMIE FOX fooled this 45 lb 8 oz mirror with freelining tactics on the Kracking Carp Lake at Devon’s Anglers Paradise. Manchester-based Jamie offered fake corn amongst lilies.
ANGLER'S MAIL takes carp fishing seriously. And our big carp galleries are backed by TAG (The Angling Group) who have top carp fishing brands Taska, Nutrabaits and Kryston.
GARY JONES had a top trip to tough Burghfield in Berkshire when he nabbed two sought after 40s – this 40 lb 10 oz mirror plus a 42 lb 4 oz common.
The 34-year-old Derby used ready-made 16 mm Sticky Baits Krill boilies on a gravel strip at 70 yards in the five night stint.
Plasterer Gary said: “The power of these big pit carp is unreal, I gain a yard or two and the fish would go on a mad 30 yard run the fight was like that from start to finish before.
“I was chuffed with the mirror and big old looking common looked awesome. Again a rare fish I never knew was in Burghfield,” he added.
DEAN MORTON set a new UK PB with this 42 lb 8 oz mirror during a 48 hour trip to a syndicate water. County Durham-based Dean added a 26 lb 6 oz sample at Solar Tackle’s Chilli Club boilies soaked in Marine 17 liquid on a plateaux 12 ft deep at 100 yards.
ANTONY MARRS continuously spooned bait onto a margin spot gaining the fish’s confidence before lowering his rig in and tactic paid off with this lake record 45 lb 3 oz specimen. Strood, Kent-based Antony, a 38-year-old electrical engineer was on an overnighter when the fish picked up his snowman rig and straight after he packed up and went home.
ADAM NEWCOMBE was chuffed with this warrior-like 37 lb mirror he caught from Suffolk Water Park to set a new PB. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk-based Adam, 30, a handyman, fished 70 yards to a far margin with a Sticky Baits Manilla wafter.
STEVEN BELL baited with 5 kg of pellet at Fryerning Fisheries Main Lake and then offered a Mainline Cell boilie over the top to tempt this sought-after 39 lb mirror that rarely gets caught. The 78-year-old retired floor layer from nearby Shoeburyness, Essex, tamed the fish using 12 lb line.
BAZ LLOYD arrived at his syndicate to find the fish spawning so moved to day ticket Christchurch on the Linch Hill complex in Oxfordshire where the fish were OK and he went onto nab this 39 lb 10 oz common. Fishing a weedy peg ten, Baz fished naked chods with Sticky Bait Krill pop-up over a scattering of bait.
DUNCAN ARRANDALE had a weekend on the Carp Society Farriers Lakes and made full use of his time by matting this 37 lb 12 oz common plus five others. Evesham, Worcestershire-based Duncan, 42, offered Richworth S-Core boilies in a small clearing amongst weed at 50 yards.
MARTIN SMITH targeted a hole in the weed fairly close in on a Nene Valley syndicate and the area produced this 44 lb 12 oz common. Bedfordshire-based Martin used a couple of kilos of 20 mm Denham Baits The Element boilies as freebies and a 16 mm pop-up over the top to tempt the biggest carp in the lake nicknamed Tyson.
CRAIG MORTIMER watched his swim for hours at Norfolk’s Nunnery D Lake before actually fishing and saw a big carp patrol route next to an island so he fished up to overhanging bushes to tempt this 36 lb 4 oz mirror. Ipswich, Suffolk-based Craig, 30, an IT consultant, added a 34 lb 8 oz sample in the 12 hour session using Sticky Bait Manilla boilies.
Carp specialist and writer of 'Finding the Time to Cast' Chris Currie (pictured) shares with AM readers some of his top tips to give yourself the best chance of catching big carp.
CARP being so much more visible in the summer really helps you to observe individual fish, and time spent watching is by far and away the biggest help when you want to catch a specific big fish.
The mythical biggest fish that everyone talks about is usually revealed when the carp are all up and about and a few sightings of a big fish when walking around a fishery in the morning or evening can give you that added drive to concentrate your efforts and determination.
Which swim or swims do you see the fish you want to catch in? Does it always follow a particular route, maybe around some pads or along a tree line? Is it normally on its own or with several other carp?
Even that basic bit of information can help you decide whether you are fishing for one carp and one bite or you need to be feeding a swim to interest half a dozen of them.
I caught one fish around the mid forty mark after applying bait to a small secluded spot from March to September. I finally hooked the one and only fish from the spot after patiently engineering my chance.
The ultimate edge
The more pressured the venue the more likely the fish will come into the edge away from the lines and potential danger.
I have on all venues always watched and observed margin spots and will always look to prime likely looking areas throughout my time on a water.
A handful here, a handful there, it allows you to introduce bait in spots where carp aren’t being caught or pestered by other anglers.
Two of my biggest fish were both caught within two rod lengths of the bank on very pressured waters.
So often the first place people stop fishing when a water is tough is right under their own feet. Just keep quiet and it’s a winner.
Remember the bank can often be undercut and carp can be keeping out of anglers’ way by being literally under your own bank in places you wouldn’t even guess they could get to.
Everything about fishing close makes sense, there’s no disturbance from lowering a rig in, you can be absolutely accurate with your free bait and you’ll know much more readily if there are fish about than if you are fishing 80 yards into the lake.
Unfished areas
Gaining the confidence of the fish on your chosen bait or on a specific spot is invaluable.
After fishing a big pit over a 6 month period, I would regularly find fish milling around close to the bank on quiet evening walks, so on the odd occasion I’d scatter a few baits, just a handful, around the area.
After giving the carp a number of small free feeds in an out of the way area I scattered the bait the night before and came back the following afternoon after work for a 6 hour session.
Just 45 minutes after casting out the elusive leather of the pond and biggest fish in the lake at the time was in the net.
Allowing carp to feed confidently without tackle in the swim is such a simple way of producing chances for very little time actually fishing.
The more out of the way you can find a spot that carp are visiting the better because it also reduces the chances of someone else fishing the area and catching off the back of your hard work.
Line angles
How aware are the carp you are fishing for of the line between rod tip and end tackle?
I learned an important lesson when fishing a small lake of about an acre. The fish were visiting a bay at one end which was about 50-60 yards across, from observation they were approaching the area almost with a sense of danger even with my lines extremely slack and putting everything in very quietly.
So after consideration I decided to tighten up but fish the washing line trick keeping all the line from rod to far bank above the water with the aid of a stick and peg on the far bank, only leaving the rig end of around 12 feet approaching the spot from the no fishing bank at a different line angle.
Within hours the fish showed renewed confidence in visiting the bay and the baited spot produced two nice twenties within a couple of hours. So don’t always blame the weather and bait – sometimes simple things like tackle visibility are making the difference between catching and catching nothing.
Keep it going in
Something we have all lost from our angling as children fishing with a float for smaller fish is the importance of bait being introduced to encourage feeding in the first place.
The constant little and often approach has been largely replaced by the bait and wait approach. I think feeding once when you cast out is a completely backwards step.
Whilst fishing for barbel one of the most deadly methods I employ is little and often feeding, applying small paste balls which gives a constant leak of attraction downstream drawing fish from the cover to your hookbait.
On more heavily stocked carp waters the sound of bait arriving helps trigger a reaction in just the same way, whether the splash of a pouchful of pellets or the noise of a Spomb landing. You’ve only got to see the success of the match carpers who keep feeding over zigs to produce competition up in the water to see that the principle applies to double figure and 20 lb carp just the same as it does when fishing for roach and perch on the waggler.
TOP carp fishing company Fox International have been busy as always, and have unveiled details of their fresh website and online initiative, The Syndicate. They've been telling Angler's Mail - No.1 for news - all about it....
Fox are not only producing some of the very finest fishing tackle on the market right now, they have also recently launched a brand-new website.
The site is extremely slick and focused around making the user experience as easy and rewarding as possible.
The new Fox site is fully optimized for mobile devices so if you are visiting from tablet or smartphone you are sure to find its content just as easy to both navigate and consume as you will on the desktop version.
The site (pictured above) is home to the full Fox catalogue of products with full specifications, high quality imagery and explanatory videos.
It gives you access to a host of information before you purchase one of their products from a Fox stockist, which you can find via their really handy Store Locator feature on the site.
Once you have purchased an item of Fox tackle you can re-visit the website and register your warranty to ensure in the event of a product fault you can get the item repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
Experts share carp fishing hints
In addition the site is also home to a new ‘Articles’ section where members of the Fox team of experts share their very best tips and tactics to help you catch more carp.
The new site also hosts links to the Swim Mapper micro site and to Fox Fishing TV, Fox’s own You Tube channel dedicated to carp fishing content that is totally free to watch.
You can also join Fox’s new project called The Syndicate via the website. This gives you exclusive access to lots of content from Fox via the private Syndicate members area of the site, which includes ‘Premium Articles’ not available on the standard website.
To find out about Fox’s new project, The Syndicate, which you can sign up to now, watch the video below, featuring popular Fox carp angler Mark Pitchers….
EXTREME heat hit fisheries around the UK in July 2016 with large carp dying, Koi Herpes Virus rearing its ugly head yet again and blue-green algae swamping some waters.
Grim Reaper
KHV had already hit two Worcestershire waters including top venue Larford Lakes and now two more venues have been confirmed including huge commercial The Glebe in Leicestershire.
The Glebe’s boss Roy Marlow has been quick to act at the complex that costs £250 a year to fish but does host big match events and has closed the venue to keep the fish stress free.
Roy explained: “Unfortunately it is now confirmed that our fish have KHV. I must point out that this is not the end of the world. Out of the total biomass the current losses are negligible.
“We are hoping that tomorrow may be the first day that we wont find any fresh dead fish. I have pointed out previously that we require 10 clear days before it is prudent to open.”
Roy Marlow
“We do not have problems on all of of the lakes, Pools 2, 3, 6 and 8 are unaffected and it is essential that we minimise the chance of spreading the virus to these lakes.
“Once we go ten clear days we should be out of the woods as regards spreading the virus.
“Having had meetings with heath inspectors from CEFAS and previous experiences with the Environment Agency I firmly believe that there are many hundreds of waters that are or have been infected with KHV that have not been reported.
“This in my opinion is at the very least immoral if not criminal because evidence shows that KHV can be transferred by anglers nets and the general use of stink bags to stop wet nets leaking into car boots,” Roy warned.
Dry your nets properly
Barston Lakes near Solihull, West Midlands, has introduced a new rule to stop KHV spreading to them – all nets must be completely dried.
Boss Nigel Harrhy said: “Please dry out all of your nets at home as soon as you get home from fishing, or if fishing consecutive days get spare nets so you can always arrive at the next fishery with dry nets.
“When arriving at your peg, please lay out your nets ASAP before setting up, and only put them in the water when they are dry.”
This is just a short version of the full story that appeared in Angler’s Mail printed magazine, No.1 for news. Get the magazine every week for top tips, best products, and venues that are in form.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.
AN AMAZING £16,000-plus has been raised for charity at a weekend carp fishing event, double the amount raised in any previous year.
The third annual fund-raiser was held at Frimley Pits in Surrey and to top the dosh going to a hospice the biggest carp at the venue was caught as well.
Charlie’s Mate, which weighed in at 49 lb 12 oz (pictured here), came out to Neil Mundy, who might have had some divine intervention as before the event he’s already pledged £850 in cash.
Organiser Les Bowers, a consultant with Mainline Baits, explained: “Interest this year has been greater than ever. It was a sell out with 65 anglers on the bank, plus friends and family, and I could have sold half as many tickets again.
“A good time was had by all including trips to the local hostelry and curry house for some and a BBQ for 200.”
Nice guy catches big one
Les continued: “A lot of good fish were caught from the off with a few 20s and a stunning common of 35 lb 9 oz to Ross Hunter, but to top them all, Neil Munday pulled out the venue’s biggest specimen at 49 lb 12 oz.
“It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy as the evening before at the auction he had bid £850 for a winter ticket on Pit 3.
“And while waiting for pictures of the fish to be taken his other rod screamed off with a stunning common of 29 lb-plus on the end. A great way to round off a successful weekend.
“People are already asking me about next year’s event and we have one or two ideas to make it even bigger,” he added.
The event has now raised over £25,000 in its three years of existence and all the money this year and last went to the charity Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH OR A NEWS STORY? Email photos and details exclusively to: anglersmail@timeinc.com – you could star in the magazine and win great prizes.
ANGLER'S MAIL takes carp fishing seriously. And our big carp galleries are backed by TAG (The Angling Group) who have top carp fishing brands Taska, Nutrabaits and Kryston.
DEEPINGS ONE in Lincolnshire produced four fish over two nights for Guisborough, North Yorkshire-based Les Marsh, but the icing on the cake was this 43 lb 4 oz mirror called the Fat Italian.
Les added an 18 lb zip linear, a 32 lb leather, and a 34 lb 4 oz mirror.
Les said: “The first night I was tortured by tufties diving on my baits, and I even considered going home until my middle rod ripped off. This turned out to be the 34 lb 4 oz mirror and the others soon followed.”
The fish were attracted to over a kilo of JH Baits KLF and Nutti B boilies and a kilo of Hooked on Baits Blitz Mix. Les’s end tackle used was a line aligned bottom bait rig comprising 10 in. of Hybrid Konda and a Hybrid Armohawk wide gape size 6 hook.
SCOTT PHILLIPS had a large slice of luck when the hook straightened as this stunning 42 lb 2 oz mirror slid into the net.
The 38-year-old purchasing manager from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire was fishing the 35-yard far margin of Linear Fisheries’ Oxlease Lake, using a Sticky Baits Krill Wafter with yellow foam over 2 kg of hemp, maize, corn and boilies.
His hair-rigged boilie was held with silicone to the shank of a Korda Krank size 4 hook.
Scott added mirrors of 24 lb 8 oz and 17 lb 4 oz, plus a common of 23 lb 12 oz in 24 hours at the Oxfordshire fishery.
A SIX-YEAR hunt at Reading FC’s Tapperns Lake in Theale finally paid dividends for Simon Cowdrey when he landed this beautiful fully-scaled mirror carp weighing in at 32 lb 2 oz.
The lake record fish was last caught in 2012 at 29 lb 10 oz and came to the first cast of the day for Simon, who was field-testing a new bait for Fishitbaits.
Two weeks previously the 38-year-old, from nearby Reading in Berkshire, also had a mirror at 27 lb 10 oz, which was an unknown fish for the venue.
FISHING a gravel bar to the left of the margins lured ‘Hobnob’, at 37 lb 2 oz the biggest common in the lake at White Springs, South Wales for 32-year-old John Flewin, owner of Tales Angling Media.
He baited heavily with CR1 bottom baits, and fished a CR1 Wafter on a Fluro D-rig with a pellet bag sprayed with Stinky Stuff and dipped in Flatspot.
STEVE WHITEHEAD lost a big specimen due to heavy weed at Linear Fisheries’ Oxleaze Lake in Oxfordshire but the next day landed a new PB carp of 36 lb 9 oz after a 25-minute battle.
A Sticky Baits Manila boilie on a size 6 Choddy on a flip rig fished over a lightly baited area tempted the specimen.
The 48-year-old aerospace engineer, from Bristol, caught a PB 40 lb 8 oz pike from local Chew Valley Lake last winter.
TOM LORAINE landed the fish known as Red Scale weighing in at 42 lb 4 oz from a Lee Valley Pit in a 24-hour session.
The 32-year-old from St. Albans, Hertfordshire explained: “The lake was very busy and even for a 60-acre pit I felt a little hemmed in!
“After a losing a very powerful fish the night before I went back into my pre-baited area at 100 yards on a firm silt spot and managed this one in the morning.”
His big one came to a Sticky Baits Manila boilie on a size 4 Korda Choddy, over 5 kg of Manila boilies (whole and chops) all glugged in hemp oil, in conjunction with a hinged stiff rig.
TWO nights on a local syndicate lake resulted in this lovely mirror for Daren Norman of Rochester, Kent.
The delighted 43-year-old said: “I lost a chunk that straightened my hook after 40 minutes in heavy weed. My sulking stopped when, following a mental hour and half fight, I finally landed one of the jewels of the lake at a very healthy, spawned out 42 lb 1 oz.”
The papermaker baited a 4 ft bar at 50 yds with 50 Sticky Baits Krill freebies, using a Krill boilie on a size 5 stiff rigger hook, on a stiff hinged rig with an ESP tungsten hooklink and 15 lb Syncro XT line.
THIS 43 lb 2 oz stunner from Swan Lake on the Bluebell complex near Peterborough is known as ‘The Perfect Common’… and it lives up to its name.
It was the only fish of a three-nighter for 52-year-old Tony Gibson from Northampton, who switched from a zig for a single bait on a firm area at 75 yards.
The bait was a new currently nameless boilie coming soon from Dynamite, fished without any free offerings; a tactic rarely used on this popular day ticket fishery. The semi-retired consultant IT project/programme manager presented the boilie on Size 8 Nash Twister fished blowback style.
GAVIN CAMPBELL from Addlestone, Surrey landed the first 40 from a local lake where he had learned his carping. The superb 41 lb 7 oz mirror came with a 22 lb common in a two-hour session when he also found time to help his mate catch a PB 33 lb mirror!
Gavin explained: “After helping my mate I was just saying ‘let’s go celebrate’ when I spotted the fish cruise over one of the margin spots I had baited, so I quickly tied up and lowered a rig in.
“I then sat and watched as the fish I’ve seen growing for the last five years fed up the margin shelf.
“It’s always nice to catch a big carp but to catch one from a venue you cut your teeth on is amazing.
“She was my 13th thirty plus carp from the lake since learning to fish on there.”
The 25-year-old security engineer baited up with Krill crumb and hemp and used a chopped down Krill wafter on a size 6 Drennan barbel hook, 4 in. Tungskin hook link to a 5 oz flat pear lead and 3 ft of TA leadcore.
THE first half of a six-day session produced the first English 30 for harbour master Nathan Betts, plus a PB common and his biggest surface-caught fish.
The 41-year old was at local Taswood Lakes near Norwich, Norfolk, and notched up a 33 lb 10 oz ghostie, plus a 29 lb 11 oz common, a 26 lb 8 oz grass carp, and two more double-figure commons.
The ghost carp took a Vortex bottom bait, tipped with fake corn, over a kilo of pellets and 15 boilies scattered around. The rest took a trimmed down Vortex pop-up on the surface.
ANGLER'S MAIL takes carp fishing seriously. And our big carp galleries are backed by TAG (The Angling Group) who have top carp fishing brands Taska, Nutrabaits and Kryston.
Keith Mann jumped at the chance to fish for 48 hours at big carp venue Fryerning Fisheries Main Lake in Essex… and he landed this stunning mirror of 43 lb 8 oz.
The 42-year-old floor layer from Ipswich, Suffolk, fished a Mainline Cell boilie at 80 yards over a scattering of baits on a Korda size 6 Krank hook to a Mouthtrap soft silt 15 lb hook link and Touchdown line.
Keith revealed: “It is a new PB. It fell while on a guest ticket of my great mate Bertie who has been fishing the lake for over 18 years.”
Paul Cooper soaked his boilies in a dip to fool this 41 lb 15 oz mirror in a 72-hour session from a Lee Valley pit. The 46-year-old plasterer from Lincoln fished Sticky Baits Manilla 16 mm shelf-life boilies soaked in Cloudy Manilla liquid at 30 yards over light weed with 40 freebies.
A night on a remote stretch of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire turned into a blinder for Joe Savage when he tempted this PB carp of 20 lb 7oz, plus others of 17 lb 11 oz and 14 lb 8 oz. All the fish were caught on 3 Foot Twitch test baits of various kinds with a scattering of maples and boilies. The 29-year-old events beer engineer said: “At 6 am my centrepin reel was singing and I knew this was something else. For most of the fight I thought I was into a barbel, but my eyes lit up as I netted what was obviously a better carp.”
Kieran Evans made the trip with his dad Mark down to the Kracking Carp Lake at Devon’s Anglers Paradise and caught this PB 46 lb 8 oz mirror. Aberdare, South Wales-based Kieran offered fake corn on the last day of his stay.
Lee Wheeler took advantage of a predicted change of wind direction on a visit to West Stow Country Park, Suffolk, for this 33 lb 15 oz mirror. Setting up in an island swim on the very end of a south westerly wind, Lee scattered 15-18 mm CC Moore Pacific Tuna baits over a large area with the throwing stick, and used a hinge stiff rig complemented with a Tuna White 15 mm pop-up.
An overnighter at RK Leisure’s Horton Church Lake in Berkshire produced this 44 lb mirror for Chris Cox, using a Sticky Baits frozen 16 mm Krill pop-up soaked in pure Krill liquid over 10-20 freebies. The 27-year-old heating installer from Ruislip, North West London fished five yards out in the margin in a clearing amongst some ribbon weed.
James Holyoak baited heavily on a three-night visit to Linear Fisheries’ Oxlease Lake, Oxfordshire, and was rewarded with this PB 39 lb 4 oz mirror, plus others of 21 lb, 24 lb and 25 lb 2 oz, and a 12 lb ghostie. The 39-year-old driver from Leicester fed 3 kg maize, 3 kg hemp, 2 kg Manilla pellets and 2.5 kg of matching freezer boilies, and offered home-made Mainline Cell and blackcurrant balanced hook bait.
On his first visit to a new venue, Darren Talent added 8 lb to his PB and broke the lake record with this unknown fish of 34 lb 4 oz mirror at Celtic Lakes at Lampeter in West Wales. He tempted the specimen on a 21 mm Dynamite pellet sprayed then glugged with Sticky Baits Manilla, using a size 6 Prologic long shank hook with a kicker to assist hooking potential.
Darren said: “On arrival I found a few gullies next to the reed bed on the island so decided to bait them up in the first 24 hours with about 40 Sticky Baits Manilla boilies every four hours, but as the venue was busy I thought it might pay off so kept the rods out of the water. On the last day I decided to fish the spots and instantly had a run resulting in a 16 lb fish, followed by a 19 lb linear then an awesome take peeling off line which I knew was a bigger fish.”
Paul Webber fished Hollybush Lakes near Farnborough in Hampshire on a 24-hour ticket and landed this 23 lb 4 oz mirror known as Cluster, estimated to be between 48-50 years of age and one of the few remaining Donald Leney fish in the country. Local Paul found a silty channel between two weedbeds leading into a shallow area of water, and observing fish travelling along, he prebaited the spot at 4 am with Pilgrim Baits K2 and pellet. He then fished with K2 Melties hook baits fished with solid PVA bags.
Coking Farm’s Oak Lake in Dorset, produced the biggest fish in the lake at 35 lb 4 oz for Ross Starkey on a 24-hour ticket. Local Ross offered a CC Moore Tuna 15 mm boilie, feeding a handful of those and 8 mm trout pellets both soaked in L030 every cast, plus a small PVA bag of pellets threaded down the hook link.
This blog comes from Nash carp star Julian Cundiff, one of the most popular and experienced men on the scene, sharing his advice to land multiple hits.
LIKE me I bet many of you have limited time to go carp fishing and when you do it’s important to make sure you maximise any opportunities.
For me one of the aspects of my fishing that I have always concentrated on has been trying to turn one bite into two, three or more.
Even in my old coarse fishing days for tench and bream my approach was not to catch one but to catch a keepnet full.
When I moved into carp fishing in the early eighties I took that with me and found that although I may not have been able to fish as often as many other anglers when I was on fish I could often end up with multiple catches so making the time away from the water more bearable.
So let’s look at a dozen top tips that will turn anyone into a carp bagging machine…..
Pick the right water
The only way to sharpen your skills is by actually having multiple hits and if you are not on the right water you won’t get that opportunity enough.
All waters can throw up red letter days but the more prolific and well stocked the water the better.
Venues like Brasenose on the Linear complex, Manor Farm, Drayton, Thorpe Lea and Chestnut are ideal to practice and fine tune those skills or even any well stocked local commercial fisheries.
So much to go for but some swims will be better than others for a multiple catch
Be prepared
I always go hoping for a multiple hit and have my tackle selected accordingly.
Plenty of pre tied rigs, two landing nets, spare bait in the car, the ability to do my own self takes, spare leads and so on.
If the water is one where I barrow my gear to and from the swim I’d honestly rather take too much gear than be short of something that could make a difference. It may well be trendy to take the minimum of gear but does that help or hinder you?
Being organised – essential when there might be a lot of action
Get organized
Absolutely essential if you are on a roll and want to keep catching regularly on a session.
Swims that look like a tip when an angler is in them are not conducive to making the most of your time. It’s not speed fishing or a match so before you wet a line make sure you are organised.
Everything where it needs to be? Rigs and bags ready to go with spares close by? Self timer ready? Nets in position? All the gear to hand? Game on!!
End swims or one rod spots are not the choice for bagging
Don’t get hemmed in
Although the expression ‘ they are where they are’ is very true the tighter the swim the more likely you are to move the fish away when you start catching.
Corner pegs and little bays may produce the odd one but are not the best place to look to bag up from. So often you’ll catch one carp quickly but then be sat twiddling your thumbs. Space is important if you are aiming to interest dozens of carp to feed at a time.
Write it down
I always draw a swim plan when I set up and cast out just to ensure that if I find a hotspot I can keep hitting the sweet spot day and night if need be.Lines are marked and casting markers are drawn in.
Memories are fallible but black and white on paper doesn’t lie. If I come back to a swim six weeks on I will still have a record of where produced the fish.
Get that first bite
Although it’s so tempting to go for broke if you are on fish it’s always best to get one in the net before you start firing out lots of free offerings.
It’s not a race take your time, don’t make rash decisions and think like a carp (catch loads and you will smell like one…).
Spread them out
Unless I know that all the carp are grouped in one area I tend to spread my rods a bit to see if I can find their preferred spots during my session.
Let them tell you where they are rather than fishing where you’d want them to be.
Often it is one rod that is doing the most fish, but moving another one to a different spot can give you two productive rods.
No worries about the bait – Key with added soak and stick mix
Be busy
No matter how short or long my session is I fish like an impatient angler.
I constantly watch the water, try new hookbaits, vary my casts, top up the swim and so on until I find a recipe that brings a take.
Sitting back and hoping it happens is not a good way to make it happen.
Milk it
When you do find the fish then you need to take full advantage. Having sight lines and marking your line with tape means you will be able to hit that spot time and time again.
Be prepared to put your eggs in one basket if it’s clear that the carp are favouring one spot.
When a carp is in the net be prepared to leave it in the net and get a fresh bait on the spot. Then do your pictures.
These windows of opportunities need capitalising on. You might quickly have two in the net(s)!
Local knowledge
Unless you know the water like the back of your hand be prepared to utilise local knowledge.
Be it swim choice, bait choice, tactics or anything it’s a great starting point that you can kick off from and then fine tune it for your approach.
Places like Brasenose, Drayton and the like get fished regularly and if one method is killing it then get on it rather than thinking you know better!
They count on top
Believe me the best way to have multiple hits is surface fishing by a long way.
So few anglers floater fish that it’s a massive edge and when you get them feeding on top they can be daft if I’m being honest.
I have had some of my biggest hits on Riser and Slicker pellets on the top so get practising that surface angling and you will soon start racking up the numbers.
Part of a multiple hit when even my granddaughter got in on the scene
Be clinical
The most efficient match, coarse and carp anglers leave nothing to chance and give it 100%.
Sure all anglers have red letter days from time to time – but those that are constantly catching numbers of fish are on top of their game and leave nothing to chance.
Prepping the gear in advance, being driven to succeed and creating and seizing opportunities is what they do well…..but so can you!
ANGLER'S MAIL takes carp fishing seriously. And our big carp galleries are backed by TAG (The Angling Group) who have top carp fishing brands Taska, Nutrabaits and Kryston.
AFTER watching several big fish ghost around the margin, Paul Webber set his trap only feet from the bank and within a few hours had this fine 43 lb mirror in the net. The 34 year-old park ranger, from Honiton, Devon, flicked Sticky Baits Krill boilies wrapped in paste down the margins to a clear gravel area. Paul added seven other specimens to 31 lb during he four-day session on Christchurch Lake at Linch Hill, Oxfordshire.
AFTER struggling to get amongst the fish since opening night at a local stillwater, Peter Rees saw a few move so baited that spot from his boat with 30 Sticky Baits Manilla and Krill boilies and put on a Manilla White pop-up. After a long day of waiting, the 25-year-old labourer from Llandinam, Powys finally had the bite, and after being towed from one lily pad to another, he landed this old 35 lb 12 oz mirror that he had joined the venue to catch.
BAITING heavily in a swim 80 yards out to the back of a weedbed reaped big rewards for Luke Kent as he landed eight carp in total, the biggest this big linear at 33 lb. During his 72-hour session at a Cambridgeshire syndicate water, the 37-year-old from Dunstable, Bedfordshire added two doubles and five 20s to 26 lb 10 oz.
Luke started with 1 kg of chopped 16 mm Stick Baits Manilla glugged in cloudy Manilla and covered in active mix, then added four scoops of hemp and five scoops of 2 and 4 mm bloodworm pellet. The pond builder topped up with four large Spombs after every take, using three jars of hemp, two bags of pellets and 8 kg of Manilla, with a Steve Cliff spinner rig.
A TWO-MONTH campaign targetting a 40-pounder on a local club lake finally paid dividends for Dan Handley when he tempted this stunning PB 40 lb 2 oz common. The 22-year-old chose a swim near lily pads in a secluded back bay and used Sticky Baits Krill boilies. The gardener, from Newbury, Berkshire explained: “She flat-rodded me and went straight through the lilies. I had to don the waders and go after her in the dark. It took about half an hour hand-lining to get her back through the pads and in to open water, before bundling her into the net.”
JENSEN MANNINGS enjoyed a superb session on his syndicate water landing a fine brace of 40s, this one known as the ‘Fat Common’, a new lake record at 48 lb 2 oz, and The ‘Big Cream’ at 41 lb 8 oz. Jensen spotted the fish in a clear spot on the heavily weeded lake and catapulted around 6 kg of 18 mm CC Moore Pacific Tuna boilies over the area, casting three rods there. The mirror came later that afternoon when the water began to fizz, followed by the giant common at first light.
MATTHEW FAULKNER has been fishing his local club water for years and seen a lot of 30 lb carp caught but had been stuck on 29 lb 2 oz for what seemed like forever before banking this fine 36 lb 10 oz specimen. After a very wet night getting soaked when landing two small tench, the Bognor Regis, West Sussex-based bus driver changed to a stiff hinge rig with a white pop-up to quickly tempt his new carp PB. He caught a PB 9 lb tench that featured in Angler’s Mail back in May.
MARK WOOTEN scattered boilies to an island margin 35 yards out to tempt this PB 42 lb 8 oz mirror on Fryerning Fisheries’ Main Lake in Essex. The 49-year-old tree surgeon, from Romford, presented a Sticky Baits Manilla White Ones pop-up with a size 6 Korda Choddy hook.
SPOTTING a set of bubbles close to a tree-line of snags, David Gaskin decided to change swims and the switch soon paid dividends with this new PB mirror carp of 54 lb 4 oz known as the ‘Ulcer Fish’.
Littlehampton, West Sussex-based David explained: “I hadn’t been to my regular venue Wellington Country Park, Berkshire for a few weeks and didn’t know how it had been fishing.
“I had only seen the one set of bubbles so I decided to fish one rod for the afternoon to keep the disturbance to a minimum.
“I used a light lead combined with my favoured multi rig consisting of a CC Moore Pacific Tuna White pop-up and size 4 hook and introduced only a few crushed up Pacific Tuna boilies around the hook bait.
“The stealthy tactics paid off handsomely as the bobbin soon pulled up tight and I was in.”
CAUGHT A BIG FISH? Email pictures and details to anglersmail@timeinc.com and you could star in Angler’s Mail print magazine. The mag includes a brilliant carp fishing section, Carp Crew – every week.
Nash man Keith Jones opens up this helpful carp fishing tips blog and adds contributions from some top names.
SUMMER angling pressure has had a major effect on the habits and routines of the fish and those anglers that seem to be doing things slightly differently from the crowds seem to be catching the most fish and the bigger ones too.
Weedy margins that receive plenty of direct sunlight always seem to be crawling with natural food during the warmer months so as you would expect carp are drawn to them like a magnet. I’m mainly fishing zigs and surface baits at close range which allows me to really sharpen up my tactics.
All our guys are top anglers and it’s no surprise that they seem to be focussing on the margins.
Don’t overlook the margins
JULIAN CUNDIFF’s right carp baiting approach
At this time of year I get plenty of questions on social media and letters on what is the right ‘baiting approach’
Being totally honest, all waters are different BUT what I can say with a degree of certainty from watching others is that it seems that too much bait is put in on arrival and not enough when actually fishing.
Having spent my formative years as a coarse and match angler I know that little and often and fishing for a bite at a time is far more consistent than an ‘all or nothing’ approach. So let me give you some pointers on my approach which may help you on your next trip…
1. Research is everything! Although I do trust my own judgement I do keep my ear to the ground when it comes to how a water is fishing and most importantly what is and isn’t working. No point turning up and finding that maggots, particles, zigs etc. are working and not having them with you. So keep tuned in on the water so you are prepared even if you decide to do something different on the day…
2.Whatever swim you decide to set up in the golden rule is to fish for one bite at a time, one fish at a time. The temptation can be to put in bait but to what effect? Is that going to make them feed? Or will it mean your chances of them locating the hookbait are even less? If I find fish I tend to fish a single bait be it on the bottom, a pop up or maybe a Zig Bug.
Sometimes zigs or floaters will be the best bet, when fish are up in the water.
3. If I have had a fish AND believe it’s an area the carp will return to I will top up the swim with some Soluballs and a handful at most of chopped boilies. However I keep it light rather than heavy…Occasionally I will wind in and go looking for signs of fish (clouded water etc.) and repeat step 2….
4. If I am doing the night or a similar time period and I am satisfied that I am not baiting up on top of fish and that they will come across the area when I am fishing I will put a larger amount of feed out. At this time of year I tend to use 50% boilie crumb and chops-30% Hemp, 10% pellets to match my feed bait and 10% boilies ( usually 10mm or boilie pellet ) and either Spomb or spod it out. Different breakdown rates and lots of attraction during the whole of the session.
Haydn Hoskins with a huge 36lb+ carp
HAYDN HOSKINS’ top carp stalking advice
Stalking carp is without a doubt my favourite method of angling. I love the long days spent chasing carp around the lake trying to outwit them and the thrill of watching a carp pick up your hookbait and hook itself is quite exhilarating!!
One of my first tips for catching carp at close quarters is to use a good quality boilie that the carp will readily accept. Simply walking around the margins of a lake dropping a few handfuls of whole and chopped boilie crumb will often be met with a positive response.
The key is to keep priming and checking several areas of the lake and it goes without saying that this should not interfere with other anglers. If you’ve chosen your spots wisely, you may even find the carp prior to even giving them any bait.
In fact, this is the method I employ most in the summer months. Find the carp first and if they move, move with them.
PAUL MARTIN stays mobile for summer carp too
With daytime temperatures much higher the window of opportunity when fishing over a bed of bait normally only lasts from first light until 8am.
Not being blessed with much fishing time I can’t sit around and wait for things to happen so I need to try my hardest to get something else going, which leads us nicely towards my favourite style of angling; stalking!
You will probably have noticed that carp are starting to use the margins more than they have been and this really can work in your favour.
Firstly you need to be quiet and stealthy. Dress in drab colours and wear a hat or hood to cover/obscure your face and hands. You’ll also need polarising sunglasses so you can see what’s going on down there – once you’ve used them you’ll never go fishing without them again!
Some good margin spots really stand out and have obvious features like snaggy trees or reed beds but others are less obvious with little in the way of marginal cover and often you’ll find fish using un-assuming bits of margin to get from one snag/holding area to another.
Paul Martin’s catching in the margins.
Much of the time my rigs will simply be lowered into place so there is no need for anything too fancy. Shorter rods can be helpful in cramped swims and I’ll often use my 9ft 2.75lb Scope rods.
On that I’d fish 15lb mono straight through to a Weed Clip without the tail rubber and a 3oz flat pear attached. I’d then add a short 5” 20 lb hook link with a simple knotless knot rig and hookbait.
I would also add a few lumps of Cling On putty to the line directly behind the rig to ensure the line stays pinned down whilst the fish browse around the spot.
Start by putting a handful of bait in the edge of 4 or 5 swims and keep checking them in rotation, topping up each spot with bait and then watching for 10 minutes at a time. You’ll normally find that one or two spots will get some interest and you can then concentrate solely on those. Generally speaking you can get away with smaller baits when fishing in the edge.
Stay mobile just like the carp and you will enjoy huge success!
CAUGHT A BIG FISH?Report it to Angler’s Mail magazine by email to: anglersmail@timeinc.com
DEAN MORTON set a new UK PB with this 42 lb 8 oz mirror during a 48 hour trip to a syndicate water. County Durham-based Dean added a 26 lb 6 oz sample at Solar Tackle’s Chilli Club boilies soaked in Marine 17 liquid on a plateaux 12 ft deep at 100 yards.
So often the first place people stop fishing when a water is tough is right under their own feet. Just keep quiet and it’s a winner.
After giving the carp a number of small free feeds in an out of the way area I scattered the bait the night before and came back the following afternoon after work for a 6 hour session.
Within hours the fish showed renewed confidence in visiting the bay and the baited spot produced two nice twenties within a couple of hours. So don’t always blame the weather and bait – sometimes simple things like tackle visibility are making the difference between catching and catching nothing.
On more heavily stocked carp waters the sound of bait arriving helps trigger a reaction in just the same way, whether the splash of a pouchful of pellets or the noise of a Spomb landing. You’ve only got to see the success of the match carpers who keep feeding over zigs to produce competition up in the water to see that the principle applies to double figure and 20 lb carp just the same as it does when fishing for roach and perch on the waggler.
