Pete Castle looks in detail at mass baiting and carp bait campaigns to catch carp in the summer months.

Mass baiting is a strategy best described as arriving at the lake with the aim of putting out something like three-to-five kilos of boilies and a good sized bucket of mixed particles or pellets to fish over for the coming session. Some people seem to like to fish over lots more bait than others and anglers that regularly fish over a lot of bait are generally more confident in this approach than when they are fishing light, as they see their tactic as the best way to stimulate the fish into confident feeding.

Heavily baited spots are something that I really like fishing over every now and again and this technique has produced some fantastic results for me in the past. There are definitely certain lakes that fish well when you put out loads of bait, but even on those lakes you have to make sure that you mass bait only in the right circumstances. There is no point filling in any water if the fish are off the feed. However, if conditions are right and the fish look like they’re having it, then have a go at mass baiting because this baiting strategy can not only catch out the odd fish, but it also regularly produces multiple captures.

Bait Campaigns

A bait campaign is often the chosen baiting strategy for many of the leading carp anglers. With this technique the aim is to establish your bait as a main food source so that the carp are literally hungrily looking for the chosen bait. It can sometimes take weeks to establish, but when the fish start to see the bait regularly then your hard work will start to take effect and you will begin to enjoy the benefits with hopefully outstanding results.

Key Tips for catching Carp:-

1 I like to put in a variety of bait when I’m mass baiting.

2 A huge framed fish caught by regularly baiting the same spot.

3 Choose a high quality food source bait if you’re going to start a long-term bait campaign.

4 Try using large quantities of maggots as alternative baiting strategy.

I’ve had three successful bait campaigns over recent years – one of these was done on my own and the other two took place with a little help from a few carp fishing friends. The most recent of these bait campaigns was on a relatively difficult water where there was only around thirty-to-thirty five fish in over forty acres of water and a bait campaign seemed the best way forward.

Everyone in the bait team agreed to get as much boiled bait into the lake as they could during the spring months to see if we could establish the bait as food source in this lake, which was also producing a lot of natural food items. It didn’t take long for us to notice that it was only the anglers that were on that specific bait that where getting the results. It was still very difficult, as you can imagine with such a low stocking level, but when fish were being caught it was usually on the bait that we had been putting in.

I had blanked for first few weeks, but I was confident that if I could get on fish with the bait that I would eventually catch. On one evening I managed to move onto a few fish and as I had full confidences in the baiting strategy we had been using, I thought that it was only a matter of time before I got a run. I actually managed four runs that night and banked not only a cracking upper-twenty, but also a mid-thirty and a pretty double. I also lost another fish after it tore off and stuffed me in a large weed bed – it felt like it might have been a bit of a chunk. The established bait played a big part in the capture of those sparse carp and it was only good teamwork and a belief in the bait that helped everyone that took part in the campaign to reap the benefits from establishing a bait as a food source.

Some Recent Success

I recently went on a trip to a local lake where a heavy baiting strategy proved to be very successful. I turned up to fish a three night session and put out about 15 kilos of crushed and whole boilies, pellets and particles to sit over for the next three nights ahead. The first night proved to be very slow and I only managed a lost fish early the following morning – I started to think that I had maybe made a mistake with the amount of bait I’d spodded out. However, things started to look up when just as I reeled in to go for a walk, a few fish started to move into the area.

By the second morning I’d caught a several good fish, but then things went very quite again by mid-morning as though the fish had cleaned me out of any remaining bait and had moved on into other areas. I spodded some more of the mix on the spots ready for the evening. The main lines were all already marked and in the clips and I spent most of the day spodding three buckets of mix to the chosen spots. I was confident that I was going to have some further success and things went really well throughout the third night and I wasn’t let down as I caught some more fantastic fish from the heavily baited areas. It took a little time to get swim working with the mass baiting technique, but as soon as the spot started to produce the odd fish it was just a case of topping it up to get even more runs.

Summary

It sometimes pays off to put out masses of bait into a swim and in other situations you’re probably better off fishing with single hook baits. Heavily baited areas can stop fish as they’re moving through, but if they’re off their feed then a lightly baited area might be more suitable, so try to choose your baiting strategy wisely. The best way to get the carp to pick up your chosen bait is to establish it as a food source. Most carp anglers (myself included) rarely take advantage of the idea of starting a bait campaign, but it is one of the fundamental tactics favoured by many of the leading carp anglers.

Personally my angling style is more eclectic, as I’m usually fishing different waters every week – this often makes a formal bait campaign unfeasible for me to do on a regular basis. Nevertheless, if you’ve joined a syndicate or club that you will fish regularly and you have a few trusted friends that will put the bait in on a regular basis, then I would seriously consider trying to establish your bait as a food source.

Many of the leading bait companies produce excellent mixes that will offer a quality food source to the carp. It might take a little time for you to notice the results, but if you strategically put in enough of the stuff then the carp can soon become so dependent that they end up being caught on little else.

Good Luck, Pete Castle.

How to select a swim

OK ,so you have chosen your carp fishing venue. You arrive there early in the morning, everything looks perfect, a mist hangs lazily over the water, there is little breeze and the day is beginning to warm up. You gaze out across the water itching to get started. Where should you start fishing? The swim right by the car park so that you don’t have to walk far? The other side of the lake so that you are not disturbed by other anglers arriving? The quiet bay where you can shelter from any wind later on or not get burned by the sun? The big grass bank where you can spread all of your gear out and not have to worry about being tidy?

Walk around the lake before fishing

Assuming that the water is not already packed with anglers, and that you don’t have to race for a swim before someone else nicks it, then don’t fish anywhere yet. Leave the stuff in the car with the exception of a pair of good sunglasses and maybe a pair of binoculars if you have them. Then have a look around the water. I always like to walk the circumference of the lake before deciding, investigating each swim, even on waters I know. Why? To decide where the carp will want to be. You have to almost become the carp yourself. Think “where would I want to be now if I was a carp”.

It doesn’t matter where you will be most comfortable fishing. Well it does to a certain extent, but you want to be where you will catch fish, that is after all what you came for.

So start looking around for signs of any fish movement. If you see any, think “Can I present a bait there?”. Look out for those tell tale signs like bubbles, fish stirring up mud in the shallows, bumping against reeds or lilies, you may even see carp swimming in the shallows if you approach swims quietly. Sometimes they can be seen swimming along the surface and jumping out of the water.

Wind Direction

Weather can also play an important part in fish location. Fishing into an oncoming wind may be a little uncomfortable for you, but it will be blowing all of the floating debris and food on the surface straight into your swim. This can bring good results when floater fishing. Carp will also often seek out the part of the water which receives the first morning sun and the last evening sun.

These can result in good results at the right time of day.

So remember, don’t just chuck your gear down in the first swim you see. Give it a little thought. Take your time, walk around, talk to others (but don’t disturb their fishing) A little forethought and time invested can often produce a much better days fishing.

Handling carp

In the following article, I am going to give some advice on the handling of carp, from the moment they enter the landing net, to their safe return to the water. It is very important that the novice carp angler, and even some more experienced angler, learn the basic rules to follow, in order to preserve the well being of the fish. After all, if the fish suffer, then so does our angling.

There are a few basic pieces of equipment that you will need, and in fact they are compulsory on many of our waters. They are a landing net of a reasonable size, an unhooking mat, a weigh sling and scales if you intend to weigh your quarry, which most of us do. I will talk about each piece of equipment in turn: -

Landing Nets

Nets are largely a matter of personal preference and budget. Size will be governed by the size of your quarry. It should be large enough to safely net a carp of whatever size you may catch in your water. A minimum 36″ net is required on most waters, and some fisheries insist on this or even larger. The mesh used in its construction does tend to vary a lot and the finer meshes are better for carp, especially mirror carp, as they are less likely to catch on their scales and damage them. Some nets have a larger mesh near the frame and a finer mesh in the base of the net. Try to aim for a fairly small soft mesh. Net frames vary in construction and the better nets will collapse fairly quickly if needed when landing a carp. This enables the fish to be lifted by the net frame, using both hands. This is a much safer method than trying to lift a net full of carp by a long handle, which is bending and looking like it might snap at any moment. If the frame doesn’t easily dismantle, then support it with one hand to take the weight. Handles again come in many shapes, sizes and materials, from aluminium one and two-piece telescopic varieties to carbon fibre models of one two and even three sections. Whilst the latter are much lighter to transport and use, some cheaper models will not stand the weight of a good carp and may snap just at the wrong moment with disastrous consequences. If in doubt, seek the advice of a good dealer and try to get a good balance between weight and strength to suit the net you are using.

Unhooking Mats

This is an essential piece of kit whatever size of carp you are fishing for. I have seen so many anglers laying their carp on the grass while they unhook them, which may in some instances not do any harm. Suppose however there is a sharp stick or discarded bivvy peg under that grass, or even a piece of glass, what then. Suppose the carp flaps about and moves off of the grass onto gravel. An unhooking mat need not be an expensive item of kit, and can save a carp from untold damage to its fins and scales.
Some better models have raised edges to stop the carp from being able to flip themselves off, and some have flaps and covers, some even have Velcro covers to enable them to double as weigh slings, but be careful, as a heavy carp will slide about and pull Velcro apart easily. Whatever type you choose, it will better than laying a carp on the ground.

Weigh slings

Most weigh slings on the market will serve their purpose reasonably well, from the lower cost soft net varieties to the more advanced Velcro and zip up material versions, and again budget will largely determine your choice. Do make sure that whatever type you choose, it is kept in good condition and is not likely to rip as you lift a carp above the ground. Give them a rinse after fishing and hang them up at home to dry. I left a wet smelly net I my bag once only to find it being used as a mouse nest the next time I needed it. As mentioned above, some unhooking mats double as weigh slings, and this saves having to move a fish from mat to sling before it can be weighed. If you decide on this type, make sure that the fastening method used will support the weight of the carp and it can’t slide out during weighing and fall to the ground. Do not be tempted as I have seen some do to use a carrier bag. They split, usually at the most inopportune moment and are not safe. It will also not hold a large carp and you may not be able to weigh the fish of your dreams

Scales

From the small spring balances to the top of the range models, weighing scales come in all types. Basically you get what you pay for, and if you want to measure a possible record fish you need the accuracy of a good set. If you just want a rough idea of the weight, then a spring balance will give you that, but they do tend to rust after a while and give inaccurate readings. Buy as good as you can. A good set will last you for many years.

Preperation

So that gives a brief rundown on the equipment you will need, now a bit on how to use it. There is no point having all of the best equipment and then misusing it. First I am going to mention preparation. This is important as the best equipment in no use at all if it is not ready when you get that run you have waited hours for. Many fisheries today insist on dipping nets and weigh slings before you start to fish. If yours does, then do it. I know how annoying it is when you have just unpacked the car, walked all of your gear to the swim and realise you haven’t dipped your nets, but this ruling is for your own good. If you help to spread an infection from one water to another, then it is your own fishing you are risking. Try to get in the habit of dipping them as you arrive at the water. I carry an old nylon tent carry bag and as soon as I have dipped the nets I place them in that to carry them to my swim.

When you first arrive at your swim and start setting up, make sure that you lay out your unhooking mat and set up your landing net before you cast a rod. I have often seen a rod cast out and a run occur straight away while the angler is still trying to screw his landing net handle on. Scales and weight sling should be put nearby so that everything is in reach as soon as a fish is landed. You don’t want to be rummaging through tackle bags while a fish is gasping in the net. I always keep my unhooking mat damp as well, so that it is less likely to damage a fish.

Ok, so you have your run. The carp is on and with any luck is approaching the landing net. If you are fishing with a friend the next few minutes is made a lot easier, but if not, you will need your landing net to hand. As the fish comes nearer to the net, sink the net in the front of the swim and then guide the carp over it. Thrusting a net at a carp as it approaches will spook it and send it shooting off for cover just as you about to land it, which often results in a lost fish. As the carp draws over the net, gently lift the net until it is above the water’s surface.

Weighing

Now comes the bit where you need three hands. If possible, put your rod down where it cannot be trodden on, and release the bail arm on the reel or the baitrunner so that line can be pulled from it. Then, supporting the net’s frame lift the carp carefully from the water, trying to ensure that no fins or scales are caught in the net, and that the carp cannot be damaged by leads, floats, loops of line or other rig items. Walk the carp back to your unhooking mat and place it down carefully on it still in the net. Now remove the hook watching for any line that is wrapped around the fish to ensure that no scale or fin damage can occur. Move the rig away from the mat preferably near to your rods.

Next the fun bit. The carp needs to be transferred from the unhooking mat to the weigh sling. This is easiest achieved with two people if possible, at least until you are used to it. First make sure that the sling is wet and that your scales have been correctly set to zero with just the weight of the wet sling attached. I find it easiest to slide the weigh sling under the fish rather than lift the fish from one place to another. If you are wearing a watch or other jewellery, remove it first again to avoid damaging the fish.

Once in the sling, attach the scales to the links provided and then lift the carp clear of the ground holding the scales by the support ring above them. Try to keep the carp above the mat in case of disaster and not too high from the ground.

Once weighed, you can photograph your catch. This is the most dangerous moment for the carp, as they do tend to move about a bit. You need to offer as much support to the fish as possible whilst keeping your arms clear of the front to get the best picture. Always kneel down whilst holding it and keep it over the unhooking mat. When the picture has been taken, place the fish back on the mat or sling and return it quickly to the water. This is best done in the sling or on the mat if it doubles up as both. Never pick up a fish and walk it to the water. This is asking for trouble. Place the carp back in the water carefully, supporting it in an upright position until it is ready to swim away. If you have followed all of my advice, then this is one of the most pleasing moments, seeing the fish swim off to fight another day.

Just one last thing. Do return the carp straight to the water. Do not be tempted to place it in a keep net. These are designed for match anglers catching small fish. They are not designed for carp and will almost certainly cause them damage or worse.

And that’s about it. It may seem like an awful lot to remember to the novice angler, but it is mostly common sense and all designed to protect our fish. Without them there is no fishing. And one damaged fish can spread disease to others very easily. Most of the rules at any good fishery are there for good reasons. If you stick to them then you can go on enjoying your fishing for years to come, and those small carp you start off catching may become your fish of a lifetime in the future.

Heat 2 of the 2008 Wales Carp Masters took place at Celtic Lakes
Resort over the weekend of 20th June – 22nd June.

Six pairs of carp anglers braved the often atrocious conditions in
Heat 2 of the competition.

Position – Team – Weight

1 – Ian Carter & Paul Hatton – 237lb 15oz

2 – Gary Wady & Pat “No Fingers” – 137lb 6oz

3 – Steve McCreadie & Reece McCreadie – 122lb 15oz

Paul Hatton, one half of the winning team, had this to say about the
event and their victory:

“We decided to enter after watching the event last year on Sky
Sports. We thought the Carp Masters would be a break from the norm, a good experience and also a chance of winning a great prize. We have met some great people and had some good laughs with the other competitors and the guys working at Celtic Lakes.”

“We only had time to get down there for one practice session before
heat two as we live near Manchester. We organized ourselves well
though and got to know the lake quite well in a short space of time.
When the time came to qualify we had done our home work, had our
tactics and bait sorted and managed to get the peg we wanted”

“The weather was described by every team I think to be the worst they had ever fished in, including us! Heavy rain and winds you could
hardly stand up in! We refused to let it beat us though and battled
through it, we were soaked like we had fallen in but managed to keep
spirits high and keep working for the fish”

“I think we had about 25 carp in total, we lost a few and I also
caught 2 catfish which were a bonus although they don’t count in the
match. We caught all our fish on our own home made boilies: that’s all
I’m saying about the tactics! The marshal’s did a fantastic job as
well, it was hard for the anglers but wasn’t easy for them either
that’s for sure.”

“We are really looking forward to the final now, whatever the
weather!”

John Carney, who heads the Wales Carp Masters team, was delighted
with the second heat of this years event:

“After all the months of hard work and planning by my team, Its great
to get this years competition up and running with the second heat now
completed. As always I would like to thank the whole WCM team (with
special thanks going to the marshals who spent most of the weekend
trying to dry out) for their hard work and dedication. Congratulations
to the winning two pairs who we look forward to seeing back here at
Celtic Lakes in the final in August”.

There are still places available in the remaining four heats. Heats
three and four at Celtic Lakes were both won last year with weights
topping 500lbs and 600lbs respectively. So if you fancy some amazing
carp fishing and a chance to be crowned Wales carp Masters 2008,
please visit our registration page to find out more.

For more information and to register, please visit:

http://www.walescarpmasters.co.uk

Particle baits, which include practically every seed, bean, pea or nut, can be every bit as successful a carp catcher as the most expensive boilie. What is more, with the vast majority of them, success is much more instant.

Some of the most widely used particles are;

• Tiger nuts – Preperation – Soak for 24 hrs & boil for 30 mins.
• Peanuts – Preperation – Soak for 12 hrs & boil for 30 mins.
• Sweetcorn – Preperation – Straight from tin or bag, keep in own juice.
• Maize – Preperation – Soak for 24 hours & boil for 30 min.
• Chic peas – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil for 30 mins.
• Black-eyed beans – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil for 30 mins.
• Hemp – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil until split.
• Tares – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil for 30 mins.
• Dari – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil for 30 mins.
• Broad beans – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil for 30 mins.
• Almonds – Not sure about this one – Anyone?
• Hazel nuts – Preperation – Soak for 24 hours & boil for 30 minutes
• Maples peas – Preperation – Soak for 12 hours & boil for 30 mins.
• Partiblend – Preperation – Boil for 1 minute.

For those that still remain cautious of preparing their own particles they can be purchased ready to use from the likes of Hinders or you can buy Dynamite prepared particles from most good fishing stores.

All of these particle baits have, and still do, catch lots of carp.

There are drawbacks to particles in that none, with the possible exception of tiger nuts, are selective. The more that go in a water, the more other species get turned on to them. In fact other species need only have tuned on to one or two particle baits before they go for any new ones right from the start.

With the first ones used however, it is often carp which are the first onto them.

Maple peas, chic peas, black-eyed beans and peanuts are probably the most widely used and overall, successful, of the particle baits. There are few waters where they will not succeed in the first instance.

Tiger nuts are an exceptional carp catching bait. These nuts are very selective because of their hardness – other species find them difficult to digest. You’ll still catch the odd bream and tench but not as often as with most of the other particles. They are very hard to break down, and the chances are any thrown in will stay where they are until they are picked up by carp. A lake may respond to them for several seasons, on a kind of on/off basis.

On most waters they are not as instant as say sweetcorn, maize, chic peas, black-eyed beans or peanuts, but once fish are on to them, you can expect great sport. In the past tigers have received ‘bad press’ because there may come a time when, after heavy feeding on these nuts, a lake will go completely dead for weeks on end, when it seems practically impossible to catch on any bait. I’ve never experienced this myself so I’m not sure how true it is.

Smaller dark seeds, particularly hemp, can be very effective when fished along side other baits. That is to say, they get carp feeding, but catching them can be a devil of a job, even when you fish hemp hook baits. At other times, hemp will provide a feeding response when carp are quite willing to pick up other baits fished over the hemp. Tares and dari seeds are both likely to give similar responses. Consider allowing them to germinate before you cook them. Germination can usually be achieved by first leaving them out in sunlight in a shallow tray, the seeds being covered in water, for a full day. Then bring them slowly to the boil. Twenty minutes simmering and they are ready to use.

Less widely used, but still effective are broad beans, sweet lupins, almonds and hazel nuts. With nuts it can be very hit and miss. Ones that have been in stock a long time will very likely float, so make sure the ones you buy are fresh. Sweet lupins are not commonly used in the UK but vast numbers of carp have been caught on them, particularly on the continent, where some anglers regard them as the particle supreme.

The most used and universally regarded particle bait would have to be sweetcorn, but there are plenty of others found in tins on the supermarket shelf which can score heavily. Baked beans and red kidney beans to mention a couple.

Always buy good quality particles from a reputable supplier. Some particles, notably peanuts, can be potentially lethal to the fish in certain states. Look for ‘human grade’ particles and you’ll be OK.

Preparation

On the whole, it can be said that the vast majority of these baits will work to one degree or another, merely soaked and not cooked. It must be said though that cooking produces a better bait, as it releases the full flavour. Cooking breaks down the outer skin allowing the natural oils to escape. Even if you don’t cook the particles it is ESSENTIAL you soak them first, it is however important that all particles are boiled to kill any dangerous organisms they may hold and also to prevent germination so just soaking particles before use without boiling in not recommended.

Some particles can swell up alarmingly as they take in water and may bloat to twice their original size. If the carp eats them un-soaked this swelling could take place inside the fish leading to death. In general soak for at least 24 hours but longer in the case of tigers and un-prepared maize, where 48 hours is better. This is the time to add any flavours or additives.

Cooking

For small particles like hemp & dari just bring to the boil and then allow them to cool off in the same water, bicarbonate of soda can be added to hemp to make it turn black and help it to split. Harder particles like tiger nuts & peanuts must be soaked for 24 hours and then boiled for 30 minutes, again allowing them to cool off in the same water. I always try to store the particles with as much of the cooking water as possible – it contains a lot of attractive oils. If I’m using a groundbait with the particles, I’ll use the water to mix with the groundbait.

If you’re not using the particles straight away they can be frozen at this stage. However, with tigers I like to leave them for 2 to 3 days until they start to ferment. The time depends on air temperature but you’ll know when they’ve ‘turned’ because the water will go sticky, like syrup.

I find them to be at their most effective at this stage.

Additional Flavours

With beans, you generally find the paler the colour, the less the flavour. For this reason, black eyed, soya, haricot and lima beans are generally more successful when flavoured. Soaking them overnight in flavour rather than just cooking them produces better baits. For the most part the darker baits i.e. maples, tares, tiger nuts and hemp have enough natural flavour, so adding flavours is not necessary. I’ve used flavours with particles but I can’t say I’ve found it dramatically increases their effectiveness. However, if they’ve been used un-flavoured extensively on a water it might just add the difference that brings results……. some good particle additives/flavourings worthy of a mention are salt, chilly powder, aniseed, CSL and molasses, all of these can enhance the effectiveness of your particles so they’re well worth a try.

You should add flavourings at the soaking stage so that they are drawn into the bait, after that boil the particles up in the same water they they have been soaking in…. a tea spoon or two of salt per kilo is good, 20mils of CSL or/and molasses per kilo is also good, you will need to play with the amounts of other flavorings for yourself but the amounts added when making boilies is a good starting place.

Application

As with boilies pick the right particle for the job. On a hard bottom almost any can be used, but when fishing over silt, either use a very buoyant one or one with large flat sides such as broad beans, lima (butter) beans, red kidney beans or almonds.

I regard boilie and particle fishing the same – I use the same methods and rigs for both. Particles, just like boilies, are particularly effective as a hook bait when popped off the bottom. To do this you can use a buoyancy aid such as a cork or rig foam, tied just above the particle on a hair, or the centre of the particle itself can be ground out and plugged with one of the said buoyant substances.

Apart from the lack of selectivity, the only other drawback is the lack of distance such baits can be catapulted.

Some of the best baiting methods for particles are bait boats, particle spod’s, pva bags or strings and don’t forget that great carp sport can be had in the margins right under your feet at times!

A particularly inventive approach is to make up a standard hook link with bait, then drop this into an ice-lolly former. The rest of the cone is then filled with particles and flavour and the whole lot frozen. The frozen cones can be cast as far as most boilies!

Particles are tremendous baits, and can be fished in most situations, when you put your mind to it.

Also see this very useful article – “The Tigernut” By Dirk Wise

Credit and Thanks to Carp-Uk.Net for this excellent article…

Keep up the Good Work Lads

The basic equipment:

1. Rod: What distance do you fish to mainly, do you often fish at long distance (80yards+) then you’ll need to use a rod with a bit of oomph (technical term) for the marking up, however you don’t need to buy purpose made marker rods for marking, I use the same rod for marking that I use for fishing, namely a 2 3/4 test curve Long Distance model (Daiwa Power mesh X).

2. Reel: as for number 1 if you are marking up at distance you will need a larger spool reel to help with the cast, so once you’ve decided you need perhaps a large spool reel, you again don’t need to buy an emblem 5000s just for marking, I bought myself a Shakespeare sea reel, lots of line and winds in quite quickly, only cost me £30! ( I also use one for me spodding but that’s another article). NOTE, you will need one with a line clip, very important!

3. Line: For line I use cheap 15lb mono, you can use purpose made braids, Fox and ESP among others market braid designed for this, if you decide to use braid then are both good and bad points to remember (pros: very good feature detection, cons: need to wear a glove or finger protector, also expensive) also you may need to buy some sort of protection for your finger. again its a personal preference thing, I have used braid and didn’t get along with it, but I know people who do use it, and love it!

4. Leads: O.K. leads you can use 2.5 (minimum weight) up to 4oz leads, dumpy pears are better than most, the best ones are the Fox feature finding leads, they have no coating (increased feel) and four knobs at the “corners” again increased feel, they come in a pack of two, one normal lead with a swivel directly attached and one with a 2 inch wire extension to the swivel to help in weedy situations, again its up to you but I do love these leads for feature finding.

5. Floats: Entirely up to you this section I prefer the fox one again (I don’t work for Fox!!!) but there are loads out there, all the big names are making them, however I will mention the ESP sonar one with the three interchangeable vanes, the thread that these vanes screw on to snapped off on the cast, this has also happened to a much more experienced angler that me, that doesn’t mean that everyone will do the same just something to bear in mind

6. Rigby bits: Ok you will need 2 small rubber beads(4mm) and 1 larger one (6mm) between the sliding lead and the float, if you are using a normal lead with a boom section you’ll need the boom section to be longer than the float and 15lb break or more, you will also need a large run ring for the boom section.

Setting up the rig:

If this sounds like being taught to suck eggs, forgive me, right thread line through rod rings!! now thread on the lead, passing the line through the run ring, now thread on two small beads and then the large one, now tie on the marker float using a secure knot of course ( I recommend the 5 turn grinner )

Using the Marker setup:

1. Now you are ready to mark it up baby! ok well never mind that, cast out to the edge of the area you can sensibly fish, once the lead has hit the floor, tighten the line to the lead with the rod pointing at the lead, now standing sideways on slowly pull the rod from pointing to the lead to pointing away from your body (I.e. a 90o Turn) watch the tip and feel the twitches/bumps.

2. From pulling the rod you will get one of 3 types of indications, type 1 bumps, this is gravel! result! gravel is good type 2 smooth pull back, this is silt/clay and means the bottoms clean Type 3 sharp pulls and maybe even locked up, the dreaded weed! ok you now know what’s on the lake floor, but where abouts is it exactly!!!

3. tighten to the lead again, now mark off a foot on the rod itself from the reel bale arm to a foot long on the rod, either using backwind or loose clutch ( a baitrunner reel makes this job so easy!) peel off the line in 1 ft lengths counting as you go, remember one the float has surfaced, you now have a rough guide to depth and a visual indicator as to where the feature is, try and line up this feature with a permanent horizon marker, and also remember to mark where you are standing and make that permanent too, I.e. I line up with the end of my pod/bank sticks.

4. Continue steps 1-3 to mark out the make up of the lake bed in front of you, for a short session I would recommend only casting to one feature if at all with the marker float, for longer sessions (24hrs+) take your time you could find something real good to fish to!

5. If you are only fishing to this feature then clip up the line, pass the line under the spool clip but only when the line is tight to the lead. now whilst the marker is out there in the swim, cast your rigs to the marker float, this is where the depth is important, depending on how deep it is you will need to cast beyond the marker float to make the lead fall to the bottom near the lead marker.

I.e. if its 6 foot deep you will need to cast approx 6ft beyond the marker, hold the line tight on the cast so that the weight swings back to the marker. therefore making a very accurate cast to that feature.

6. remember the horizon marker you used, you can now with a tight line to the lead clip up your mainline and then mark the line with a small piece of white tape doubled over, or line marker braid (courtesy again of fox, sorry I don’t love em!) so that you can cast and recast at night time accurately and confidently

Summary:

Ok i dont profess to having the best system to use but i find it easy and simple to use, to help with the marking up of a feature and casting accurately to it, remember marking up isnt needed if you know the lake intimately but ultimately it can be a great weapon in the battle.

For those of you used to the warm weather Winter Carping can come as a real shock to the system, now is bad enough but the really cold stuff late December on ,can really choke the pig.

Tackled correctly though you can enjoy yourselves in relative comfort, with a much wider swim choice than hitherto, even on busy fisheries.Mainly because the competition chooses to go to fishing only during the day. Arrive at your lake and look round towards 3 pm and see people drift away faster than the crowd at a dull football match.

Before you think about swim choice lets do the gear thing. Bivvying out in cold conditions needs care and attention as well as different gear to summer. Skimping on the winter stuff can be everything from mildly inconvenient to potentially lethal! So here are a few basic suggestions:-

1) Don’t skimp on the bivvy bit. Site it if possible with the back into the wind, not the door, or shelter it by positioning it with shelter from trees and bushes. If this gives you a view of the lake from inside your bivvy well and good, but if not you can always use the body of the tent to keep the wind off you when you are sat outside.

2) Bedchair comfort. Winter nights are long so don’t skimp on this either. Take a piece of foam rubber to put on even the best padded bedchair, this can add 10 degrees to the temperature in your sleeping bag, as well as some important comfort.Carry it folded up inside the bedchair.

3) Always try to put a groundsheet down It can get very cold and damp without in summer. In winter life can be miserable in a cold wet muddy bivvy. I have a sewn in groundsheet, but put an extra one down anyway on top, as, in time, all groundsheets perforate and let in the wet. Some folk even go to the extent of putting down a square of carpet sample in front of their bedchair to provide that little extra comfort and insulation.

4) Gas
Remember gas does not vaporize as freely in cold weather, just when you need a warming brew or a hot meal the most. So try to find a stove that does work in low temperatures. Petrol, Coleman Fuel, or Meths stoves such as the Trangia type, seem to be the most recommended. I know of one bloke who even takes a small solid fuel “emergency” stove as a back up. But don’t use stoves inside your bivvy, and not just because they throw out volumes of deadly fumes. You can end up with no floor, when they get going! Or if you are as clumsy as me, no bivvy, no eyebrows, and no drink as well!

5) Sleeping bags. You don’t always need a super 5 Season bag, but you WILL need at least two thinner ones, one inside the other. You can always leave one unzipped, but if you aint got it, even fully dressed inside, you will regret it. Don’t get too tight a bag either, its the trapping of air around you that keeps you warm. So make sure you have some moving about room inside both bags.

6) Clothing Wear loose fitting gear,( not jeans as cotton is very cold in winter). Start with thermal underwear, a good dry warm layer next to the skin is a real winner. Then wear several layers of clothing, shirts thinner pullovers and then fleeces. Many layers are preferred to one thick one, as you can mix and match to keep comfortable. With one thick layer you are at your ideal comfort level just once, the rest of the time you are tolerating conditions. Keep spare clothing in a plastic bag or bin liner in your rucksack, not on the bivvy floor. There’s not a lot worse than putting on cold wet clothing after you have gone out in the middle of a cold wet night to reel in a Bream, tripped and fallen in.

7) Boots I should perhaps have included this under clothing but socks play a vital role in keeping you warm and comfortable. Do not put too many pairs on in the belief that you will be warmer. They cramp your toes and cut off blood circulation, unless your boots are big enough to allow for the extra layers and the air circulation as well. If you can afford it get some of the insulated boots, with a built in thermal insole, and fleecy inner “sock”. Mine are “Mukluks” over 10 years old now and still going strong. Ok I’ve had to replace the inner sock layer quite a few times but they are still warm and comfortable. Skeetex and Boom boots are also ok.

Food Take plenty and make it easy to cook stuff. Plenty of carbohydrates, a winter night outdoors is not the place for a low calorie diet. Get used to drinking lots of tea or coffee or drinking chocolate, or Horliks, whatever’s your own thing,but keep the alcohol to a minimum. It gives a false sense of warmth and in the wrong time and place this can kill.

9) Information and communication Sounds odd, but make sure you tell someone responsible, where you are going, what lake, and when you are due back. In winter this can mean the difference between getting home ok and spending the night on a frozen bankside with a broken ankle from a slip.

If you have one take a FULLY CHARGED mobile with you, and not for nonsense calls to while away the time. Take a book for that, leave the phone for real emergencies.

Take care with your gear and your gear should take care of you!

Why Zigs?

You might well ask yourself “why fish zigs” when you see the majority of other anglers with a bait nailed to the deck, well the simple fact is that carp spend a great deal of time off the bottom. And having a bait, no matter how good or well presented will not produce a carp when they are a number of feet above it. It’s in these circumstances that a zig rig could well produce a carp.

“Will carp high in the water get caught on a bottom bait?”

Depths

After deciding to put a zig rig out, the next question is, at what depth to fish the bait? As a rule of thumb I start off by setting the hooklink at around half the depth of the water you are fishing in, so for example in 10ft of water fish a bait at 5ft. Alternatively, if I am going to commit more than one rod to the approach then I do things a little differently, then I fish the rods at different depths until I hit on the depth the fish are at. So in 10ft of water I will set on at 4ft and one at 6ft, if the rod at 6ft produces a fish then I will change the other rod over to 6ft. Zigs are often fairly instant, if no takes come within a couple of hours, change the depth.

“If no takes are forthcoming, change the depth”

Set up

The next thing to look at is how you are going to set up you rig. What I generally use is a hook in Sz 10 usually a ESP Big T, a hooklink made up of either 10 or 12lb Drennan double strength mono, depending on how snaggy the swim is. At the swivel end I use a Lead clip to attach the lead, this is always set so that the lead can eject on the take, this is to make it much easier to play the fish, as you can imagine its very difficulty playing a carp with 2-3oz of lead swinging 5ft+ above.

“My preferred way of setting a zig up”

Bait

There are a number of baits you can use when fishing zigs, from pop-ups to cork balls. My preference is to use a 15mm brightly coloured pop-up, but instead of using it straight out of the tub, what I do is to whittle the bait down, so it is around 12mm in diameter but of a rough appearance, this takes the glare off the bait and gives it a more natural appearance. The bait is always hair rigged, but care has to be taken to ensure the bait is the correct distance away from the hook, I’ve found that my best results have come when the bait is very close to the hook on a short hair.

“The ideal bait for zig rigs”

Next time you are out give Zigs a try, you may find it produces a fish when nothing else is working.

“The result of a zig rig, not a big fish but a result when nothing else worked”

Written by John Hinckley (Thanks to Carp-UK.Net)

Watching carp I have already caught feeding has illustrated the reasons why they fell to my rods, and helped catch those that haven’t.

When it comes to rigs you can over-think things. Of course, you can turn everything on its head and really fine down your tackle, and this is a subject I want to cover in part two. It begs the question – is it better to have a rig they can’t see, and thus take more readily, or use a rig with a better chance of not being ejected, that could be a little more blatant?

When you use a small hook, you are reducing the ‘gape’, which is essentially your chance of hooking them. I’ve waffled on about ‘gape efficiency’ before, and I believe this is an important point.

In my opinion, hooks, and rigs, can be measured upon their ‘gape efficiency’, the ‘gape’ being the distance between the eye of the hook, and the point. This can be extended with shrink tubing, or stiff materials, but this is the area I’m talking about. This is the section that is all-important when hooking the carp – the less gape, the more chance of a rig simply falling out of a carp’s mouth.

There are flaws in this theory – which Mike Winstone illustrates regularly with his aggressively cranked ‘claw’ type rig. How this works I don’t know, perhaps it is because he always uses an over-shotted pop-up, and the bottom lip of a carp gets wedged, or sandwiched in the gap. In my eyes, Mike has simply ‘moved’ the ‘gape’ to a new place.

Mike Winstone’s cranked over pop-up rig. I know it works, but it makes little sense and throws a spanner in the works to a lot of our rig thinking!

Because of this idea I have, I favour longshank hooks on most occasions, with a bent-hook created using shrink tubing. I’ve favoured a blowback element to my rigs ever since I read a Tim Paisley book, went carp fishing, and caught my personal best on a blowback rig! I’m sure it doesn’t hurt, and the amount of times I’ve unhooked a carp to find the bit of shrink tubing I use on the shank has been blistered back over the eye of the hook, sometimes even passing over the line-aligner and onto the rig itself! Some people have tried to argue that this happens during the fight, but if my observations of carp are correct, I doubt this to be the case.

The blowback effect illustrated well (below). The weight of the bait should help the hook point drive further in once a carp has pricked itself.

Carp will hoover up most of the lakebed on most occasions, and then suck and blow to filter out what they don’t want. It’s mad sometimes because they will suck in and blow out the same few items over and over again, before finally accepting their ‘polished’ item. They use quite a lot of force to do this, so by utilising a blowback element in our rigs, we can use this force to help drive a pricked hook even further into their lips.

But what if the hook never pricks? What can we do to make sure it does? One rig that immediately springs to mind is the ‘No-Advert’ rig, which I won’t illustrate! I will, however, show you an alternative, safer version of the rig I have used myself. This particular rig resulted in two pick-ups for me the first time I used it.

A safe adaptation of a dangerous, yet theoretically-sound, rig helped bank this lovely dark mirror, just shy of the magical 20lb mark.

It is based upon Ian Chillcott’s safe version of the ‘No Advert Rig’, which he revealed to me on the banks of Conningbrook, in Kent – which I later convinced him to unveil in the pages of Crafty Carper. It basically works on the principle of having two hooks, facing each other. The second ‘hook’ is created using Stiff Bristle Filament, cut and shaped into position. As I say, the version shown here worked instantly. It creates a ‘claw’ section, which confuses the carp.

My original version of the ‘claw’ style rig.

Imagine combining this extra ‘hook’ with an Anchor Rig style arrangement, a Recoil Rig section, and a proven hook setup? Why shouldn’t we go the whole hog, to give ourselves the best chance of catching a carp?

I tried the Recoil Rig earlier this winter and caught on it straight away. I simply tied up little Recoil booms that were probably only an inch or two long, combining them with my usual longshank setup. I caught a 19lb common, and my good pal Chris (DontKnowMuch) nabbed one of the Recoil sections off me and proceeded to catch the second biggest carp in the lake at 32lb. This was at a time when nothing had been caught for weeks, following a few blanks for Chris and me.

A capture on the Recoil rig, the first time I ever tried it.

I’m sure the Recoil made the difference, if you’ve ever seen it yourself you’ll know that it really pulls back! Compare it with a standard rig – I bet you’ll want to give it a try.

In its normal state, the Recoil boom just looks like a piece of silicone tubing trapped between two swivels.

Because there is braid inside that is twice as long as the tubing, it stretches, so the rig pulls back on a pricked fish.

When I think about rigs, it’s hard not to think about baits. My good mate Jason Hayward said: “The best rig in the world is a bait that they want!” Maybe I catch in spite of the rigs I’m using? Maybe we all do…..Until next time, Mat Woods

For a lot of us, thinking about our rigs is just a passing thought. With serious evidence that even the most effective rigs are being ejected regularly, surely we should have a serious re-think?

A Horseshoe carp. A weedy venue where the Half Withy setup seemed to be the way forward.

Anti-Eject

It’s near enough impossible for a rig to go into a carp’s mouth with absolutely no chance of coming out. Surely that’s what this term means? There are many things we can do to improve the anti-eject qualities of our rigs, but as for finding something that provides a pick-up every single time your hookbait gets mouthed – I’m fairly sceptical.

I do, personally, use what would be deemed an anti-eject rig. It’s basically the line-aligned blowback rig Frank Warwick has been advocating since the dawn of creation. The only reason I keep using it, is that it keeps working.

My favoured longshank line-aligner setup. A blowback rig that works extremely well.

I fish at different lakes all the time, due to work commitments and my own preferences. I have to concede at some of these venues that my mainstay rig is not the ideal choice, normally the weedier venues. On this type of lake, I tend to go with short braided hooklinks in a solid PVA bag, with a small hook and a half-Withy arrangement. Why this works better I have no idea, is it because of how the rig presents itself on the bottom, or is it the way these carp tend to feed?

The half-Withy works extremely well in weed.

The now-popular Short Rig, or Chod Rig, is also an ideal choice on these kinds of lakes, especially when boilie fishing. Is it the shortness of these rigs that proves so effective? Or is it to do with the pressure-cycle, with many anglers choosing long hooklengths and slow sinking baits for fishing over weed?

The Short Rig presents itself perfectly over weed and chod.

On the silty venues, the line-aligner rig comes up trumps all the time, and being between 9 and 12 inches long on most occasions, it gives them enough rope to hang themselves. I’ve never really done that well on silty venues using short rigs, although I know people who have – however, I have noticed that they lose more carp than I do, which surely is no coincidence?

I am a bit too reliant on this arrangement for my fishing.

On the gravel pits, I’ve definitely found that a stiffer hooklength comes up trumps. I use coated hooklengths quite a bit, and have found that my usual, fairly supple rigs aren’t the ideal choice on clean gravel areas. Changing to a stiffer material, like Korda’s Hybrid in 20lb, seems to provide more action than anything else. I have also done well in recent times using a stiff-ish fluorocarbon hooklength, with the 360 Rig. I’ve seen carp on these lakes feeding, and quite often they are much more selective than carp in different waters. Having a stiff element to your rigs helps keep the hook in their mouths for a longer period of time, which provides them with problems trying to eject the rig. Mike Kavanagh is to thank for most of this thinking, and you only have to look at his success, and the success of rigs like a stiff combi rig, Terry Hearn’s Hinge Link, and the Chod rig, to see there’s mileage in the theory.

The Korda Hybrid was perfect on the gravel features.

The 360 Rig is also a fantastic option when you feel they are getting away with it.

These types of hooklinks tend not to present themselves that well in silt, but you can combat this by using a Helicopter arrangement, setting the top bead just beyond what you believe the depth of the silt to be. I’ve found on most occasions that the lead won’t penetrate the silt too much anyway, so between 6 and 12 inches is a good distance to have between the lead and the semi-fixed bead.

These are all generalisations, taken from the various experiences I’ve had over the last four years or so, along with observations of the anglers around me.

More rigs thought from me soon in Part 2, as always do make your own assessments, you may find the waters you target to be a totally different kettle of fish……………Mat Woods