Advanced Carp Fishing Tips and Techniques
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If you understand the basics of fishing for carp, and are ready for some advanced carp fishing tips, then there are certain aspects of the fish itself, and the tactics needed to overcome it, that you should know. You will also need a better understanding of baits and rigs, and the various ways in which you can fish for carp. Let us first have a quick look at the carp and what it is thinking.
With carp fishing becoming more popular amongst anglers, the carp themselves are learning fast, and fishing them is becoming more of a challenge. Carp have long memories, and will remember the last time they were caught, or nearly caught. They will remember the bait, and associate that bait in future with danger. They also appear to recognize specific rigs, though that might be due to the bait used on them.
They certainly know when they are being fished, because they tend to move out of areas that have been fished recently. Carp that have been hooked emit hormones that warn other carp in the neighbourhood that there is danger. The rest can then quickly disappear and the other anglers would be advised to look for another peg. It will be a while before they return to that spot.
When seeking carp, then, don’t go back to the same spot twice. When you reach the lake, have a look for any visible evidence of them. They might be jumping, or you might spot swirls in the water where they are moving about. Look particularly around areas that carp tend to patrol such as islands, rocks, weedy areas, overhanging trees and shaded warmer areas of water. They might return to these areas if there are a few anglers around, and if the lake is being well fished you might be more successful casting into the middle of the lake.
No advice on advanced carp fishing would be complete without mentioning the bait and the rigs. Carp eat what is good for them, and they can detect nutrients in their food. For example, if you use ground or dried liver in your bait, then they can detect the amino acids they need. The same with vitamin C: add some ground up vitamin C or even just something with a fruity flavour, and they will go for it. Even boilies with some ground multivitamins in them will do the trick.
In fact, carp just love boilies, and you can either buy them or make your own. Make sure, however, that you mix them up since carp can get used to them and might also associate particular makes with the hook if they have come across them before. They also go for live food such as maggots. Because of this, and due to them being attracted by certain nutrient, your rig could consist of a sponge soaked in amino acid and vitamin nutrients and a few maggots baited on a maggot clip. Tie that to the hook, and then trim the sponge until the rig just suspends above the bottom to attract the crap.
Another common rig is the helicopter rig, consisting of a hook-link attached to a loose hook-line swivel that rotates around anti-tangle tubing or a lead core. The idea is that you can cast the rig long distances since the rig not only does not tangle, but rotates like a helicopter rotor round the weighted line as it is cast. You would use a helicopter rig, for example, when casting into the middle of a well fished lake where the carp might be hiding for safety. You can bait it any way you want, though a ‘stringer’ is common.
The Helicopter rig is best used with a two or three bait ‘stringer’. This usually consists of baits off the hook that are tied to it using dissolvable PVA string. They then lie beside the hook bait and are intended to attract the carp. The fish will tentatively try the unhooked bait on the stringer, find no problems, and its suspicions allayed, grab the hook.
You can fish carp with any type of rod you like, but to be successful it has to be strong because carp are big fish. Even a pole that is too light will not do for carp, so be sure that your equipment is up to the job. The strength of your rod depends a lot on the type of fishing you will be doing. If you are margin fishing you can use a lighter rod than if you were distance casting. Advanced carp fishing also involves using more than one rod because you will want to cover as much water as you can. You will also need a pod that can hold buzz bars for a pair of rods, and two alarms. The alarms are necessary unless you want to sit up all night in the rain. Choose a pod that is stable with your rods and you can afford to relax for a while, and that also allows you to set up your rods in hard ground where it would be impossible to force them in to make them stable.
Your choice of alarm is important, and also necessary these days when everybody around the lake will have them. You need a bit more than a simple tin can these days because you would never hear it amongst the alarms going off when anybody else got a bite. Try to make your alarm distinctive because it sure beats trying to keep your eyes open: I remember the days when you would suddenly wake up with your rod dashing across the lake!
If you are really into carp fishing in a big way, then it would likely be worth your while getting a video on the habits of the fish in its natural environment. This will provide you with an insight into the carp’s behavior when it feeds, and its reactions to the hook. Armed with this advanced information, you will be more likely to understand the carp, and therefore how best to catch it. I don’t know who first said “Know thine enemy”, but it is as true in carp fishing as it is in war.
If you are fishing for carp, the best advanced carp fishing tips you can have are to understand the carp, have the right water, the right bait and the right equipment, then you are all set for a good weekend fishin’ !!
Carp Bait – A matter of taste
Carp fishing can be a costly affair, both in time and money. With the somewhat highprice of fishing tackle markets taking top prices for anything and everything related to fishing, even the carp bait that we cannot do without, fishermen generally have to pay the going rate.
However, one area where money can actually be saved is with carp bait.
Some may argue that commercial carp baits are the better choice as these have been rigorously tested and proven and most probably have already caught big fish from the very same waters where you might fish.
Feeding a swim with ground bait or “chum” if this is allowed, at the start of a fishing session, is the universally used ‘method’ for the majority of carp anglers these days. However, much of this bait does not necessarily actually contribute to the capture of fish by any particular angler who has baited up at that time.
However, baiting-up will most definitely benefit the angler who follows him into that swim if he does not catch and has fished sensibly. Timing and conditions play such a large part in fishing too. Carp cannot always be caught ‘to order’ as it were, so some anglers will certainly lose out as a result of fish being caught by other anglers.
In well stocked carp waters, almost any bait that has effective feeding triggers, appetite stimulators or other means of exciting carp into feeding, will work. Not only this, but it has been shown that even on many waters where the latest high protein or modern ‘nutritionally balanced’ boilie baits have been used for years, low quality carbohydrate baits can still dominate catches, when applied.
To some, this may seem like a strange occurrence given the theoretical “superiority” of balanced nutritional baits. However, there are variables of many kinds where carp fishing is concerned, aquatic situations and nutritional dynamics which most average anglers are not aware of.
For example:
* How much of a carp diet actually benefits from the energy provided by cheap carbohydrate baits used in quantity, when compared to lesser amounts of nutritionally superior baits.
* How much does carp stock density and availability and benefits of natural food affect fishing results.
* How much does anglers daily baiting-up with high carbohydrate baits and protein or other balanced nutritional baits affect the feeding behaviour of carp in pressured watered where angling activity seriously impacts upon ‘natural’ carp behaviour?
Whatever you do, it is best to keep the odds of success in your favour. You may even be one of the first anglers on your water that uses a different bait. But this does not insure you against failure if your target fish gets caught first by another angler using some other bait.
You, or anyone else, cannot always know if you are fishing over other anglers’ boilies, pellets, particles or other baits and how that may have affected your catches, or lack of the same.
But if your aim is to catch the biggest fish in the water, it can really make sense to use a bait that is totally unique. Even to the extent of using ingredients that the average angler fishing your water would never think of using.
If you simply make homemade pastes or dough baits and your normal fishing session results in even just one fish rather than a ‘blank’ session, surely the attention to detail with bait is worth it. It’s upto you. It’s your call. It’s a matter of taste. 
Fish for carp
Why would anyone want to fish for carp? They are a well sought after delicacy in Asia, but in Europe and the USA carp are considered to be an inedible fish.
However, the fact remains that these fish are just plain fun to catch when using the fishing equipment, carp bait, and techniques that are necessary for carp fishing.
Most carp fishermen have caught that rare carp on a night crawler, but carp are primarily vegetarian in their eating habits. Carp fishermen have been using corn meal and molasses dough ball as the primary bait for years and years, but some would argue that other balls of bait are even more effective. One popular combination is a mixture of crushed cornflakes and peanut butter. I would recommend mixing in some molasses or Cairo Syrup for stickiness. Also, chilling the mixture in the refrigerator will give it the right consistency for staying on the hook.
The quality of fishing equipment used in carp fishing, as with fishing for any species of fish, is generally reflected in the price. There are really good offers to be found at your local fishing tackle store, or at one of the many online fishing tackle suppliers.
But, carp are big fish and your carp fishing rod needs to be worthy of its mission.
Carp can put up a heck of fight. Over the years, the carp fishing industry has developed into a fairly lucrative business. There are pay ponds all over the place, that specialize in carp. Catching a massive freshwater fish is the thrill of a lifetime, and it can become addictive for even the most serious fishermen. If you like the outdoors and nature go fish for carp.
Carp Fish and Carp Fishermen
Carp fishing is big business and new fishermen are rapidly swelling the heaving hoards of existing carp anglers making carp fishing more and more competitive and crowded.
Carp fishing is a competitive sport where slight refinements can mean the difference between consistent success and blanks. Carp fishing is restricted to a maximum number of pegs per angler at any one time on various carp fishing spots, and it is very important to book in good time to avoid disappointment.
Carp fishing is an addictive hobby, yet an enjoyable past time that we gladly offer time on to relax and get away from work and the family. Carp cuisine may have a long way to go, but there are a growing number of people who believe carp fishing is poised to hit the big time.
Compared to most, I might be a bit of a novice when it comes to fishing but one thing that I do know is that to successfully land the catch of the day, I need proper fishing equipment and that would include good quality fishing rods and the right carp fishing tackle. My carp fishing tackle includes a good pair of binoculars and a notepad so I can note the feeding patterns of the big fish.
Carp fishermen have become the “techies” of the fishing world as geeks are to computers.
We have the latest hi-tech widgets for tracking down these wily beasts, our recipes, fancy rigs, ultra modern fishing rods and reels, and more fishing tackle than a tennis player has tennis rackets.
Carp
Carp may easily be considered the most boring and the most predictable fish on the planet. They feed by sampling the bottom and sorting out edible and inedible titbits, and they eat until they feel the hook or line, then they reject the bait. Often carp will skim across the flats seemingly at random, sometimes holding in predictable patterns and sometimes just swim around, as if they were lost, looking for somewhere to go. Carp angling is very much a waiting game.
Boilie
“Boilie” is the name of the best carp fishing bait. Because, the majority of world record catches of carp species such as the” common carp”,”leather carp”, mirror carp” and “grass carp” are made with boilies within the last 3 decades. Boilies to a carp are like sweets to a child - little balls of red rich strawberry goodness that they can’t get anywhere else. I hasten to add, most carp fishermen have their own secret recipes, that they swear are the best.
Carp fishing is such a personal thing and is so much more than just simply fishing. Carp fishing is an excellent hobby and past-time, with some very big catches possible.
One of the most common misconceptions about carp fishing is that it is easy.
Catching Carp is an art
Most of us carp fishermen at one time or another have started a fishing trip, thinking we had all we need and several hours pass without a bite. Yet, some random guy using the same fishing rod and tackle and the same bait could be landing massive big carp, seemingly at will.
However, fish are never equally distributed in a lake and they prefer certain areas and depths more than others. Experienced fishermen agree some of the biggest challenges of carp fishing are choosing the right bait and choosing the right fishing spot.
It’s well known that carp generally stay deep, near the bottom of the lake, but fishing on an unknown lake can have its drawbacks. Choosing the right bait is equally important to choosing the right spot when it comes to carp fishing, as is to all types of fishing.
Everyone has their favourite carp bait, but with carp fishing, the best bait to use is also dependable on the weather, the type and water of te water, the depth of the water and also, the natural food sources for the fish in that particular lake.
Basically, it comes down to experience.
A popular technique used in carp fishing is pre-baiting. This means that once you have homed-in on a stretch of water you want to fish, just catapult bait to where you’ll figure the casts will land and pre-bait the water with bait of all kinds in order to attract carp.
Don’t fret about the fish devouring the pre-bait as opposed to the bait on your hook. It will be swallowed in time and you will be convinced that catching Carp is an art.
The Basics of Carp Fishing
Carp are not a dumb fish, and they are not easily caught by dumb carp fishermen. These tips should give you a head start over the carp, but never forget that the carp is intelligent and will be beat you very time if you drop your guard.
Your first problem is to find the fish, and it helps to do you your homework on the geography of the lake you are fishing. Find out where the features are since carp like patrolling features such as islands, reed beds and rocks. Get to know the general depth of the lake at various points if you can, and also the wind direction. If there are no visible features there might a few underwater, and you can often tell this when you cast.
You can do this with a lead stop and a market float, and try to feel the stop as pulls over the bottom, and also keep an eye on the tip of your rod. That can frequently bounce in accordance with the roughness of the bottom. That way you should be able to tell silt from gravel and weed. Gravel will bounce the rod a bit more than clay or silt, and weed will tend to pull and then come free. You can also get useful information by speaking to other fishermen.
When you arrive at a new swim, keep an eye on where others are casting and if there have been any recent catches. Carp have good memories and will tend to congregate away from the lines, especially if they have had a near miss. If everybody is fishing the edges, try a long cast into the center of the lake because that’s where they might be hiding.
They also learn to associate specific types of bait with a hook. If you have been using the same bait for a while without success then try changing it. Not just the bait itself but the taste and smell. If you have been using strawberry jam boilies, change them for another flavour, or use some live bait. It could be that it is not that the carp aren’t biting that’s the problem, but that they are associating your bait with a hook. Change the bait and you could have success.
On the question of bait, a carp knows what’s good for it, and will take bait that is rich in the vitamins and amino acids that it needs. It will also taste the bait to make sure that it is fresh and not decomposing, and you will have most success by making your bait taste and smell like the fish’s natural foods. Boilies of various types, stilton cheese and herring meal are very attractive to carp, and if you make your own boilies you will always have a stock of various flavours at hand for when you have to ring the changes.
When casting, try to use a marker float, since casting accuracy is essential in carp fishing. The way to consistently catch good fish once you have found a good area is to cast to the same place every time, and the marker can also be used to determine the depth of the water and the nature of the bottom at any particular spot. Once you have a good spot you will have to find a way of finding it every time. For direction, cast towards a feature on the opposite bank. It might be a telegraph pole, a tree or bush, or even a house. All you want is a direction indicator. For the distance, you can mark your line in any way you want or use a line counter.
If you are using ground bait, don’t throw it all at once since if there are any currents in the lake they ware liable to carry the bait away from the original spot after a while. If you can spot showing fish, then cast just beyond them. Throw a little and often, so that you will still have bait if you have to move your peg. If you are fishing in the early morning or at dusk, the carp tend to come towards the edges of the lake, especially when it is warm.
In winter the carp tend to move about a bit less, and can often be found in the same place right through the winter. However, if you know any warm water inflows to the lake, such as from factories or power stations, you could strike lucky. The same is true of any natural warmer water sources. Fish can also tent to congregate in deeper areas of the lake in winter and round shallower areas in summer where the heat of the sun can penetrate the water.
The main qualities of the fish that you have to keep in mind, though, especially if you are new to carp fishing, is that the carp has a good memory, a good sense of taste and smell and also good hearing. It is easily scared off, and it is particularly sensitive to resistance in the bait. If it senses any resistance in your rig, then it will spit the hook out before it engages, and as previously referred to, if it has been hooked in the past with a particular bait then it will remember the smell and taste, and keep clear of it in future.
Carp also know when a catch has been made, and when one of its brethren has been hooked in a particular area they will tend to swim off to patrol another part of the lake. This is particularly true in the summer months when they are more active.
Carp fishing is a great sport, and is a battle of wits and intelligence between the carp and the fisherman. As long as you don’t show it too much hook and don’t use the same bait too frequently, and as long as you understand when carp will remain in the same swim and when they are liable to leave it, then you will have the advantage. Never take the carp for granted though.
How To Choose A Fishing Rod
If you want to fish, the first thing you must learn is how to choose a fishing rod. Choosing the right fishing rod depends a great deal on the type of fishing you want to do, and how experienced you are at the sport. It is a great sport, and a wonderful social activity, but like any other the exponent needs the tools appropriate to the form of the sport being pursued.
For example, a fly fisherman angling for salmon or trout will use a totally different type of rod to a sea fisherman trying to land a massive marlin or tuna. These are extremes, but demonstrate that fishing tackle is not just fishing tackle. There is a very wide range of possible designs of fishing rod specifically intended for the required application. Coarse or white fish such as carp are fished in a different way to other white coarse fish such as pike, and an individual fish can be caught using ground bait, a leger or by fly fishing. They all use different types of rod.
Rods are generally built for certain types of fishing, and within each type, rods are even built for certain species of fish. There can be a degree of crossover, but you can’t use a float rod for leger fishing unless you have it fitted with some detection device such as a quivertip. If you are new to fishing, therefore, choose a simple fishing rod that feels comfortable when you hold it. Beginners are best to restrict themselves to catching smaller fish until they become more adept and understand the fish better.
Your rod should also be flexible, and if you are not sure exactly what you should have then buy a second hand rod to learn with. The same is true of seasoned fishermen that are trying out a new type of fishing. If you have never fly-fished before, then try it with a cheaper rod first till you understand exactly the properties you need in a fly rod specifically for you. There is little point in spending lots of money on a rod if you are not sure what you are looking for.
Let’s look at one or two different types of rod that might help you determine your personal needs. When you set out to purchase a rod, you should have an idea of the main type of fishing you intend to use it for. Is it for salmon and trout in a clear Scottish mountain stream, or for carp in your local lake. Are you fishing for shark off California or for sea bass around the Florida Keys? In fact, you can use the same rod for sea bass and for spinning in your local river, although many bass anglers prefer baitcasting lines to the fine lines that are used on spinning rods.
What you have to keep in mind with your tackle, is that sea fishing is generally better done with traditional round reels with heavy lines, while the smaller fish are better caught using a fine, light invisible line that allows greater sensitivity in tempting the fish with the bait. If you are fishing carp to a marker float you want a set-up that allows you to cast to the same spot accurately all day.
So start with a simple rod that feels comfortable in your grip. Once you have become more experienced with the different types of fish, the baits and different lures, then you can start to look at more advanced specialist rods. A marker float has just been mentioned in relation to carp fishing, so that’s as good a rod to start with as any. There are specific things to look for in a good float rod.
First, decide the material of construction. You can get fiber glass or carbon, but the good rods are generally made from carbon. Carbon fiber is very strong in relation to its thickness, and a carbon fiber rod can be very strong and also thin and light. You will appreciate the lightness when are fighting a large fish that simply refuses to come to the bank. The length depends a lot on where you are fishing. Abound 12 to 13 feet is a good average length, although you might want something longer if you are fishing deep rivers. However, unless you are an expert stick to about 13 feet for now.
Your rings are best made from chrome, but they can wear quickly and a good compromise between slip and wear is ceramic, and you should have at least 13 rings on your rod. The tip of your rod can be hollow or spliced. Which you choose depends on the type of fish you are trying to catch. The spliced tips have a length of solid carbon spliced into the tip, and was originally designed for fishing rivers and quick acting fish where you need a fast response and strike. These rods tend to have deeper rings so that line can be fed downstream without sticking to the rod.
The other type, the hollow tip rod, has a slower and softer action and is more suitable for the slower moving fish such as carp and chub. However, modern production techniques have enabled hollow tips to emulate the speed of strike of the spliced tip rods, and so spliced tips are generally no longer needed by anybody but the top professionals.
If you are legering, which is fishing without a float, you need a stronger reel, and a rod with either a quivertip or a swingtip to provide a detection system. The former is the more common and they come in a range of sensitivities. It is generally wise to have a least two of different sensitivities, and if you have only the one rod then make sure that the tips are interchangeable. Different fish and waters need different sensitivities of tip. The swingtip rods are more suitable for still waters.
The casting power of your rod comes from the butt and middle sections of the rod, and you should test the cast of a rod before you purchase it. However, if you take all of the above factors into account when buying your rod you should be able purchase a piece of equipment that will satisfy your needs for years to come. The secret is not purchase an expensive rod until you know exactly what you need, and what options are available.
Fishing in The Dark Is Maybe Better
Fishing in The Dark
Why only fish during the day? When fishing in the dark can be just as much, if not, a more satisfying experience. Also when fishing an area used by many other people, doing so many different kinds of water based sports, like jet skiing, sailing and many other things, that can be disruptive to an angler. Where as at night you wouldn’t have those disruptions, and would probably catch more fish.
Fishing is the kind of sport that can be done at any time of the day or evening, so why not go night fishing. Unfortunately there are certain times of the year that you cannot fish, but we should not let that bother us. It just gives us more time to make sure our equipment is in tip top condition.
Whether you go fishing in a local pond, stream or travel to a lake, river or reservoir, then after dark fishing can be a lot more fun, than when it is light. You don’t even have to have the best glow in dark wire fishing rods, and other night fishing equipment, to catch some of the biggest fish you can imagine.
There will always be different types of fish, to catch when fishing in the dark and you may not catch what you want, but the same is said, whatever time you fish. Still when you catch a fish at night, the satisfaction is even greater.
Fishing in the dark is one of the most satisfying things an angler can do, and the most challenging. Whether you are alone, or with a group, nocturnal fishing is just as much fun and needs all the skill you can muster.
When looking to buy night fishing gear, you will find tackle you won’t need when daytime fishing. It is probably worth using glow in dark wire fishing rods and specific night time equipment, if just to make it easier for yourself, because fishing in the dark will always be more of a challenge.
Good preparation is a must when you are going to go fishing after lights out, as anything left behind, will be sorely missed and could ruin the whole experience. Make sure you have enough light, with spare batteries, some floats that are luminous enough to see and if you tie your lines before you go it will save time and effort. Preparation that is well thought out can also stop accidents from happening.
Making sure you have something for shelter is also a very good idea, after all you don’t want to freeze. You may even want to build a small shelter, than can easily be dismantled when you leave, but if you want to have your creature comforts, then I would recommend a tent or one of those big umbrellas, with a cover that goes over the top. Fishing in the dark does not have to be uncomfortable, but it is always fun.
