How to catch decent sized carp?

[ajax]

Hi all,

 

I'm a relative novice (only been fishing for three years). I got my first pole at Christmas and I'm having reasonable success in catching carp in the 1-3lb range. Whatever tactics I use I never seem to be able to catch carp over this size.

 

Could someone give me a few hints as to what baits / rigs etc I should be using on my pole to catch bigger fish?

[Newt]

Welcome to Anglers Net ajax.

 

It may seem obvious but the first requirement is to fish were there are some larger carp that feed within pole range.

 

Do that and be very quiet (larger = older = smarter & more cautious). I suspect you will see some larger fish in the net.

[ajax]

Everyone else who uses a pole at the the lake where I fish are catching carp in the 8-10lb range. I have an 11 metre pole but at length I don't have the strength to hold it so I'm fishing about 8 metres out. The water is between 4-6 feet deep at that range.

[Dick Dastardly]

I would sugest that you sit behind one of the guys who are catching the better fish for a while and see what he's doing different to you.

 

Dont get in his way and keep down low.If he seems happy enough to chat then ask him openly why he thinks he is catching them and your not. It could be any number of things.

 

If its that there is a definate change of depth or a feature at a range futher than you can fish/comfortably fish with your pole then try swapping over to running line tactics.

[Vagabond]

I'm fishing about 8 metres out. The water is between 4-6 feet deep at that range.

 

 

I know it might sound daft at first, but perhaps you are fishing TOO far out !

 

There are two main places in general where carp in a heavily-fished water feel "safe" when feeding.

 

One is near features/cover some distance from the bank, which you are not able to reach with your pole.

 

The other is right under the bank (where it is deep enough) - yes, right under your feet sometimes. Nobody usually fishes there! Carp learn to patrol such margins.

 

Look for a swim where the water is two feet deep or more right under the bank. If the wind is blowing towards that bank, so much the better. If it is undercut and has overhanging plants, better still.

 

Bait it up well, keep VERY quiet and still. Fish it from eight metres further along the bank - or even closer with fewer pole joints. The closer you are, the more likely you are to see underwater eddies, bubbles, clouding of the water, a slight "rocking" of the water levels, movements of any reeds growing in the water etc - all signs of big fish close to the bank. But of course, the closer you are, the more important it is to keep quiet and still. It usually takes about twenty minutes of keeping still after setting up before you might expect signs of big fish.

 

Think about it - how many times have you made a slight movement, and immediately been startled by the sudden swirl of a big fish spooking very close to the bank ? If you had had a bait there, and if you hadn't spooked it, you might have caught it.

 

Learn to recognise and fish such swims and it will not be long before you are catching bigger fish.

[jonnyp]

Hi all,

 

I'm a relative novice (only been fishing for three years). I got my first pole at Christmas and I'm having reasonable success in catching carp in the 1-3lb range. Whatever tactics I use I never seem to be able to catch carp over this size.

 

Could someone give me a few hints as to what baits / rigs etc I should be using on my pole to catch bigger fish?

 

 

Alright Ajax?

 

I would recomend what Vagabond said about fishing the margins. On my local club water, the majority of bigger carp (10lb+) come from right under the platforms or along the margins, very close in. I have just joined a new club and will be trying the margins in all their lakes before i ship out 16m of pole. Make sure your tackle is up to the job though mate as you will want to " hit and hold" big carp in the margins. Good luck and tight lines

Jp

[mr fisher]

Hi all,

 

I'm a relative novice (only been fishing for three years). I got my first pole at Christmas and I'm having reasonable success in catching carp in the 1-3lb range. Whatever tactics I use I never seem to be able to catch carp over this size.

 

Could someone give me a few hints as to what baits / rigs etc I should be using on my pole to catch bigger fish?

 

 

 

Hi a what pool have u been fishing and have u tryed different baits as it might help and try the margins let me no how it goes

[Andy Macfarlane]

Hitting them right under my feet is my favourite way of hitting carp too. Nothing clever either. I use a 10' 6" bomb rod with a pellet waggler (locked with 2 float stops), 6lb line straight through, a size 12 Kamasan Animal hook and a paran as bait. I sprinkle casters and maggots, a sprinkle of feed pellet and a couple of small balls of groundbait and sit back quietly. Very often the fish take the float under 12" from my feet. Excellent fun.

[Dales]

Fish with rod, reel and line. A pole is great for very accurate feeding and dropping a bait in the middle of it well as far out as you can comfortably fish with it, but its hard to beat a rod of flexability as it gives you more options of places to fish and methods you can use.

 

As others have said you can find big fish just under your feet of hugging the margins along the banks or out in the middle of the lake or any other feature, or in open water, a rod will let you place a bait in any of these areas.