surface fishing

[zenith10]

went down to my local lake today seen a lot of carp and other fish topping. now when the season starts im thinking of doing some floater fishing but what in your oppinion is the best bait to do it with. also ive seen in the angling times using a pellet waggler this looks a good method but what type of pellets do you need and has anyone got a link to a page explaining it?

[Zaphod]

Zenith,

 

 

There is an article on this site re; surface fishing;

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Carp-Fishing-A...nce_Saloon.html

 

You say that they are "topping" . that does not necessarily mean that they are feeeding of the top.

 

Get some Pedigree chum mixers (pet food section of supermarket), then rinse them under a top in a collander for a min' or two, then put them in a sealable bag with plenty of air in them and leave over night. This will let them absorb the water and expand circa 100% and soften.

Then when you are down there try feeding a bit in and see if they will take off the top.

If they are feeding on the top, then give it a go.

 

If you can get them off the top it is the best way ever, believe me.

 

 

P.S. ADMINS, perhaps this should be moved to the Carp forum, as there will be more response !!

Edited May 31, 2006 by Zaphod

[nomadpaul]

went down to my local lake today seen a lot of carp and other fish topping. now when the season starts im thinking of doing some floater fishing but what in your oppinion is the best bait to do it with. also ive seen in the angling times using a pellet waggler this looks a good method but what type of pellets do you need and has anyone got a link to a page explaining it?

Don't ignore the floating crust mate - cheap and versatile . Get yourself a nice sandwich tin , uncut . Great shape for getting decent baits out of .

 

Obviously chum mixer as well . to soften 'em up , put a couple of handfuls in a plastic bag and then pour in some boiling water - just enough to dampen them - blow some air in the bag and then tie it up . Give the bag a good shake and leave for an hour or so . With practice , you can get them soft enough to hook but rubbery enough to stand a good cast . You can also try flavourings and colourings when adding the water . i like to mix soft and hard biscuits when feeding - you could also superglue a shaped cork ball to the back of your hook to produce an imitation dog biscuit - just cut a small groove in ti with a hacksaw and glue the hook into the groove

[zenith10]

zaphod and nomadpaul thanx for the advice i will try chum mixers next time i go

they fish were feeding off the top we, we chucked some dog biscuits in and they were taking them very panickly trying them many times before they actually took them

[nomadpaul]

zaphod and nomadpaul thanx for the advice i will try chum mixers next time i go

they fish were feeding off the top we, we chucked some dog biscuits in and they were taking them very panickly trying them many times before they actually took them

Don't be to sharp in getting your baits out . I've found that spending some time getting the fish feeding - sometimes 2 or 3 HOURS - will increase your catching chances tenfold . Try to get the fish competing with each other for your free offerings before dropping yours in the 'mix' ( excuse the pun ) . The less suspicious they are , the more likely they'll just gulp down your bait without thinking - Good luck . It can be the most exciting AND frustrating form of fishing around

 

Oh , and don't be afraid of trying something slightly different like using two biscuits on the hook if the fish stay a bit finicky !!!

[nomadpaul]

My vote is for the bread... particulalry effective at the end of the day on a public water - because people feed the ducks the carp seem a lot less wary from the start - in my local water they compete with the ducks for floating bread so the takes are more positive.... I have even dropped in a slice and had the carp fighting for it!!

.....and if all else fails , playing a Mallard on light floater gear keeps your eye in

[Zaphod]

zaphod and nomadpaul thanx for the advice i will try chum mixers next time i go

they fish were feeding off the top we, we chucked some dog biscuits in and they were taking them very panickly trying them many times before they actually took them

 

 

No problem

 

As the other guys said, try feeding them to start with and let them get confident before trying for them.

 

Good luck, let us know how you get on

[Guest Brumagem Phil]

My take is mixers for freebies but use bread on the hook.......carp LOVE bread and it ups your chances of a take rather than just having your mixer as one of many other mixers.

 

I dont bother soaking my mixers either, just 'pult em out as they are.

 

If you are up to a challenge, do a search for beachcaster rigs as I had a thread going recently where I explained the set up to a couple of people (its a method of suspending a bait on the surface)................bottom line is its a DEVASTATING way of surface fishing which the fish have no answer too.

[markp]

How about sugar puffs or marshmallows as a hook bait obviously a bit difficult to feed at range but ive used them in conjunction with the pole for surface fishing

[Anderoo]

Carp can be very wary of chum mixers - everyone uses them. The problem is that they're uniform. In the supermarket have a look at some alternatives. I recently bought a big box of co-op own (I think) mixers which have several sizes, shapes and colours. This really helps as you can swap around plus the carp find it more difficult to pick out the hookbait from the freebies. I'm sure that's why bread's such a good bait - no two bits are the same.

 

If they're being really cute, try using a long hooklength with a piece of very slow sinking bread. This often picks up a fish when the floating hookbaits are ignored.

 

As for rigs, simplest is best, particularly if you're just starting out. If possible, keep concealed and get the fish feeding close in so you can freeline a bait (make sure your reel has plenty of line on it to aid casting). If they won't come close enough use a small controller with a long hooklength (6ft+).

 

My favourite kind of floater fishing is wandering around looking for carp right in the margins, usually in reeds or weed, and lowering a bait right on their nose. If there aren't many people about, bait up several margin spots and rotate between them. Hang your line over reeds/weed so it's not on the surface and use good, strong line (12lb+) and hooks - an angry carp hooked under the rod tip takes a bit of stopping!

 

Best tip of all - stay very quiet and out of sight. Carp will come in very, very close if you let them.