Carp Catchers Blog

See and hear a full description of The Nash Venom Carp Rods.

See and hear a full description of The Nash Hooligan Bivvy.

Jan Porter shows you how to set The Shimano Baitrunner Spool.

Korda Underwater Carp Fishing Part 6 – Shows Carp Feeding Underwater on various Baits and Shows How They React To various Rigs and Terminal Tackle.

My 1st session on Elsons is going to involve�a lot�of exploration of the water with the plan being to take it easy on the bait front and try to build a picture in my head�of the lake and its topography. I will Spend the majority of my 1st full day on the venue�marking up some spots in my choosen�swim and possibly a couple of the adjacent swims with the idea being to help me slowly build a bigger picture of the lake over time. Im not 100% sure on what to expect on my 1st visit�to the venue but Im hoping�to get�an idea of�how the lakes inhabitants behave in the given conditions�and Im�confident that getting down there during the week with less pressure on the water they are more likely to show themselves and give up their location. I will also be spending a�few�hours up a couple of trees with the binoculars and polaroids to see if the fish are moving around the lake or staying put in one area which could mean a move is necessary to get on them.��

Ive got all my Bait and Terminal Tackle prepared for the session with some 15mm Mainline Fusion Boilies in the freezer ready to go, and rigs readily prepared for my arrival. The rigs�I am using are rigs that have worked for me on new venues in the past and Im hoping that they will do the job for me again. I will be fishing a simple line aligner rig consisting of a 6in length of�Sufix Stiff Silt , a Korda size 8 wide gape with a small piece of Korda weed green shrink tubing to angle the hook and a 3 mm length of silicone tubing on the back of the hook with a cut down 15mm fusion hookbait and a small PVA�bag of crushed fusion boilies, fished with either an inline setup with a 3oz Korda square pear inline lead and Kryston�Score Ready Spliced Leadcore Leaders or�a helicopter setup with a 3oz�Atomic dung lead and�TFG�clear leader.�

The weather for the next couple of days doesnt look ideal with a bit of rain on the way, between spells of bright sunshine�and the wind�slowly turning from a westerly to easterly wind over wednesday but we will see how�I get on.

Cheers

David Moore

I haven’t done a lot of fishing so far this year with only a few sessions on Hardwick and one on Welham but I’m hoping to increase my fishing time over the next couple of months and I’m planning on doing so on a new water Ive been looking at. Ive got a session planned for this week at Stanwick fishery with a few nights on Elsons in mind, Ive been for a walk round the lake on a couple of occasions and it looks like the sort of water I enjoy fishing. The lake is around 6 acres in size, is gin clear and from what Ive seen from climbing a few trees around the lake it is fairly clear of weed at the moment but I can’t imagine it staying that way for long. I’m not entirely sure of the stock in Elsons but Ive been told of a few good 30s that inhabit the lake as well as a fair few back up 20s. 

So far this year I have been unable to bank any carp so I’m hoping to get a fresh start on a new water and hopefully get some sort of confidence back in what I’m doing on the bank. I have got a fresh plan of attack on how I’m going to approach Elsons this week and I’m hoping with a little bit of luck it should all come together for me soon, although from what Ive been told there hasn’t been a lot coming out over the past couple of weeks. I don’t think Ive looked forward to a session as much recently as I have this one, whether its because its a new water or I’m just eager to get out on the bank and try out a few of the ideas I have in my head I don’t know but I can’t wait to be stood on the bank.

Cheers,

David Moore

I’ve just come back from the BCAC qualifiers at Farlows Lake unfotunately our team did not qualify we had a great time though. The event was closely contested and qualifying places were up for grabs right up to the final hooter. The event was very well run and the marshalls were kept very busy. The venue itself which has had a major overhaul was very clean and tidy and the staff made us all very welcome. I would just like to thank my team mate Gary Westcott who stepped in at the last minute because my regular partner could not make it. Cheers Gary you fished really well mate.

Best fishes

John

Another form of baits to think about using as well as boilies is particles, which are very underrated by many anglers�these days. There is such a variety of particles available to�the modern day carp angler, for example Hemp, Tiger nuts and�Maize. A lot of these particles can be bought from your local tackle shop�in�a number of forms, you can purchase particles in their dry form which means you need to cook them up at home although this can be a very dangerous procedure for the fish if they are not prepared correctly. Particles can also be bought ready prepared,�Dynamite baits�produce the�frenzied particle range which comes in both 2.5 litre jars or in smaller tins, these are very convenient for bankside use as they can be stored and used as and when they are needed.

Carp love particles of any type and fished correctly they can bring many fish to the bank, a mixture of particles in a spod mix can get carp into a feeding frenzy and they will get their heads down on the lake bed feeding hard on the particle mix. Particle fished on the hair over this can be used to good effect in this situation and the runs can come thick and fast. Next time your out give them a go.

There is such a wide range of companies now days that produce such a variety of good quality boilies these days. Most bait companies produce an array�of flavoured�baits with the majority of them being fishmeal�(eg Dynamite�bait Fresh Fish Mussel & Oyster )�and�fruit based flavours (eg Mainline Pro-Active Pineapple )�or in some cases both (eg Carp Company�Icelandic red with Cranberry and Caviar).�Bait Companies also use other ingredients in their base mixes such as�nut powder for example Dynamite baits Monster�tiger nut boilies.�A lot of these are made�with a long list of�top quality�ingredients making up a nutritionally balanced carp bait that will work well for a baiting campaign or become a very successful instant bait. Many of the top companies such as Mainline, Solar and Dynamite to name a few produce their bait ranges in both�freezer baits which a lot of anglers prefer due to the freshness of the bait or shelf life baits which have had preservatives added to the mixture�so they dont require freezing which some anglers prefer due to the convenience of the bait.

Fishing�a bait you are confident in is�a very important part of anyones angling, theres no point using boilies�that you have no confidence in when you on the bank or you wont be fishing to you full potential using that bait. Buying�boilies is a mine field with a huge�number of companies producing so many different�boilie ranges with a variety of flavours. You can walk into a tackle shop and get lost in the rows of bait on display but you need not worry as the majority of baits will work well on many waters if they are applied correctly in the given situations.

Its approaching that time of the year again when the weather should hopefully start to pick up and the banks will start to become busier after the winter slump when a lot of anglers pack their gear away for the colder months. Many anglers will be getting their tackle out again and stocking up on terminal tackle and bait in preparation for the warmer weather. A lot of anglers out there will set themselves new targets to hit this year and hopefully the majority of them will reach those targets catching new PBs and hopefully a number of other nice fish along the way. The activity round a lot of lakes is likely to increase with more anglers visiting the bankside, lets just hope that the fish activity increases as well. A lot of lakes are still fishing hard but with a little warmer and more consistant weather we can hope for this to change soon.

I wish good luck to anyone who has set themself targets for this year or who has plans to visit the bankside in the near future.

David Moore