Carp Catchers Blog

Autumn has to be one of the best seasons on the calendar for carp fishing, as well as spring but we’re not there yet. During the autumn period big carp all over the country start to fed quite hard in a bid to up there weights for the winter ahead. It is not uncommon that all the larger residents of a lake will get caught during this period. This could be due to the fish being in competition for food or just generally being greedy about how they are feeding before the onset of winter. Either way they more often than not make mistakes this time of year.

If you’re planning to fish through this autumn into the coming winter then pick yourself a good quality bait such as the  Mainline Cell  or Activ 8 freezer boilies, the  Nash Amber Strawberry  or  Baitcraft T1 are all proven winter baits. Big carp know what’s good for them and what’s not, that’s how they got so big in the first place so picking a good quality bait is very important. This time of year it’s also important to find those areas which the carp are prepared to feed and get some bait on them, if you have the opportunity to prebait these spots in readiness for forthcoming sessions then it can pay to do so. Although prebaiting can be a frustrating game if the lake your fishing is targeted by a lot of anglers it can pay off in a big way if everything all comes together. Prebaiting can get the fish feeding confidently on your chosen bait in your chosen areas while there are no rigs in the water. If possible try to prebait on or just after darkness, this will avoid any unwanted attention from the birdlife residing on your water.

If you can it helps to find out as much as possible about captures during the autumn from previous years and the kind of spots they are getting caught from. If you can’t do this then I’d suggest targeting the deeper silty areas as this is where the majority of the carp’s natural food can be found in abundance. Carp are a creature of habit so it can become very difficult to get them to feed in areas they wouldn’t usually visit, so the areas you target must be visited by the carp on a regular basis or you could very well be making the challenge even harder for yourself.

Observation is the key to finding the feeding areas that carp are visiting, first and last light are the best time to watch for feeding carp. Whether that be bubbling, crashing or clouding of certain areas of the lake. If these areas are located you are half way to banking carp in their autumn colours.

If you bare in mind the factors I’ve discussed when planning your autumn campaign then you could well be in for a good one.

Tight Lines

Dave  

Im a big fan of spreading boilies over a larger area to encourage carp to keep moving, especially as the temperature is beginning to drop. Its helps your rigs work more effectively as the carp aren’t stopping to feed, they are picking up the boilies on the move. It also leaves less chance of the fish sussing your baited area. Tightly baited spots do produce fish and I will also use them in given situations but I believe that a spread of bait is far less obvious as the carp only come across the odd boilie over your area. It can also help produce takes faster as the carp are more likely to pick up your bait if they come across it.

This is a nice clean mirror carp caught over a spread of 20mm Baitcraft T1 Freezer Boilies on a recent overnighter where I put all three rods in the same area and spread 150 baits over the three of them. The rig I used a blowback combi rig tied with 15lb  Korda IQ Fluorocarbon   and 2” of stripped Sufix Stiff Silt  to a size 6 Korda Wide Gape Hook .

Give it a go.

Tight lines

Dave

In my last blog I talked about a new season baiting campaign and how to apply your bait. I touched on areas to apply your chosen boilies, but which areas should you choose?

Weed Beds

Unfortunately on most lakes in the UK you will be competing not only against the fish but also other anglers, particularly so if you can only fish at the weekends. In order to give yourself the maximum edge you  need to concentrate your baiting campaign in areas’ which are less attractive to the majority of other anglers. Weed beds are great carp holding areas, they are not so good for attracting carp anglers though, so these are a great place to start. Try to find some clear spots in the weed preferably, if this proves to be a problem apply your bait in likely looking spots around the edges. It is possible to create your own clear hotspots in the weed by putting a nice mix of hemp, small pellets, maggots and your chosen boilies into a few carefully selected places within the weedbed itself on a regular basis. The carp will rip out the weed in order to get at the goodies you have put in and as the area becomes clear continue baiting with boilies only. As I said in the last blog though, be very, very careful whose watching! Don’t forget to note down the exact location of your newly created hot spot.

Unpopular Swims

As you walk around your lake you will see the popular swims, the big double swim with nice bark chip or gravel, the swims closest to the car park, swims facing islands or other such features, swims where the grass is all but worn away. These pegs will be ok to fish and bait later in the season when the carp are searching out your bait, but for the moment avoid them like the plague. Look for the unpopular swims and put the majority of your bait in those, trying not to trample the grass, bushes etc. too much in the process so as not to alert other anglers to your presence.

Favourable Windward Bank

The predominant wind in the UK is the southwesterly. South westerly winds normally herald favourable carp fishing conditions, low air pressure, overcast skies, warmer air temperatures and very often rain(the rain not so good in my opinion). Try to find a quite swim or two on the bank into which a south westerly wind will blow and apply your bait.

Safe Areas

There will be places on your lake where the carp will feel safe and hold up when there is a lot of angling pressure on the lake. These will be places where they can’t be fished for, good examples are deep snags, no fishing areas etc. Get some bait going into these safe houses regularly even when you’re fishing elsewhere on the lake, as the carp very often venture out of them under the cover of darkness. 

This may not be a comprehensive list, but it is a good starting place so get out there and have a season to remember.

Best fishes,

John