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Anyone who fishes for carp can usually (with a bit of thought and effort) catch the occasional specimen sized fish. By specimen sized it’s still anything 20lb plus as far as I’m concerned, some may say 30lb , others10lb, but I feel that 20lb is still a good target weight for most carp anglers.
In this article I’d like to try and put into writing some of the methods and tactics I have used in the last few seasons when session fishing for big hits of specimen sized carp. One of the most important things is the length of time you spend on the bank, I would say a 48 hour session would be the minimum you would need. Another obvious point is to fish the right water with plenty of fish of the right sort of size.
For the past 10 years or so I have been lucky enough to have been on the syndicate at the New Forest Water Park in Ringwood and over the years have enjoyed some really good fishing and some great sessions, for instance 34 doubles including 10 x 20lb plus in 48 hours, 42 doubles including 7 x 20lb plus in 48 hours, and numerous sessions with 4 or 5 twenties.
So how would you go about setting yourself up for a big hit? , well, to begin with make sure you have enough bait with you, that means at least 5-10 kilos of Boilies for a 48 session. Now I know that sounds like an awful lot of bait but I’ve used that and more over a weekend and more than once have run out , and believe me there’s not much worse than watching a shoal of large carp rolling further and further away having eaten everything. You should also try to either fish where the fish are or, my favourite, fish where they are going to be when they really get their heads down and feed. This can be anywhere on the lake but generally there are certain areas where the big catches come from, unfortunately there is no substitute for experience here but ask around and you’ll find most anglers will help you out.
One of 10 twenties in 48 hours.
Once a swim is chosen I like to put out a couple of kilos of Boilies spread over three rods, I must emphasize here I’m talking summer or autumn and at least a 48 hour session for this initial baiting. I tend to use only Boilies for this type of fishing as I have found the introduction of pellet, particle or ground bait to encourage too many small fish particularly Tench which can become a real pain in the bum.
Often when using these tactics I have found the first 12 to 18 hours can be very slow, but having laid the table so to speak, the first carp is always a very welcome sight. Sometimes as the fish move into your swim you don’t catch straight away but are treated to an aerial display with carp leaping and rolling all over your baited area, this can go on for sometime and just when you think you’ve blown it you start to get bites as the fish get their heads down.
After each fish I like to top up the swim with around 50 boilies again quite well spread out as I like to keep the carp moving around and competing for the bait .I find that this encourages the carp to lose their natural caution and make mistakes. (in other words I’m crap with a throwing stick).
32lb-one of six twenty+ fish taken after a blank 24 hours.
This may sound silly but it can pay you to have two landing nets set up if you’re on your own as I’ve lost count of the number of double and sometimes triple hook ups I’ve had, and
having had the Italian at 36lb and a 24lb common in the net together from hatchet pond, it’s not something I’d recommend.
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36lb + 24lb = chaos! |
You must keep everything organized as when it gets hectic it’s easy to make mistakes and start getting in a mess. Remember keep the bait going in after every fish, forget to do this and if there is nothing left for the fish to eat they will move on.
Once in a blue moon you may get a very large shoal of carp in your swim and if they are feeding really hard you’ll never be able to hold them, they’ll clean you out and be gone in no time at all. I’ve had this happen at the water park a couple of times where the shoals can sometimes number over 100 strong.
As I say it does not always go to plan and you have to think on your feet and adapt to what the fish want. If the weather is against you or all the fancied areas are stitched up you have to lower your sights a little and fish for one or two , or keep your eyes open for other anglers who may pile a load of bait in, do an overnighter or short session then go home having blanked or just caught the odd fish. All they have done is laid the table for you! I mean it would be rude not to move in wouldn’t it? !!.
Good Luck and Wet Sacks!!
Terry Shergold.
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