Carp Fishing Tips | Top ten tips for stalking big carp!
After a spring and summer of having rigs, marker floats and spods thrown at them from every conceivable angle, carp in day-ticket waters can become wary of visiting the lake’s main features and open water areas favoured by anglers.
One area where they feel far safer is in the margins, especially if these also provide some form of cover, yet very few anglers ever even consider fishing in ‘the edge’. Successful stalking isn’t rocket science, so follow our top tips and you could transform your autumn catches…
1) Bait and rotate
Identify several marginal spots you like the look of and bait them all lightly before visiting them in rotation. It may take the fish several hours to find the traps you’ve set, but before too long you’ll be able to rule out some and concentrate on others. The carp will already have their favoured margin spots – your job is to find them.
2) Cut out the glare
In order to be able to gauge the depth, the presence of snags and the presence of carp, you’ll need a decent pair of polarising sunglasses - arguably the most important piece of kit for a margin angler. They take the glare off the surface and will help you see what the carp are up to in the swim, which direction they enter and leave it from, and how they are reacting to rigs and any bait introduced.
3) Watch the wind
It helps to know from which direction the wind will hit the banks of your lake, pushing the carp towards them. Most modern smartphones come with built-in compasses, so if you have one, use it! Carp will often follow a fresh wind, and so should you. Fish living in clear pits find areas of freshly-coloured water irresistible.
4) Keep quiet!
There’s little point prepping spots and then blundering along the bank, scaring the fish into the next county. You have to keep noise to an absolute minimum. Carp can feel vibrations caused by a heavy footfall, so creep about as much as possible. Whenever you can, wear dull clothing… and definitely no white T-shirts!
5) Pin it down
When targeting carp in clear, shallow water it’s vital to pin your end tackle down so it doesn’t spook wary carp feeding in the margins. Try placing your rig in a ‘dummy margin’ and see what aspects of it catch your eye the most. If it stands out to you, it’ll be obvious to pressured carp too.
Use Tungsten droppers or putty at intervals to keep both the hooklink and the few feet of line above the rig nailed firmly to the deck.
6) Lower your rigs gently
You’d be surprised at the noise a lead makes when thudding down on the deck, especially if it’s a hard substrate. If you can, lower your rigs into position rather than flicking them out. By doing this it’s also possible to pick out individual carp as they feed right at your feet.
7) Mixed offerings
Mix up the types and sizes of bait you use to prime spots in the edge. This keeps the carp guessing and gives you loads of hookbait options. Hemp, corn, pellets, tiger nuts and boilies (chopped and whole) are all good, but why not try also meat, paste or chunks of Peperami, introduced by hand or lowered in using a baiting spoon?
8) Gain elevation
If fishery rules allow and you’re confident doing so, climbing trees around the periphery of a lake will massively improve your view of proceedings and allow you to gauge just how many fish are visiting your spots… and how big they are. This can also help you make choices about the best spots on which to position your hookbaits.
9) Use a safe, solid rig
This is not the time to be messing about with fancy rigs and presentations. Inline leads are tailor-made for stalking, and offer the best hooking mechanics. If you set it up ‘drop-off style’ the lead will also be ejected on the take, leaving you in direct contact with the fish, meaning less chance of it snagging up during the fight.
10) Seek sanctuary
Carp are fond of cover, but fishing for them alongside snags or directly under overhangs is a recipe for disaster, and bad angling practice. Instead, pick a spot to bait up that is at least a few yards away from the obstruction so that you have more than a fighting chance of extracting any fish that you hook.