Catch more carp on big hookbaits
Commercial fisheries are packed with roach and rudd that have learned to feed on baits we used to think they would ignore – pellets, meat and paste.
They also sit happily alongside massive carp in the margins and show no fear when it comes to nipping in front of the big boys to grab a meal.
The question is, how do you overcome these nuisance fish? It’s all down to big baits and timing…
Why big hookbaits work
When you fish with any bait elsewhere in the swim you tend to feed small particles but actually fish with a big target bait over the top, and so the margins should be no different.
I may be feeding 6mm hard pellets but using a hair-rigged 8mm or even an 11mm pellet on the hook. Not only are these easy for carp to find but they’re also harder for small fish to get hold of.
Other baits to use are 8mm or 10mm cubes of meat, a bunch of dead red maggots or a couple of whole worms.
All in the timing
With a warm wind blowing into the margins I’ll be confident of catching hald-way through the session, but if the peg is flat calm it may take much longer for the carp to gain confidence and move in.
depth and feeding
The perfect depth is 18ins to 2ft with a flat bottom. Cover helps – even just a single branch hanging into the water. The only word of warning I’d have for locating your margin swim is to steer clear of a lot of cover such as brambles or trees, as these are too snaggy.
Feeding is always done with hard 6mm pellets fed via a pot on the pole, introducing 20 or 25 pellets every 45 minutes to give the carp a taste of what’s to come. There always needs to be something on the bottom for them to get hold of.
Feeding when catching
When I’m catching, I’ll try to keep the fish interested by using a small pot, but there are days when the fish need a fair amount of bait dumping in between bites.
If I catch a fish, drop in again but not much happens, this tells me that the feed going in via the pot isn’t enough. This is when I’ll pick up the cupping kit and give them half a large pole pot of bait.
Playing big fish
Don’t ever bully a big margin carp or it will be sure to see you off. I’ll strike and then let the fish tear off – they’ll always run into the lake because they’ve only got one direction in which to swim.
Follow the fish out, adding extra pole sections if you need to, and always keep an angle between fish and pole.
When the fish stops, and only then, I begin unshipping – I like to get down to the top kit as soon as I can.
I then apply maximum pressure to the fish, which will make it ‘work’ and hopefully tire it out ready for netting.
