I’m going to launch a river carping campaign this year to try and get away from the crowds. I’ve never actually fished a river before so would love any advice on how to tackle one for carp.

Nick Helleur:

The best advice I can give from my own experiences is location. You’ll probably feel like you’re spending hours on end walking the stretches you choose to fish, just looking, but it’ll be well worth the wait when you do spot something or find a feature which the carp will use.

As the rivers can be so long, these features tend to hold carp as there’s not much else for them to find. Trickling bait in and keeping an eye on the areas which you have done will always help you too.

Get the smaller fish grubbing around and no doubt something bigger will come into investigate! Most of all though, enjoy it. The river is a magical place and if you’re kind to the stretch, it’ll be kind in return.