WHERE TO CAST

Where you fish depends a lot on how much room you have. On some swims, for instance, you might only be able to underarm a feeder a few yards down the edge, whereas on other pegs a proper cast down the bank can be made.

What I will say – and I’m talking from experience here – is that the farther away you can fish, within reason, the better it will be, because the carp will feed more confidently.

Today I’m on peg 52 on Lambsdown Lake at Meadowlands, which is normally an end peg. I could fish the pole down the edge but for me the feeder is a much better bet, as it allows me to fish at the boundary of my peg, which is the empty platform on 54.

On the subject of platforms, if you have an empty platform to fish in front of this is a logical area to target.

Not only does the water tend to be slightly deeper in front of platforms, but also it’s an area in which the carp are used to finding bait.