Scale down to fool pressured carp

On many day-ticket waters the carp have seen everything and are fished for regularly, so although they might have a fairly high stocking density you still have to work at it to catch. If you’re fishing for doubles and twenties in fairly snag-free venues there is no real need to use the more beefed-up end tackle that you might opt for when targeting larger fish. Smaller hookbaits – whether that be a pellet, grain of rubber corn, or a boilie or pop-up that has been trimmed down – hair-rigged on a size 10 or 12 hook can really do the trick and produce more bites.