Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Carp Q&A
ASKUSA QUESTION... Email: IYCF@bauermedia.co.uk Writeto: IYCF Magazine, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA www.faceboo k.com/iycfmag @iycfmagazine
QMy local club water doesn’t allow braid or leadcore and the maximum hook size permitted is a 12. Can you suggest an easy rig to tie? Alan Russell, via email
JAKE WILDBORE: I take it you mean that you can’t use a braided hooklink? If this is the case and with the hook ban as it is, I imagine there aren’t too many big fish in the lake? If this is so, then a simple mono or nylon hooklink would be perfect, something of a 12lb breaking strain. I would tie just a simple knotless knot and add some small silicone over the eye to act as the shrink tubing. This is how I fish my zigs and it has never let me down, even with larger fish.
QI recently bought a throwing stick but I’m hopeless at using it – my baits just end up at my feet! What’s the correct technique for using one? Gary Vincent, via email
QAre any particular baits better when fish have finished spawning? I did well in the spring using particles so should I keep using these? Damien Chambers, via email
DAN WILDBORE: If it has been working, then stick with it but it’s worth adding a few boilies to the mix. The carp will be looking to get back to prime weight. Krill is a superb summer bait and I wouldn’t be without it at
LUKE VALLORY: It is similar to swinging a golf club; where you finish is the direction the bait will go. If you try and throw them as far as you can, the momentum will often leave the stick in front of you in the margins and that’s where the bait will end up. Like anything, practice makes perfect. Grab a bag of cheap dog biscuits and practice with them. You will get a rhythm and the gist of it and, from then on, you won’t have any issues. this time of year. It has everything that a carp wants, in both taste and nutrition. If you want to stick with the particle-only approach, then a liquid that offers high salts and nutrition is worth adding to the mix. Pure Krill or Pure Tuna liquid are rich in aminos and very salty, something that carp crave at this time of year. If you cook them yourself, wait for the water to cool down and then add the liquids. Don’t add them while the water is boiling as it may damage those aminos.
QI fish a busy day-ticket lake most weekends and I catch the odd fish but some anglers seem to consistently catch a lot more than I do. Are there any little edges I could use to trick a few extra fish? Liam Wright, Cambridgeshire
TOM MAKER: There are plenty of tips and tricks to help you with this. Firstly is picking where to fish and then the spot to fish on. Of course, find the fish and get as close to them as you possibly can. I then cast around to find a nice clear area. In terms of bait, I use a simple mix of hemp, corn and Krill boilies and supplement this with some Pure or Cloudy Krill. A simple Krill wafter tipped with corn is a great hookbait and keeps things simple. The key is to be accurate and that will build up those hits that can be achieved on well stocked day-ticket lakes.
QWill using a Spomb to feed floaters spook carp? The fish in my lake always seem to be further out than catapult range and I can’t think of any other way of getting my freebies far enough out. Karl Barlow, Kent
It all depends on where you are fishing. I prefer to catapult them out if possible, but sometimes a Spomb is needed. If I do use a Spomb then I use a small one, as it makes less noise and disturbance. One trick to use if you want to catapult them out is to make mesh bags of floaters and add a small stone to it. The bag will be pretty heavy and will go out and often sink, until it melts and all those floaters will come to the surface. You can get a good range with these, up to 60 yards which is often far enough.
QDuring a 48-hour session, how often should I bait up? Is a couple of times a day okay, or should I do it more often? Lee Richards, via email
This all depends on the situation and the lake you are fishing. If you have not had a bite, or had any visible signs that fish have fed, why put out more bait? I like to put the bait out and, if the fish don’t show too often, add some oil to the mix. This will show me when fish are feeding by creating a huge flat spot over the area when they do. If this happens and I don’t get a bite, I wait for it to stop and top-up the swim. If you have fish showing over your bait and nothing happens, put out more bait. Of course, if you catch a fish, then it makes sense to top-up the swim, but only with six spods or so. If I am fishing on a runs water I will top-up with some fresh bait every couple of hours, even if nothing has happened. If I were on a low-stocked lake and I’d put bait in at the start but had no visible signs of fish feeding, I wouldn’t rebait until I did.