Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Quick-session tactics
Kodex’s Mark Foster reveals two approaches to catch carp when time is limited
NOW that we’ve reached July, a good proportion of carp will have been caught at least once already and angling pressure will be at its highest at many venues. Weed and natural food will be on the increase and if you keep your eyes peeled you can often find carp mooching around the margins and weedy areas of most lakes. Like many people, my fishing time is limited but I’m always itching to get on the bank. At this time of year with it being light until after 9pm I can often sneak in a few hours after work. And this is when the stalking gear comes into play. There are numerous advantages to this style of fishing. Firstly, not many anglers do it and if you’re willing to go looking, finding and feeding the carp in the edge while everybody else is sat behind their rods, the rewards can be well worth the effort.
Kit yourself for stalking
A slow walk around the lake looking for and feeding any likely-looking areas can quickly result in carp giving away their location. I’ve lost count of how many chances and opportunistic captures this approach has provided. It’s odds-on that I would have missed such fish had I been sat stationary behind two or three rods. Using the correct kit will help you stalk carp much more effectively. You’ll often be creeping into tight and overgrown swims so leave the 12ft and 13ft rods at home. I use a 9ft Kodex Stalky CF rod which makes manoeuvring in such spots much easier. A purpose designed stalking rod will still have enough power to steer carp away from any marginal snags. Margin fishing often involves hitand-hold situations so a strong and robust mainline is essential. My reels are filled with the new K-Pulse line which ticks all of the boxes needed for a stalking line. It sinks to the deck like a stone which reduces the chances of the carp coming into contact with it and spooking, and it is incredibly abrasion-resistant. The equipment needed for stalking is minimal. A rod, unhooking mat, landing net, a small bag of end tackle, bait and you’re ready to go.
Stalking techniques
When stalking fish I rely on two methods – floater fishing on the surface and boilie baits on the deck. Locating carp at close quarters puts you in a fantastic position to judge their reaction to bait and rigs. If the water is clear enough you can also identify individual fish and studying them for a while will undoubtedly provide you with clues on how to trip them up. I start by firing out a few surface baits in two areas close to each other in the patrol routes of the carp I’ve spotted. I then set about getting my kit sorted while scanning the water for signs of fish feeding and taking my freebies. The key with floater fishing is not to rush getting a hookbait into the water. Believe me, you may think you are being stealthy, but I assure you the carp will know you are around. Once the fish begin to feed, keep topping up the swim with freebies. The longer they feed without the pressure of a rig being in the water, the easier it becomes to nick a bite or two when you do finally cast out. Floater fishing doesn’t require anything complicated in your rig, but it’s important you choose the correct items of terminal tackle to avoid spooking fish. I use low-visibility Kodex Zig & Floater line for my hooklink as it’s almost undetectable on the surface and has a low diameter for its breaking strain. This is tied to a Genomic Wide Gape hook and fished in conjunction with a Kodex controller float. If the carp are feeding on the deck I rely on a simple hinged stiff rig with a 15 Monster Baits Ice pop-up hookbait. This is fished on a Kodex lead clip system with a 2oz lead.
Success after spotting
After locating some carp and patiently getting them to feed confidently I cast out my float beyond the feeding area and slowly reeled it back among the free offerings. Within seconds a carp’s mouth engulfed the hookbait. Fish on! An intense battle followed before I slipped the net under a cracker of 35lb. I returned the fish and noticed a patch of bubbles fizzing to the surface along my lefthand margin. This was an area which I had been baiting by throwing in small PVA bags of pellet coated in the Kodex Ectoplasm every 10 minutes in the last 30. My second rod was set-up and ready but I had to wait for the right moment to position the rig. I could see carp moving in and out of this margin and noticed a cracking large carp giving away a feeding spot. When it had moved out again, I accurately placed my rig directly over the spot it had been frequently visiting. This time I had to wait 20 minutes for the bite from the carp I had been watching. It tipped the scales at 41lb 4oz. Mission accomplished. With the light fading fast and my dinner probably in the bin (or the dog) it was time to chuck my gear in the van and head home buzzing all the way.
“An intense battle followed before I slipped the net under a cracker of 35lb”