#ASK CARPFEED
OUR EXPERTS ANSWER MONTH QUESTIONS EVERY
Giles Anderson, email Q How long would you leave a bait in place, without a bite? I get itchy feet after four hours of no action! A I think this is an issue many anglers struggle with, Giles – it has played on my mind at times. There are two key things to consider. First, are there fish in the area? Second, am I confident that I am well presented?
The process of committing a bait to a spot is very thorough, so when the rig is in position I am certain that it isn’t tangled and also that it has been cast to a presentable bit of lakebed. Having done these things and having set up where I have seen carp activity (always!) then I don’t worry too much, although I am, of course, always looking at the lake in case the fish have moved.
If you think the fish have left the area it could pay to wind in and go and look for them.
Try to judge each situation on its own merit and don’t be too twitchy. I always wait out bite time and never wind in before mid to late morning... unless it is kicking off somewhere else, of course!
One of the best bits of advice I have ever been given is simply this: ‘If you think you should have had a bite and you haven’t, then recast the rod.’
This has produced fish for me on numerous occasions. Sometimes you just know that you should have had a bite – perhaps it’s a rod that has been doing fish consistently and then it suddenly dries up. It could be that it is lying across a stick or something. Redoing it has often resulted in another quick bite, and being proactive like this can be a lot more rewarding than sitting on your hands, too afraid to recast, and then winding in at packing-up time to find your rig has been badly tangled the whole time! Adam Penning, Prologic