CARP TACTICS Quick-hit carping – Matt Povey has all the advice you need for success
Matt Povey shows how to maximise your time on the bank when the clock is against you...
WE’D all love to have 48 or 72 hours at our disposal to gradually build a swim and get in tune with the lake, but most of us have real lives of work and family commitments – and so day-only sessions or quick overnighters’ are the norm.
So, when I go carping, I want to hit the ground running and start catching as soon as possible.
THE MINDSET
If you have only 12 hours at your disposal, there’s little point fishing a 100-acre pit with only 10 carp in it. Pick a lake with a decent stock level.
On most venues the two major bite times are at first and last light, so I like to get there before dawn to look and listen for any carp moving or crashing about, or at least try to spot some bubbling up or fizzing.
If they are not, watercraft comes in. The better you know a venue, the better you’ll be able to tackle it. Learning things like the areas the resident fish prefer at certain times of the day or year, or under certain weather conditions, will definitely help in your quest for quick bites.
If the wind has been hacking into one area for several days, have the fish followed it or have they now backed off it, following the now strong undertow? These are all things well worth considering.
DITCH THE MARKER
On quickfire sessions I don’t have time to use a marker rod to look for the perfect spot. I will have a gentle lead around at times, but if I get a drop in an area I fancy, I’m more than happy to run with it.
I’m not overly bothered about the substrate. I’ll try to avoid heavy weed, looking to fish as close to it as possible, but if there’s weed over the spot and it’s not too deep, I simply turn to
longer hooklinks and pop-ups.
It’s the same with the spod rod. Rather than piling the bait in and committing to one spot, for a lot of the time I rely on either one-inch PVA sticks or solid bags. I want to make these little parcels of food as attractive as possible, so I like using potent groundbaits and a range of pellets, all doused with lots of hi-attract liquids. My particular favourite is Worm Liquid Carp Food, which is full of amino and other essential acids as well as earthworm meal.
If the bites really start to pick up, then you can always introduce a bit more bait with the spod rod, but until then, there’s no point in trying to force an area.
DAYS-ONLY RIGS
I have four simple rigs that I have the utmost confidence in for quick-hit carping. If I get a firm ‘donk’ when the lead lands, I’ll use a bottom bait on a combi rig made from coated braid, with the hair trapped on the shank by a little piece of silicone tubing. If the bottom is a little more silty, I’ll reach for a wafter set-up, which is the same rig as for bottom baits, but without the silicone tubing on the shank – because wafters are a lighter bait, the rig mechanics are slightly different.
If there is a light covering of weed on the deck then I’ll use a Ronnie Rig to present a lowlying pop-up, but if the weed is slightly thicker, I’ll go with a stiff hinge rig.
It’s as easy as that, and remember not to get too bogged down with mega-fancy rigs. You’ll catch far more if you fish in the right areas, where the fish are showing, with a simple but effective rig and a sharp hook.
Remember, with days-only fishing, you have limited time to get things right, so fish simply and confidently and you won’t go far wrong in my book.