Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Rich Wilby
Stalking the margins
THE gentle knocking of a couple of lily pads suggested something was moving close to the bank. Delicately placing his kit on the ground so as to avoid any sudden noises, Rich Wilby crouched down and crept forwards to get a better look.
“There’s a few bubbles coming up so there’s definitely something feeding,” he whispered with an excited grin on his face.
It’s easy to see why he rates stalking so highly as a tactic for targeting carp. There’s no sitting behind three rods and just waiting for something to happen. It’s you hunting the carp.
After nicking on a mesh PVA slightly smaller than a golf ball, Rich carefully lowers the rig over the fizzing and rests the rod on the ground. No sooner had he done this than the bubbles stopped before starting again slightly to the left. A second rod was lowered into position and placed alongside the first, with a small stone balanced on each of the slackened off spools.
This time the bubbles didn’t stop as a carp clearly continued to feed below. Surely it would only be a matter of time before it made a mistake and picked up the hookbait?
The line on the second rod twitched a couple of times and by the time the stone fell from the spinning spool, Rich was on the rod and bent into a carp. Piling on the pressure to stop it charging through the stems of lily pads and into the dense marginal reeds, he was soon netting a chunky double- figure mirror with a row of large scales along the rear of its flank.
Head for neglected swims
We had arranged to meet Rich at the Waveney Valley Lakes complex in Harleston, Norfolk. He’d arrived early and had already done a couple of laps of the Heartsmere day- ticket water.
“The first thing I did was to bait a few spots with a handful of barrel- shaped boilies and corn,” he explained.
“It’s the first time I’ve fished the lake in over 20 years. Whenever I fish a day- ticket water like this I always look for the neglected swims that look like they haven’t been fished for a while. These are usually the swims that require a tricky cast or have a bush or something that makes positioning a rod quite awkward.
“Every lake will have these less favoured swims and the carp will invariably frequent these spots because they know they receive less angling pressure,” he said.
With the spots baited it had taken a couple more laps until he’d found fish feeding over one of them. A few minutes after that, the fish was being held up for the cameras.
Strong but simple rigs
Stalking carp doesn’t require complicated rigs or an extensive bait menu. You’ll invariably be fishing close to lily pads, reeds or overhanging branches, so strong gear is a must. Rich has filled his reels with 19lb Fox Illusion which is attached to a pre- tied lead- free leader with a safety clip.
“How far out I’m fishing will determine the size of the lead I use. When I can lower the rig directly off the rod tip I will use a 2.5oz lead. If the fish are slightly further out and I have to flick out the rig I use a lighter lead that will just sound like a boilie hitting the water and doesn’t make too much disturbance,” he explained.
“This is why I use lead clips, because not only do they enable the lead to be dropped on the take, they make it easier to change lead size.”
Rich’s rig consisted of a soft coated braid knotless knotted to a size 7 hook with a dumbell hookbait tipped with a piece of fake corn.
“I tie the rigs as I go during the day which doesn’t take long because there isn’t any tubing or rig rings required. This enables me to tailor the length to the spot I’m fishing over. If it’s a hard clear spot I’ll tie the rig to a length of 4in5in. Over softer silty spots I use hooklinks of 7in- 8in,” he said.
Stealth leads to success
When fishing for carp so close to the bank it’s important to do your best to stay out of sight and keep noise to a bare minimum. If you dump bags or buckets on the ground vibrations will spook carp and they won’t hang around for long.
“One of the things I’ve learned from running my own fishery is just how close the fish will come to the bank if they feel safe. Bait is always spilt in the edge, whether it’s from people spodding or just chucking stuff away at the end of the session, so the carp will always visit these areas to look for food.
“From what I’ve heard most of the anglers on this lake fish over to the far bank so the carp rarely get fished for in near margins, especially in the neglected spots I look for.”
Placing items gently on the ground, treading lightly, staying low and keeping your rod tips back from the water’s edge will all help to conceal your presence.
“Carp are so active now that it can be much more productive to travel light and search for them in the edge than sitting behind multiple static rods. If you bait a few spots, spend no more than 30 minutes in a swim and cover a lot of water to massively increase your chances of success.”
“If it’s a hard clear spot I’ll tie the rig to a length of 4in- 5in. Over softer silty spots I use 7in- 8in hooklinks”