The Don’ts:

1. Change isn’t always good

We all love new fishing tackle but once you start changing your rod, reel and mainline combination it can take time to fully be at one with the new set- up, especially if you’ve not used it over winter. Unless an item is broken or won’t do what you want it to on your new water, stick with it. Save the money for permits, fuel, bait and quality end tackle items. The same goes for bait and rig bits. If they worked well for you in 2021, don’t mess with a winning combination. The only time I’ll even consider a bait change is if I know 100 per cent that one particular bait is dominating a water. Then the commonsense thing is to get on it and milk it while you can. The other anglers have baited up for you.

2. It’s not all about NOW

After not fishing much in the depths of winter ( I don’t blame you at times), it’s tempting to go mad once you get the urge to go again. A bit of sun, the odd fish being seen or caught, and the circus descends on many waters. The trouble is that the carp will definitely not all be on the move yet and the water temperature will not be consistent enough for them all to start feeding. I see so many anglers putting too much pressure on themselves to fish and catch, when in reality it’s just the start. The best times are to come – April/ May onwards. You’ve got at least eight good months in front of you. It’s not a sprint but a marathon. Treat each trip as a learning opportunity, not all- out death or glory.

3. Unless it’s a warm wind it’s usually a bad wind

People often trot out the old adage that carp love the wind, but at this time of year that’s rarely true. You get a lot of cold northerly and easterly winds late winter/ early spring and these tend to be cold winds. Carp are seeking warmth at this time of year and a cold wind will usually see them on the back of it, not in the teeth of it. So avoid it unless you see them topping out in it.

4. Too much bait will kill the fishing

No matter where you live, the water will still be quite cool and prone to fluctuations – not a good sign for baiting up. As anglers come out of their hibernation think of all the extra bait that’s going in compared to just a few weeks earlier. You can’t do anything about what other people are putting in, but you can control what you put in. Do you really think that putting lots of bait out now will draw the carp across to you? It won’t. Do you really think that firing bait in will make them drop down and feed? It won’t. So sit on those hands, and keep your catapults and Spombs packed away for now.

5. Carping not camping

Having not fished for a while and perhaps even treated yourself to a new bivvy and bedchair, there’s always a tendency to set up camp and enjoy the new freedom and possibly new tackle. That’s all well and good, but the carp don’t care one iota about that. They’ll still be pretty lethargic and possibly localised around certain areas like snags and reeds. If you’re not on them, simply camping and waiting at this time of year won’t work. Carry on

Carping, don’t Carry on Camping.

The weekend anglers had a tough time bivvied up but I got lucky, moving each hour and nailing this one

A sunny sheltered bay. Carp definitely love the sun on their backs

I love my Scopex Squid, but this isn’t the time to put it in