Smart Carping Blog - Coaching Online

A few winter carping fishing basics

2011-11-12T03:18:00.002Z

Cold water carping is all about location - like the carp in your fish pond they are prone to shoaling up tightly, so location is key.

Small baits, very small PVA bags of baits fished on fluorocarbon leaders, in-line leads and fluorocarbon hook lengths, with small size 12's or 10's hooks, are the order of the day. I am not bothered if I get bream or tench as at least it's activity - and if we can trick these fish, well, we can trick carp. Carp will often feed alongside or bully-off other fish in the swim. Do not over-feed the carp as they do not need much food, just a little to keep them interested.

With winter fast approaching, many anglers will be hanging their rods up when the first hard frost arrives, but what they don't realise is that there are many rewards up for grabs for braving the cold.

Here is how I approach my winter fishing.

Venue Choice
Make no mistake, winter fishing is hard, and choosing the right venue for a winter campaign or even a few day sessions is crucial. A shallow, well stocked, venue will provide you with the best chance of a bite in the cold. It really depends what you want from your fishing. Venues such as Thorpe Lea in Surrey, Sandhurst lake in Yateley, and Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire are all excellent winter day-ticket venues worth considering.

The Right Kit
Keeping warm in the winter will not only keep you happy, but will also make you more efficient and increase your chances of a bite in the cold. Let's look at some of the kit needed to make winter fishing comfortable.

Bivvy – A good sturdy bivvy, with a twin skin to keep the warm in and prevent condensation is essential, a heavy duty groundsheet will keep the cold and the rain out too and generally make life a bit more bearable. Good examples are the Chub Cyfish+ or the Chub Vizor with the extreme canopy cover.

Sleeping Bag – A good quality 5 season bag is worth investing in if you are planning on doing some serious winter night fishing, a thermal sleeping bag cover will provide added warmth in the coldest of weathers, depending on how much you feel the cold. A good buy is the Cub Cloud 9 3 season bag, couple this with a Chub Cloud 9 fleece bed chair cover and you can turn a 3 season sleeping bag into a 5 season arrangement.

Clothing – I don't want to tell you how to dress yourself but it's surprising how many anglers are under gunned in the clothing department when it comes to winter fishing. More thinner layers of clothing are better than a couple of thick layers. If you do get too warm then it's easy to remove thinner layers and still be comfortable. The Chub Vantage base layer suit when used in conjunction with hoodies and the Chub Vantage all weather bib and brace / jacket combo is a great way to keep warm and dry. If you cannot get warm then you cannot concentrate and even worse you might get frost bite in extreme circumstances so always take enough clothes and a few spare in the car just in case the weather changes and catches you out.

Cooking and Home Comforts – A good quality petrol stove is perfect for winter sessions as gas stoves can be hard to light in the coldest of weathers as the gas turns to liquid. Petrol stoves will work in the coldest of weathers, and are superb for making moral boosting drinks and hot food! The Coleman Sportster is a fantastic bit of kit, and a stove well worth investing in, with a small amount of maintenance each year it will give you years of cooking and tea making!

There are a vast array of gadgets and bits of kit to make life more comfortable on the bank. Bivvy heaters, portable DVD players, the list is endless; with the night's drawing in and darkness arriving around 5pm, and first light not until 8am, that's a lot of dark hours spent on the bank. Make life as comfortable as you can.

Once you have your winter kit sorted, and a venue arranged you can start to plan your fishing. Do as much research as possible, with the more popular day ticket waters you can find out reams and reams of information if you dig deep enough. How does the lake fish in the winter? Any areas that produce well in the colder months? The more research you can do, the better prepared you can be.

Bait – This is a subject I could write pages and pages on, but for this piece I will keep it simple and suggest a few tried and tested baits.

Boilies are the obvious choice but steer clear of high oil content boilies. Your good summer fish meal bait will more than likely struggle to produce in the winter. A good fruity or bird food based boile will see you right. Nut based boilies such as the Dynamite Tiger Nut ones are usually a good bet in the winter, try your own and see what works for you.

High visibility fruity pop ups produce time and time again. Yellow pineapple pop-ups and orange tutti fruitti's have accounted for thousands of winter carp and you should always have a tub of either in your bag - when the going gets tough, a single pop up can often produce the goods.

Maggots are a favored year-round bait of the pleasure angler but they are also a fantastic winter carp bait. If the lake you target is full of small nuisance fish then you may find they are not very effective but if carp are dominant then they can be a very instant bait, often encouraging carp to feed even in the coldest of weathers. Fished with a large PVA bag of freebies and mag aligner style or even using one of the Korda maggot klips, maggots can be devastating!

Peperami is a very underrated bait and has caught me lots of carp in cooler weather. Fished with a mesh bag of pellet and crushed peperami, often tipped with a fake piece of corn, it can often produce a take when the boiles aren't being touched.

If you have been baiting a few spots around your lake through the summer and autumn, then don't assume you have to stop once the winter arrives. If you keep presenting bait on the spots the carp can be encouraged to continue feeding all the way through the winter. Keep topping up the bait and try not to stop the baiting-up. If you do stop the carp will slow down into a winter slumber and either slip into a semi dormant state, or find somewhere else to feed.

Keep your eyes peeled, showing carp in the winter are very rare and should you see signs of carp you need to move onto them to maximize your chances of producing a take.

Winter is a time to be cherished on the bank; the number of anglers will be dwindling, the fish will be at good weights and in peak condition. However, the fish are without question harder to catch, but that just makes it all the more rewarding!

So here are my top 5 tips for winter fishing:

1) Kit yourself out properly - being cold and uncomfortable won't help you catch fish!
2) Make sure you have a supply of hot drinks and food, a steaming cup of tea can be a fantastic morale booster when the fishing is hard going.
3) Be prepared to up sticks and move if the fish are not in front of you.
4) A single bright pop up can often induce a take when other baits are not being touched.
5) Keep at it! Winter fishing can be tough and gruelling, but the rewards can be great!

I hope you find this helpful and are encouraged to give winter carp fishing a try, until next time tight lines and good luck!
Ian Gemson - www.smartcarping.com

HOW TO: Feeling the lead down

2011-11-09T21:09:00.002Z

Everyone can with a bit of practise and the correct tackle feel the lead when casting out into the lake. This feeling will enable you to better understand the type of lake bed your rig is landing on. The first thing to understand is after you cast the lead out into your swim your line has to be tight and the rod held high and under slight compression as the lead hits the surface of the water to stand any chance of feeling what is going on.

To achieve this you need to feather the line down or fished clipped up to ensure a taught line.

The feeling of the lead hitting the lake bed will be amplified if you are using stiff action rods this will ensure you do not loose sensitivity due to the compression of the tip absorbing all of the impact of the lead.
Line also has a big part to play you can use pre-stretched mono’s that offer less stretch compared to standard mono’s however these are not as good as braid which offers no stretch which is why it is used for marker rods.
The lead you use can make a huge difference in the feeling you get.

A standard plastic coated lead will dramatically reduce the feeling of the lead as it strikes the bottom. So with this in mind I would strongly recommend a lead without any plastic covering like the new Korda Probe lead or the AI Feature finder

Now we have the tackle and technique correct we can start learning how to feel what the lake bed is like on our chosen spots.

Gravel can be felt as the lead hitting the bottom with a really hard Jolt, which will have the tip of the rod springing back out of compression with a sharp snap as the lead hit the gravel and comes to a sudden stop allowing the line to slacken. At this point it is worth noting that on a tight line your lead will travel through the water at about three feet per second so you can also get a rough idea of depth as well and the lake bed type. As you bring the lead back you will be able to feel the lead chatter over the gravel as it comes in.
Silt will have a far softer feel through the rod as the lead starts to dramatically slows down as it enters the thicker silt eventually coming to a stop, again make a mental note of the time it take to hit the bottom. The silty bottom will make the lead feel like it is being pulled through cold custard as you bring the lead in.
Weed will feel as if the lead has landed in cotton wool and the length of time the lead is descending through the water will also be reduced compared to clear areas next to the weed bed. Weed will load up against the lead as we retrieve it coming loose with enough tension but still feeling heavy as we drag a clump back to the shore.

Bait placement is key to ensuring you obtain the optimum from your chosen swim, with your baited rigs in the correct position you will get more pickups and hopefully bank more carp.

HOW TO: Tie a resetting ring rig

2009-08-10T10:44:00.015+01:00

The Ring Rig or Blowback Rig is a great rig if you find you are getting plenty of bites but not actually hooking any carp. The idea behind the rig is the ring allows the bait free movement so when a carp blows or moves the bait it moves very naturally. This free movement also allows the hook to move indipendantly of the bait which means when the carp has the bait in its mouth the hook point will always drop and present it self in the idea hooking postion greatly increasing your chances of a solid hook hold in the bottom lip.

What you will need

Tools
1. Sharp braid scissors
2. A braid stripper
3. A baiting needle
4. Rig pullers

Tackle
1. Longshank hooks
2. Coated braid hooklength

Tackle cont.
3. Heat shrink
4. Bait stops

Tackle cont.
5. Fine Diameter silicone tube
6. Micro rig rings

Method
Step 1

Cut enough coated braid hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the braid about 30-35cm is fine. Then using the braid stripper tool strip about 12cm of coating off the braid.

Step 2

Double the stripped braid over on itself and form a simple overhand knot, do not pull the knot tight yet. Insert the two rig pullers into the loop and the center of the knot now use the pullers to minimise the waste tag end and form the corrcet size loop to suit the size of bait to be used.

Step 3
Using a fine baiting needle carefully put the needle throught the middle of the bait.

Step 4
Thread the bait onto the hair and add the hair stop to prevent the bait from coming off the hair.

Step 5
Slip a micro rig ring onto the hooklenght over the stripped portion of the coated braid. Now tie a single over hand knot with the ring in the middle of the knot.

Step 6
put the baiting needle into the micro rig ring and pull the ring along the braid to set the hair length.

Step 7
Tie a second overhand knot to fully lock the micro rig ring in place.

Step 8
Now pull the ring over the hook point and pull the hooklenght through the back of the eye on the hook.

Step 9

With the micro rig ring in the correct position on the shank of the hook opposite the barb measure the silicone tube next to the hook and cut the tube to the correct lenght.

Step 10
Slide the cut peice of fine bore silicone tube onto the hooklenght and down until it stops against the micro rig ring.

Step 11

Step 12
Tie your standard Knotlees knot.(These steps can been seen in the How To:tie a knotlees knot article)

Step 13
Add a small peice of tight fitting heatshrink to the eye of the hook.

Step 14
With The heat shrink steamed over the kettle and pulled forward whilst cooling you should end up with a rig looking like this.

Step 15
Double over the coated braid and tie and overhand knot to form your loop. Lubricate the knot with saliva when you pull the knot tight.

Step 16
With the rig complete use the puller bars to fully test the rig and knots. Youy rig should now look like this.

I hope you enjoyed making this rig good luck with your fishing.

Tight lines!

A session with Smart Carping

2009-04-22T15:32:00.009+01:00

Well I used my Christmas present today and yesterday and I think it was the best present ever! last year at my local clubs show I met a very nice man called Ian Gemson doing some carp fishing coaching, and was very impressed and asked my mum to book me a session as a christmas present. Come Christmas I had my session booked! after a very nice, long and informative phone conversation with Ian the date was set and the venue was to be Thorpe lea, now all there was to do was wait. The day finally arrived and as the bedside alarm clock rang out at 5:30am I leapt out of bed with great excitement and huge expectations! the car was packed and me and my dad headed of to the venue, after some mishaps along the way we finally arrived 45 minutes late!

We met Ian in the beach swim numbers 16+17, the best swims on the lake and it was apparent from the first few minutes we were in for a treat, firstly the carp were acting like dolphins and secondly how good Ian was with informing us!

The first job was assess the setting up of our swims, However before I had even got my bivvey out the bag one of Ian’s rod was away resulting in this hard fighting 15lb 3oz mirror
I headed back to my swim and before I had the bivvey out the bag Ian’s other rod was away resulting in a 13lb mirror! there was a trend occurring!!! after all the commotion the guy from a couple of swims up came up to ask Ian what he was doing as they weren’t catching, Ian showed him the rigs and told him exactly what we were doing, then even let him take the next run, betting him it would take less than 5 minutes! 2 minutes later the Delkim was squealing with a fast running carp doing its best to escape Ian's rig, The angle struck to hard on the fast running carp and unfortunately the fish was lost.
We left the rods in now and set up our swims, some very good advice about how it should be done was given out and it was now time to undertake some marker and spod work.
After a very clear and informative demonstration from Ian it was time for us to have a go and both of us cracked it first time thanks to his help! (Some of us more accurate at spodding than others!) we then set up my rods to fish at range, or pub chucking as he called it !. Straight away both rods were off and one was handed to my dad who landed a 12lb 4oz stunner and I landed probably the smallest fish in the lake of about 8lb!. Both fish were suitably held for a brace picture (i don’t have it though!)

About 3 minutes later the rod ripped off again resulting in this 12lber

Before I had the chance to get the rod out I was in again resulting in this 19lb 4oz a new PB for me.

I thought by now it couldn’t get any better, but I was so wrong!

The very next fish was another PB but this time a 23lb 6 oz and my first 20! ! Which after a few photos was slipped safely back:
Then we went through a very descriptive explanation of what, leads, lead systems and leaders to use in what situations, which I found very interesting and helpful, I put my rods back out and so did my dad for the first time! it wasn’t long before he was battling this:

A lovely 15lb 12oz Pb, by 3lb!

it was then time for lunch so we brought the rods in to actually be able to eat, it took a while for the next bite but when it came it was my turn, again , to land this brute of 16lb 12oz:

The afternoon flew bay and dinner time was upon us so the rods weren’t recast, just as the pasta was cooked, my only rod ripped off again, resulting in this long and lean 14lber the rods were again recast and before the second was on the rest the first was away again, resulting in this 13lb 4oz fish:

then the showing started to slow down as the wind died down and the temperature dropped dramatically. it was time for some shut eye so the rods were brought in and checked then whacked as far as possible, but one of the 6 was placed in the margins after Ian explained that the biggest fish in the lake patrol the margins at night.

as soon as the rods were out again the liners started, some of them very vicious, indicating that the fish were in closer. we couldn’t be bothered to bring them in again as we were all very tired from the days events so they were left at about 120-130 yards. no sooner than I had put my head on my pillow that one of Ian’s rods got a savage take. he went on to land a very pretty fish of about 17lb which was slipped back, only for his other rod to go and land a 14lb fish.

Again just as my head hit the pillow, my right hand rod roared off, what followed I can only describe as being very sad to see, I had hooked into a massive ball of weed, line, hooks and probably the worst lead weights! it sickened me that someone had put such a bad rig into such a nice lake, the fish was quickly held for a photo (scary eye !) then slipped back at an estimated weight of 15lb.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully , but straight away in the morning Ian had a 16lber, I soon followed with this 17lber

Only to be followed by Ian taking an 18lber, not to be beaten I followed with a 19lber!!!! Ian then had to go as the session was over, but before he left he made sure the guy in the next swim knew what we were doing when he asked first cast on the new method he landed a 21lber! , but as I slowly packed up my only rod in the water ripped off, straight from the start it felt a good fish, like the carp gods didn’t want me to leave ! it turned out to be this immaculate 22lber!

>

(I couldn’t be out done! )by now Ian had left so we had no bait to re-cast with , so I was fishing single pieces of fake corn- it didn’t work ! I wasn’t too bothered as in total the 3 of us had landed 19 fish with an average of about 15lb! it was then time to go home and reflect on what a brilliant day it had been and how much I had enjoyed it and all the things I had learnt!

I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending a day with Ian/ Smart Carping (same thing !) as I learnt loads and had a brilliant time at the same time as he is a very clever angler, who wont hold anything back from you, he even let me and my dad use his £270 rods and £150 reels, (I wouldn’t trust us with that kind of kit !) I think that it has definitely changed my angling for the better and now have an approach I am very happy in using and hope to take this to my harder waters and get some success!

Calum Kletta

HOW TO: Modern carp care

2009-04-02T20:28:00.007+01:00

The most important aspect of carp fishing, and possibly the one that gets overlooked the most, is bankside carp care. People spend thousands of pounds on the best rods, sparkly reels and expensive alarms and then buy small unhooking mats and inappropriate landing nets. We need to ensure the fish we catch are returned back to the water in excellent condition, suffering the least amount of stress or damage so that these fish can be caught and admired again by other anglers.

Before you cast your rods out into the lake you should set up your carp care kit. Being prepared to handle and treat carp once caught means that you never leave a carp unattended on the bank.

Let’s start with the landing net; a 42” or larger net with a deep and soft mesh is the least you should have. Make sure the net has a fine mesh as this will prevent the carp’s front pectoral fins from catching in the mesh whilst it is being landed. The landing net should also have removable arms which will make carrying the carp to the unhooking mat much easier.

A large deeply padded unhooking mat is essential to protect the carp as they are naturally buoyant in water and do not feel their own weight. Once out of water they feel every ounce, so a soft unhooking mat helps protect their body from damage, as and when they begin to struggle. Place the mat on flat even ground staying away from gravel, brambles or thorns, which might hurt the carp if it manages to work its way off the mat.

Next to the unhooking mat, position a large bucket of lake water and make sure this is as cool as possible. If you are fishing on a hot day, regularly check the temperature of the water in the container to ensure it is not getting too hot. The water is used to wet down the mat and to cool the carp once it is on the mat, which must always be well wetted down before you lay the carp on it, as it becomes very hot in the warm summer sun.

A dry unhooking mat will strip the mucus layer from the side of the carp and effectively leave the fish stripped of its protective layers allowing the carp to be more exposed to waterborne disease etc.

Attach a pair of forceps to the mat. This will ensure that they are always where you need them. Always remove the sharp hook from the carp with the forceps, as this prevents the carp from moving the hook to your fingers whilst you try to unhook the carp as it moves.

Carp care kits are available from a number of companies and the Korda Carp care kits designed by Thinking Anglers are the best available at the moment. You can also get product such as Kryston Klinik carp care, which is also a good antiseptic/barrier. The Korda kit includes mouth and body liquid treatments with a few swabs included to assist in applying the treatments accurately onto the wounds.

Weigh slings are available in all shapes and sizes, so choose a sling that is soft and one that will support the fish well whilst it is being weighed. A sling with front and rear access zips also makes releasing the carp back into the water a lot easier.

Finally you need to have your scales next to the mat. If you have mechanical scales like Rubin’s or Avon’s, take a little time to wet the sling and zero your scales so they are ready for use when you need them. Finally make sure you have got your camera ready to go and within easy reach.

Now how to use the equipment we have set up. If the margins are deep enough net the carp in the close margins, however, if you are fishing where they are very shallow it is best to try and move into a position where you can net the fish in deeper water, or to be able to slip on your waders to net the fish in deeper water. Please note that wading is dangerous and is not allowed on CEMEX waters.

With the carp in the landing net, if you have someone around ask them to help by either holding the carp in the net, or, by wetting the unhooking mat and weigh sling for you. With the mat ready remove the arms from the landing net and roll up the net, and before lifting the carp from the water, make sure its pectoral fins are tucked back along its body.

Lift the carp in the rolled up net and slowly walk over to the mat placing the carp carefully onto the wet mat.

Leave the net over the carp’s eyes and body and remove any sharp jewellery, watches, rings etc. that might damage the carp. Wet the carp and your hands to help cool them and start slowly unrolling the landing net, slowly follow your line down making sure your rig is not trapped under the carp fins. With the entire rig exposed, and clear of the carp, use the forceps to remove the hook from the carp’s mouth.

If the fish flaps about - quickly cover its eyes and body with the landing net mesh until it lies still again.

Wet the fish again and now inspect the carp for any body or mouth damage using the carp care kit to treat any wounds found.

With the carp now checked over gently, remove the net and lift the carp into the wetted down weigh sling, making sure that the fins are all back against its body.

Zip up each end of the sling and attach it to the scales, gently lifting the carp just a few inches above the mat. Read the weight of the fish and lower back onto the wet mat very carefully.

Now for the photography. If you have your photographer ready with the camera, gently lift the carp over the unhooking mat. Do not pick the carp up in a towel as this will strip the protective mucus from the sides of the carp.

When picking up the fish, place one hand under the front pectoral fins and the other around the anal fin and hold the carp vertically in your hands about 6” to 10” inches away from your body. Only lift the carp a short distance off the mat as we do not want the carp to fall from a dangerous height. As you are holding the carp, if it starts to flip, let it fall back into you’re forearms and gently lower the fish down to the mat.

Once the photos are taken place the carp back into the weigh sling making sure the fish is upright and its fins are back against its body. Now return the carp to a deep marginal spot to release it back into its watery home.

At the bankside spot, lower the sling into the water and slowly unzip the front of the sling allowing water to flood over the fish.

Lift the back end of the sling and gently allow the carp to slide back off into the water. Make sure the carp is OK and watch it swim off. If the fish shows any sign of distress do not leave the fish on its own, stay with it until it shows it has enough strength to swim away. Never keep fish out of the water for any longer than is absolutely necessary.

Treat the fish you catch with respect and care for them when they are on the bank. The fish you have caught may only be a 20lb fish but with the right conditions it may well grow to be the next UK record fish. The pressure on carp has never been so immense and there is no sign of this letting up. The carp we are catching today are the future and they will be the specimens that anglers will be hoping to catch tomorrow. If we do not care for them then now then there will no future sport for anglers to enjoy.

Tight Lines,

Smart Carping Limited

HOW TO: Tie pop-up rigs, shot before the hook

2009-03-26T16:51:00.002Z

Pop-up rigs allow the angler to position a bait off the lake bed. There are a number of scenarios where you may find it benificial to do this, but in the main it is to do with positioning the bait above any weed or general detritus that could mask a bottom bait.

It has become common practice for many anglers to use a pop-up approach where there is no need for it, i.e. a clean hard bottomed lake. The feeling in such situations is that it just offers something a little different to the norm which may get a result.

Pop-ups can be set up to achieve a critical balance in the water. I believe this approach can offer a more natural presentation.

A top tip would be to try using bright, over-flavoured pop-ups in winter where there is often a lot of leaf litter on the lake bed. This allows the bait to sit just above all the decaying vegetation and hopefully right under the nose of any passing carp!

What you will need
Tools
1. Sharp braid scissors
2. A braid stripper (if using coated braid)
3. A baiting needle
4. Rig pullers

Tackle
1. Hooks
2. Hooklength
3. Heat shrink
4. Fine diameter silicone tube
5. Bait stops
6. Split shot
7. Pop Ups

Method
Step 1
Cut enough hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the braid about 30-35cm is fine. Then strip about 12cm of coating off the braid.

Step 2
Tie a loop using an over-hand knot in the stripped end of your selected hooklength material. This loop is for your boilie stop to secure the boilie in place.

Step 3
Using a fine baiting needle, thread the pop ups onto the hair, because I am using two boilies on this hair I have left a very long loop. This will hold both boilies in place and ensure they don’t move during the cast and therefore change the mechanical properties of the setup.

Step 4
Thread a small piece of silicone tubing on to the hooklength and then on to hook. Adjust the length of the hair to your desired length; 1-2cm from the bend of the hook is a good starting point.

Step 5
Start whipping the knotless knot by winding the hooklength towards you as shown. This is to prevent the hooklength from getting trapped and cut by the gap in the hooks eye as it meets the shank of the hook.

Step 6
Make a minimum of 6 turns down the shank of the hook, trying to keep the line tidy, then pass the hooklength down through the eye of the hook before you tighten down. Make sure your hair is lying along the back of the hook and the knot is neat, now pull the knot down tight.

Step 7
Cut a 15mm length of heat shrink, pass it over the hooklength and down over the eye of the hook such that it is just covering the end of the knot. Carefully steam the heat shrink down over a kettle and allow to cool. Whilst cooling, hold the hook and pull the hooklength down to form a gentle downward-facing kick.

The finished rig should look like this.

Step 8
Now tie an overhand knot in the end of the hooklength, setting the length you require at the same time. Trim off the excess hooklength. Test the strength of you rig to ensure it is safe to fish with by using a set of rig pullers. Now test the rig in the shallow margins to ensure the rig has the correct buoyancy.

Step 9
Once you are happy with your rig you need to add your PVA bag of attraction. Due to the split shot we cannot pull the rig through the middle of a PVA mesh bag. To overcome this a small stick mix is used with the rig being threaded through the last third of the bag. The hook still sits neatly in the end of the bag minimising tangles. All that's left is for you to cast the rig out to those hungry carp.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Tie effective zig rigs

2009-03-26T16:50:00.004Z

The Zig-Rig a simple method for fishing bait mid water that has accounted for many large carp.
The Zig-Rig allows a buoyant bait to be fished from the lakebed (legered) at any set depth from a couple of inches above the lakebed right up to the water’s surface. This allows the angler to be able to present the hook bait at the depth at which the carp are either cruising or more importantly feeding.
The Zig-Rig can be used in many situations where hook bait presentation at certain depths is critical, like on the surface during hot weather, or as another example, just above light weed where normal hook bait may become hidden within the weed. Other uses may be sub-surface where carp maybe cruising, say a couple of feet below the surface, or even sub-surface where wildfowl may become a nuisance.
My preferred Zig-Rig setup is a 8lb Drennan double stretch mono hook length tied to a buffer bead setup in a running rig style,, which is fished on the lakebed (legered) and setup with a bite-alarm and indicator as you would normally.
The Zig-Rig is a tremendous rig which is very easy to setup however it is often overlooked in the carping fraternity. Despite this the rig is not without its problems. Casting out a Zig-Rig with a short hook length of a couple of feet isn’t too much of a problem, however casting a hook length of 12ft or more can be a real problem. There are various different ways in which to cast out such a long hook length I prefer to lay the hook length in a line behind me as I prepare to cast out, some people prefer to coil up the hook link in a bucket which is carefully place on the bank-side, behind me, before casting out. The hook length unravels during the cast leaving the bucket cleanly on the bank side

What you will need

Tackle

1. Korda size 10 or 12 Wide gape hooks or equivalents

2. Small Korda Pear swivel lead
3. Korda Size 8 swivel
4. Korda shok bead
5. Korda safe zone anti tangle sleeve

6. Gardner PVA foam nuggets

7. Drennan double strength hook lenght braking strain to suit the lake conditions

8. Size 4 pole elastice to act as a line marker

Method
Step 1

Cut enough hook length for the depth or rig you want to make and tie a small loop in the end for the bait. make sure the loop is smaller than the size of the pop up bait you intend to use.

Step 2
Form a normal knotless knot making sure the hair is a short as possible. The bait needs to be postioned as close as possible to the back of the hook.

Step 3
Using a fine baiting needle, thread your chosen pop up onto the hair. You can see how close the bait is the the shank of the hook.

Step 4
Thread the Korda Safe zone anti tangle sleeve onto the hook length and then using a palomar knot tie the Korda size 8 swivel to the hooklenght.

Step 5
Slide the Korda swivel pear lead onto your mainline.

Step 6
Now slide the Korda Shok bead on to the main line as well.

Step 7
Tie the main line to the Korda size 8 swivel and pull the swivel into the bead the lead/ hook length setup should now look like this. Note how the Korda Safe zone anti tangle sleeve holds the hook length away from the lead minimising tangles and protecting the hook length.

Step 8

Cut a nugget of Gardner PVA foam in half.

With one halve of the PVA nugget cut it 3/4 of the way through.

Step 9

Now place the hook and the pop up into the slot cut in the Gardner PVA nugget. Wet the slot and close the nugget around the hook.
This ensures the rig casts well without tangling and the PVA give extra bouyancy to the pop up for a few moments after the cast.

Step 10

If you are casting to a specific spot, a hole in the weed or you are spodding a soupy cloudy mixture over you zig rigs it is important to ensure you are as accurate as possible. To take the guess work out of this a simple marker placed upon your line when the rig is cast into postion will ensure you are always on the right spot. Using a small amount of size 4 pole elastic tie a 3 turn grinner knot (Marker knot) onto your mainline.

Step 11

Light actioned carp rods preferably with a through action (players rod) are the required to cushion the the hook hold plus the very light hook lenght.
Make sure your reel line is not to heavy a breaking strain and is in balance with the breaking strain of the hook lenght, as to high a breaking strain will cause you to loose lots of fish.

Roll on the long hot summer days when the carp are feeding in the upper layers of the water, totally ignoring you bottom baits. Get on the Zigs and start catchting those huge summer carp.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Set up a Side clip running rig

2009-03-15T22:27:00.012Z

The running lead is possibly the most effective and simple carp lead system you can use. The common problem of bite definition when using side clip lead systems and slack lines are completely done away with when using a running rig which always gives positive indications on the bobbin. This setup is also offers good tangle-proof properties. I have modified a side clip system clip to accept a speed link that gives a neat simple effective running rig with all the casting bennifits of a side clip system.

What you need

1. Korda lead clip
2. Korda tail rubber.
3. Korda kwik link
4. Korda safe zone leader

Method

Step 1

Using a pair of strong pliers carefully flatten the Korda Lead clip.

Step 2

Carefully cut the swivel off the Korda safe zone leader.

Step 3

Put the Korda Kwik link onto the Korda safe zone leader.

Step 4

Use a gated baiting needle to thread the Lead clip and tail rubber onto the Korda safe zone leader.

Step 5

Use a short lenght of 3mm fine wall silicone tube to cover the swivel on the lead.

Step 6

Now add you lead to the side clip and slide the tail rubber down about 3 ridges onto the lead clip boody.

It is a simple task to add you hook lentgh to the Kwik link. Notice how the Kwik link sinks into the lead clip body. This set up does away withthe need of 3mm silicon tube to prevent the hook lenght becoming undone in the Kwik link.
.

Tight lines!

" A poacher turned game keeper"

2009-01-27T14:13:00.011Z

Recently the Fishing Magic website offered a charity auction in aid of the James Farrow Memorial. I donated a days coaching in the hope that it would make the memorial some money and I am pleased to report that it succeeded in doing so.

The winner of the auction, Graham Elliot, is a specialist Barbel angling coach. To say I was nervous was an understatement but I had no need to be as Graham was easy to get along with and had a great sense of humour, which he used on me at every opportunity!

Graham has since written a book about his fishing and included a chapter about our coaching session. See below a sample from his book, "Guiding, Barbel, and Other Fishing Days"...

Guiding, Barbel, and Other Fishing Days

Graham Elliot

A Day 'Smartcarping' with Ian Gemson

A bit of poacher turned gamekeeper but the generous offer by Ian Gemson in donating a day 'Smartcarping' to the charity auction being run by Cakey for the James Farrow Memorial, was too good to turn down. It's also great that Fishing Magic are prepared to support these charitable events.

Ian is a PAA qualified angling coach and I was interested to see his approach to tuition as well as bring myself pretty sharply up to date with the latest methods being employed to consistently catch carp. I also wanted to determine if any of the methods would convince me that barbel would also respond to them.

It was obvious from our initial exchange of messages that it would be fun.

My offer to bring a wheelbarrow, spare guest bed, cooking stove with microwave and copious amounts of lager were all taken in good humour. Even the request for a portable bite alarm, so I could spend the time in the 'chippies,' was met with the comment, “If you bring your butler!”

Ian was there when I arrived on the dot and after a warm handshake, we headed off with enough tackle (on a wheelbarrow!) to open a shop. It was fun to see Ian's face as I offered to carry his expensive rods - just a moment's hesitation before he said it was OK, then spent the next five minute's walk watching my Sherpa efforts like a hawk.

It was soon pretty clear to me that Ian had the day's tuition and lesson pretty much planned out to the finest detail. We started with the good old Elf ‘n’ Safety, a must when taking paying guests within a professional organisation. Ian's attention to detail never flagged, telling me hooks are very sharp and also having a life rope for any unplanned swimming adventures.

This was followed by a demonstration of the tackle we would use, the rod's TC rating and details about the reels he uses. When I commented that a couple of the rods seemed pretty firm he pointed to an Island that, after straining my eyes, seemed to be about 200 yards away - he was having a laugh, surely. That is until he popped a lead out 5 yards short of the Island. Bloody hell!

Great instruction and demonstrations followed. Spodding, bait choice, spod mixes, marker floats, casting, line marking, use of the line clips, rig makeup and the variations, lead core usage and how to make lengths of it up. This was followed by leading to establish the water depth in front of our swim - a drop-off after a plateau being the choice Ian said we would concentrate on.

Beep beep is yours, Buzz buzz is mine and Ring ring is probably your mobile

Hook types and their uses, lead weights, hook length choices and knot selection. It continued without pause until it was time to have a go at casting and spodding.
Well I have to say I thought my casting was fairly good, but it improved with Ian's instruction. I was actually getting it out fairly consistently within 20 feet of the marker float, while Ian did miss by a couple of feet…once!

Spodding, something totally alien to me, was great fun and I reckon I was between OK and not so OK until I felt brave enough to remember these rods were not my 1.5 TC barbel rods and would not snap!

Whatever you do Graham, Don't tell anyone about this bait

Ian generously offered encouragement throughout on my efforts, but I have to be honest and say I prefer an underarm lob to a far bank that's 5 yards away. What you get with Ian is a top-level professional approach that would help every angler who fishes for all species. He is also great fun to be with and picked up quickly on my rather odd humour.

In an attempt to get fishing I told Ian that I had a rather nice surprise to share if and when we caught the first carp.

So because I told you we would be making sausages you brought a Frying Pan?

Anyway, after watching the carp cartwheel about in our chosen spod spot, it was time to put all the instruction to the test. The first run was after about five minutes in coming to Ian's rod, and after two seconds thought……….I grabbed it. A fish that kept out in the deeps was persuaded grudgingly to the landing net.

The shared surprise was finally uncorked, with a bottle of chilled Sancere being poured and steadily consumed until another carp followed, slightly bigger and much harder fighting than the first. This one simply did not want to come that last five yards into the shallower water.

Fame………One a lot bigger than Ian's - for 5 minutes

A couple of carp later and time for some more spodding. I managed a first spod cast directly onto the marker float - of the chap in the next swim! He seemed rather pleased, as he had blanked while we had started to rack up the runs and fish.
Ian was like a man possessed. It's obvious that his prime intention is to ensure that his customers have a great day and catch some of the superb carp on offer at the venue, Thorpe Lea. Beautifully coloured golden orange fish, including near linears, came to pay us a visit. Many had mouth damage, a legacy from their days in the past when stocked in a heavily fished match lake.

Much banter and many fish later we called it a day at 5pm, with the fish starting once again to crash on the surface over our baited area. The best fish was around 16lb and all were doubles. I have no doubt a dozen or more would have followed had we fished until dusk.

There were a number of innovations and ideas regarding potential barbel opportunities during the day, especially regarding rigs and baits / bait sizes. I will of course be trying them out on some of my AnglingExperience customers over the busy next few months on the rivers. Now, if I can offer some advice, book a day with Ian Gemson of Smartcarping. Not only will you have an exciting day in great company but also you will learn plenty, and no doubt, adapt your current approach and catch more.

HOW TO: Tie pop up rigs, shot on the hair

2009-01-21T16:08:00.031Z

Pop-up rigs allow the angler to position a bait off the lake bed. There are a number of scenarios where you may find it beneficial to do this, but in the main it is to do with positioning the bait above any weed or general detritus that could mask a bottom bait.

It has become common practice for many anglers to use a pop-up approach where there is no need for it, i.e. a clean hard bottomed lake. The feeling in such situations is that it just offers something a little different to the norm which may get a result.

Pop-ups can be set up to achieve a critical balance in the water. I believe this approach can offer a more natural presentation.

A top tip would be to try using bright, over-flavoured pop-ups in winter where there is often a lot of leaf litter on the lake bed. This allows the bait to sit just above all the decaying vegetation and hopefully right under the nose of any passing carp!

What you will need
Tools
1. Sharp braid scissors
2. A braid stripper (if using coated braid)
3. A baiting needle
4. Rig pullers

Tackle
1. Hooks
2. Hooklength
3. Heat shrink
4. Fine diameter silicone tube
5. Bait stops
6. Split shot
7. Pop Ups

Method
Step 1
Cut enough hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the braid about 30-35cm is fine. Then strip about 12cm of coating off the braid.

Step 2
Tie a loop using an over-hand knot in the stripped end of your selected hooklength material. This loop is for your boilie stop to secure the boilie in place.

Step 3
Using a fine baiting needle, thread the pop ups onto the hair I like to add the split shot now as well, because I am using two boilies on this hair I have left a very long loop. This will hold both boilies in place and ensure they don’t move during the cast and therefore change the mechanical properties of the setup.

Step 4
Thread a small piece of silicone tubing on to the hooklength and then on to hook. Adjust the length of the hair to your desired length; 1-2cm from the bend of the hook is a good starting point.

Step 5
Start whipping the knotless knot by winding the hooklength towards you as shown. This is to prevent the hooklength from getting trapped and cut by the gap in the hooks eye as it meets the shank of the hook.

Step 6
Make a minimum of 6 turns down the shank of the hook, trying to keep the line tidy, then pass the hooklength down through the eye of the hook before you tighten down. Make sure your hair is lying along the back of the hook and the knot is neat, now pull the knot down tight.

This is how the rig should look.

Step 7
Cut a 15mm length of heat shrink, pass it over the hooklength and down over the eye of the hook such that it is just covering the end of the knot. Carefully steam the heat shrink down over a kettle and allow to cool. Whilst cooling, hold the hook and pull the hooklength down to form a gentle downward-facing kick.

This is how the heat shrink should look.

Step 8
Now tie an overhand knot in the end of the hooklength, setting the length you require at the same time. Trim off the excess hooklength. Test the strength of you rig to ensure it is safe to fish with by using a set of rig pullers. Now test the rig in the shallow margins to ensure the rig has the correct buoyancy.

Step 9
Once you are happy with your rig add a small PVA mesh bag of pellets,boilie crumb or groundbait to your rig by passing the bag down the hooklenght and tight onto the hook. Finally to ensure the pop up boilies don't tangle use a couple of PVA foam nuggets. All that's left is for you to cast the rig out to those hungry carp.

Tight lines!

Smart Carping featured in UK Carp magazine

2008-12-09T20:51:00.005Z

Smart Carping is proud to feature in the first issue of the new UK Carp magazine. Click here to download the first issue of UK Carp magazine for free or click on the front cover below (PDF format, 450Kb).

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Use small solid PVA bags

2008-06-24T17:07:00.009+01:00

Solid PVA bags, unlike PVA mesh, have no holes in them. This makes them ideal for transporting liquid attractant into your swim. Setting up a solid PVA bags is relatively simple and requires a few simple steps to get the best bag set ups. It is important the bag is tied really tight, this will make the PVA bag cast well and will ensure the bag does not burst on impact with the lake after the cast.

In this article I will demonstrate how to effectively tie a small solid PVA bag. See my other article on tying large solid PVA bags here »

What you need
A good quality PVA product makes tying tight bags a lot easier. We are using PVA from The Fishing Bag Company for this feature.

Method
Step 1
Start by nicking your hook into the bottom corner of the bag. This bag is large enough to insert the lead in the bag with the baited hook and pellets.

Step 2
As you start to fill the bag with pellets try and lay the hook length across the bottom of the bag as you fill. A soft un-skinned braided hook length is usually best to use then PVA bag fishing.

Step 3
As you fill with pellets keep layering your rig until you have about 3/4" (75mm) of bag left. Now twist the top of the bag until making the bag really tight.

Step 4
Now with a tight bag, using PVA string tie two overhand knots to lock the bag in place.

Step 5
Cut off the excess PVA bag and string above the knot to make the bag tidy.

Step 6
Manipulate the bag to get the pellets to settle. When you have a small amount of slack in the bag pull the bottom corner tag of the bag out and wet with a little saliva. Now pull tightly and stick the corner to the bag. Repeat this process with the remaining corner.

Step 7
Make sure the bag is tight so that it casts well and does not come off the hook length during the cast.

Step 8
With the bag finished all that is left to do is cast out into the lake. Make sure your line, rod and reel are all up to casting what can be a heavy bag. Ensure your reel's clutch is tight to avoid line slip during the cast. This set up will work with side clip systems as well but you may need to tie the side clip shut with PVA string to prevent the lead coming off as the lead and bag set up hits the lake surface.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Use large solid PVA bags

2008-06-24T16:05:00.012+01:00

Solid PVA bags, unlike PVA mesh, have no holes in them. This makes them ideal for transporting liquid attractant into your swim. Setting up a solid PVA bags is relatively simple and requires a few simple steps to get the best bag set ups. It is important the bag is tied really tight, this will make the PVA bag cast well and will ensure the bag does not burst on impact with the lake after the cast.

What you need
A good quality PVA product makes tying tight bags a lot easier. For this feature we are using PVA from The Fishing Bag Company.

Method
Step 1
Start by nicking the hook into the bottom corner of the bag. The bag is large enough to insert the lead in the bag with the baited hook and pellets.

Step 2
As you fill the bag with pellets lay the hook length across the bottom of the bag as you fill. A soft braided hook length is best to use with PVA bags as the hook lenght does not crumple up as the bag full of pellets get tightened.

Step 3
As you fill with pellets keep layering your rig until you are about half full. Now add your lead and top up the bag until you have about 3/4" (18mm) of bag left.

Step 4
Now twist the top of the bag whilst tapping the bag letting the pellets settle this will make the bag really tight.

Step 5
Now with a tight bag, using PVA string tie two overhand knots to lock the bag in place.

Step 6
Cut off the excess PVA bag and string above the knot to make the bag tidy.

Step 7
Manipulate the bag to get the pellets to settle. When you have a small amount of slack in the corner of the bag, pull the bottom corner tag of the bag out and wet with a little saliva. Now pull tightly and stick the corner to the bag. Repeat this process with the remaining corner making the bag very tight.

Step 8
Using a sharp implement, stab several holes into the bag to help it sink quickly to the bottom of the lake.

With the bag finished all that is left to do is cast out into the lake. Make sure you line rod and reel are all up to casting what can be a heavy bag. Ensure you reels clutch is tight to avoid line slip during the cast.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Use solid PVA bags for long range fishing

2008-06-22T19:00:00.030+01:00

Solid PVA bags are excellent for getting a wide verity of baits and liquids out into the swim with your hook bait. However, when fishing at range, PVA bags can be problematic. The first problem is making a solid bag tight and aerodynamic such that it flies straight and true. The second is ensuring the bag is strong enough to withstand the cast and landing in the water as well as melting quickly enough once on the lake bed. The Fishing Bag Company makes a PVA distance bag that overcomes all of these problems. Lets have a look at how to use PVA distance bags.

What you need
Three sizes of bags are available. Here we have the small and medium size conical distance bags. Notice the card liner in the bag - this helps support and hold the bag open whilst we are loading the bag with our bait in this case pellets.

Method
Step 1
Pass your baited hook through the hole in the bottom of the distance bag.

Step 2
Use a Korda distance lead mounted on a Korda run rig rubber slid over a lead core leader that has a size 8 swivel on the end. Pass the lead into the distance bag and push into the small opening in the bottom of the bag.

Step 3
Now start filling the bag with your chosen bait, in this case simple mixed pellets. See how the card supports the bag thus aiding the filling of the bag.

Step 4
Fill the bag to about 3/4 full. Remove the filling card and pull the leadcore such that it sits centrally in the middle of the distance bag.

Step 5
Wet your finger and rub it around the inside of the PVA distance bag. With the bag slightly wet now push the sides of the bag onto each other.

Step 6
Now wet the outside of the distance bag and start to twist the bag top. Keep twisting until the bag is tight.

Step 7
With the top of the distance bag fully sealed and the bag nice and tight, bring your hook up to the side of the bag and nick the rig into it.

All that's left to do is to cast this effective rig into the horizon to those unsuspecting carp.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Use PVA Mesh

2008-06-05T22:14:00.025+01:00

PVA, or Polyvinyl Alcohol, stocking net is possibly one of the most widely used bait delivery systems in carp fishing today. PVA is a water soluble material avaliable in both sheet form and netting, allowing the carp angler to add both dry baits (such as pellets, groundbait and boilies) and liquid baits (oils or glycerine based flavours)to their hook baits.

This article is about PVA mesh and how to tie and use tight bags.

What you need
Here we have Korda PVA mesh systems in three different sizes Funnel web (the largest) boilie web and longchuck. All are made of the same type of PVA mesh.Tou can just about make out the Pushing rods which are supplied with the system to help compact the bait in the tube.

It is always a good idea to keep all of your PVA products in a sealable container to prevent moisture damage.

Method
Step 1
Always make sure your hands and bait are totally dry and fill your PVA system tube with your preffered bait, in this case simple trout pellets.

Step 2
Pull off the PVA mesh with the pellets in the bottom of the mesh. Pull off about 18" of mesh which gives you loads to work with.

Step 3
Trap the pellets in the mesh between your thumb and forefinger. Pat the pellets with your other hand to align the pellets in the mesh and twist the bag until it is tight.

Step 4
With the spare mesh, pull a loop and feed over the bag.

Step 5
Manipulate the loop in your fingers and push the knot up to the bottom of the bag, keeping the bag as tight as possible.

Step 6
With the first knot tied now repeat the the whole process to add a second knot ready for the next bag.

Step 7
Cut the mesh between the two knots and your bag is finished.

Step 8
Using a latched baiting needle, thread the bag onto the hooklength and down onto the hook.

This set up will ensure the bag does not come off during the cast. It also has the added benefit of making sure the boilie does not tangle.

All that's left is to attach your baited hooklink to your lead set up and cast to the hungy carp.

Tight lines!

Observation & Watercraft - Guest article

2008-03-31T20:03:00.006+01:00

In this article I invite Wayne Box (aka 'Boxy') to discuss watercraft - a topic that deserves much attention yet can receive very little. Wayne discusses swim selection, feature finding, weather conditions and more. Enjoy!

The term Watercraft is often used in angling but what does it actually mean ?
Well to me and many of my angling friends, Watercraft means being able to ‘read’ the water and its features and predict what the fish are going to be doing and where they are going to be doing it at any particular time.

I guess in a sense it means OBSERVATION.

So your booked in for a 48hr session on a chosen venue, you turn up knowing that Joe Bloggs had 5 carp out of the Car Park swims the week before, and it always produces a few fish……!!. so that’s where you head for, the swim is free so you put the bivvy up, get the bed out and away you go…….

Who can count the mistakes with that statement? I can see 3……

1) Assuming a swim will produce based on other peoples results
2) Getting the bivvy up without even knowing if there are fish in front of you.
3) Getting bivvy and bed ready before the rods are sorted out.

Ok so that statement might be a bit extreme, but you can see what I am getting at?

Swim choice
When you arrive at the lake, leave the gear in the car, just take yourself, a pair of Polaroid glasses and a bait bucket with you and go for a wander round the lake. Sure enough you can visit the ‘going’ swims and if you see fish moving or showing then great, but if not don’t assume they are there, or that they will turn up. Have a good walk round, 2 maybe 3 times if need be, I would rather spend 2/3 hours looking for the fish and setting up with them in front of me, than setting up and waiting 47.5 hours for them to turn up, which they might not. Things to look out for are, showing fish, fish jumping, boshing, head and shouldering, cruising under the surface, disturbed areas of the lake bed, bubbles and lillies or reeds mving as carp brush past them. Whilst observing the lake never forget the margins which is an often overlooked carp hot spot.

Approach every swim quietly, slowly and stay back far enough not to be sky lined, or to put it simply, don’t let the fish see you first! If you are lucky enough to see fish in the margins or close in then your bait bucket now comes into its own, not only can it temporarily reserve the swim while you get your gear from the car but it can also provide you with some bait to feed the fish! Trickle a handful of pellet 3 at a time, watch the fishes reaction, they may well move out the swim, but I GUARANTEE they will be back if you are quiet, and this time they have some pellets to feed on!

Lastly, forget the bivvy unless it’s lashing down with rain, get the rods out and get angling!

These ripples were caused by a fish repeatedly crashing out over the same spot, it turned out to be a 22lb 8oz mirror, I caught him after seeing him jump over and over again.

Other things to look out for
Disturbed areas of the lake bed, clouds of silt ballooning off the bottom will be a sure sign something fishy has disturbed it, trickling in some pellets wont hurt, but don’t forget to check back later, you may be pleasantly surprised!

Snags, overhanging trees etc are a natural holding spot for carp, they will often be seen brushing against branches causing them to shake and move, keep an eye out for these.

Islands are a great place for catching carp, they use them as patrol routes, as well as the shelter provided by overhanging trees and branches.

Lilly pads, carp just love these! They can often be seen sucking off snails and other insects from the bottom of the pads, and are quite easy to spot.

Channels and gullies, carp use these as routes around the lake, almost like roads, they know where the lead and where that have come from, a bait places along a channel between two islands will invariably produce some action at some point. Working out the times they visit all these areas will dramatically increase your chances of catching.

Ok, so what happens if you turn up, and see no signs of fish anywhere?
Well have a walk round and talk to any other anglers, ask them what they have caught, what they have seen? If they were there the previous night, did they hear any fish crashing out at night and if so where roughly?
Use as much information from as many sources as possible, and don’t be afraid to ask for help, the bailiffs will usually know what’s going on and where the fish have been caught from.

The weather
This can have a big impact on where the fish are going to be, temperature, wind direction, wind strength; water temperature and air pressure can all influence the carp and where they are likely to be.

Sunny days even in the coldest of weathers will invariably find the carp in the shallower areas of the lake, where the water will warm up quickest; these are always worth an investigative look on those bright, sunny mornings.

Wind direction, we all have theories on wind direction and South Westerly Gales being great for fishing into, but does it really matter? On a huge inland sea of a lake like Wraysbury (200 odd acres) then yes I am sure it would make a difference, but on smaller waters under say 12 acres, I doubt it would make much difference, unless there was little or no tree coverage for the wind to be absorbed by. A GENERAL rule of thumb is to have a warm Westerly in your face, and a cold Easterly wind off your back………

Water temperature can be vital, and its not something I want to dwell on too much but suffice it to say, the colder the water, the harder the fish will be to catch?
Possibly, but I had some great results in near freezing water conditions, fishing single bright pop ups with no food content, just single hook baits.
The jury is still out on that one for me as to why single bright baits work so well, but they do, time and time again!

Air Pressure, generally the higher pressure seems to slow the carps feeding habits, and lower pressure seems to make them want to feed? Draw your own conclusions, moon phases are another one, do they really make a difference, I’m not convinced either way, but get out there and draw your own conclusions.

Observation while fishing
Try not to get drawn into sitting in the bivvy and reading a book all day whilst waiting for a take, sit out on your mat with your stove, make some brews and watch the water, not just the water in your swim, but all that you can see. Showing fish, especially in winter can mean the difference between bagging one, and going home empty handed so to speak.

If you are seeing nothing in your swim, and have had no bites, and you see a fish or two consistently showing down the far end of the lake, what do you do? Personally I would lob all my gear on the barrow and be off down the lake like a rat up a drainpipe! Seriously, it’s important, with the increases in angler pressure on most venues to be prepared to move onto showing fish, even when you really cant be bothered!

Ian and myself have fished together for a number of years now, and one thing you will NEVER see us doing is sitting on the bedchair waiting for action, Ian is a meticulous angler who, wont be afraid to make changes to get that extra bite, I prefer to travel very light and move onto showing fish taking only the bear essentials to catch my quarry, Ian likes to cover all eventualities and kit himself up accordingly, I think there is something to be learned from both of these styles, and one thing is for sure, we never stop learning.

Well I hope this has helped you in some way, adapt it to your own fishing and keep your eyes open and it will help you put some more fish on the bank.
Tight lines for now...

Wayne ‘Boxy’ Box.

HOW TO: Set up a "Rotten Bottom" rig

2008-03-04T19:12:00.013Z

The Rotten Bottom rig is designed to cast into very weedy swims with the confidence of knowing that if the lead gets trapped in the weed the weak mono link will snap allowing you safely play the carp. The rig is based upon a helicopter rig and uses many of the same components. By simply altering the length of the Rotten Bottom (mono line) you are able to place the baited rig such that it will sit nicely upon the upper layers of the weed and therefore be more visible to passing fish.

What you need

- Leadcore

- Size 8 swivels
- Korda mini beads
- Light swivel lead

- Micro rig rings
- ESP Mk 2 Stiff rigger hooks

- Solar Stiffy stiff link

- 5lb mono

Tools

- Scissors
- Super glue
- Splicing needles
- Rig pullers

Method

Step 1
Cut a 45cm length of leadcore using the scissors.

Step 2
Pull the inner lead wire from the outer braided skin.

Step 3
Now insert the splicing needle about 7cm from the end of the skin to a depth of about 2.5cm.

Step 4
Place the micro rig onto the braid and splice the micro rig ring into the leadcore.

Step 5
Pull the braid tight trimming off all excess braid that might show through the wall of the braid. Superglue the splice to secure.

Step 6
Create a loop in the opposite end of the leadcore braided skin by inserting the fine latch gated needle into the braid about 8cm from the end.
Inset the splicing needle into the braid skin to a depth of 3.5cm.

Step 7
Now pass the end of the braid skin into the gate of the splicing needle and gentle ease the needle back pulling the skin into the braid.

Step 8
Gently pull the splicing needle back through the braid until it is all the way through.

Step 9
Now tease the loop in the braid until you get the correct size you need. When you have the correct size tension the loop with a rig puller until the braided loop is tight.

Step 10
Once you are happy with the loop super glue the braid to lock it in place.

Step 11
Place two Korda beads and a size 8 swivel onto a gated baiting needle and slip onto the leadcore.

Step 12
Tie a knotless knot using the ESP Mk2 stiff rigger hooks and Solar Stiffy stiff link material. The hook length is very stiff so can be difficult to manipulate. Using a three turn blood knot tie a short 6.5cm hooklength to the swivel. Carefully melt the tag end (using a lighter blob) to ensure the knot does not slip.

Step 13
Now cut the required length of low breaking strain mono to act as the rotten bottom and tie this to the micro ring spliced into the end of the leadcore. Now attach a light lead 1.5oz to the other end. Attach your main line to the spliced loop in the leadcore. Now add a couple of PVA nuggets to the hook and cast into your swim.

The finished rig - safe and effective.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Tie a Steve Renyard mono rig

2008-02-15T19:14:00.006Z

The Steve Renyard rig is simple and effective, allowing a very aggressive hook angle with the stiff rig effect off mono solution.

What you need

Hook length

Hooks

Scissors

Method

Step 1
Cut off enough hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the mono (I use 30-35cm). Tie a loop using an over-hand knot in the stripped end of your selected hook length material.

This loop is for your boilie stop to secure the boilie in place.

Step 2
Now set the hair length.

Step 3
Whip towards you nine or ten times down the shank of the hook. Try to keep the whipping neat.

Step 4

After making the whipping turns lift the hair away from the shank and whip another nine or ten turns down the shank. Now carefully whip back up the shank locking the knot in place. Before you tighten the knot make sure the hair is coming out the back of the hook and the knot is neat.

Step 5
Before you tighten the knot make sure the hair is coming out the back of the hook and the knot is neat.

Step 6
Set your rig length and tie an over-hand loop knot or figure of eight knot to finish the rig.

Tight lines!

The Three Amigos - first coaching event of 2008

2008-02-13T18:13:00.016Z

With the carp-forums winter work shop event being cancelled and a new set of dates offered, many of the original delegates were unable to make the event due to work and family commitments. Dave, Matt and Lyndon were three of these unlucky people. Dave, keen to not miss a coaching opportunity, called Smart Carping to arrange a coaching session for him and his mates and I was able to put an agenda together that fully met their needs:

- Marker rods, feature finding and watercraft (mainly signs to look out for)
- Spod mixes and spodding
- Casting technique
- Rig construction and camouflage

With the agenda sorted we agreed to meet at 7.30am on February 12th at Cemex's Thorpe Lea in Egham. The day promised to be bright and sunny with temperatures reaching 12C. We eventually met up at 8.00am after the trio got lost - someone forgot the directions!

The morning was very cold at 2C with freezing fog covering the lake. Not the best conditions to coach in or tempt a winter carp.

With the usual meet and greet out of the way, we all made our way down to the lake and commenced setting up to tackle the water in front of us. It was obvious to me right from the start that these guys had a fantastic rapport between them; jokes and banter echoed across the bank all morning!

For the event I had brought with me three marker rods and three spod rods from Chub and Greys. These included the standard and distance variants for the guys to use and try. The fog stopped us from using these rods until midday as we were unable to see further than 20 yards!

Bankside set up

With all the tackle set up we walked to each swim in turn and looked at everyone's bankside set up and made recommendation to them where needed. Suffice to say very little change was needed. Without having met these guys before you would say they were at the top of their game. Their skills, ability and knowledge plus the thousands of pounds worth of top end tackle would easily have you believing they were carp anglers who have been fishing for many years. The truth is that these very skilled anglers had only been carping for just about one year!

With the fog still very bad we set about looking at and discussing rig construction and camouflage. I started by demonstrating a range of lead systems and went though how they worked, their strengths and weaknesses. We also discussed where each rig would be best applied. We followed this with leads, there style and weight and the best application for the swim.

Leads & lead core

Lead core was next on our agenda and after a demonstration of splicing lead core everyone was given a splicing needle and a length of lead core. They followed me as I went through the process of splicing a lead core leader, step by step. It was like a scene out of the generation game - all sizes of loops were being created!

In the end we managed to put together three very presentable chod rigs.

Hooks & hook lengths

Thorpe Lea carp get fished for 365 days a year. They have seen every bait and most rigs many times over. With this in mind, to ensure constant action we need to fish a little differently. With the leaders and leads completed we moved onto hooks and hooklengths that would fool the wary Thorpe lea carp. All of the guys were immediately at home but did struggle with the size of the Korda size 12 Longshanks we were using, being more at home with size 8 or 6 hooks.

The size 12 Korda longshank hooks were being used in conjunction with double 10mm baits fished either critically balanced or double bottom baits.

We used a hook length that matched the bottom of the lake. The best product for this is Suffix Kameleon, in 15lb breaking strain.

Double HBS day tripper baits which are 6mm dumbells were considered. These baits are a lot smaller than everyone else uses and as such the carp are far more likely to pick these up. To compliment these we would be using a high attract stick mix.

Stick mix & spod mix

Winter carp do not need much food to fill them up so we needed to create a high attract mix that would stimulate the carp to look for food without offering them anything substantial that might fill them up. Both the stick mix and the spod mix had to meet these criteria as bites at this time of the year are at a premium.
The stick mix was made up in a match angler's 4 pint maggot bait box. We added 1/3 of a bag of Sticky baits Bloodworm & Shrimp fish method mix ground bait to a tin of Tuna in brine and mixed together. To this we added a small hand full of 2-3mm pellets and twenty grains of sweet corn. The final mix was very dry but still slightly sticky when you compressed it. This would be ideal for use in the Korda long chuck PVA system to make PVA sticks that would be threaded up the lead core prior to the cast.

Lyndon with a finished rig - complete with stick mix (see how dry it appears) and twin HBS day tipper baits.

To kick start the swims and keep the carp looking for food items we used a spod mix made up from a bag of Bait Tech Special G ground bait, 3/4 jar of Bait Tech hemp, 500grams of 2, 3 and 4mm pellets, 500 grams of crushed hemp, a tin of Tuna in Brine and a hand full of sweet corn. This was mixed up in a large ground bait bowl to a dryish consistency. No further liquids were added apart from the water of the Hemp, Tuna and a little sweet corn liquid.

The fog lifts

Eventually at midday the sun breaks through the fog and the day starts to warm up very quickly. Now we can to see the water in front of us the guys set about using the marker rods to feature find there swims. It soon became apparent these guys knew how to cast a long way. One by one they all started to report a shallow plateau 4' deep at around 110 yards out with a deep 12' gully just in front of the plateau. With the midday sun warming the shallow water on the plateau I recommended the guys fish to it and advised them to mark up their lines with pole elastic on their marker rods. They set about casting to the marker float with their spod rods and carp rods, marking these up too.

Let the spodding begin!

All of the guys had spodded before so they all new what to do. Today however was different. We were trying to spod at 110 yards, no mean feat in anyone's books. I set up a spodding station in the first swim which consisted of the spod mix bowl placed upon an up-turned groundbait bucket to make the spod mix easy to reach at waist height. Next to this a bucket of clean water was placed to wash your hands and a towel was placed over the edge of the spod mix bowl to wipe your hands dry. Once comfortable in the swim I set about demonstrating how to fill the spod whilst keeping your hands clean. Then I set about showing the correct body and arm positions needed to achieve effective long range casting. Once we have launched the spod next we needed to demonstrate cushioning the cast so the spod landed on the marker without snapping the line or the line clip.

Everyone picked up the skills very quickly and all too soon the water was being hammered with 6oz spods just missing the marker floats. The instruction was to just put 5 spods accurately on the target area. I forgot to ask if anyone was numerically dyslexic as Dave did his best to empty the spod mix bucket in his swim, I caught up with him on his twelfth cast and said he might have over done it. Dave knew better and put another 4 more spods in!

Time to get fishing

By the time the rigs were in the water and everyone had settled down it was 2.30pm. Almost immediately we started getting occasional line bites. The anticipation was huge. I stood with Matt watching his bobbins gently lifting and lowering as the carp in his swim gorged on the stick mix. Matt asked me if he should strike at these indications but before I had the chance to answer his Shimano reel went into meltdown! One of Thorpe Lea's resident carp made a mistake and got nailed by Matt's rig. Matt quickly picked up his rod and gently lifted into a heavy fast moving carp.

A slow and steady fight commenced in the deep clear margins a large gold flanked winter mirror started to appear

Soon this winter whacker was netted and was placed on the unhooking mat

As we uncovered the carp we soon realised this could well be a twenty. Matt stated that his PB was a 20lb carp he had caught on his syndicate lake last year. The hook was removed and the rod was put back onto the rod rest whilst Dave administered some fish care products to the hook hole in the carp's bottom lip.

With the weigh sling wetted and the scales zero'd the carp was carefully lifted and the Ruebens swung around and settled on 20lb 5oz.

A new PB and a winter twenty to boot!

The day was still young

Flushed with his success and brimming with confidence Matt set up his rigs again and cast out to the spot from which he hooked his last fish. With the first fish on the bank the atmosphere was electric. Everyone was on tender hooks watching the water in front of them and jumping at every line bite that sent the alarms screaming.

At 3.30pm Matt's rod started to signal a lot of activity around his rig and sure enough seconds later his solar bobbins slammed into his ESP vertex rods and sent the Shimano clutch into overdrive as another Thorpe Lea carp fell to Matt's simple long range rigs.

A long, steady and dogged fight lead to yet another very big carp nestling in the deep landing net

Could this one be even bigger than the last one? The Roubens would soon tell us. The scales bounced around the 20lb mark and as they settled we all saw Matt had his second PB in a row at 20lb 8oz!

Another carp, another PB!

The pressure mounts

Lyndon and Dave, despite fishing the same baits, spod mixes and ranges were just getting liners with no real takes. You could sense the pressure on the bank. No one wants to blank, especially when you are fishing with your mates! Rigs were brought in, re-baited and re-cast regularly to no avail.

Then without warning Lyndon's right hand rod screamed off. Lyndon was on it in a flash and soon his Greys X-flites took on their full fighting curve.

All too soon the carp managed to shed the hook. What can you do except reel in, re-bait and try again?

The day was racing to an end. Matt had so far had two carp on the bank, Lyndon had hooked one and lost it and Dave had just watched his bobbins dance with line bites. At this time of the day it's important to stay focused as the carp could come onto the feed at any time. Without any warning an alarm screamed behind us as. We all turned to see Matt's right hand rod screaming off again. This time the fish was determined it was not coming in and made many long hard runs, stripping line off Matt's reels and doing its best to melt the Shimano clutch. Matt took the pressure in his stride and calmly played what felt a very large fish into the bank and waiting landing net.

In the fading light as we lifted a very lumpy carp to the unhooking mat the fish looked big. The rig was removed from the carp and it was carefully lifted into a weigh sling and placed onto the Rubens. The needle swung wildly around as the carp struggled in the sling. As it settled the scales stopped at 21lb, another PB! That makes three consecutive personal bests in one day.

What a result, three winter twenties in an afternoons session!

The day draws to an end

As the light fades and the temperature starts to drop everyone resigns themselves to the fact that we have to pack up to get home. The three amigos have got a long journey home and need to get their kit packed away. With much reluctance tackle is slowly picked up and packed away. Dave had his back to the water when his left had rod burst into life.

The new Century NCS and even newer Shimano Ultegra MgS at last were being put to the test

The NCS easily handled the angry carp as it strove to escape. The power of the Shimano winched the fish yard by yard closer to the bank. Dave was being very cool and taking everything very carefully as this was his last chance. The carp fought hard for nearly five minutes and had been drawn to within 10 yards of the bank. Due to the low light levels we were unable to see the fish as it fought hard in the deep margins. Then, disaster struck as without warning the hook pulled.

At that point I felt for Dave and shared the immense frustration you can easily feel at losing a carp at the last moment. To my delight Dave was not concerned about losing the fish and went onto say that he'd really enjoyed the day, learning much from the coaching and shared Matt’s obvious elation in catching such lovely carp. The day was after all a coaching day with the emphasis on coaching techniques and practices. Putting these to use and bagging a winter whacker is just the icing on the cake!

Job done. Three happy carp anglers make their long drive home to sunny Dorset. Rigs have been discussed and techniques have been demonstrated and practised. Hopefully lessons have been learnt and will be put into practice in their future fishing. If these guys continue striving to improve their fishing skill at the rate they are, they'll be emptying every lake they decide to fish on!

Tight lines guys - look forward to sharing some quality bank time with you again in the future.

HOW TO: Tie a mono or flouro hooklength

2008-02-10T18:45:00.001Z

Mono and fluorocarbon hook lengths give us a whole range of interesting setups and are often overlooked in favour of coated braids. Fluorocarbon line has a light refraction level similar to water which means that when it is immersed it becomes almost invisible.

However, fluorocarbon has its down sides, one being its wiry or springy nature. This allows the knotless knot to loosen when under pressure (e.g. whilst playing a carp) which causes the line to sheer on the gap in the hook eye. There is a very simple and effective solution to this which I intend to show you how to overcome.

What you need

Hook length

Hooks

Scissors

Method

Step 1
Cut off enough hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the mono I use 30-35cm. Tie a loop using an Over-hand knot in the stripped end of your selected hooklength material.

This loop is for your boilie stop to secure the boilie in place

Step 2
Now set the hair length

Step 3
Whip towards you nine or ten times down the shank of the hook. Try to keep whipping neat.

Step 4
Now whip back up three times over the first whipping to lock the knot in place.

Step 5
Pass the tail back down through the eye of the hook and pull knot tight.

Step 6
Set your rig length and tie an overhand loop knot or figure of eight knot to finish the rig.

Now add the bait to the rig which is now properly tied with the whippings now locked in place no more snapped hooklength.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Set up a running rig

2008-01-26T18:25:00.002Z

The running lead is possibly the most effective and simple carp lead system you can use. The common problem of bite definition when using side clip lead systems and slack lines are completely done away with when using a running rig which always gives positive indications on the bobbin. This setup is also offers good tangle-proof properties.

What you need

- Rig tubing
- Size 8 ring swivels
- Buffer beads
- Scissors

Method

Step 1
Cut the required length of rig tubing. At one end, cut the rig tubing at a 45 degree angle. This will help when inserting the rig tubing into the buffer bead.

Step 2
Place your lead onto the main line

Step 3
Push your main line through the rig tubing until it appears at the far end.Now put the buffer bead onto the line.

Step 4
Tie the size 8 ring swivel onto the main line with a Palomar knot.

Step 5
Pull the tied swivel into the buffer bead and push the rig tube into the back of the buffer bead

Step 6

Your finished setup should look like this.

Simply add a quick link to the ring swivel, attach your hooklength and bait to the quick link and you ready to cast out and start fishing.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Setup a side-clip system using rig tubing

2008-01-23T19:08:00.000Z

The lead clip system is possibly one of the most popular lead systems and is used by the vast majority of carp anglers today. They are designed to eject the lead should it become tethered whilst playing the fish so using a side-clip in your rig is critical to fish welfare.

It's easy to put this system together incorrectly so the leads will not eject and the fish will become permanently connected to the snag. In this article I will show you how to correctly assemble a side-clip system to ensure complete fish safety.

Side clips can be put together using rig tubing or by using a leader. In this article I will show you how to use rig tubing, but see my other article "How to set up a side-clip system using a leader" for an alternative method.

What you need

- Rig tube
- Size 8 ring swivels
- Lead clips
- Tail rubbers

- Safe zone leaders
- Swivel lead
- Sharp scissors

IMPORTANT NOTE:
It is vital that you use a single manufacturer's products to build your side-clip system. Different manufactures components are not always compatible with one another.

Method

Step 1
Cut the required length of rig tubing. At one end, cut the rig tubing at a 45 degree angle. This will help when inserting the rig tubing into the lead clip tail rubber.

Step 2
Push your main line through the rig tubing until it appears at the far end.

Step 3
Now thread the tail rubber...

...and the side clip onto the main line.

Step 4
Tie the size 8 ring swivel onto the main line with a Palomar knot.

Step 5
Pull the swivel into the lead clip. The swivel should be a tight fit and you should hear and feel the swivel pass over a ridge in the lead clip housing.

It is very important that the swivel is a tight fit in the lead clip. If yours is not tight then you can use a small piece of fishing line slipped down along the side if the swivel as it is drawn in to tighten the fit.

Step 6
Select the swivel lead you require and place a small amount of silicone sleeve over the bottom of the swivel to help minimize tangles. Then place the lead into the lead clip.

Step 7
Wet the tail rubber prior to pushing it into place.

Step 8
With the lead in place wet the ridged section of the clip and slide the tail rubber over the ridges. It is very important that you do not force the tail rubber completely over the ridges as this will stop the lead from ejecting. Only push the tail on 3 or 4 ridges at most as shown. Finally, push the rig tubing into the back of the tail rubber.

Your rig is now complete! A safe and effective side-clip system.

Simply add a quick link to the ring swivel, attach your hooklength and bait to the quick link and you ready to cast out and start fishing.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Setup a side-clip system using a leader

2008-01-23T18:57:00.001Z

The lead clip system is possibly one of the most popular lead systems and is used by the vast majority of carp anglers today. They are designed to eject the lead should it become tethered whilst playing the fish so using a side-clip in your rig is critical to fish welfare.

It's easy to put this system together incorrectly so the leads will not eject and the fish will become permanently connected to the snag. In this article I will show you how to correctly assemble a side-clip system to ensure complete fish safety.

Side clips can be put together using leaders or by using rig tubing. In this article I will show you how to use a leader, but see my other article "How to set up a side-clip system using rig tubing" for an alternative method.

What you need
- Safe zone leaders
- Size 8 ring swivels
- Lead clips
- Tail rubbers
- Silicon tube
- Swivel lead
- Heavy latch needle

IMPORTANT NOTE:
It is vital that you use a single manufacturer's products to build your side-clip system. Different manufactures components are not always compatible with one another.

Method

Step 1
Thread the side clip onto the heavy latch needle

Step 2
With the side clip on the heavy latch needle insert the loop of the leader into the latch and slide the side clip onto the leader.

Step 3
Thread the tail rubbers onto the heavy latch needle. Now with the tail rubber on the heavy latch needle insert the loop of the leader into the latch and slide the tail rubber onto the leader

and slide the clip and tail up the leader.

Step 4
Now pull the swivel into the lead clip, the swivel should be a tight fit and you should hear and feel the swivel pass over a ridge in the lead clip housing. It is very important that the swivel is a tight fit in the lead clip if yours is not tight then you can use a small piece of fishing line slipped down along the side if the swivel as it is drawn in to tighten the fit.

Step 5
Select the swivel lead you require and place a small amount of silicone sleeve over the bottom of the swivel to help minimize tangles.

Step 6
With the lead in place wet the ridged section of the clip and slide the tail rubber over the ridges. It is very important that you do not force the tail rubber completely over the ridges as this will stop the lead from ejecting if the lead becomes tethered. Only push the tail on 3 or 4 ridges at most the tail rubber is shown about four ridges in.

Your rig is now complete!

All that's left is to tie the leader to your mainline (a grinner knot is good for this) then add a quick link to the ring swivel, attach your hook length and bait and you are ready to cast out and start fishing.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Tie a stiff link rig

2008-01-18T19:58:00.000Z

The stiff rig has been around for a few years now and has proved itself as an efficient pop-up rig. You only have to look at the angle the hook sits to see why. I can show you how to make it even better!

99% of anglers who use loops for stiff rigs employ the traditional figure of eight knot, blissfully unaware that have severely weakened the line. When using large diameter line for stiff rigs the strength of the line is usually sufficient to play and land most fish. However, imagine playing a large carp, you think it may even be big enough to smash your PB! It turns at the net when the tackle is at full stretch and *SNAP* your line breaks right on that bulky knot. Let me show you how to avoid weakening your line and play every fish with the confidence that your terminal tackle is as strong as it possibly can be.

What you need

Tackle
- Suffix Supple Link 20lb mono
- Sink Link uncoated braid

- Hooks

- Size 11 ring swivels

Tools
- Scissors
- Baiting needle
- Bait stop

Method

Step 1
With the sharp scissors cut of a length of the Suffix supple link Mono. Tie a simple over-hand knot in one end but don’t close the knot down yet.

Step 2
Pass the tail back though the open over-hand knot.

Step 3
Wind the leading line four times around the standing line below the open knot.

Step 4
Pass the line back through the open knot.

Step 5
Pull the loop and tag-end together to form a round loop. Trim the tail and the loop is ready.

Step 6
Now with a three turn grinner-knot, tie on a size 11 ring swivel. Tie the mono to the ring.

Step 7
Cut 20cm of ESP Sink Link braid and pass though your hook to leave a loop at the back of the hook long enough for the size of the bait you intend to use.

Step 8
Now tie a standard knotless knot.

Not sure how? Read my article, "How to tie a knotless knot".

Step 9
To set the length of the supple link simply tie a figure of eight knot in the double ends and trim off the excess braid.

Step 10
Pass through the eye on the size eleven ring swivel and pass the hook between the two lengths of braid to cause it to lock onto the ring swivel.

Step 11
Add your favorite pop up boilie to the hair.

Step 12
Add some Gardner putty to the swivel body to counter-balance the pop up.

Your rig is now complete with a stiff stand off boom and a super supple link.

This rig is devastatingly effective in the right situations. The large loop in the stiff boom will allow a free movement of the bait which should fool the most rig-shy carp. This combined with the free movement of the supple braid is a devastatingly effective rig.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Splice lead core

2008-01-04T21:08:00.000Z

Lead core is simply a thin lead wire covered by a braided sheath and has been used by anglers for many years. It is remarkably adaptable, well suited to making hook lengths as well as strong and abrasion-resistant leaders which sit naturally on the lake bed, out of the way of feeding fish.

Lead core has a reputation for being difficult to splice but I aim to show you in a few steps that this doesn't have to be the case.

What you need
Tools
1. Super glue
2. Scissors
3. Splicing needles
4. Rig pullers

Tackle
1. Lead core

Method
Step 1
Cut your required length of leadcore using the scissors. Then fold back the end 20cm parallel with the main leadcore.

Step 2
Push the outer braided skin back to expose 8 cm of the inner lead wire, and break this off.

Step 3
With the 8cm of lead wire broken off allow the braid to slip back over the lead wire so you end up with 8cm of braid with no wire inside it.
Now inset the splicing needle at the point where the braid skin meets the start of the lead wire to a depth of 3.5cm.

Step 4
Now pass the splicing needle out through the braid.

Step 5
Place the end of the braid skin into the gate of the splicing needle and gentle ease the needle back pulling the skin into the braid.

Step 6
Gentle pull the splicing needle back through the braid until it is all the way through.

Step 7
Now tease the loop in the braid until you get the correct size you need. When you have the correct size tension the loop with a rig puller until the braided loop is tight.

Step 8
Once you are happy with the loop super glue the braid to lock it in place.

Repeat steps 1 to 8 to have a lead core leader with a loop at both ends, or alternatively follow the next steps to place a swivel at the other end of the leader.

Step 9
With the other end of the leader follow steps 1 to 4. Now add a swivel onto the splicing needle before you pull the braid back into it self.

Step 10
Gently pull the splicing needle back through the braid until it is all the way through.

Step 11
Once you are happy with the loop super glue the braid to lock it in place.

Now you have the perfect leadcore leader. With this skill you can now easily make a leader to suit your exact requirements at a fraction of the cost of shop made leaders.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Tie a knotless knot

2007-12-26T00:43:00.000Z

A knotless knot is at the heart of carp anglers rigs. This simple rig is devastatingly effective and if tied correctly ensures positive self hooking capabillities.

What you will need
Tools
1. Sharp braid scissors
2. A braid stripper (if using coated braid)
3. A baiting needle
4. Rig pullers

Tackle
1. Hooks
2. Hooklength
3. Heat shrink
4. Fine diameter silicone tube
5. Bait stops

Method
Step 1
Cut enough hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the braid about 30-35cm is fine. Then strip about 12cm of coating off the braid.

Step 2
Tie a loop using an over-hand knot in the stripped end of your selected hooklength material. This loop is for your boilie stop to secure the boilie in place.

Step 3
Using a boilie needle, thread the bait onto the hair.Because I am using two boilies on this hair I have left a very long loop. This will hold both boilies in place and ensure they don’t move during the cast and therefore change the mechanical properties of the setup.

Step 4
Once the boilie has been threaded on to the hair a boilie stop is pushed through the loop to secure the boilie in place.

Step 5
Thread a small piece of silicone tubing on to the hooklength and then on to hook. Adjust the length of the hair to your desired length; 1-2cm from the bend of the hook is a good starting point.

Once you have got the required hair length, pass the hooklength down through the eye of the hook.

Step 6
Start whipping the knotless knot by winding the hooklength towards you as shown. This is to prevent the hooklength from getting trapped and cut by the gap in the hooks eye as it meets the shank of the hook.

Step 7
Make a minimum of 6 turns down the shank of the hook, trying to keep the line tidy, then pass the hooklength down through the eye of the hook before you tighten down.

Make sure your hair is lying along the back of the hook and the knot is neat, now pull the knot down tight.

Step 8
Cut a 15mm length of clear heat shrink, pass it over the hooklength and down over the eye of the hook such that it is just covering the end of the knot.

Carefully steam the heat shrink down over a kettle and allow to cool. Whilst cooling, hold the hook and pull the hooklength down to form a gentle downward-facing kick.

Step 9
Now tie an overhand knot in the end of the hooklength, setting the length you require at the same time. Trim off the excess hooklength.

Step 10
Test the strength of you rig to ensure it is safe to fish with by using a set of rig pullers.

Once you are happy with your rig you can connect it to your lead system and cast it out to the hungry carp!

Tight lines!

Anglers Mail feature - Mission accomplished with a winter twenty

2007-12-25T23:45:00.000Z

A chance meeting at the Ringwood & District Anglers Association (RDAA) 2007 fishing show with Ian Welsh, a feature columnist for the Angler's Mail, got us talking about the difficulties anglers face catching large Carp in the cold winter months. Soon after we met on the bankside in late November 2007 at Cemex's Thorpe Lea in Egham. Our target for the day - to bag a winter twenty - behind the camera lens!

The resulting article was published in the December 11th issue of the Anglers Mail. See how we got on by clicking on the pages below to read the full story.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Spod

2007-12-22T18:08:00.000Z

Spodding is a bait delivery system which allows accurate baiting of a very wide variety of baits. There is no quicker way of delivering bait than a spod (besides a bait boat which I'll talk about in a future article). If done correctly, spodding can produce large bags of fish.

Rods and reels
When filled with bait a large spod can weigh as much as 6-7oz, far to much for the average carp rod to cast, so a dedicated spod rod with a test curve of 4lb or more is required. Most manufacturers now offer a bespoke spod rod in their range.

I use a Greys Marker spod rod which is a 12’ rod with a 4lb test curve

A large spooled reel is essential to take the strain out of spodding. These big reels will make casting and retrieving the spods a lot easier.

I use a Shimano GTX 8000 reel filled with low diameter non stretch floating braid (Whiplash Pro) in 30lb breaking strain. Even at 30lb breaking strain the braid has the same diameter as 5lb mono.

The spool of braid should always be wetted before you start casting to minimize wind knots. The floating braid makes gathering the line after the cast really easy and assists in lifting the spod onto the plane during the retrieve of the spod.

It is important to note that the spool must not be filled to the lip of the spool as you would with mono as you will suffer from wind knots during the cast

When using braid you must always use a leather finger stool or a golfing or dedicated casting glove to protect you casting finger from the braid.

Leaders
When casting a heavy bait filled spod you need a leader that will take the stress of the cast. Many manufacturers make very good leader material in both mono and braid.
This leader not only protects against snapping the line during the initial stages of casting but also helps to protect your fingers against line cuts.

I have been using Korda Arma-Kord in the 50lb breaking strain

The leader is connected to the mainline with a double grinner knot

Spods
A spod is like a large groundbait feeder blocked off at one end, often as large as a coke can. Unlike a groundbait feeder the spod has a buoyant nose cone which when filled with bait and cast into the lake causes the spod to tip and therefore self-empty.

A wide range of spods are available to suit most baiting needs

Accuracy
When we know where we want to place our bait and our marker float is sat in the required position in our swim (see my article "Feature finding with a marker float") its time to range the spod to the marker float. We do this by replacing the spod with a heavy lead and casting at the marker float until we land the lead next to the spod with our rod held vertically, cushioning the cast.

With the lead still out in the lake, place the line in the line clip and mark the line. It is now trapped behind the line clip so it is essential to feather the casts with the spod by holding the rod vertically. This prevents the spod from stopping too abruptly and bouncing back towards you and therefore potentially causing line-breaks and damage to the line clip on the spool.

Set the range to spod to using a marker float

Tying a marker knot with pole elastic

Pole elastic marker knot now in position which slides freely through the eyes

Knot lays neatly onto the spool and does not impair the cast

Placing the line in the line clip ensures the spod lands at the same range on every cast

Filling
Spods can be used to delivery a wide rand and variety of baits. To get the best accuracy when we are spodding it is critical we do not overfill the spod.

Overfilled spods do not fly straight and will want to tumble during flight

Loose baits like pellets, maggots and small boilies (particles) will if not trapped in place fall out the back of the spod during casting (known as spod-spill). To stop this you can use a little plug of ground bait or a couple of large PVA nuggets in the back of the spod.

Cap the spod with a groundbait plug to prevent spod-spill during casting

Casting
Cast out your spod towards your marker-float, overhead style. During the cast it is important that you cast with enough power to just get past the marker float. After releasing the line on the cast pull the rod back to the vertical position. As you feel the line tighten quickly drop the rod forward to the horizontal to allow you to cushion the cast and ensure better accuracy and prevent line snapping and breaking the line clip off the reel spool. When the spod hits the water it should hit with a slap on a tight line, this takes a lot of practice but ensure the minimum amount of disturbance to the swim.

Cast out your spod towards your marker-float, overhead style

Allow the spod time to settle and the feed chance to escape the spod

Give the rod a couple of short sharp pulls to agitate the spod and assist the feed to exit the spod

A nice tight bed of maggots and ground bait, right ontop of your marker

When the spod is empty, lift you rod and reel fast and smooth to retrieve the spod. Always try to get the spod to come up onto the surface of the water as quickly as possible. This will it easier to retrieve and make the process less tiring.

Have fun with your new spodding skills and remember - you can always add bait to your swim but you can't remove it.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Feature find with a marker float

2007-12-02T16:56:00.002Z

No two lakes are the same, indeed no two swims are the same. When we look at the lake we are intending to fish, all we can see is a flat sheet of water. Without knowing what we are about to cast into how can we understand what rig will be most effective for the conditions we are placing our rigs into? The best method of feature finding is with a marker float, braid and a dedicated rod that has been specially designed for the task.

View the movie version of this article »
...or continue reading below for more in-depth information.

Rods
The marker rod should be able to cast as far as your normal carp rods can cast. There is no point in skimping on this as you will not be able to feature find at your full casting range.

I use a Greys Marker rod which is a 12' rod with a 2.75lb test curve. This rod is designed specifically for use as a marker rod and has 6" and 12" marked graduations above the reel seat to allow accurate depth measurement.

Greys 12' Marker rod, specially designed for the task

Graduations of 6" and 12" allows accurate depth measurement

Reels
A large spooled Shimano Bigpit reel is filled with low diameter non-stretch, floating braid (Whiplash Pro) in 30lb breaking strain. At 30lb breaking strain the braid has the same diameter as 5lb mono which makes it easy to cast.

The braid having no stretch will allow you to feel the nature of the lake bottom, be that the "rattle" of a pebbles or the smooth drag of silt, the braid will transmit everything through to the tip of your rod.

Shimano Bigpit reel filled with low diameter non-stretch, floating braid

The spool must not be filled to the lip (as you would with mono) and should always be wetted before casting to minimize wind knots

Leads
There are leads available on the market that are specifically designed for the purpose of feature finding. However, as long as the lead is heavy enough to cast to the range you are fishing to most leads will work.

Grubber lead from Wychwood - specially designed for feature finding

Floats
A whole range of floats are available to cover most eventualities:
- Close up work
- Extreme range
- Weed
- Difficult light conditions

The float needs to be buoyant enough to pull the braid through the rig ring and rise to the surface, whilst not being too big so that it impairs the cast

The Setup
The lead is attached to a 12" stand off boom which comprises a quick connector at one end which the lead connects to a large eye ring at the other.

We have a stand-off boom to prevent weed from blocking the running eye. The eye allows the line to pass freely through and connect to the marker float.

How do you use a marker float?
Once you have set up your marker-float its time to explore your swim. If you're searching for a known feature then choose a point of reference on the far side of your swim or horizon, like a tree, pylon or church spire. If you don't have any prior knowledge of your swim then fan out your casts in an arc to eventually cover the whole swim, making note of a point of reference for each cast.

Cast out your marker-float, overhead style, beyond where you think the underwater feature is by aiming for your chosen point of reference

Once the lead hits the surface of the water quickly flick over the bail-arm and wind up any slack so that you're in direct contact with the lead and marker-float. Keeping the rod tip high, let the rod gently lower as the lead pulls the tip down. Feel the lead and marker-float dropping through the water, this is where a braid shock-leader and main-line is advisable.

What can you feel?
When the lead touches down on the lake bed you'll feel the vibrations traveling up the braid and down the rod to your hand. Mono has too much stretch which suppresses the vibrations.

Touch-down
The feel of the touch-down depends on what the lake bed consists of in that place. For example, if you feel a ‘knock’ then you’ve probably found gravel. If you feel a firm ‘thud’ then you’ve found clay. If you feel a soft ‘thud’ then you’ve found silt. If you feel the lead gently coming to rest on the lake bed without a ‘thud’ then you’ve found weed.

Lead retrieval
Once the lead has touched down you then turn side-on to the water, pointing the rod at 90 degrees to the marker-float and tightening up.

By using the rod only, pull the lead and marker-float along the lake bed about 3 yards at a time

The feelings/vibrations that come up from the lead will give you an indication of what the lakebed consists of. For example, if you feel a constant knock, knock, knock, then you’re pulling the lead across gravel and the rod tip will bounce quite violently. If it feels like the lead is ‘sticking and skipping’ across the lakebed, then you’re pulling the lead across clay. If it feels like the lead is being pulled through ‘porridge’, then you’re pulling the lead through silt.

If the lead starts to snag up and gets harder and harder to pull along, then you’re in weed; you can actually feel the strands of weed snapping as you do this. When you’ve found say gravel, you can then explore how long or wide it is by casting past it or either side of it using your points of reference on the far bank or horizon and by using a marker on your line.

When you have found a feature you like the feel of, stop winding. Holding the rod at 90 degrees to the marker-float, loosen the clutch and pull line from the spool 12” at a time whilst watching for the float to surface.

When you see the float, make a note of the depth

Continue this process until you have a good idea of the underwater features you have in front of you. Log these features and depths in a book so that you can quickly fish to these features in future sessions.

Marking the range

Tieing a marker knot with pole elastic

Pole elastic marker knot now in position, slides freely through the eyes

Knot lays neatly onto the spool and does not impair the cast

Master these simple techniques to ensure you get the best from your swim. With this knowledge you can ensure your rig is right for the type of lake bed and your bait is placed in the optimum position to ambush those hungry carp.

Tight lines!

HOW TO: Feature find with a marker float

A weekend at Welli

2007-11-15T11:25:00.000Z

Anyone who is a keen carp angler would know that Wellington Country park is the UK mecca for catching very large carp. The opportunities to fish at Welli are as rare as winning the National Lottery! So when Trevor (Affectionately known as TT) offered me a 36 hour session with him I jumped at the chance.

For those of you who do not know about the venue it’s about 20 acres in size situated in lovely quiet countryside about 4 miles outside Reading. The average depth is around 4.5 feet with the water being very clear which promotes prolific weed growth. This water is home to many very large carp to 47Lb. Many top name anglers fish Wellington and its not uncommon to meet then when you are there.

A nice pair of Welli whackers!

Welli was featured in one of the most recent Korda DVD’s and is always in magazines without being directly named. Most days you can spot an angling celebrity fishing there.

TT and I arranged to meet at 7.00am on Saturday morning at the main gates, for me 7.00am could not come quickly enough after a sleepless night. After what seemed like an eternity TT eventually arrived and after the usual meet and greet we unlocked the gates and drove to the angler’s car park.

With just four cars in the car park we knew that the best swims would possibly be taken. Both of us loaded up the barrows and headed off to the lake with much anticipation but sure enough the better swims on the lake were already taken. TT made the decision to set up on the grassy bank area so we turned our barrows around and set about the long walk to the grass bank area of the lake. The spot we chose gave us good coverage of the water.

With three rods out each we could ambush the carp as they swam from one end of the lake to the other

The tactics
Due to the abundance of weed it was 12.30pm before I got my last rod into the water. Confident in the spots I had chosen I set about baiting up.

The left hand rod was positioned at about 60 meters out and 20 meters of the bank to my left hand side. This made baiting a simple matter of walking around the lake and catapulting boilies onto the spot.

1Kg of Dynamite boilies were catapulted onto the spot

My second rod was placed at 90 meters straight out in front, too far to reach with the catapult so out came the trusty Grey's spod rod. 20 or more casts later I had deposited another kilo of Dynamite tiger nut boilies over my hook bait.

The third rod was a roving rod and used the same rigs and bait but was set up with PVA ground bait sticks and was cast to showing fish.

Special G ground bait and crushed tiger nuts mixed with tiger nut oil made up my stick mix ingredients

Rigs were very simple - Korda side-clip systems were used to eject the leads quickly due to the weed problems. Safe zone leaders helped the side clip systems work well and pinned everything down on the lake bed.

Size 6 Kamasan Maxx Barbel hooks were tied to Suffix Camo Skin 15lb braided hook lengths.

The rigs were made up deliberately very long 13” to help bait presentation allowing the bait to settle as naturally as possible on the weedy lake bed. A long hair was used with a small Korda micro ring giving a claw rig set up.

A long length of heat shrink tube was used to give a simple kicker at the eye of the Maxx Carp hooks

The going bait on Welli is Dynamite Monster tiger nut boilies in 10mm, 15mm, 18mm and 20mm sizes both shelf life and freezer baits. To complement this I had some Dynamite 15mm pop ups and tiger nut liquid.

The fishing
For the first 24 hours the rods and bobbins sat in perfect symmetry only moving when either a weed bed drifted into the line or a coot thought it was a carp and picked up my bait. Don’t you just love coots?!

No carp yet no runs yet but we were looking good

TT was getting bored so he decided to do some swim clearance. The floating weed was a real nightmare. TT managed to create a weed mountain nearly 3 foot high and six foot long.

We were surrounded by the most beautiful country side and with the carp on a go slow we were able to fully enjoy these exquisite surroundings.

The lake had been very quiet for the preceding weeks and our session followed that slow trend. However a few carp gave us a demonstration of jumping and crashing out of the water more akin to dolphins than carp.

All too soon it was our last morning our rods had remained upon there rests and no carp had bothered us. As we lazily sat in the warming autumn sun, without warning TT left hand rod burst into life as the clutch on his Shimano Technums went into overdrive as a fit carp tried to escape.

TT jumped into action grabbing the rod as he lifted into a powerful carp, his Free Spirit rod took on a full and healthy curve

Our expectations were very high could this be a 30 or maybe one of the lakes many 40's. The fish was skillfully played into the margins.

Due to the very shallow margins TT decided to net the fish himself

The carp was soon being looked after on TT's very old but strangely hardly used unhooking mat

TT manged to hold the lovely common up for the cameras before letting him back to his watery home.

TT assures me that this is his happy look!

This superb miniature common will grow to one of Wellington country parks much larger residents in years to come

With just a couple of hours left to go before we had to start packing up our tackle it was my turn to get a screaming take from the left hand rod. I lifted the rod from the Delkim and felt a heavy fish but immediately the line went slack; I had managed to drop the fish. When I eventually reeled in the rig, the pop up bait had managed to get impaled upon the hook point, preventing the hook from catching the carp properly. Oh well maybe next time.

The session went very well. Only one fish caught but the setting, atmosphere and the company had made this for me an excellent weekend session that will remain in my thoughts for many years to come. TT learnt a whole raft of new rigs ideas and concepts and I am sure if he keeps practising he will become a very confident angler. Thanks TT for a great weekend.

Tight lines!