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CARP FISHING WITH MARC - By Marc

Seasonal Changes 2006 - Part 1

With runs drying up, Mr Carp getting harder to find & the winter weather becoming even less inviting, it was time to start thinking, debating, putting a few changes into my coming seasons quest.

I decided upon three areas of my fishing that needed a bit more concentration, modification etc. Terminal Tackle, Location and Bait. I chose these three points as like many other anglers we become lazy, “It worked last time, why change it”, “Everyone else is using this”. It’s so easy to fall into complacency but a few little changes can pay off big time!

I hope from reading this article you can pick up some ideas which may help you put a few extra carp on the bank.

Part One: The End Bits !

Terminal Tackle? Where do I start? We are bombarded by magazines, videos & crammed shelves full of all the latest gadgets & gizmos at the local tackle shop.

Don’t get me wrong I have tried, tied some of these space age rigs & had some great results, but I prefer to keep it simply with a few modifications.

Lets start with hooks, this past year I have switched to using Korda hooks, the wide gape & the long shank X. These hooks are incredibly strong & stay sharp even fishing over gravel, stone etc. The wide gape I have found to be perfect for fishing against weed & snags. They seem to be like a magnet in the carp’s mouth, absolutely brilliant. I have used other brands of hooks with a few problems, opening out on the bend, snapping at the bend etc.

Hook links have become a bit of a fashion accessory to me, manufacturers bring a new one out, I gotta have it !!

I prefer soft hook links, in various lengths, but I’m decreasing them in length.

During a visit to one of my local lakes, I had a quick walk round, visited the four other anglers in situ & got the same response from all of them “Its hard going Marc” not exactly what I wanted to hear!

This got me thinking & after a few searching questions a pattern emerged - they were all using hook links from 6”-9” in length with loads of freebies scattered around.

Rather than just getting my rods & casting to the hot spots I sat there for while, smoked a cigarette, deep in thought. I proceeded to take my rods out of the quiver & cut the long hook links off. I tied one rod with a link around 3” long & mounted a single 14mm boilie. The next rod I tied a link around 2” & mounted one piece of glugged maize & a small piece of yellow foam above it. The third rod I kept to the normal pattern I had been using in the past. All three rods had a small pva bag of chopped offerings attached & cast out to the likely spots.

I was hardly settled into my chair when the maize rod was off, not a monster fish but a carp all the same. I made another pva bag up & cast back out to the same spot (I all ways mark my line whether day or night). I had literally resat back down & poured a coffee out when the maize was off again, two runs in less than thirty minutes of fishing - this time an upper double graced my mat & the attention from the other anglers was growing. The nearest angler kindly did the photographs for me & as I slipped the fish back into the water the single 14mm boilie rod leapt into action, I was in again, another small double laid on the mat.

On returning the fish, the owner of the fishery popped over with two other anglers, all with the same question “What bait you on then mate”? I replied “Two fish on maize, one on boilie” there was a bit of head shaking going on in disbelief from the other anglers as they departed to their swims.

I went on to catch another four carp that day all from the short hook links, not one of the other anglers asked me about my presentation, just about the bait?

As I mentioned earlier I try to keep my hook links simple, eighty percent of the time I use the knotless knot with a small piece of tubing near the bend of the hook & a piece of heat shrink of about ¾”. The heat shrink I like placed opposite the point down the hooks shank & about ½” above the eye with a slight bend towards the point.

I have also been using a micro ring on the hook replacing the tubing - this does increase the weight of the hook towards the point & aids in hooking/turning of the hook when entering the carp’s mouth.

I do use combi-link materials too; however I do prefer to use them when fishing pop-ups.

If I want a stiff rig presentation I use amnesia (fluoro) rather than combi material.

I have had some blinding results from single bait popped up 2” from the lead.

This season all of my rigs incorporate the kwik change links that are available from most fishing tackle suppliers; they simply speed up all the process of swapping rigs & getting fishing again.

Another change I made this season was my lead arrangement, rather than follow all the other anglers with the semi fixed lead I started using running leads, leads with a stop bead 3” up the rig tube & the helicopter rig, all with different sized leads. Yes some rigs do rely on a heavy lead to function properly, but this season saw me use leads only heavy enough to reach the baited area.

My rig tube choice has to be Korda, the sinking version; they make various colours, its always super smooth & supple. Tungsten putty seems to grip to it beautifully too. Above the tubing I will normally place a flying back lead with a stop of about 3ft-4ft on the main line. I find these little weights great for pinning the last few feet of rig down to lake bed.

For the last two seasons I have been loading my reels with the unrivalled X-Line - it sinks like a brick, its fluorocarbon based, casts well & has yet to let me down.

I hope upon reading this you may get some useful tips, ideas to try out yourselves & please remember to keep your rigs safe!!!

By the way I’m not a Korda consultant; I just love & have 100% faith in their tackle.

Next time I’m going to have a natter about the bait changes I made during the season 2006.

Tight lines Marc

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Published in Carp Fishing Articles
10% off Grey's Marker and Spod Rods from Trev's Tackle 10% of Greys marker Rod

This week Trev's Tackle have a fantastic offer to share on Greys Spod & Marker Rods - Not only have we knocked 10% off the RRP on both rods, but we’ll also be giving away a fantastic Fox Horizon Marker Float with each Grey’s Marker Rod sold, or a fantastic Korda Skyliner Spod with each Grey’s Spod Rod sold!

Greys marker RodIn the modern carping age a marker rod is now an essential piece of kit. Using a marker rod will help give you a better understanding of the lake bed and enable you to find features such as depressions, gravel bars, weed beds and silt gullies. The rod tip is ground down for increased responsiveness making it ideal for finding those underwater features and contours such as gravel bars- silt areas and weed beds that are not visible to the eye.

The Marker rod features a powerful butt section which is able to cope with casting a 4oz lead attached to a marker float and achieve distances over 100 yards. The distance Marker rod- at 12' 6" - is designed for you to feature-find at distances over 100 yards with ease. It can cope with leads up to 5oz with a marker float but it can still be used at short range without any problem.

Both Rods Feature:

  • Depth markers at 6" and 12" for accurate depth measurement
  • SIC rings for use with braid or mono
  • Fuji NPS 20mm reel seat
  • Laser etched butt cap

Standard at £89.99
Distance at £107.99

Click here to buy Trev’s Combination Carp Kit DealPLUS FREE FOX HORIZON MARKER FLOAT!

Yep, buy any Grey’s Marker rod and get a versatile Fox Horizon Marker Float completely free of charge!

10% off Grey’s Spod Rod

Grey’s Spod RodThe two option Greys' Spod rod has become a common part in a carp angler's armoury and enables the angler to bait up well beyond catapult range. Neither rod features a test curve due to both rods ability to cast all spods on the market. This is achieved by each rod having a progressive power build-up within the blank. A lot of spod rods are so stiff it's virtually impossible to pull the tip round 90 degrees yet they are still rated with test curves! It's vital that the blank is progressively compressed by the spod in order for the rod to work properly and propel the spod into the distance.

The standard rod is ideal for mini rockets to large spods and is able to cast distances up to 80+ yards. The distance version is ideal for large heavy spods or when you're wanting to fish at distances of 90+ yards. Wet baits, big distances and large s! pods are what this rod is all about. There is a huge amount of power - compress the tip and release the power!

Both Rods Feature:

  • SIC rings for use with braid or mono
  • Fuji NPS 20mm reel seat capable of taking all big pit reels
  • Laser etched butt cap

Standard at £89.99
Distance at £107.99

PLUS FREE KORDA SKYLINER SPOD!

Yep, buy any Grey’s Spod rod and get a fantastic Korda Skyliner Spod completely free of charge!

UK FISHERMAN'S VERDICT

As usual Trev's Tackle have come up trumps with some excellent deals on Marker and Spod Rods. What are you waiting for - click the links above to get buying right now !!

To sign up for the newsletter and to browse all the tackle and bait on sale at Trev's Tackle, visit their website at: www.trevstackle.com

Submit a Sale Item: UK Fisherman would be delighted to here from you if you would like to comment on any of our sale items. To do so, use the comment box below.

Alternatively if you would to submit a sale item of your own, please visit the CONTACT page.
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