Category Archives: Fishing Strategies

Carp Fishing Baits And Tackle Best Proven For Big Fish Confidence And Success!

You do not have to be a big name high profile angler to be able to offer advice – after all literally anything you have learnt, adapted or refined in your own fishing that has helped you catch fish can be passed on to others to help them – often to very great effect! Unique experiences, insights and understanding from decades of fishing is extremely valuable and just one tip can make a quantum leap in your catches – so read on now!

Many anglers on the bank are completely dependant upon using readymade baits but are frustrated because they still do not catch the numbers of fish they desire. Ready made baits have made a massive difference in carp fishing – a complete beginner can simply buy everything, from all the tackle he needs, to bait, fishing tickets and venue information and methods to fish venues etc. But even experienced anglers get fixated by their baits and definitely get into a mental rut about them – and this really limits their catches considerably!

Speaking yesterday with an experienced angler at one north Kent water yesterday gave me a fine example of how we can become the actual barrier to our own fishing success! This guy had explained to me how the particular water was hard. Well I never take much notice of that. Frankly it is up to each and every angler to think for himself and understand why a water is hard – usually it is because the anglers have conditioned fish to behave in certain defensive ways in response to their baits, rigs, methods of fishing and even sensitised them to almost every aspect of having anglers present on the bank – which the carp are highly aware of.

This guy was frustrated because he said that a few guys on the lake had banded together and were putting into the lake a quantity of popular readymade boilies – and they were catching good fish. He had tried the same bait and was struggling to catch moaning that he could not afford to put out much bait unlike these other anglers.

The mentality that this guy had formed meant that he had become fixated on what other anglers were doing and what bait they were using – and had completely stopped thinking like a fish – which is the most powerful mentality in carp fishing! (Far too many anglers I meet think like anglers – concentrating on what readymade bait they are going to be using and what new rig they will be trying that they saw in a magazine – and how beautiful their new spod rod and reel is – and so on!)

I was standing there on the bank when this angler I was talking to reeled in. He was fishing as stereotypically as possible. He had spodded-out into his swim a very standard mixture of whole readymade boilies and popular pellets and his rigs were round white readymade pop-up boilies on a rig of very standard material, dimensions and mechanics.

It was as if he had literally just finished reading a typical magazine article, and gone fishing copying the most fashionable parts of what he had seen and read – yet when I asked him why he was using what he was using as opposed to other tackle and baits his answer was basically that he had read and seen this stuff in the magazines – so it had to be good right! He did not actually understand what he was doing and why – therefore he was not maximising what he was doing to overcome the challenges the carp in the lake represented – because he was not actually solving problems and overcoming them – and so was not catching as many fish as possible!

Watching the lake it was clear that anglers were fishing in very stereotypical ways and were not assessing the major factors influencing fish behaviour on that very day. If they had been they would have been catching fish. The guy I was talking to told me that the water was hard. He explained to me that he wished he had the confidence to fish bread right next to the special duck feeding area that the public use to throw bread into the lake – and where carp are occasionally seen feeding knowing this is a safe no fishing area.

He expressed his frustration at not being able to simply put some bread on and cast into that area! In saying all this he was basically saying that he had very little confidence in his readymade boilies – and why should he when they were supposed to be so good, yet the carp could be seen feeding confidently in the safe area and yet fed much more cautiously over the boilies introduced!

I suggested it was not the bait that was the problem but the fact that this guy was fishing so stereotypically that the fish could very easily avoid his hook baits and avoid any suspicious baits with ease – while hovering up his free baits and moving on again! Much of this conversation really came down to a lack of confidence in the mind of this angler – because although he had the tackle and the baits he really did not understand what drove the fish behaviours – and how to get around their defence behaviours – or even re-programme new behaviours.

To be able to re-programme new fish behaviours might seem mad until you consider that anglers re-programme fish behaviours all the time by any and all aspects of their fishing activities. We have the power to re-programme fish yet the majority of carp anglers seem to be too focussed on copying other anglers and their baits and methods – that have already lost their edge by the time they get on them! Very often it only takes one negative experience with a bait for a fish to always be fearful of it – and this transmits to other fish too; this is no over-exaggeration!

Carp fishing magazines have a tremendous impact on the group mentality and perceptions of anglers as a whole. By that I mean that the majority take what they perceive to be the easy quick route to success by simply copying what they read – because that is human nature I guess – but in fact in carp fishing it is far more powerful to be unique in what you do and with the baits you use – and how you use them!

The most powerful starting point in carp fishing is not the bait or tackle but understanding the fish. When you understand in far greater detail what drives fish to behave the ways they do and why these behaviours change through a day,  a week, a season, you can really look at manipulating carp behaviours in your favour – and bait

substances can do this in an enormous range of ways! But of course a huge number of bait substances both well known and known by very few really do not get the attention they deserve in relation to the potentially incredibly powerful ways that they impact on water and on carp externally and internally do they?

Think about it – unfortunately because nearly every carp fishing magazine is a predominantly product-promoting vehicle that is where the focus of the articles is – or should I say advertorials, as the vast majority of anglers getting space in these magazines are so-called sponsored anglers! Magazines are a great way to learn but are also a great way to become totally confused.

So many different angling writers have different experiences, preferences and biased opinions about not only what tackle and baits to use but why and how to use them and this is to be expected because everyone is different. But having said that it seems that most anglers totally overlook that they are unique and different to everyone else – and appear to seek to fit in and do pretty much the same as everyone else. It actually would not matter if the topic of the magazines happened to be gardening, guitars, computer games or mobile phones, vintage car maintenance or whatever.

In many cases the writers insist that their justification for recommending certain products is that their products are the best – but all these things are of their time – and carp are constantly adaptive creatures that alter their behaviours when they get stressed by being hooked or simply get stressed by experiencing too much angling pressure.

I would really like to see far more focus on the fish again – in the early days before magazines proliferated the articles were certainly in many ways much more about the fish. I find it fascinating how individual carp develop and grow from unnoticed single and double figure fish and over the years begin to attract attention when their size or looks or other factors draw attention to them. Some fish are very interesting not for their size but for their behaviours. You might expect that the biggest fish in a water would be the hardest to catch but some of the smaller fish can actually be caught far less.

I consider that asking yourself why this is an extremely powerful method of improving your fishing success yet the answers to this question really revolve around all the major factors that influence fish behaviours.

When you consider that much bigger carp have far greater essential dietary requirements than smaller carp you can see how you can exploit this fact to your advantage. If fish are predominantly natural feeding fish then this can also be exploited – but of course you have to study your fish and get to understand this first to really make the most of it.

The guy I spoke to on the bank had shown his excitement when I mentioned some ideas in regards to adapting his readymade baits so they performed much more effectively. It is very easy to make a readymade bait unique and different enough to make fish feed far more confidently on them – as if you are literally the very first angler to use them on your lake – even if you are just about the last! One of the simplest ways to beat bait sponsored anglers is to adapt the popular readymade bait they are using so it become both a partially familiar but new bait at the same time.

Some of the lesser quick easy methods are using liquids. For instance you might soak your Mainline Cell boilies in CC Moore Feedstim XP liquid, or soak your Richworth Tutti Fruiti boilies in CC Moore Liquid Super Slop for instance. These are very mainstream ideas and I much prefer to actually change the nature and characteristics of readymade baits completely to form something new entirely.

For instance you might use a bait grinder to grind up some Solar Byt and Club Mix boilies, add to them some Richworth Salmon Supreme boilies and bind these up in CC Moore N-Gage base mix with CC Moore Feedstim XP and CC Moore Liquid Salmon and Krill Extract for instance. Binding materials can literally be anything but the point is that you will have created something new from popular baits that have a great track record.

But for me personally even doing this is false confidence but not because it will not be successful far from it, but this example is merely a totally random idea to offer fish something different. It does not take account of many factors that influence individual fish behaviours – because the starting point focus is products – and not the fish and their defensive behaviours.

For instance in the lake that I visited yesterday, the fish were very obviously fast approaching spawning time and were located spending much of their time filter-feeding on richly nutritional phytoplankton and zooplankton. Making very simple homemade baits using ingredients and additives related to such items such as seaweeds, spirulina, daphnia and vegetable extracts for instance is very simple.

Such baits will catch fish even if they contain just 2 ingredients – so they do not have to cover all nutritional angles at all! Think about it; a bait made from pre-digested yeast, peanut butter, LT94 fish meal and a little blood or blood plasma powder with CC Moore Liquid Red Venom for instance, is actually a very complex bait indeed when you consider what this bait offers nutritionally – and how it will impact on carp senses and how it will influence carp internally in your favour!

Bait texture is just one aspect you can obviously change at will to add different advantageous edges to your baits. For example why not try crushed mealworms and casters plus oat bran, whole rolled oats or even crushed or chopped sweets for example when making fresh baits on the bank? Such things really can make all the difference. How many baits do carp experience that are packed with crushed extra strong mints, chopped Liquorice Allsorts or chopped Haribo jelly sweets for instance?

Even a homemade bait made from ground catfish pellets bound with semolina, boosted with L030, pre-digested liver and concentrated liquid yeast for instance will be an instant winner – especially if you avoid using liquid eggs! If you need extra confidence when using pastes why not try using a percentage of ground CLO bird food and whole egg powder for instance (there are endless other possibilities) – use neat nutritional liquids maybe with additional blood powder to help binding and improve soluble impacts on the water surrounding the baits and increase impacts on carp sensory systems etc.

Making homemade baits to suit the day you fish is easy too and recipes can be very economical, fast and easy to make – so why not make your baits on the bank? Few anglers do this because it is not fashionable and because most anglers are just not thinking enough for themselves yet; but soon enough it will be fashionable. But why not do it right now – and gain vital competitive edges over carp and competing baits?

You can actually make very simple pastes that last over 20 or more hours immersion without any need for boiling, steaming or cooking of any kind – thus maximising nutritional attraction but just as importantly also boosting the impacts of unlimited bait substances diffusion into the water that seriously turns fish on! Read on to find out more! Revealed in my unique readymade bait and homemade bait carp and catfish bait secrets ebooks is far more powerful information – look up my unique website (Baitbigfish) and see my biography below for details of my ebooks deals right now!

By Tim Richardson.

Now why not seize this moment to improve your catches for life with these unique fishing bibles: “BIG CARP FLAVOURS FEEDING TRIGGERS AND CARP SENSES EXPLOITATION SECRETS!” “BIG CARP AND CATFISH BAIT SECRETS!” And “BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS!” For these and much more now visit:

http://www.baitbigfish.com

The home of the world-wide proven homemade bait making and readymade bait success secrets bibles and more unique free bait secrets articles by Tim Richardson!

Fishing Tips: How to Find Fish

Catching fish is easier to do when you know where they are. In this article on fishing tips we will give you some pointers to help you understand where fish live.

Fish are going to be everywhere there are water, food, oxygen, and protection. However there are different types of fish and they all live in different types of water. They all need different amounts of oxygen, salt, amounts of food, different water temperatures, in different areas to hide.

Salt is a particularly distinguishing characteristic for fish. Some fish prefer to be where there is a lot of salt why others do not want any salt at all. Some fish must have salt to survive while others are more of a freshwater type of fish.

North America is particularly known for the amount of fresh water lakes and ponds and streams. This is where you will catch carp, bass, bluegill, catfish, and other types of fish.

The opposite would be a fish that prefers salty water like you find in an ocean. Common types of fish you will find in salt water include cod, flounder, bluefish, trout, and tuna.

Oxygen is an important factor when it comes to the type of fish you will find. All fish need a certain amount of oxygen to survive. Trout for example need a larger amount of oxygen to survive. Anywhere there are lots of plants you will find higher levels of oxygen.

Some fish need more food to survive. Certain bodies of water will have more food than others and the types of food available vary as well. All fish need to eat and the amount of competition for the food affects the type of fish in that particular area.

Water temperatures vary and this determines the type of fish you will find as well. Some fish are more flexible than others and can live in a wide range of temperatures.

Other fish need either particularly warm or cold water to survive. Trout for example will only be found in cold water. If you are looking for a certain type of fish you need to learn about the type of water it prefers before fishing in that area.

Another factor that humans can directly impact is the quality of the water. Keeping it unpolluted is important and most fish need good water to survive.

This is a few fishing tips on how to find where fish are living. As you can see there are several factors including salt, oxygen, temperature, food, and the quality of water that all come into play.

William Hutchinson invites you to visit his Hobby Fishing Tips website for many more how to fishing tips to help you improve your fishing techniques and become a better fisherman. Visit his website now====> http://hobbyfishingtips.com

Carp Fishing Holidays in France

A milder climate and a large number of lakes make France the perfect location for carp fishing. The country is popular among Britons who travel across the Channel looking for a great catch. Some monster carp cross the 60 lbs mark, and are an angler’s delight. Depending on your budget and desired level of comfort, you ought to head out for some of the most beautiful lakes in France for a carp fishing holiday. Public lakes are inexpensive and considering that there are thousands across the country, you are sure to find a great catch since many are well stocked with carp. Permits are available at most angling shops or pubs. Apart from public lakes, there are a number of privately owned lakes open for carp fishing. They offer accommodations that vary from camp-style to the luxurious and the chances of finding a large stock of carp is relatively high around these lakes. Don’t forget to carry a fishing map which is very useful when you are looking for suitable carp habitat. Besides French owned lakes, there are a number of British-owned lakes that cater to anglers. However, these are more expensive. Some public lakes are administered by local private clubs that look after the welfare of the lake, and are responsible for the administration, maintaining carp stock, and collection of fees from visitors. They usually charge a lower fee for carp fishing. Prior to setting out on your carp fishing holiday make sure the venue has a good record, as you wouldn’t want to jeopardize your whole holiday. Call up the owner if you are heading for a private lake and get as much information as you can. If you are a novice, the secret is to start in smaller lakes and slowly wind your way to the larger waters, otherwise, you may be disappointed. There are plenty of tackle shops in France, however, make sure you leave with the basics in your fishing kit since there might not be a good shop near you. Carry extra hooks, leads, and make sure to carry enough bait. Some areas do allow night fishing so make sure you carry lamps, batteries, and gas. Rules and regulations vary at carp lakes where some allow three rods while other permit four. Tiger nuts are not allowed as bait in most locations. So make sure to check with the local authorities prior to settling down. April through October is usually the best time for carp fishing. Head for Bordeaux if you want to experience night fishing, where it turns cooler at night during summer months. Privately owned lakes such as L’Etang du Chef de Ville, Rainbow Lake, and Eden’s lake offer all inclusive packages and are worth a try provided your budget permits. They will take care of your every need so that you can enjoy your carp fishing vacation. Most are run by expert anglers that are at hand for some advice and tips on how to make a good catch.

For more information about carp fishing in France visit Cretelakes and look at the lakes.

Benefit From Bass Fishing Tips to Improve Your Catch Rate

To be able to fish for bass is a skill many anglers would love to have, but what is even more remarkable is fi you are an angler with a high success rate for catching bass. The best way of becoming successful in your bass fishing attempts is to pick up as many bass fishing tips as you can from the experts. Study these tips and incorporate them into your techniques. Like learning anything new, you will have to practice them and possibly put your own touches on them before them become automatic.

 

The first thing you should know about fishing for bass is the fish itself. You need to know what it eats, its habits, what type of water it is usually found in and what part of the lake is the best fishing spot. There are also several varieties of bass, such as:

– striper

– largemouth

– smallmouth

– spotted

– black, and

– sand bass

Each of these requires a different set of skills in order to have a successful catch. Therefore, it is essential that you know what type of bass inhabit the waters you are fishing.

 

Smallmouth and spotted bass prefer deep water, while largemouth and black bass can be found in either deep or shallow water. The season of the year in which you are fishing is also important because this will affect the feeding habits of the bass. In the spring, for example, carp is widely available in small sizes, so it would be to your advantage to use a gold or bronze colored lure in the shape of a carp at this time of the year. Shad is a regular staple when it comes to food for bass and this bait is hard for them to get in the summer months. This is something you should take into consideration when bass fishing in summer.

 

You should know the spawning season and where they like to hide along the riverbank. Some of the usual habitats include areas where trees have fallen into the river, cervices in the riverbank or areas of the river close to the shore where there are lots of weeds. Once you learn how to detect places where bass could be hiding you are well on your way to a successful catch.

 

Most anglers never bother with the electronics on their boats until they have been unsuccessful in getting a bite for a considerable amount of time. However, the best time to use the depth sounder to your advantage is when you do get a bite. Then you should check to see if there is a school of bass in the area and the location of your lure. Once you see where the fish is, then you can throw the lure out in this location.

 

You also need to match the water, the season and the location to the type of bass that you are after. Some prefer to eat worms and real bait while others are attracted by the shiny objects glistening in the water and you should use artificial lures.

For more great bass fishing tips and tricks,bassfishing techniques and lots of other information on how to bass fish visit http://www.BassFishingTechniques.net

Carp Fishing Techniques

 

Still NOT catching Big CARP, even though using the right bait?

We all need an extra edge to say ahead of the carp right?

With most newbie carp anglers chasing the latest carp fishing techniques, usually in the area of bait or the latest rig…But I doubt if many anglers have ever considered if the smell of their hands are affecting their catch results?

How about if you are using the same bait that other successful carp anglers are using and catching on at your lake but YOU are NOT?  

Read on this could just be the answer…

In 1979 just before I got started carp fishing, I was a member of the local fishing club, and the club had fishing rights to one small lake and a stretch of a canal.

They would hold regular friendly matches and outings.

I remember fishing with one guy who had just taken up course fishing the previous year, who always used to struggle, he used the same baits and methods as the successful anglers but to no avail, he results were dire.

On one particular memorable day fishing we sat in the same peg, we were both float fishing maggots, I was catching tench one after the other.

Feeling sorry for this chap, I let him plop his float six inches from mine, as he hadn’t had a sniff all morning!

Well can you believe it he still couldn’t get a bite!

So at that point I decided to take a break and remove my rod and line, and let him have the spot to himself while I have a sandwich and a hot tea from my flask…all he caught over the next hour was a couple of tiny roach. 

We discussed this ‘unlucky touch’ that he seemed to have, and could just not understand why he was not catching, it seemed so odd, especially when I replaced my rod in the same spot and immediately starting bagging up again! 

During the afternoon George one off the older members came by for a chat and to see how we were getting on. George had fished since he was a small boy and even now in his twilight years was keen as mustard!

He’s was always great company with plenty off stories to tell.

During our conversation I mentioned about my buddy (John) struggling even though he fished right in the same spot as me! 

George turned to John and said your ‘hands stink’!

We both looked at him totally puzzled…

John asked him what exactly, was he talking about.

He explained ‘You have something in the pores of your skin on your hands that the fish don’t like’ 

After discovering that John was an apprentice hair dresser, and the fact that his hands came into contact with the chemicals used for dying hair…

George explained this was likely the problem, that there were probably still traces of these chemicals in the skin pores.

When John baited his hook these chemicals were passed onto the bait and the fish were repelled by them…Hence why John was not catching!

He added over the years he’s known other anglers with the same problem, though he could not put his finger on the exact cause, as some had office jobs, their hands never came into contact with anything like chemicals or similar.

But when they wore surgical rubber gloves before baiting, there catch rates improved considerably. 

The obvious solution was to use rubber gloves…But what a pain!

George also added to prove that this was the likely cause we could do a little experiment right now, but we didn’t have any gloves…

No problem…was his reply.

Pointing to a tree behind us, he asked John to pick a couple of the green leaves of it and rub them well into the palm and fingers of his hands, until there was a ‘green film’ covering them. He explained that your hands now have more of a natural odour and should mask any repelling smells.

He instructed John to use the maggots from my bait box, as all the maggots in John’s bait box would all be contaminated.

We both cast out and waited with abated breath, we didn’t have to wait long…Yet again I caught a tench!

After re-casting out, and no more action for twenty minutes, we started to wonder if this ‘hands stink’ stuff was for real…

Just as I was ending the conversation by saying to John that it was probably a load of poppy cock…John’s float zoomed off under the waters surface! He struck into the fish…after playing the fish out, into the waiting net slipped in a large tench!

I was gob smacked!

We both caught about the same amount of fish up until the afternoon when the sun came out and put the fish off…

Totally amazing…! What a result for John! 

I ran into John towards the end of the season, and enquired about his ‘luck’ he told me since that ‘lucky’ chance meeting with the older member George and advice given he will be eternally grateful, as he has had consistent good catches ever since.

I believe this point is extremely important in carp fishing as carp are easily driven away by unpleasant smells/taste of bait, as they have a highly receptive sense of smell; the lining of their mouths contains chemically sensitive cells that allow it to determine whether food is good or bad. Carp also have taste buds on their barbules, pectoral and pelvic fins, underneath their head and along the length of their body. Which again would repel them should the taste be unpleasant.

It just takes little edges like this one that can make all the difference to your results.

 

Too Your Success, Good Luck and Tight Lines… 

 Dennis

  

Dennis R. Black…A Keen Carp Angler with over 30 years experience.
To find out more about Big Carp Fishing Secrets and obtain a FREE ‘How to Guide on Modern Carp Fishing DVD’ visit:
www.carp-fishing-techniques.co.uk