Monthly Archives: July 2010

Fishing Tips

carp books

Discover a Secret Amazing Carp Fishing Rig

Hello!

Like a lot of keen carp anglers I carp fish throughout the fishing season as much in winter as I do in the summer months, it was during one frustrating fishing session that I came up with this rig by pure chance last winter.

After an hour or so walking around the lake, I managed to find the carp, got set up found some likely areas to place baits, once baits were cast out and freebies scatted in the same area, all that was left was to have a fresh brew and soak up the early morning winter sun.

During the course of the morning I had carp activity in the spots that I was fishing, but to no avail the carp were not having it, the bait I was using was a proven home made boilie mix that always worked well for me in the winter months.

What was up with those wily carp?

Later in during the morning a pleasure angler friend turned up for a days fishing and set up in the next swim to mine, at least I could have some good company even though I was pulling my hair out!

While my friend set his gear up, I made us some much welcome hot tea.

Walking over to him with mugs of tea in hand, he was just finishing catapulting some maggots around his float. This is when I had a ‘light bulb’ idea – what about maggots for the carp?  They were used years ago but nobody seemed to use them for carp these days, so I thought I’d give them a go on one rod as I had nothing to lose.

After scratching my head for a rig to use the maggots with I came up with a rig along these lines…it has since proved a great success summer or winter.

How to make the rig – I tied a normal hook link about 18 inches long, the hook link was made from 12lb fluorocarbon line, the hook being a korda hybrid teflon coated wide gape size 8, at the other end I tied a size 10 berkley swivel.

Obtain a length of 2lb mono line about a foot long and a 12mm cork ball.

I simply threaded the length of 2lb line through the middle of the cork ball using a sewing needle, tied a slip knot around the cork ball, cut the short line tail off, now I tied the remaining 2lb line with cork ball attached, to the eye of the hook and whipped the 2lb line around the hook shank, the distance between bend of hook and cork ball was about 25mm. (this can be a little difficult with the cork ball in the way – you should be able to whip it around once and knot it so the 2lb line and cork ball follow directly from the back of the hook shank)

Now I picked up four maggots with one hand, holding the taper end of them, with my other hand I have a tube of super glue which I just dab on the maggots at the other end and stick them to the cork ball! Repeat this until the entire cork ball is covered in maggots – this hook link can be tied to any terminal tackle / lead weight combination of your choice. Now not forgetting your putty weight as this is a pop-up rig, place a small piece of lead-free putty or lead free shot on the hook link just below the hook eye and test it in the margin water, just so it sinks slowly, once it does you’re ready to go!   You may laugh at this rig – but it sure works.

During that winter session I caught a 23lb mirror carp within 30minutes of casting the rig out! Also in the early morning I landed a 25lb common carp on the same rig.

Yes maybe small potatoes in today’s carp fishing scene of forties, but I have shown this rig to other friends and they have done equally well, one chap who was really struggling on his venue used it and second time out, fished the ‘cork ball maggots rig’ over his bed of boilies and caught the lake record!

One of the main reasons I think this rig works so well is, presently most carp anglers I see have their baits so close to the hook, and they’ve done this for many years now, the carp learn very quickly especially the older bigger monsters, this rig gives more bait movement near the hook, and of course it is something different that the carp have not seen, imagine if you glued pink maggots to that cork ball what a sight – pop-upped just off the lake bottom, blimey just irresistible for those finicky carp!!

For more Carp Fishing Secrets – check out my website.

To 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:
http://www.carp-fishing-techniques.co.uk

Fishing Strategies

How to Have Good Success With Striped Bass Fishing

This article is going to provide you with some of the information that you would ever have wanted on striped bass fishing. You are going to read about Striped Bass Fishing here and if you find that what you have read here is something which is worth reading, our task would then be fulfilled.

The striped bass is almost always referred to as the striper. Like largemouth bass fishing, striped bass fishing has caught on to become one of the most popular sports and leisure activities in North America. In fact, in some places like Cape Code, it is one of the most popular forms of angling. Now when you are reading about striped bass fishing, don’t you feel amazed to know that so much existed about striped bass fishing, bass fishing tip, florida bass fishing and that you were unaware about so much?

Although bass can be found in many different places throughout the North American continent, the striped bass primarily lives on the Eastern Seaboard, ranging from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Southern Georgia. Reaching the half way mark can provide you with ample signs of what is in store for the next half. So, if you are satisfied with what you have read about striped bass fishing and florida bass fishing here, you would not be disappointed further also.

Part of the reason why striped bass fishing is more popular in Northeastern states and Mid-Atlantic states, rather than Southeastern states, is because the optimal spawning temperature is somewhere in the mid-range for bass. Generally, striped bass will spawn when the water is between 59 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets significantly higher than that, the quality of the eggs can be compromised by the high water temperatures. This means that striper have to migrate to deeper and cooler waters when the temperature of the water beings to rise. In the Spring, striped bass fishing becomes even more popular in the Northeastern United States, as striper migrate up the Eastern Seaboard to spawn to waters of optimal temperature. Usually, the female will lead and several males will follow the goal, of course, is to spawn further North.

In the Fall, again, as water temperatures cool off, striper re-emerge from colder, deeper water to appear on the Eastern Seaboard, which means that striped bass fishing once again becomes popular.

No matter where you live or what season it happens to be, striped bass fishing is almost guaranteed to be an interesting endeavor, as striper is one of the largest variations of bass – and is known for putting up a fierce fight against anglers. That was some about striped bass fishing and bass fishing and we sincerely hope that you must have gained by this article on striped bass fishing.

Stevie James is an experienced fisherman who has set up a Free Fishing Information website to offer free tips, techniques and tutorials that will really help you on the way to more successful and more enjoyable fishing!

Carp Fishing Equipment

Basic Carp Fishing Pointers

Frustrating as it is, carp fishing is awesome. Carp are really good at sucking in and blowing out suspicious baits.  It’s such an excitement to see the whole action in a fraction of a second as you hang on for dear life while the reel is trembling with a loud noise.

Carp happily devour on the surface as long as you keep the pellets, biscuits, chic peas, bread, and re-hydrated corn coming in, and these are inexpensive baits as well.  Just attach them to the hooks, most preferably the bread.  Have the biscuits softened by dipping it in the water for about 2 minutes, then, place them in a sealed sandwich bag for about an hour.  Since different brands have different textures, just experiment to know which is firm enough to cast.  Another way to hook baits is super gluing the pellet into the shank.

Once they get into feeding, let them feel comfortable around the bait.  This gives more opportunity for the fisherman since they begin to not feel picky.  This tactic can be useful for zig rigs.

As soon as they’re feeding, cast the bait but make sure not to drop the bait directly onto the feeding carp.  Cast away from the feeding area then slowly draw it in position.  While the bait is till hanging, keep the food coming in so as to keep the carp from going away.  

How to Set-Up?

•    Use a hair rig to increase your chance of catching.  As carp taste food first, if they don’t like the taste, they won’t come near it.
•    You may also use a Spider Line, 50 lbs test, then use a leader material that fits the situation.
•    Thread the bait on the baiting needle and hook the hair loop.  You may also use foam dipped in a flavor as this enhances the attractiveness of the bait.
•    Also make a baiting needle by just straightening a long shank hook.  Slide the bait on the shank, then slide the bait from the needle onto the hair.
•    Using a float is also an advantage because it adds weight for further distancing and the location is easily identified.
•    Don’t forget the controller float rig.  A leader can be used which is attached to the swivel to its mainline of at least 3 feet length with a 10lbs Drennan double strength.  A low diameter mono will do just as long as it floats well enough for visibility.  

As experts say, it is not the bait that catches the carp but the method in which the bait is introduced.  Pre-bait everyday, in one spot for a few days.  This makes the carp think that there is a regular source of food for them and by “word of mouth” there’ll soon be a school of fish around.  Just be patient and it will all work.

Carp Fishing Equipment

A Guide to Fishing Tackle

 


Are you planning on going fishing for the first time? If you are, then you have walked into any tackle shop or read through a fishing magazine and confused the hell out of yourself. There are thousands of types of fishing tackle you can buy, for all types of fishing, for many different places and it can get a bit overwhelming!

The rod is one of the most important parts of fishing tackle that you can buy. Without one, there is no fishing. A good sized rod will be about 12 or 13 feet in length and should be made from carbon fibre. This will ensure it is durable, and it is long enough to cast correctly but not too long as to scare you! Lighter rods are better than heavier rods, but obviously, the lighter the rod will mean the more expensive, as will better quality rods.

Once you have chosen your rod, the next bit of fishing tackle that you should invest in, is a reel. Generally, rules will come that can be adapted to suit both right and left handed people. It should be of a light weight and preferably with an open face. Again, the better the quality, the more money you will be expected to pay. A spare spool is a good thing to keep handy as well!

Line is a rather difficult part of fishing tackle. A 3Ib or 4Ib line would be better, but you need to choose the line that is appropriate for the type of fishing you wish to divulge in, and also the type of fish you are aiming to catch. Lighter lines will not always suit heavier fish and suchlike.

Floats are an important part of fishing tackle. Floats enable you to see where you have cast as well as, (obviously) floating on the top of the water to make sure the line doesn’t go down any further. It is best to talk about floats with an expert that can point you in the right direction.

Next, we shall look at hooks. You could start by using types of hook that come already tied onto hooklength. Again, it may be best to talk to a professional or someone in the fishing tackle shop to ensure that you are using the most suitable hook.

There are a few other essential fishing tackle parts that will help, and one of these is called a plummet. This will help you to work out how deep the water is, and therefore point you in the right direction with regards to floats etc. A net is also important to keep the fish you have caught, as is a disgorger which will help you to get the fish off your hook quickly and without any problems. A rod rest will enable you to keep fishing while you are eating, drinking or just popping to the toilet and a small seat will make the overall trip enjoyable. Standing up for hours on end is never much fun!

So, there you have it, the basics to choosing the right fishing tackle. The best thing you can do is to talk to someone in the shop that knows what they are talking about to further assist you in your fishing mission! Just remember to have fun and enjoy it!

Devon Angling Centre offer mail order fishing tackle supplies and have a shop located in Devon, UK.