Category Archives: Fishing Tips

Fishing Tips

The Secret To Fly Fishing For Carp

Fly fishing for carp is a popular variation on fly fishing and many anglers enjoy this sport. However, most anglers think fly fishing is associated with trout and salmon,  but it is also associated with carp and even deep-sea fish. Carp are a real fighter and there is nothing about angling for this fish which is ordinary or average, hence the popularity of carp fly fishing today.

The secret to catching carp is simple, speed and accuracy. You need to spot him and have your line in the water before he spots you. The below items are a must as there is a fine line between being fast and accurate and having heavy enough gear to be able to land the beastie.

The carp fly fisherman or woman needs to be able to spot the fish and cast accordingly, so the most important item is the rod. You and your rod have to be able to make a fast and accurate case over 3 to 15 m of water and whatever else is in your way so a 6 ‘ 8 graphite rod of between 8’6′ and 9’ in length is a good choice according to experts of this sport.

Because the carp put up something of a fight the butt of the rod needs a solid back-bone while the tip should be medium. If the carp are larger where you intend fishing then the 9 foot rod is also highly recommended, big is anything from 16 to 25 lbs!

To be accurate and fast, means that a hard rod won’t be accurate and if the rod is too soft, it won’t be able to take the weight of these dirty fighters. Carp are energetic to say the least when they have been hooked and this is what makes them such an attractive prize for fishermen. The prize certainly isn’t in the delicate flavor or great good looks.

A large reel with an expose rim is required and your hooked carp will give the reel a run for its money. It is a large an tricky fish so you need Micron or Dacron with at least a 20 pound weight. If the water is snaggy ‘ make this 30lbs, and have at least 150 m of backing line, carp will take out the maximum of line on many occasions.

Use a tapered leader of 10lbs and additional tippet, carp will happily take many different flies, with woolly buggers being a favourite. Keep a good stock of all the woolly bugger colors and varieties, and try Daves hoppers, muddler minnows and others. Carp eat insects as a big part of their diet, so getting them to take flies is not a problem. The problem lies in accurate, fast casting

Because your cast has to be fast and accurate, a pair of polarized sunglasses is the next important item on your shopping list. Choose the amber or brown variety as these, cut glare to a minimum and create great contrast.

Duncan is an avid Fly Fishing expert and if you are struggling when fly fishing for carp, then download his FREE 101 Fly Fishing Tips Ebook from http://www.Fly-Fishing-Revealed.com. Or Grab some great inside secrets and dirty tactics.

Fishing Tips

Carp Fishing: Advanced Tactics

Product Description
Catching carp is easy if you fish “easy” waters, but if you take the next step and tackle the more difficult lakes and rivers the situation is substantially different. In such waters carp can test the capabilities of any angler. Carp are cunning, unpredictable, and among the toughest freshwater fish in the world to catch…. More >>

Carp Fishing: Advanced Tactics

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 Tips

Discover the Secrets of catching Big Carp

As a carp angler of over thirty years standing…yes even after all these years I’m still addicted to this great sport of ours! In my day there was very little in the way of carp fishing books and information, it was the days when most carp anglers were very secretive, keeping them self’s to them self’s…especially the more experienced carp fishermen.

Though there were some good points in those days…that are a total rarity today…less crowded banks! It was nice turning up at your lake knowing full well you could get any swim you wanted, even if it had an float angler in it, as he was sure to pack up before dusk. This is unbelievable to the present day Carp angler.

The methods and baits that were used in those days were pretty primitive compared to the terminal rigs of today and not to mention the wonderful discoveries of bait ingredients, flavours and additives of today.

Maybe that’s why it was so difficult in those days…

But back then once a general angler decided to progress to carp angler he never gave up, unlike the beginning carp anglers of today, judging by my local waters…

You only have to have a quick glance in the fishing weekly’s classified sections or ebay and you will see tons of near new carp fishing gear being sold off…I dare say that the majority of this gear is being sold by newbie carp anglers, who say carp fishing is really too difficult…

Why do most novice carp anglers struggle?

I believe that most new or beginning carp anglers, I’m sorry to say…are very narrow minded and stereotyped, this isn’t to say I think it’s entirely their fault, no far from it. My observations and from chatting to newbie carp anglers show that they are swayed by everything they read in the monthly ‘carp’ magazines. They read so and so are catching on the latest ‘Boilies’ so they rush out to buy a few kilos…Only to find they still fail to catch!

And this is a case in point, why do most newbie carp anglers think of only using boilies as bait, when there are plenty of equally if not better baits to use…So I suppose in a way we can put some of the blame on the carp fishing media for portraying this stereotyped way of thinking…Success equals the latest super duper matching carp rods that you can cast out for a mile and a bag of boilies!

After a long succession of blanks the novice carp angler is convinced that the carp has hereditary intelligence, as found in human beings.

This of course is untrue. However, it is true that it gains from experience, a form of education.

To return to the intelligence of the carp, some appear to have larger brains than others just as in human beings, which mean that certain individuals learn quicker than others.

Successful big carp fishing is about understanding the fish and its environment, NOT the latest bait or fancy rig seen in a glossy carp publication, the angler must also remember the older the carp the greater its knowledge. My observations have shown anglers who have a definite won’t budge type attitude tend Not to be as Successful as those with a flexible easy going open mind attitude. Confidence in your approach, tackle and preparation give the success orientated angler the correct attitude.

Too Your Success, Good Luck and Tight Lines…

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