The biggest problem with carp is that one minute they are absolute pigs that will eat anything that you throw at them, then the next they’re the fussiest of eaters, and refuse almost everything.
Despite their rather unfair moniker of ‘puddle pigs’, the biggest issue is water temperature. When it’s cold (below 10ºC as a benchmark figure) they will naturally not want to eat as much. As soon as it gets warmer (let’s use 18ºC for this) then they’re on it big time.
The bit in between can, to a slightly lesser degree, go either way, so you need to change baits accordingly. To consistently get the most from your bait, it pays to change what you give them with the temperatures.
The next most important thing to know is what sort of bottom you are fishing over. We’re fishing on the deck a lot of the time, so maggots, for example, will crawl into the gaps in stones and be less visual. At the same time, a dry boilie straight out of the bag will take on the odour of smelly silt, rendering it significantly less effective.
Boilies
It goes without saying that boilies are the number one. Carp love them, and they avoid the attentions of smaller fish, so you can be sure that you’ve got bait in the peg. Pink as a hookbait over natural coloured boilies seems to be a real winner, and when the weather is warm, especially with bigger fish present, a decent bed of bait will pull fish into the swim and hold them there. Spice them up with a bit of liquid glug or oil and they are even better.
ROB’S EDGE: Big baiting is a forgotten art. If no-one is doing it, try putting in a carpet of boilies out and you’ll likely reap the rewards.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT BOILIE EVERY TIME WITH THIS HELPFUL GUIDE...
Corn
Corn in all its incarnations is a winner in both warm and cold water, but for me the best is tinned sweetcorn. It’s just miles better than the frozen stuff, and holds more sugar. Small tins from Aldi or Lidl are cost-effective and very good. If you can get hold of 2kg catering tins, then so much the better. Look out for the brand D’Aucy… it’s slightly crunchy.
Accurately spodding a bed of corn, then adding more, little and often, is the key to success. Brilliant everywhere, but especially in clear water margins where you can see what they are eating and lower a trap into it, corn takes some beating.
ROB’S EDGE: Flaked maize from the pet shop is a brilliant corn-based spod mix ingredient that’s very cheap and easy to use. Simply soak it in water for an hour and it’s ready.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU PREPARE PARTICLES CORRECTLY FOR CARP FISHING...
Naturals
The undisputed kings of baits, naturals such as maggots, casters and worms are deadly – and they’ll almost always out-catch every other bait. Their downside is that everything that swims eats them, so that restricts their use to mainly cold water, when these other species are less active. The other disadvantage is cost, as worms, in particular, are silly prices and you need a few kilos to make them effective. A ‘special occasion’ bait for sure, but one that, if the trip justifies it, is well worth pushing the boat out for.
ROB’S EDGE: Check with your fishery first, as lots are now banning naturals at certain times of the year.
THE BEST BIVVIES WILL KEEP YOU COMFORTABLE ON THE BANK.
Pellets
As soon as it gets warm, pellets are an absolute must. Their oils are highly attractive and the fish love them, especially after spawning, as they can gorge on them and replace lost energy.
A huge contributing factor is that most of the carp that we target now have been reared on pellets, and are used to the smell, sound and taste of them.
ROB’S EDGE: Find out what the fishery supplements the feed with and get a bag. These days it’s often Aller Aqua or Coppens.
CATCH MORE CARP WITH THE BEST CARP RODS...
