Changing approach; 19lb 2oz common
I decided that my method of attack would be to trim down as much gear as I could and take only the essentials, making a mid session move much easier. How many times have you been sat there and seen fish show on the other side of the lake, only to look at the mountain of gear you have brought and think ‘sod it, the fish can come to me!'
So, I got all my gear out in the garden, took out what I thought wasn't needed and then got the Old Man to come out and see if he thought there was anything else I had missed. Do I really need 10 tubs of pop-ups, 16 leads, a stove and cooking gear, head torch and spare batteries, 3 sets of bank sticks etc. etc. for a couple of hours in the afternoon ? You get the idea!
With my gear stripped down to the minimum, I could then move about and drop onto fish without too much fuss, giving me what I hoped would be a big edge. Time to put my plan into action. The first few trips out at the start of the season saw the lake very busy but the further away from the car park you walked the more swims were available. Because of the sandy nature of the paths around the lake, it is a nightmare pushing a barrow so 99% of the anglers don't venture more than a few hundred yards from the car parks. This leaves large areas of water that don't get touched very much at all.
Low Double
One thing I did learn quickly is that everyone seems to follow each other; casting out to around the middle of the water and putting a few hundred baits over each rod. This does produce fish but while up a tree I noticed a few fish beneath the bushes overhanging the margins. I waited for the fish to swim off and then dropping a couple of broken baits into the water, I waited for them to return. It didn't take long for them to come back and they were straight down onto the bait feeding really confidently. I couldn't get down the tree quick enough!
I set up just one rod (you can only land one at a time!) with no tubing, a small Guru Tackle 2/3 oz lead attached to one of their small match type lead clips, a Rigmorole Hydrolink rig and a size 8 Widegape hook, tied knotless knotted with a small amount of silicon tubing at the top of the shank and a small piece above the knot to kick the rig over. The rig was finished with a trimmed down CC Moore Triple X boilie with a little PVA bag of chops onto the margin spot.
17lb 10oz
Once again, the fish returned and soon got to work on the bait. There were several mid double commons along with an upper 20 mirror and a common that was bigger again. My heart was in my mouth - within 30 seconds, the rod hooped round and we were on! The fight was good but brief - I don't think the fish knew what was happening and it was in the net before it realised what was going on. I broke the net down and took everything over to the waiting mat. It was one of the smaller commons but I didn't care - I had caught it on my terms and that is what mattered.
Two guys in the next swim came over to see if I was OK. They had heard a bit of a commotion (the fish fighting in the margins) and not heard an alarm, put 2 and 2 together and thought I had fallen in. They helped me weigh the fish (19lb 8oz) and did the honours with the pictures. I was well happy!
The swim was obviously blown but time to put the main part of the plan into action - rod in quiver, rucksack on back and onto swim number 2. I did this for the rest of the afternoon and caught 4 more fish. To put this into context, it is not a difficult water but the amount of anglers (20 plus spread over 12 acres) and the fact that there were only 9 fish out that day in total showed me that my plan was indeed going to work.
My alarms, buzz bar and bobbins now weigh less than one Matrix bank stick!
Fast forward to the middle of August - pretty much the end of my season (I play rugby and pre season training starts now) and 70 odd fish to 22lb in 26 sessions later (a very good average indeed given the number of rod hours) and I believe I have found the little edge that I was hoping to find at the start of the season. It's not rocket science and it's certainly nothing new but with a bit of thought and the proper application this really is the way forward for my fishing.
The Old Man has got in on the act as well - both mine and his Matrix have been sold on, replaced by Dymag carbon buzz bars and sticks. We've got a 50" Aqua brolly that lives in the car to be taken along if the weather really is bad. I don't usually take a chair - I sit on my Aqua Combi mat. I take a couple of butties and a litre of water instead of cooking and brewing gear (although I keep a cup in my rucksack - there is always someone that will make you a brew!).
I have taken these tactics and used them on several waters that I used to fish in a static way - turning up and looking for a swim that will fit the bivvy in has now been replaced with looking for a swim with fish in! Walking around the lake and priming spots rather than pitching up and lobbing a couple of kilos out into the middle. Don't get me wrong - if my margin tactics take a pounding and the only way to get a bite is to smash them out to the middle then that's what I will do but for the time being ...
Oli Aston
January 2012
Glistening in the folds of the net, it lay on the thick unhooking mat. Not a big fish by any standards, but probably one of the hardest I’ve ever had to work for. On the scales, just 15lbs 2ozs, but to me, priceless. Taking the hook out from the corner of its mouth, I reflected on what had occurred over the past few weeks. It was apparent that my approach had initially been correct, that the information I was acting on was good, established knowledge, shared with me by kindly anglers. My rigs were reasonably effective, more so when adjusted to suit the situation, and the choice of bait had worked when I found the right place. The only thing which had really changed was location; it was essential to find the fish to catch the fish. Slipping the carp back into the water, I realised that getting everything right on the day was the result of perseverance, acquired knowledge and the desire to catch. Nothing more complicated than that.
It really can be that simple to end a run of blank sessions, so don’t despair, we all go through it, and we all come out the other side with a fish in the bag so keep trying; that’s what makes fishing fun!!
Clint Walker
April 2010
There is an awful lot of money in angling; fact. The tackle companies entice anglers with ever newer, more technical, shinier and more efficient items, the bait firms promise fish on the bank with new flavours and scents and the commercial fisheries have testimonials from every celebrity angler who has a programme on television. With this in mind, a commercial must have something to attract the punter. Good facilities, nice scenery all help, but the key ingredient is big fish and the publicity that goes with it. Stocking huge carp costs a lot, so the amount invested in fishing to create a profit must match that, but let us remember, the owner also needs to make revenue. Sponsorship helps, as does shop profit and food sales, but the main income must surely be the day ticket.
One of the biggest criticisms I hear of day ticket waters is the fact that they only allow you to fish with ‘their’ baits, and that these baits are often more expensive than those available in the local tackle shop. Market forces prevail unfortunately; if you want big fish with easy access, then you have to be prepared to help out with the financial commitment. I also know of waters who have signed deals with mainstream bait companies which only allow you to fish certain baits at the expense of others, again, at much higher prices. Some waters say that the reasoning behind this is to protect stocks; there may be an element of truth in it, but I can’t help feeling that some owners wouldn’t know a top quality bait if it bit them! Having seen various rules and bait bans that do more to confuse the angler than protect the fish, I have had discussions with different owners and asked why such rules exist. Some owners at well renowned sites have no idea why they have things in place other than they heard it exists elsewhere! Boilie bans, dog meat, pellets, groundbait and nuts are all things I’ve seen prohibited , and I’m sure with good intentions, but if it’s to protect the fish, why aren’t all bans the same?
Quality control is another issue; not of the stock, but of the angler! There is no way to ‘vet’ a prospective visitor to the water and many practised carpers have tales of dangerous angling, leads hitting the bank next to them, lines crossed and bird or fish deaths caused by less experienced fishermen who have little or no knowledge of the ‘correct’ way to fish or of bank side etiquette. Bailiffs may patrol, but they can never hope to see every transgression of the rules or mistreatment of the fish. This can result in conflict which goes directly against the quest for the peace and quiet that many of us go out for! Derogatory terms such as ‘noddy’ are often heard on forums and websites as members discuss commercial waters and the anglers who fish them. What is sometimes forgotten is that we all had to learn somewhere and the commercial fishery presents a ‘target rich environment’ in which to catch fish, so why not learn there?
Commercials can sometimes provide better angling than other, harder, less developed waters; this is what makes them work so well (and they do work well). The availability of a ‘one stop shop’ for big carp is something that is here to stay. These fisheries can supply baits, pleasant surroundings, the prospect of huge carp and you have just as much chance of catching the fish of a lifetime as the ‘professional’ in the next peg. Because of this, the lack of free time the modern day angler has and the endorsement of major angling celebrities and manufacturers, the commercial will be the only water that some anglers ever see. They will be perfectly happy in their choice, just as those who seek to avoid them will be. One thing is for certain though; like it or not, these places can offer everything a modern, time starved angler requires. The opportunities that the commercial fisheries offer will play a huge part in the future of fishing, big fish will be caught, pictures will be published and the debate will continue, BUT, the ‘commercial’ is here to stay.
Clint Walker
Oct 2009
Seen one of these before.... the float, that is...!?
All these things are to be cherished, enjoyed, but above all remembered; it’s not just a method for youngsters or inexperienced fishermen, but I still think that in these times, it’s vastly under rated. Stalking big carp with a crystal waggler and a piece of corn on a size 10 is as exciting as hearing the delkims chuckle away, especially if you see the fish approach and pick up your bait. In times before bolt rigs, float fishing was King; it was either that or swingtip! Gary and Paul reminded me of a valuable lesson; it’s great to catch the biggest fish, it’s great to have the shiniest kit, BUT; the most important thing is to remember why we started.......and I’m sure that was to have FUN and catch fish!!
Clint Walker
July 2009
Can we dictate where and when they feed?
A couple of seasons ago Ade Furber conditioned them to stay there as well, due to the phenomenal amount of bait he was putting in, despite the weather conditions telling the fish to shift around to the Summer arm of the lake!
The second story about conditioning goes back again a few years. Lymm Angling club used to operate a closed season on some of their waters. One of these was Grimsditch Mill Pool another was Village pool. What I am about to tell happened on both pools every year. During the closed season these waters used to be fed with floating trout pellet. Why floating trout pellet? It was so as the fish (carp) would get the feed and any residual was cleaned up by the bird life, leaving none to degrade on the bottom. Anyway, the fish used to be fed every evening at the same time. By the end of the fist week of the closed season, you could walk into peg one, tap the metal feeding scoop on the (convenient) scaffolding pole a couple of times and by the time you were chucking your third scoop out, you would have every carp in the lake on the surface in front of you. After a few more days you only had to tap the scoop on the pole and they were there.
On one occasion the water keeper on Village Pool was just about to start his evening feeding session, when two anglers turned up for a mooch around, after a bit of a chat, the water keeper told the guys he must get on with the feeding, “you can stay and watch if you like” he said and with that he tapped his scoop on a post and started to whistle like you would for your dog, sure enough the fish turned up. The two anglers had a fit! “Jesus he’s got em trained to come to the whistle” one of them said, fully believing that was the case. Trained fish? Yes, conditioned fish.
Food - the same place, same time, day in day out.
Incidentally, if you tapped the pole once the season had opened it had no effect, I think it was disconnected.
Staying with Grimsditch Mill Pool, we got catching fish there down to an art, in winter! It never used to be the easiest of waters at the best of times but in winter it was tough. I know that each water is different but by and large waters have a feeding spell around the middle of the day in winter. We put bait into the same area on a regular basis at the same time every day, we would have the rods out by eleven thirty, start catching between twelve and one, wind in at one thirty and on our way home. If we could not get into that swim, we still applied the same bait in other swims but never caught! Conditioned feeding? Timing?
Last year, and I know I am going to write about some Monkey’s pet hates but bear with me to make the point, we were fishing in France on an eighteen acre estate lake, just the two of us and our bait boat. This is a new acquisition, after many years agonising the pros and cons. I was fishing at about sixty yards in open water, could I cast it, of course, could I spod that far? Please! So why the boat? Presentation, I wanted a tight baited area without the disturbance of the spod. It certainly worked, as I was taking my share of fish.
We as anglers can become conditioned; we tend to be creatures of habit. So every morning at about nine thirty, having deemed the morning feeding spell to be over, I would bait up, same time every day.
On the fourth day, out went the boat, dropped the bait and set the boat for home. As the boat was coming towards me the line was starting to click off the reel, my first thought was that the hopper doors had failed to open (more like operator error) so I turned the boat back out again, opened the doors and started to bring the boat back once more. The line started to click click off the reel again, there was no alarm as I had not got that far yet, no movement of the indicator, as again I had not got to that yet (I know you are well ahead of me here), oop`s (or words to that effect) it’s a fish. So I struck into it, the rod hooping nicely into it’s fighting curve, only to have the rod pulled down into a straight line and nearly pulled out of my hands, did I mention the lake has catfish in it? They go up to one hundred and three pounds. I am not saying that this was that fish but I certainly know now where that phrase “screaming reels” came from. Anyway after about twenty minutes it fell off, thank goodness.
The point again, is food and timing! That flippin catfish was sitting there waiting for the bait! Took it on the drop! All very amusing, until the same thing happened the same time the following day!
So to sum up, what I am saying is this, if you can put food into an area at the same time every day, not too much and do it unseen by others, don’t be tempted to put a rod near it, for a while, let the fishes confidence build, then you stand a very good chance of conditioning the fish in your favour and catching at a time of your own making.
I know the thought is running through your head is that the fish on your lake don`t feed in that spot at that time of day, they may not but they will, once you condition them to. They will find the bait at sometime and once that has been eaten, keep returning to that area until they find some more. Very soon they will catch on to when the food is available and start visiting the area more or less when you are putting the bait in.
Due to the early hours Julian intends to be at the lake and the lack of other anglers and the opportunity to bait at the same time every day, this I feel is his best chance.
Just a last thought, if you are not convinced, think about this. When you fish a lake, small or large, you always try to line up with something on the other bank or sky line to cast at, we even make little drawings in our note books so as to remind us for next time we fish there. Is it not a coincidence that the fishes feeding spots also, by good fortune or by magic, just happen to be in line with what you are using as your mark? Amazing? No conditioning!
Tight Lines...
HAWTHORN
March 2007
Those of you who have been involved in carp fishing for some years may well have read about the experiments conducted by Kevin Maddocks in a large fish tank in his own home. These simply involved the release of amino acids into the tank via tubes, which permeated the gravel on the bottom of the tank. Varying concentrations of varying amino acids produced startling reactions from the carp in the tank. The fish began to dive at the gravel and appeared to be trying to feed on the invisible food source. This reaction was undoubtedly attributed to the interaction these amino acids with the carps olfactory systems, via the ‘lock and key mechanism’. In nature these amino acids or smells would come from aquatic creatures such as bloodworms or crayfish or other aquatic plants or creatures for that matter. Thus the carp is able to recognise what is food and what isn’t.
Therefore if we are designing a bait to catch carp, it is a logical progression that we try to include some of these smells, or ingredients which mimic or emit these smells. The current trend of using natural ingredients in base mixes and baits has not been reached by coincidence but because of these early findings by people such as Kevin Maddocks. Ingredients such as green-lipped mussel extract, liver powder and molasses all contain molecules such as sucrose and amino acids, which the carp has evolved to recognise as having nutritional value.
This equation is a simple one to which we can all relate, however in our case we can be sure that the outcome is under our conscious control. For example, it is a Saturday night and you have had a few (not that I drink of course!). Next stop is Al Shieks Balti House but this is your first visit (you have only just started to drink by the sounds of it). Now it just so happens that your system rejects a 45in Naan bread and a Chicken Balti upon attempting to shovel it all in in under 5 minutes. This is made apparent by the regurgitated mess which greets the waiter when he brings you the bill. However you can gain some consolation from the fact that you managed to eat about half. That is until 10.25 a.m the following morning when you are stuck on the convenience and stuff is coming out of both ends, accompanied by a sensation much the same as rubbing half a tube of Fiery Jack over your anus. Now unless you are completely mad, you are not going to repeat this ritual of imbibing a gallon followed by intestinal sand blasting for at least a week .Well, maybe some of you could or even do, but believe me, if you wish to sustain such habits then their frequency is best kept to a minimum.
Again I apologise for slightly digressing but the above interlude does have direct relevance to the carp. For example, if a carp- which is a creature far less intelligent than ourselves (ugh, sorry, just a bit of chicken Balti stuck in my teeth from last night)- ingests something which is not conducive to long term survival, you can bet he probably wont eat it again in a hurry. For example your mate Dave (nothing against Dave’s) buckets in a load of peanuts which haven’t been soaked properly and proceeds to catch a few, I am confident in saying that he wont catch the same fish again for a while. This is because they will still be recovering from eating Dave’s nuts. However if he had opted for the use of a good nutritious boilie containing more natural attractors than the humble peanut, he may well go back to the same water and catch the same fish the next day. ‘Why?’ I hear you ask. The reason is simply that nine out of ten carp when asked to express a preference prefer boilie to Balti. No seriously, it is because if the boilie contains natural attractors such as green lipped mussel extract or kelp extract, in addition to good quality protein, such as fishmeal, then it will have a far greater nutritional value to the carp than peanuts.
In addition to this it will already be one step ahead of the peanut in that the carp has evolved to recognise this food by nature and thus it will be more attractive to the fish. Although the peanut will be emitting substances which stimulate the carp’s olfactory system, including lipids, sugars and amino acids, these will not necessarily be mimicking natural foods such as mussels, crayfish and weed.
This 22lb 9oz fish was taken after a bait containing green lipped mussel extract was heavily baited during the closed season. This choice of attractor was used as over the years the lake has been home to large numbers of swan mussels.
Some of what I have written is scientifically proven and much of it I can substantiate through personal experience. For example on the first water I seriously fished for carp, I began to use my own bait which contained natural ingredients and was of high nutritional value. I designed the bait using the basic HNV principle proposed by Fred Wilton, but followed the in vogue trend of replacing the vast majority of the milk proteins with a good quality fishmeal. In addition to this I also included some known attractors which I thought would enhance the bait even further. The final recipe consisted of the following major ingredients
White Fishmeal
Full Fat Soya Flour (binder)
Lactalbumin
Rennet Casein
Robin Red
Seaweed Extract
The bait was an instant success on the water, resulting in an opening night catch of 7 fish for 102lb including fish up to 20lb 6oz. Now this was a good result for the water and I totally out fished all the other anglers on the water that night.
Unfortunately due to work commitments and a loss of interest in the water I did not fish many times that season but when I did the bait out fished the others again (after a little prebaiting).In addition to this I fished another new water and the bait was an instant success there without any prebait and fishing against an established bait. In a quick overnighter I took an upper double and a scraper when the regulars took one fish of 9lb’s.
The bait was an instant success taking this mid double and a scraper on a quick overnighter.no prebait was done and regular anglers were also fishing on an established bait, which only accounted for a 9lber on the same night
Last season again I fished the old water on opening night and although only two of us were fishing in close proximity I took 5 fish to 19lb to his one tench! This year I have revisited the old water once again using the same bait and got three runs unfortunately resulting in only one fish to the one run of my companion who was coincidentally using ready-mades.
Let us go back to the issue of memory and the recognition of foodstuffs by the carp. The vast majority of carp anglers these days use boilies due to the obvious advantages they have over conventional baits, such as resistance to nuisance fish and ease of catapulting over long distances. However I personally think they have far greater advantages than these, given the vast array of knowledge and ingredients available to today’s angler, which I shall discuss later. Now concerning memory, when a situation arises where our bait is catching really well on a water to the exclusion of others, what is the reason?
A switch to an already established fishmeal bait produced this my first 20 within a matter of weeks. Previously, using an inferior bait, I was mainly catching mid double fish.
No doubt many anglers will have varied opinions on this but there are certain prerequisites which I feel the bait must meet in order to be consistent fish catchers. First of all they must be metabolically friendly, by this I am simply referring to the curry catastrophe analogy used earlier. Once eaten the bait the bait must make the carp feel better than the other available options if it is to be taken in preference to these over prolonged periods of time. This will only be achieved if the ingredients meet the fishes dietary requirements. A well nourished carp will for all intents and purposes be a healthy carp. Granted, individual fish may be more predisposed to illnesses by their genetics, just as humans are, but just as we can influence our health by our diet so can carp. The fundamental difference is that we consciously control what and when we eat whereas a carp is a slave to its system.
The carp is an exothermal, or cold blooded, animal whereas we are not, maintaining a constant body temperature of 370C. Now, like all cold blooded creatures the carp’s metabolism slows down if the ambient temperature is lowered. This is reflected in a reduction in the frequency and rate of feeding and vice verse if the temperature is increased. This perfectly highlights the carp’s lack of control over dietary intake; it simply feeds when its system tells it to. This process is under hormonal control. Without going into vast detail, the levels of certain hormones fluctuate in the carp’s blood system depending upon its fed state. These in turn send messages to the carp’s brain which result in the fish either actively seeking food or, if we are unlucky, refusing point blank to feed even if food is available.
Now the question is, even if the fish is hungry and a nutritionally sound bait (which it has encountered before) containing some natural attractors is offered, does it remember this is a good source of food or does its inherent ability to do this tell it to feed on this? I will not even attempt to answer this one way or the other because too many variables are involved. However what I will say is that the likelihood of the fish taking this bait is far greater than it would be if it didn’t contain natural attractors which the carp is genetically predisposed to recognise. Some may argue that they have watched fish home in on their bait and therefore they must recognise the smell of it. Now this maybe so, I don’t know. Personal experience has on a few occasions led me to believe this when runs have occurred instantly when using a bait that has been prebaited. Being of a scientific background, however I prefer to explain it away using the natural attraction theory along with the metabolically friendly theory. If we employ these then they can in turn be used to explain this phenomenon fully.
Repeat captures can and do occur when using a good quality bait.This 19lb+ fish was taken twice within the space of a few weeks on the same bait
For example, you have introduced a few pounds of a well designed bait into a 3 acre lake every 3 days for two weeks prior to fishing. Importantly no one else has been fishing either but they have been prebaiting. Now if your bait is the best, with respect to its nutritional value and natural attraction, then the carp which have been feeding on it will still avidly feed on it when you start to fish, provided conditions are favourable and your approach to the situation is sensible. Therefore even if no memory is involved, as the fish have become confident in eating these little balls of food they will readily accept them again when they come across them in the future because its whole system is working efficiently whilst running on this fuel.
In addition to this just as the birds will return to the garden where they regularly find bread so will the carp return to the area where they have found food. Now you may argue that this does require memory because how can the fish remember where it found food? This is true and I think they have a memory for such things otherwise why would we always lose them in the same snags? That is another article anyway, which I might try should this one go down well! Back to the food. I prefer to think that fish will remain in the area if food is presented regularly or at least visit the area on a regular basis. Well that’s my theory at least, and it sounds sensible to me!
Hopefully this piece may help some of the more inexperienced anglers design a bait for themselves and save a few quid. However this saving of a few quid does mean that bait making will involve more than just opening a bag and adding eggs, but nevertheless, it does introduce a new dimension to your hobby. In addition I hope to have introduced a few new ideas and facts to the minds of the more experienced students of the science of carp fishing out there.
Dean Towey
Feb 2007