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Never be in too much of a hurry to catch bigger fish. Learn to enjoy what you have, and learn your waters and fishing. Learn how to handle fish, learn different methods, how to use PVA Mesh, bags and stringers. Experiment with baits, particles, boilies, until no matter what you can catch on any method more than those around you. Learn how to bait up with spod, PVA, catapult or throwing stick. Learn the features that carp like, the snags, weeds, rushes, gravel, or troughs. Learn how to find features, a marker rod and float, or just counting the depth down, so when you do go somewhere harder you can do it quickly with least disturbance. I started carp fishing in 1986, it took until 1992 to catch my first 20. Those years, and the lake I had that 20 from was the only carp of the year. I went back to my 'easier' waters to regularly catch, and strangely enough, I had a 20lb carp out of there in the end. I really don't want to pee on your fireworks, but with bigger fish, be prepared for blanks, it is not as easy as 'just catching'. I have a mate who fishes as much as me, who probably catches more than I do, but his largest fish is only 17lb, he just doesn't want to sit blanking, and wants to catch.

Well, I've not managed much time for carp fishing in the past few weeks, but I did actually manage a few chub last week on a couple of short sessions. Somehow on Tuesday I managed to wangle a day off, my course got cancelled, and rather than juggle the rota I took the day off and went to the local river for a couple of hours, and to lok at a local lake. Armed with just a bag of dog biscuits, rod, reel, and landing net I managed a 2lb chub from the river. However Friday was the better day as Big Dave is back in town, and together we wandered the river in the eveninglobbing dog biscuits in and both managed a take or two. Dave managed a 2lb fish from a new spot I was lucky enough to manage 2 chub, the biggest of which was 4lb and ounces and was hooked and played from a bridge across the river...

A kid I knew at school did that and we saw him bagging up on chub in the town centre river I remember being quite stunned at how effective it was

Was it woody from the tackle shop in Hereford stevo .... catching chub & barbel from the city centre on chips . I was fishing the Wye back then & remember it well .😁

Just incase you didn't find it this is the video, this may help you to work smarter

I took some persuading with the heat, Big Dave convinced me, so I was back on the chub hunt yesterday evening, my basic favourite method of a freelined dog biscuit. We walked along the river with the dog, one rod between us, taking turns at the fish. In the first swim he had one chub from a brick wall above the river which I had to climb down to net, I reckon around 2lb, just a quick photo in the net. We walked the whole stretch, looking for fish, casting in a few swims and then back to the car. I spotted a few fish, but had to do a bit of jungle stalking, climbing through brambles and nettles, opposite 'nice lady's' house, and as I did Dave realised we had left a baiting needle downstream on a bend and went to get it with Sky, so I rerigged with a Uni-knot holding a big Bakers Meaty chunk on the size 8 hook on 5lb Reflo hooklink tied to 6lb mainline. A cast to work out the current, then another to get the biscuit in the right flow, result was a good chub. As he came back I heard him talking to Sky, telling her I would probably be waiting with a fish in the net, which "knowing Nick is the biggest around". I needed his help to take the rod while I lifted net and fish over the bankside snags. When we weighed the fish it was a healthy 5lb. I've not seen a chub that big from the Gipping for a few years!

I know the post is about the wages but these lads sacrifice a lot even more so than ever they can’t even fart without getting called for it....... good luck to em I say