Targeting big carp

[Leegii]

Favourite tactics for targeting big carp?

[elmoputney]

Pop up on a spinner rig with a lead clip, pretty much 90% of my fishing tbh 😂

[Higham1987]

Big Carp - Big Baits - Big Boilies

[yonny]

2 hours ago, Leegii said:

Favourite tactics for targeting big carp?

Fish a water with big carp in it😁

[salokcinnodrog]

2 hours ago, Leegii said:

Favourite tactics for targeting big carp?

What do you class as a big carp?

A carp is big if it has reached 20lb.

The favourite way to target big carp is not always the easiest, but sometimes the most fun, it may not be the most productive, but may be more enjoyable.

 

Simply fish a water with those big carp in it.

The majority of carp anglers favourite tactic is turn up, fire in DF's spod mix and a few boilies, cast or 3 rods on the dance floor, hit the chair and wait.

 

My favourite tactic for 20lb carp is walk round with a stalking rod, look for fish, try to get them on surface baits, cast a dog biscuit where they are and have a bit of good luck, and a big cheer when it hits the landing net.

 

 

[elmoputney]

If it ain't broke 😂

4 hours ago, salokcinnodrog said:

 

The majority of carp anglers favourite tactic is turn up, fire in DF's spod mix and a few boilies, cast or 3 rods on the dance floor, hit the chair and wait.

 

 

[andywilson123]

Hey, if you're aiming for big carp, these tips might help:

1. Pre-baiting: Start baiting a spot a few days before you fish there. Carp will get used to finding food in that spot. I like using a mix of boiled corn, pellets, and some small particle baits.

2. Find the right spot: Look for areas with overhanging trees, weed beds, or gravel bars. These are prime spots where carp like to hang out.

3. Stay quiet and be patient: Big carp are smart and wary of anglers. Approach your fishing spot quietly and avoid making too much noise. Patience is key; sometimes you might need to wait hours or even days.

4. Choose the right bait: High-quality, nutritious baits can make a big difference. I usually go for baits that mimic the carp’s natural food sources.

5. Use technology: Tools can really give you an edge. For example, the CatchX Mini GPS bait boat is awesome. It can precisely drop your bait where you want it, especially in those hard-to-reach spots. It makes bait placement super easy without disturbing the water too much.

[kevtaylor]

On 14/05/2024 at 04:55, Leegii said:

Favourite tactics for targeting big carp?

Any method really but in situations where you can see them, work out their routes and hatch a plan.  For me the excitement is off the scale, I give it my all, creeping about, up trees - one rod stalking off the top or in the edge setting little traps - you can't beat it.

On the right water I'd rather do several day sessions, mobile roving than camp in one place.

Stalking would be my favourite no doubt

[salokcinnodrog]

On 31/05/2024 at 06:06, andywilson123 said:

Hey, if you're aiming for big carp, these tips might help:

1. Pre-baiting: Start baiting a spot a few days before you fish there. Carp will get used to finding food in that spot. I like using a mix of boiled corn, pellets, and some small particle baits.

2. Find the right spot: Look for areas with overhanging trees, weed beds, or gravel bars. These are prime spots where carp like to hang out.

3. Stay quiet and be patient: Big carp are smart and wary of anglers. Approach your fishing spot quietly and avoid making too much noise. Patience is key; sometimes you might need to wait hours or even days.

4. Choose the right bait: High-quality, nutritious baits can make a big difference. I usually go for baits that mimic the carp’s natural food sources.

5. Use technology: Tools can really give you an edge. For example, the CatchX Mini GPS bait boat is awesome. It can precisely drop your bait where you want it, especially in those hard-to-reach spots. It makes bait placement super easy without disturbing the water too much.

I'd agree with most, except No.5.

The best tool is, as described in the armed forces, the mark 1 eyeball.

No matter how often we rely on technology the human eye is often or usually much better.

Technology can go wrong when you most need it, or not give the full picture.

Now bear in mind that I used to be a bait boat user, so could do the quiet drop in of rig and bait; at Taverham I caught loads of fish by putting my rigs in by boat, but the first 20 I caught from the lake came to a bait cast in.

A number of waters, bait boats are banned, so I had to do the casting myself. 

Or the watching the water, without my eyes (and binoculars) I wouldn't have seen a number of fish showing. 

February fishing after a thaw at Nazeing, I saw a show in 'the wrong area', not the usual winter area. Over 4 days I had 4 fish on my left hand rod, 26, 20, 26, and the prettiest of the lot a 17lb mirror. Casting accuracy had to be spot on, they all came to one rod, and the middle rod fished within metres produced nothing.

 

On 14/05/2024 at 04:55, Leegii said:

Favourite tactics for targeting big carp?

I'm still intrigued what you class as big as to some extent my values have changed, or are even variable.

At Bromeswell lakes I was chuffed to nuts to catch a double figure mirror, yet at Nazeing Central, I was disappointed with a fish of the same weight.

Even now I'm almost disappointed with a double figure carp from my syndicate, I want to catch fish over 20lb, and even better when they are originals or the Cavenham stocking (long story).

You can only catch what is there, a big fish in a 'match' lake might be 15lb, yet in a 'carp fishery' that is a small fish.

[elmoputney]

Use pop up rigs, most of my biggest  carp are caught using pop ups. 

 

[salokcinnodrog]

22 hours ago, elmoputney said:

Use pop up rigs, most of my biggest  carp are caught using pop ups. 

 

I'm trying to think about my fish over the years, and funnily enough I reckon that I'm on a 33/33/33% ratio of pop-ups, bottom baits and snowman baits for all my fish.

Earith I could not buy a bite on pop-ups, it was all bottom baits, Ardleigh and Nazeing South/Central and Brackens it was snowman, including what is my largest carp, and Alton Water was a mix of snowman, pop-ups and bottom baits.

A number of fish from Alton came on 2x 18mm bottom bait boilies on the hair over Vitalin.

Really weird that either that rod would produce or the single pop-up, rarely both. Yet in other areas over Vitalin and particles I'd catch on snowman rigs.

I'd frequently be fishing all 3 presentations until I got what they wanted to take.

[elmoputney]

11 hours ago, salokcinnodrog said:

I'm trying to think about my fish over the years, and funnily enough I reckon that I'm on a 33/33/33% ratio of pop-ups, bottom baits and snowman baits for all my fish.

Earith I could not buy a bite on pop-ups, it was all bottom baits, Ardleigh and Nazeing South/Central and Brackens it was snowman, including what is my largest carp, and Alton Water was a mix of snowman, pop-ups and bottom baits.

A number of fish from Alton came on 2x 18mm bottom bait boilies on the hair over Vitalin.

Really weird that either that rod would produce or the single pop-up, rarely both. Yet in other areas over Vitalin and particles I'd catch on snowman rigs.

I'd frequently be fishing all 3 presentations until I got what they wanted to take.

I would catch more fish probably using wafters and bottom baits, but I have found pop ups seem to single out the bigger ones, which is why I tend to use them more, one of those self fulfilling proficies I guess. 

[salokcinnodrog]

14 minutes ago, elmoputney said:

I would catch more fish probably using wafters and bottom baits, but I have found pop ups seem to single out the bigger ones, which is why I tend to use them more, one of those self fulfilling proficies I guess. 

I suppose that in a way I am always looking for the right presentation for the fish over how I am fishing/feeding, then once I have got it, stick with it on that water.

On Nazeing Brackens, the snowman worked from session one with those massive stringers, and you would be looking to be on gravel. When the first fish is a 30, you tend to keep on it.

Nazeing South and Central was snowman baits partly because of crayfish. A wooden ball soaked in so much glug it sank, and a pop-up then meshed and tied on top. If I was to hit the gravel instead of just off it, I would at least have a hookbait of some kind, and I caught a few fish to 33lb that the pop-up had been clawed and chewed.

Certain areas of Alton are rock hard, possibly old buildings (!) or structures, even bridge piling, and the double bottom bait was on the harder bottom, whereas the pop-up was over softer areas. The snowman produced near the culvert, the old road across, and in the bays.

Earith it may have been I had introduced and prebaited so much Trigga, an out of the bag bait was best. Bruce who fished with me probably caught more, on the same tactics, but not as many 20's, and he caught when I had one of my rare blanks on there. (I did lose a couple that trip) 

I tried pop-ups on a few sessions and blanked, yet the bottom baits caught, so I frequently went back to all 3 on single or double 15mm boulies.

Something else that may have relevance is that over massive beds of groundbait and particles that I fished on Ardleigh, South/Central and the culvert and bay areas of Alton the snowman was just sucked in, yet on the syndicate, I have had to resort to 2x 6mm pop-ups or a single trimmed 12mm on a Multi-rig. The snowman has produced, but not over large beds of bait, and the pop-up doesn't produce as many but does the occasional bonus fish out of nowhere.