paulc202 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 ok guys lets hear some good storys. i remember one bright day last summer i was watching carp sitting under lillys watched them for a good half hour when i noticed one in particular a mirror was going back in fourth from one pad to another there was a gap in them about two foot. i seen my chance as i know these fish spook very easy i waited till the fish went from left to right i knew it was going right under before turning which gave me a couple of seconds so i baited up with a piece of bread and flicked it out past the gap and eased it back . out came the fish never even gave it a second look then it turned and flicked at it with its tail knocking it about three foot out into open water it then went back under the pad and looked at it for about ten seconds then came out very slowly and sipped it from the surface. i know carp are very intelligent do you think it might have been trying to knock the bread from the hook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zander1 Posted January 26, 2009 Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 Wheres my thread gone??? But ok then Personally, i think the carp may have been trying to see how the bait would react to the current created by his tail fin and then by sucking at it- to determine if the food was safe/ not containing a hook??? rather than just trying to remove the bread??? Nick may have a few good ideas on this one??? actually i could list a fair few people on here who could suggest alot more about it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc202 Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 sorry mate didnt think you were gonna put one up so i took the honors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc202 Posted January 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2009 this is the mirror by the way 11lb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zander1 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 I did one and sent you the link on the other thread we were on, doesnt matter tho Its a nice mirror mate, massive tail The most fun ive had free lining has got to have been last summer, i went (with a few friends who arnt realy carpers, more silver fish anglers but they fancied ago at the carp,) to a fishery that they normally fish- (Its called millride and is in Essington but its not a particularly nice or good fishery for anything but still) Any way, it was a bright morning and i was the first to arrive, i was sent a text saying that they were going to be late and instructions as to which lake they wanted to fish on the complex. It was a nice looking pool- full of lilly beds and had an island in teh middle (well it was like a sticky out bank that had been cut off from the pool which sort of divided the pool into 2 bays) I baited up 2 rods and cast out to teh island and one to a lilly bed, id got a small carp (6-7lb) on from the island rod just as my mates arrived and so i landed it and then we sat and chatted for about half an hour. It was 10:30 by ths time and the heat from the sun was getting stronger. (it was a T-shirt off day lol) As we were chatting and i was scanning the lake with my Polaroids i notice carp sitting just under the surface scatted all over the pool (nothing big unfortunately- a few decent doubles would probably have been the biggest in there?) I brought my other rod in so now i hadnt got a baited rod in the water and started to flick some of the good old dog biscuits in, some tight to the lilly beds and some in open water (couldnt reach the island but got pretty near). After 10-15 mins of them being out, the lilly beds closest to me erupted with movement Instead of tackling up my controller float gear, i just used good 10lb line straight through to my size 10 ssc and baneded a dog biscuit on, i drop the line across the top of a lily with the bait just over hanging the lilly pad- I had 5 from the lillys in 2 and a half hours all free lined in this way, it was so much fun even tho the biggest was about 9lb at a push as they were like little rockets right under the tip of the rod dashing for the safety of the lillys, one nearly done me in teh lillys but ichange the angle of "attack" and the carp shot off away from the lillys It was teh most fun Id had in ages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebirdjones Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 A couple of threads here on free lining https://forum.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=36913&highlight=free+lining https://forum.carp.com/carp-forum/viewtopic.php?t=31528&highlight=free+lining Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitronick Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 At my local pond I discovered a reed bed that held the fish BIG time in the summer. Found that by using a stalking rod I could drop a bait right in front of the fish I wanted and when they took it it was a case of hold on tight and get it in to a net or even better grab it and land it. There was time's when I would almost forget to breath my concentration was so high! Then two things happened. One funny the other one sad. First the funny one. Had finished work around midnight, set the clock for 6am and got to the lake nice and early. Got all set up and went to the reeds to try and tempt one out. Couldnt see any fish but knew the "patrol" route they took in and out of the reeds so I scattered a few doggies in there and droped my bait in, leaned against a tree and started to play the waiting game. After about 5 mins I dozed off and fell in! Only saved from a full on soaking by my t shirt getting caught on a branch! Then the sad thing. Turned up a few weeks latter to find that my secret was out and someone had attacked the reeds and chopped a load down so they could get to the fish easier. Never had another fish out of that reed bed. Crying shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemsue5 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 I love freelining bottom baits for carp. Quite often they will pick the bait up and move off without even knowing they have set the trap. The one thing is you have to learn how to strike and set the hook again unlike all the self hooking rigs we now use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowley1963 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 I love freelining bottom baits for carp. Quite often they will pick the bait up and move off without even knowing they have set the trap. The one thing is you have to learn how to strike and set the hook again unlike all the self hooking rigs we now use. Great point. Combine this with a great pair of polaroid's and it's just as exciting as free-lining crust. Proper fishing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 Wheres my thread gone??? But ok then Personally, i think the carp may have been trying to see how the bait would react to the current created by his tail fin and then by sucking at it- to determine if the food was safe/ not containing a hook??? rather than just trying to remove the bread??? Nick may have a few good ideas on this one??? actually i could list a fair few people on here who could suggest alot more about it??? I wish! Unfortunately I can't quite manage to understand Carp language all the time Seriously you get some fish that will suck at a bait to discern whether it is attached to a hook, some swipe with their tails and some just "know" that a bait is dangerous. When it comes to surface fishing I think that I freeline a lot better than I fish with a Controller. I really concentrate on getting the fish happy to accept mixers or whatever surface bait, so the hookbait doesn't usually get "sussed". On 1 water I was putting my freebaits about a metre away from some overhanging branches, and they were being pushed down by the (inlet) current the same distance on that line, however by a little bit of careful casting I could get the hookbait closer to the treeline, and they were less wary of that than the "further out" freebies. On another the Carp wouldn't take baits that were more than 30cms away from the lilies, I never landed a fish from that lake on the surface. I hooked 2 and got smashed up instantly on 1 take and bitten off on another, and wasn't going to risk the fish if I went up to heavier line and had to play it through the lilies and rushes. Nowhere else on the lake would the Carp take a mixer or floating bait. I'm not particularly good at freelining on the bottom, although I often watch the bait being taken with the "Lift Method", and get into good fish. As Jez says, it is a case of striking and with Freelined bottom baits I mess it up , don't ask, don't know, yet with a float I get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zander1 Posted January 27, 2009 Report Share Posted January 27, 2009 well ok then I know what your going through with that one mate , all too well I get a bit "trigger" happy when i am free lining, im not sure whether i do it more on the top than i do on the bottom but i do catch more free lined on the top. When im fishing free line on the bottom, i tend to strike to early- im not sure if its reaction and excitement or wether its just bad luck or even if its a carp bite at all?. I am always weary of deep hooking a fish as well It seems a bit more simple when you you can see that the bait is definitely in the carps mouth but even then i strike to early alot of the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theloner Posted January 28, 2009 Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 free lining on surface can be an awesome tactic because very often the fish will notice the bait is drifting unnaturally because of the weight of the controller. it might not notice to us but it stands out a mile to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulc202 Posted January 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2009 i caught a tench one day with free lined meat thing was only 1 1/2lb took of like a rocket. i remember one night watching 16 carp feeding on a shallow shelf i sneaked from where i was sitting and dropped a big lob in free lined a couple of minutes went by when my line started to move slowly so i gave it a few seconds and lifted into this all those carp and a rudd bream hybrid picks up my lob.i know theres no unhooking mat as it was to far away to take the fish to it so i ripped out some grass and made a nice soft bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucky10 Posted October 25, 2019 Report Share Posted October 25, 2019 I caught a 22lb mirror on free-lined boilie fished over a blanket weed bottom to help presentation, using sensor 15lb line/ size 6 hook/ 30 yards out and slack lines got an absolute screamer on my bait-runner set lightest clutch. With 12 freebies around the bait which was 1.5 boilies hair rigged. Striking straight up I find sets the hook the best, after winding down into the moving fish, a side ways strike seems to result in few hook holds. Also caught my biggest cat 57lb with no lead weight either Carp have a knack of throwing leads if your not on them asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted October 30, 2019 Report Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) Free-lining is great for stalking, when you can physically see the fish take the bait. But, with no lead to pull the hook home and no tension on the clutch to do the same, 30 yards out, you were lucky to hook it imo buddy. Edited October 30, 2019 by yonny kevtaylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevtaylor Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 I found an amazing stalking spot under a large tree on my mates side of the swim at Parco, completely overgrown and un-fished. I climbed up and could see a good depth of water and no branches under the water and more trees to the right, the depth in the edge right under me was 6-8 foot, dropping down to a shelf of prob 10-12, then the abyss. With a little bit of work it was more than fishable, I excitedly climbed down and told him to come and see. My mate spent the rest of the trip up that tree watching monsters feeding inches from the bank at times, smashing 20k of feed between a small number of fish each day, just as the light started to fade. When he could see well enough to select a fish he lowered freelined corn onto its nose - can you imagine, fish to high 60's, it freezes, the lips move, the bait vanishes, the gills flare and WHAM set the hook and hang on for dear life! 10 hours standing on a branch watching, no food, drenched to the skin and just 10 mins fishing each day saw him catch some stonkers in the best way possible IMO - selective stalking, and freelining - it doesn't get any better. What scenes, experiences that will stay with us forever, sheer magic! salokcinnodrog, yonny, bluelabel and 5 others 6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 20 minutes ago, kevtaylor said: he lowered freelined corn onto its nose - can you imagine, fish to high 60's Jesus H....... his heart must have been thumping out of his chest!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevtaylor Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 13 minutes ago, yonny said: Jesus H....... his heart must have been thumping out of his chest!!!! Just a bit mate he was blown away, pulling the bait away from 50s WTF but you know I'm totally calm to have around doing pics etc lol 🤣 We were both blown away - get the saddle out! yonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelabel Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 On 30/10/2019 at 14:12, yonny said: Free-lining is great for stalking, when you can physically see the fish take the bait. But, with no lead to pull the hook home and no tension on the clutch to do the same, 30 yards out, you were lucky to hook it imo buddy. Errrrm... surely you shouldn't need a heavy lead to get a bite...? the whole point of fishing (for me anyway) is timing the strike to hook ones fish and land it... I'm not a fan of using a heavy lead to facilitate hooking... and anyway... how would you hook a fish if you were float fishing...? Back in the days of Walker, Yates, Mohan, Mintram, Hutchinson, Hilton.... etc.... they never used heavy leads or baitrunners to hook their fish, it was watching the line, or float fishing, or using a silver paper tube on the line as a bobbin.... @Chucky10 As an aside.... I use quite light gear when carping (10-12lb HyperSensor which is very low diameter) and without a lead I can just about chuck a boilie 30 yards freelined... they don't have much weight.... did you use a stringer for the freebies...??? otherwise I can't see how you'd get a boilie out 30 yards with 15lb line... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 (edited) 21 minutes ago, bluelabel said: Errrrm... You seem to have developed a speech impediment buddy. 21 minutes ago, bluelabel said: surely you shouldn't need a heavy lead to get a bite...? I didn't say you need a heavy lead to get a bite. I said "with no lead to pull the hook home and no tension on the clutch to do the same, 30 yards out, you were lucky to hook it". 21 minutes ago, bluelabel said: the whole point of fishing (for me anyway) is timing the strike to hook ones fish and land it And how would you know when to strike with no float and no lead to pull the hook home? 21 minutes ago, bluelabel said: how would you hook a fish if you were float fishing...? He wasn't float fishing. He was free-lining. Floats have nothing to do with this. 21 minutes ago, bluelabel said: Back in the days of Walker, Yates, Mohan, Mintram, Hutchinson, Hilton.... etc.... they never used heavy leads or baitrunners to hook their fish, it was watching the line, or float fishing, or using a silver paper tube on the line as a bobbin.... They are legends so I wont hear a bad word said against them. But you have to bear in mind these are the guys that spent 25 years fishing a 3 acre lake with 100 carp in it and struggled to catch 1 fish some years. They were learning as they went along. Pioneering. They used par boiled potatoes too but I wouldn't recommend them either. I can guarantee you that the younger of the guys mentioned (Rod, Yates etc) did not free-line at 30 yards in their later years. Edited November 1, 2019 by yonny kevtaylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelabel Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 If you freeline you watch the line... try it.... watch the dimple where the line enters the water... you'll learn a lot, you'll see loads of indications that won't register on an alarm (even a Delkim)... as for using a lead to pull the hook home, that's a lazy way of fishing... being a traditionalist I abhor the use of leads as bolt rigs (all my carping is done on a running line), heaviest lead is what I need to get the bait to the spot I want, usually no more than an ounce... sometimes as little as a single swanshot and very often freelined... Yonny... I'm not having a go, but to me a lot of skills have been lost with the development of carp fishing in this country... nowadays you set a trap with a lead clip and the fish hooks itself on a lead/baitrunner combo and hopefully you play in your prize... maybe I'm out of step with modern ways but I wouldn't have it any other way... I learned my craft like the old lads I mentioned... I'm 61 years old and came up through the ranks as it were... learned to fish for other species before moving onto carp.... that way you learn watercraft and skills that nowadays just go by the by... and to be honest that makes me rather sad, as I feel that kids who find carping hard, have nowhere to go if they get disillusioned... As for Yates not freelining... well yes, he still does, maybe not at 30 yards, but he mainly fishes rivers and small pools... freelining for chub barbel and perch... and the odd wildie... try it... all you gotta do is watch the line.... it's all you need to do.... when it starts to form an arrow on the water, a gentle lift is all you need... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevtaylor Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 1 hour ago, bluelabel said: As for Yates not freelining... well yes, he still does, maybe not at 30 yards, but he mainly fishes rivers and small pools... freelining for chub barbel and perch... and the odd wildie... try it... all you gotta do is watch the line.... it's all you need to do.... when it starts to form an arrow on the water, a gentle lift is all you need... You've got some good rose tints on there. Who fishes tiny ponds for wildies now, these places don't exist, typical carping is now sizeable gravel pits, possibly distance fishing, margins that are probably not suitable for close work under the tips. Are you going to watch the line all night? The opportunities to float fish and freeline are so limited on typical big fish waters that I've only stalked in the edge on one water out of my last six or more and I am a mobile, roving, stalking angler at heart and would choose that style first and foremost over anything else. I'd summarise to say that the opportunities have gone not the skill set. Old kit - don't even go there yonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 9 hours ago, bluelabel said: maybe not at 30 yards Exactly buddy. 9 hours ago, bluelabel said: If you freeline you watch the line... try it.... I have free lined many times mate, and have caught a carp or two in my time. But I can tell you now I will not be trying to free-line at 30 yards. I consider myself an angler so will not be trying something so (what I consider to be) ineffective as that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, bluelabel said: being a traditionalist I abhor the use of leads as bolt rigs (all my carping is done on a running line), heaviest lead is what I need to get the bait to the spot I want, usually no more than an ounce. I would add that has nothing to do with free-lining. That is fishing with a lead. I didn't say anything about big leads or bolt rigs. Edited November 1, 2019 by yonny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, bluelabel said: I learned to fish for other species before moving onto carp.... that way you learn watercraft and skills I realise I'm droning on now so I apologise but that has nothing to do with this conversation either. No disrespect intended buddy. I also learned my trade from the bottom up. And I'd put my watercraft skills up against most. My point is free-lining at 30 yards is not an effective use of time on the banks in 99% of situations. Nothing more. Edited November 1, 2019 by yonny Pete Springate's Guns 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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