Angling Lines Blog

There is a statement I often here while I’m fishing, “Oh ! I’ve lost several fish because the Carp in here have soft mouths!!”

Most of the time I have a hard job accepting that carp in any particular lake have soft mouths. My own waters are gravel/sand pits where the bottom is hard and, well gravely… Yet I’ve heard the same comments that my fish have soft mouths. Surely fish feeding in such circumstances would be expected to have hard mouths!

I guess if you look at the mouth or any carp then yes there will be soft bits, that stands to reason, but where does this species of ‘Soft Mouths’ come from? continue reading…

Tom wrote:

With regard to bivvies what does twin skin mean ?

Gareth Watkins replies: I wrote a blog piece a week or so back on this subject hope this replies to your query:

Ever since carp anglers started night fishing we have been searching for the perfect overnight shelter. These bivvies, as they have been christened need several essential qualities.

Firstly they need to be spacious enough to cover a bedchair and all your tackle in order to protect it from the rain. Secondly they need to be light and quick to erect. Finally they should pack down fairly small so they can easily be transported to the lake.

The early days saw anglers using large brollies, that evolved over the years to provide an excellent shelter, in fact it is still a system I enjoy today. A time went on a whole host of shelters, bivvies and tents were developed.

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John Hether wrote:

Hi, Can you tell me how to check the depth of the water for fishing for carp as I am new to all this and would like to learn?

Gareth Watkins replies;

Hi John, You basically have three methods for checking the depth of your swim when you are on a carp lake.

The first is the Marker float rod. For this you need a fairly tippy rod or a proprietary marker rod. These really help you map out not only the depth but the nature of the lake bed.

I’d suggest using 10lb braid as your main line as this transmits the maximum sensations up the line, to let you know what you are fishing over.

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Chris Davis wrote:

Is it possible to catch carph when they are spawning? I know it’s a lot more difficult but is it still worth going?

Gareth Watkins replies:

Hi Chris,  Yes fish can be caught when they are spawning or at least just before and just after, as during the actual spawning they won’t feed. Firstly not all the fish in the lake will spawn at once, and often you will still pick up the immature and smaller carp. The easiest way to reply to your question is by a story that happened to me a few years back.

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