Explore current carp fishing news on new venues, lake updates, holiday tips and top recommendations to help you plan smarter and select the right venue for you.
How safe is the use of backleads. Can I use them in every event? Definitely not! The use of backleads have been about for a long time now. It would be during my time on the Fox Pool that I first used backleads to pin down my main line to the lake bed. I […]
Coiling your hook link may sound bizarre, but there is method in the madness as Martin Locke details a setup he’s used to catch carp in excess of 60lb. Here’s a rig that, for want of a better phrase, flies in the face of convention. With almost all rigs being designed to lay straight and […]
My next rig is one that Neil Spooner from Korda showed me at the Northern Angling Show, I told him that I need a rig to use at Bradshaw Fishery as an alternative to the D-Rig, since all braid is banned there rigs such as the D-Rig can’t be used. He told me this is […]
In this video series Mark details his 2013 winter carp fishing campaign at Lac Du Villefond. Find out the tactics employed on this mature big fish water right from the person that knows it best. If you missed part 1, you can watch it here. For more information on Villefond follow the link – Carp Fishing in […]
My thoughts on the hair rig, running leads, semi-fixed rigs and slack lines… The hair rig This rig was a revelation for specimen fishing. Kevin Maddox and Len Middleton first came up with the idea of presenting a bait leaving the hook free to prick into the lip of a fish. Here we had a new […]
I ended November on a real high with the capture of my monster Perch, so I decided to switch my attention to Pike sooner than I had originally planned. With Christmas getting ever closer and two very excited kids at home getting time on the bank through December was never going to be easy, but I […]
A simple question to all the Bloggers: How often should you re-cast a rod/bait in a day? I have no hard and fast rules on this one but generally speaking like to leave my swim as undisturbed as possible and pay far more attention to the time I re-cast. Now I am a firm believer […]
Paul Cooper expresses his thoughts around yet another controversial issue. Leadcore, impregnated leaders and tubing. How do we define leadcore – For years now leadcore has been readily available, complete as a fully spliced leader, or on spools where you have to splice your own. Leadcore is normally made up of a length of braided type […]
With having a bit of time off over Christmas I’ve been able to get stuck into planning for my next French holidays, one in April for fishing and one hopefully in February for a short city break. The April trip was booked early last year for Sapphire, however due to unforeseen circumstances we’ve had a […]
With more and more carp anglers trying their hand at barbel fishing, I see lots of anglers fishing behind 2 rods with bite alarms and even at times lying in their sleeping bags on their bed chairs inside a bivvy, as they would do in carp fishing, and paying more or less no attention at […]
In part 1, I outlined the basics and summarised the effects the moon plays on carp behaviour and their feeding. Now I get to the heart of the matter and reveal the practical details and specifics on how I apply this knowledge to my carp fishing and improve my catch rates. Preparation I, like the […]
Six months have passed since I became a full time bailiff here in France at Lillypool lake and without doubt I have learnt more in these six months that I could ever have imagined. I think that most anglers know we never stop learning. I have met so many people, each with their own individual […]
While I have a bit of down time I thought I’d refill my rig box and what better way to start than with my 2 favourite rigs and a new rig which was shown to me by Neil Spooner from Korda at the Northern Angling show. I used to buy readymade rigs from time to […]
To me location is the most important factor that you need to get right whilst carp fishing. You can have the best baits and rigs in the world, but if you don’t place them in the correct place they will count for very little. I am sure we all take weather conditions into account when […]
In this blog I would like to talk about yet another controversial issue. Baitboats! You either love them or hate them. I am sure that this short piece could offend some anglers, but I will put my thoughts out there and leave it up to the reader to decide. There will be three kinds of […]
Winter Plans This winter I will be predominantly trying to catch some big specimen sized UK predatory fresh water fish. I will be using a variety of methods depending on what I am targeting but where possible I will be trying to catch the fish on lures and spinners. My personal favourite is the Perch […]
Paul Cooper answers a reader’s question regarding liming carp lakes. ‘Hi Paul, Sorry to disturb you. I read your great article on the Angling Lines website about Winter Carp Lake Maintenance and want to pick your brain about the liming. The venue I run is very similar in size and all the reasons you list […]
What line should I use? Fluorocarbon, Fluorescent, Monofilament or Camouflage. Paul Cooper runs through yet again more controversial issues, this time surrounding different types of fishing line. Are we kidding ourselves over this fad of slack line fishing, disguising our line or hoping to make it invisible to the carp? I have fallen into this trap! They […]
I haven’t really done that much carp fishing in the last two or three years, having concentrated on barbel, but when I have been or have had a walk around a lake one of the things that has really struck me is the vast amount of gear that a lot of carp anglers seem to […]
One thing I love doing when I have the time is heading to one of the many angling shows that are on this time of year. This year I went to the Northern Angling Show at Event City in Manchester. This is the second year its happened but only the first time I’ve been, previous […]
