Discover carp fishing’s most debated topics – from barbless hooks and baitboats to resting swims and rig debates that split the angling community.
Does resting a swim increase your catch rate? On certain waters and situations I believe that it does. Now, what do I mean by resting a swim? Basically, it means removing all lines out of a swim for some considerable time to allow the carp to gain confidence in feeding on a baited area. I have used […]
Should I contain a carp in a carp sack or retaining sling for photographs? Paul Cooper discusses yet another controversial subject in carp welfare. Carp sacks have been around for years now and nearly every carp angler had a couple of sacks with him so that a carp could be retained until a decent trophy shot […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Should I set up my rigs to drop a £1 plus lead on every take, or not? This is a subject that again is becoming a controversial issue amongst the carp angling community. It appears to be the fashion to set a rig up so that if you get a take the lead is released immediately. […]
Barbless or Barbed, that is the Question. Over the next few weeks I will be putting a few blogs together about a number of controversial issues around carp welfare and carp rigs. My first ramblings will be around the controversial use of Barbless hooks. Throughout my carp fishing career I have come across a number […]
When Fred Wilton made public his HNV bait theory it had its doubters and still does to this day. It was pure genius and so far ahead of its time but was ultimately perfect for the time. Fred had no doubts that he was right and if he did I am pretty sure they vanished […]
Set in Stone? Part 1 – Wind Direction by Jason Rider In the following series of articles I will challenge of carp fishing’s Ten Commandments or the golden rules that are accepted as fact in our sport. The art of angling has been practised since the birth of mankind and although carp fishing for sport […]
By Chas Cook, owner of Vaux In my opinion when carp fishing, the most important factor after the hook is the lead set-up. I very much favour a heavy lead… & here are the reasons why; Many anglers sit behind their rods and their non-moving swingers unaware that carp are actually mouthing, and sometimes moving off […]
By Shaun Harrison; Pellets are banned! Don’t use pellets in the winter! Pellets kill carp! Pellets seal the water’s surface and deprive the lake of oxygen! Mmm, where do I go from here? All four statements in the above can be classed as true. The biggest problem we have is the word “pellet“. It is […]
Another thought provoking rig piece from Chas, the owner of Vaux; A European gentleman turned up at Vaux one day last year when I was fishing. His first question was could he fish the lake, to which my reply was no. His second question was how big are the fish, because he was an […]
The death of Benson, the immaculate common carp from Bluebell Lakes back in August this year ignited the uncooked particle debate once again. You can read the Daily Express article. The article contains a couple of quotes. The first come from an anonimous Web Poster; “Tiger nuts and peanuts are not swallowed whole, they are […]
What is and isn’t acceptable behaviour on the bank when you are on a carp fishing holiday in France ? This issue of lack of respect to the venues, the owners and the other anglers on the bank is an issue that comes up on a regular basis. Ok don’t get me wrong I enjoy […]
Izaak Walton’s famous book ‘The Complete Angler’ was a celebration of our sport, based on the central theme that angling is an art that transcends the objective of catching fish. Angling then is the technique of catching fish using a rod and line; it is called “angling” because of the angle formed by the two. […]
