Boost your carp skills with technical guides, tips and techniques that focus on improving tackle, baiting and tactics for success on the water.
PVA RIG MADE EASY One of my favourite methods of carp fishing is using PVA bags. It can be an absolutely deadly method of catching carp, because it presents a bed of bait you choose to use, with your hook bait disguised in amongst it. The rig can be cast a long distance when assembled […]
Towards the end of April I had a week on one of the Angling Lines venues called Long Lake. I have written an article on the weeks fishing on the Angling Lines’ venue website. Now although I didn’t catch any massive fish I did catch a few. But the main thing that the week […]
Craig Alldrick wrote: When were the poisson chat netted from Margot? Was it 2006 or 2007? Will there be a problem this year [any reports yet?]. I am going in June and know poisson-chats get more active as it gets warmer. Any info or tips would be gratefully received as I would rather be prepared. I […]
Michael wrote: This is going to be my 1st adventure of France. I have been carp fishing a few years and know the basics that get me by in the UK. I was looking for advice mainly on essential fishing in France obviously a lot of the fish are much bigger than what i catch. […]
I got talking to a guy on the bank this week about rig safety and how things have changed over the years. If you look back on books written in the 80’s by the likes of Rod H and Kevin Maddocks you’ll see several rigs that while very effective even today, are not up to […]
Here is the second part of the casting video I shot with Shaun Harrison and Mark Hutchinson in February of this year. This part goes through the casting technique recommended by Mark to get extra distance. (It’s in two clips because Youtube limits the clips to 10 minutes). So here is part 2 & 3: […]
As I’ve written in previous posts I’m not a bait boat fan. I do though like to have a bed of bait accurately placed around my hookbait. If I’m fishing beyond catapult range then the Spod is the only real option left. I’m fairly comfortable with a spod up to about 100 yards. In fact […]
Want to cast 160 yards? Join British Record casting champion Mark Hutchinson on the bank as he teaches a normal 100 yard caster how to hit the 160 mark he thought he’d never reach. No secrets – Everything revealed from tackle to technique. Long Distance Casting – Part 1: The Tackle
On many carp waters the fish are well aware of fishermen’s lines passing through the water. This can impact so much on fish that in some swims fish will not feed until the swim appears safe and clear of lines. They have associated lines with danger often from many years of angling pressure. But what […]
While writing the recent post on carp fishing tackle Icons, I touched on the fact that a battery of parallel rods has become synonymous with carp angling over the years. I got to think about modern carp fishing rod support systems and their pros and cons. A practical, efficient and stable system is essential for […]
Like so many things in life, carp angling follows fashion. In fact, it is fashionable to go carp fishing at the moment. Hundreds of young anglers are taking up the sport because of the trendy image that it has, the tackle and the fashions. Trends though always throw up objects that achieve iconic status, and […]
Long range casting is something we all want to achieve. Modern carp gear is better and more efficient in this area than ever before, and relatively modest rods and reels are capable of huge distances. So for most anglers you don’t necessarily need the hugely expensive tackle to improve your distance. A fine tuning of […]
I don’t know if you are like me but I can be very forgetful, and there is nothing worse than leaving some important piece of kit at home. As a photojournalist it was a stackable offence to forget an item of equipment. I well remember a colleague of mine, who shall remain nameless, who set […]
Now I think everyone will agree that the most important part of any carp fishing set up is the last few inches in the water, ie your rig and end tackle. Yes a powerful long distance rod, hi-tec bait boat or top of the range food bait boilies all have their role to play in […]
No one can be unaware these days of ‘Global warming’, with conferences held regularly by ecological groups, scientists and governments the problem is a genuine and serious one. It is also one of the main factors in the increase of weed growth in many of our carp fishing lakes across northern Europe and in my […]
Backleads are an item of tackle I have rarely used, mainly because on the gravel pits I fish I find they are not appropriate due to the amount of weed present most of the time. In this case I believe the use of backleads would lose me fish. So what are the types of Backleads […]
Why we should all use Klin-ik Klin-ik is a Laboratory Formulated Fish Care Product. Dave Chilton of Kryston tells us why and how the totally safe and laboratory formulated fish care product Klin-ik was introduced. This is an issue that many carp anglers still ignore, especially when they come to France. I see anglers turn up […]
I’m sure many of you will have seen that there are Carp anglers that just seem to have the knack of getting on the fish and catching them. No matter where they go, they have a sixth sense and can tune into the water. I’ve seen this on a number of occasions and have been […]
Carp anglers need to be able to tie strong and reliable knots in order to successfully land the fish they hook. Now many people get confused by the vast array of knots that are possible in fishing but I use just four knots for virtually all my fishing. Knotless Knot: This has now become […]
One thing that we all need to do in angling is fill our reels with line… Fixed spool reels have an inherent tendency to twist the line, eventually making casting impossible. This twisting is down to the clutches fitted on the reels and is compounded by the technique in carp fishing of letting the fish […]
