Carp Fishing Tips And Tricks.

If you are new to carp fishing all the information out there can be very confusing.
When I first started carp fishing way back in the 1960s I guess you could you could say it was hard but only because at the time there were very few waters containing carp compared to today. Carp tackle was what we could improvise from what was available. Compare the old Mitchel 300 reels, salmon rods, 45ins brollies and super market bed chairs to what is available today.
Despite the lack of proper carp tackle and indeed the lack of carp and information it was a lot more exiting, carp were thought to be uncatchable the only people saying any different were of course Richard Walker, BB and the carp Catchers Club.
I was around 12yrs old at the time it was another two years struggling before I would catch my first carp and about the same length of time before I met another carp angler.
Why am I telling you this ? just to give you a bit of a back ground of where I am coming from and that after 40yrs carp fishing I do know a little of what I am talking about.

I feel sorry in one way for any one just starting on their carp fishing adventure in that they will swamped with information, from articles and books telling them how to catch carp to adverts telling them that they need all the latest gear on the market to stand any chance of catching them.
Make no bones about it carp fishing today is a big business with a few top carp anglers making a living at it, a far cry from when I first started.
You could spend thousands of pounds kitting yourself up with all the latest carp tackle.

Ron Thompson Zensorflex Carp Rod 12' 2.5lbs
Shimano have led the field in carp reels for many years now new ones do retail in the £100.00 bracket but you can pick them up for a lot less second hand again have a browse on ebay.

Do yourself a favour do not get dragged into the carp tackle fashion industry you do not need 3lb tc rods, top of the range Shimano long cast reels and £400.00 bivvies to catch carp.
You will find some links for products on amazon that are perfectly adequate for carp fishing in most of the waters that you are liable to be fishing.
If you are new to carp fishing pick a small water containing plenty of carp, leave the big waters containing less carp until you have a bit more experience. Fishing the bigger waters does require more specialized equipment but you can always upgrade later if you think that you are going to like this style of carp fishing.
I do have a couple of the Zanaflex carp rods myself that I use on the smaller waters that I fish and they are a really nice rod, nice slim blank with a lovely fish playing action I would recommend them to any one and at the price I feel that they are a giveaway.
Amazon are not the only place that you can pick up quality tackle at a price that will not break the bank, most people are familiar with ebay auctions you can pick up second hand branded tackle at a fraction of the price that it will cost you in the shop. Also take a look at the classified adds in your local shops and papers.

VISION KENWICK CARP FISHING BEDCHAIR

Shimano have led the field in carp reels for as long as I can remember although there are one or two lesser known brands around that are a lot less expensive but still do the same job.
Any make of landing net will do as long as it is large enough and has a deep enough net a full carbon set up is a lot easier to handle but will set you back a bit more.
If you are only contemplating fishing day sessions a 60ins brolly with storm sides will be adequate protection from the elements, to be honest that is all that I use for most of my summer fishing I like to have an unrestricted view of the lake. For longer sessions you will need to invest in a good quality bivvy and a descent bed chair again there are plenty of descent products around with out paying for the top branded names.

Winter is just around the corner where did the summer go?. Its the time of year when a lot of anglers will be hanging up their carp rods and starting pike fishing or perhaps having a dabble on the rivers. Winter carp fishing can be slow but it can also be more productive than the summer if you go about it in the right way and put a bit of thought into what you are doing.
We could start getting the first winter frosts any time soon which will usually slow things down for a while until the carp get acclimatised to the lower water temperatures,
I think that the most important thing to consider if you are thinking of carriyng on carp fishing through the winter is your choice of water. During the summer months I tend to fish the larger big fish waters but come the winter I move on to smaller waters nearer to home ones with a larger stock of carp and therefore a better chance of of a bit of action.
Things to consider when choosing your water would be, is the water close enough to home to be able to make regular visits?, does it have a track record of producing carp in the winter?, does it receive much attention from other carp anglers?,
November the 1st has always been considered as the start of the winter carp fishing calender but my plans will have started well before that I will be making trips to my chosen lake, just keeping an eye on things and perhaps stating to put a bit of bait in, making a note of where any carp have been caught etc.
I have found that carp will continue to feed through out the winter as long as there is a food supply available, this is usually in the form of anglers baits but many of the waters that I fish will only see a token carp angler all winter so it is important to keep some bait going in to keep them feeding. This is the reason for picking a water close to home so that I can make two or three trips a week to just to put a bit of bait in. I will try and make one of these trips on the day before I intend to fish and then fish single hook baits or a PVA set up over where I have previously baited.