Pins, Floats, Margins and Big Carp – Part 1
My clients fish from 9.00am to 17.00pm or thereabouts. In all cases the fish have come in the margins, never more than 5 yards out. I have worked out that over the summer we are hooking a carp every 3.5 hours. A very rough calculation suggests that the pro carp anglers on these three waters are hooking carp every 25 hours. And they are using three rods whereas my guests are using one. My obvious point is th
at whilst this approach of mine might seem laughably old fashioned and ridiculous, it is in fact extremely time productive.
Of course, my clients fish like this because their time is restricted and because they prefer to watch a float for 8 hours than sit motionless behind buzzers. In fact they would not do that and I’d have no job to go to. They also want to spend their fishing time like this because seeing a float slip away is one of angling’s magic moments. The fight, too, on a lighter rod and centre pin is galvanising, far, far more exciting than towing a fish in on a poker rod and big pit reel.
I suggest results have been so good simply because my friends and clients are fishing completely differently to the norm. On all three waters the carp have sussed out the stereotypical carp anglers’ approach and what we are doing is new to the fish, so new they have no developed defences.
My attack is based on these pillars. I choose an area of bank not favoured by the carp boys as I do not want to step on their toes and, also, I do not want to arrive to find “my” swims taken. I like a bank facing the prevailing wind so I am normally looking to the north east section of any lake. I want a good depth close in and by that I mean no further out than 5/10 yards. 10 feet plus is good and I won’t concentrate on water less than 8 feet. It is important these margins have cover or features of some sort. Thick reed beds are best but overhanging trees are good. I do not like lily beds as the snagging dangers are too great.
Coming up in Part 2 next week – how to fish.