ASK THE EXPERTS
Dear Panel,
I've been fishing a local club water for months now. It’s quite deep, but the depth and bottom constantly change. It's around six acres in size too. It's not a tough water, but it takes a decent mind to crack it as it constantly changes. A bait that works in spring might not work in autumn. Then again, maybe it will...
The lake is crystal clear and the carp only really seem to get caught from the margins, and the problem is crystal clear margins aren't all that easy to fish. The lake sees anglers day in, day out, and the fish are confident, but wary when the slightest thing is strange (for example, my rig). I've seen plenty of really decent fish to high-30s appear out of nowhere crashing out in the middle and ripping up the bottom, yet only the bream and tench anglers bother fishing far out. The question is, would prebaiting be worth it here? Would murkier water allow rigs to blend in that bit better, and could they feed more confidently in a less pressured area? I'm a great fan of Fusion, which apparently appears to do quite well in long-term campaigns.
Yours sincerely,
Elliott Smith, Watford.
Hi Elliott,
Prebaiting any venue you plan on fishing, long-term, is definitely worth doing. Encouraging confidence in carp to readily eat your chosen bait will, in turn, reduce the carp’s caution of areas of a lake from which they associate being hooked, or of which they are wary, such as the popular, pressured margins of your club water.
A PVA stick will burst open, disguising your rig.
Food source-type baits work best with this approach, and Fusion is an ideal choice, suitable for year-long use. Regularly introduce bait in small quantities (20-50 boilies), to as many areas of the lake as you can which the carp will pass or move through but where they don’t normally see anglers’ rigs, such as spots between swims, snags and, without doubt, the unfished middle. The idea behind avoiding pressured spots, such as swims, is to allow the carp to find a few baits anywhere in the lake, eat them safely, and search for more, instilling a confidence to feed on the bait without hesitation or inspection, even when eventually coming across this bait in danger areas, i.e. the swims you’re fishing!
Fluorocarbon can help in clear water, and backleads will keep the main line pinned down nicely
I suggest you take the bait side of things further, by attaching a PVA stick or bag to your hooklinks. Continue your flavour theme with the Fusion Hookbait Enhancement System as a liquid attractor to a mix of Fusion Response Pellets, crumbed boilies, and plenty of Mainline Tiger Nut/Crushed Hemp Stick Mix. This PVA stick has a dual purpose; firstly, when fishing the margins the attached stick will burst open, disguising your hooklink, and cloud up the clear water by dispersing particles and attractors. Secondly, when angling pressure takes its toll and the carp move from the margins to the middle of the lake, these small sticks will add anti-tangle qualities to a lengthier cast, as well as providing just enough bait to attract a bite from showing fish.
A chunky common caught from the margins
Fluorocarbon leaders and/or hooklinks can also help in clear water conditions, although I have found that making sure everything is pinned down is the main issue. Backlead whenever possible, as well as slackening off main lines to sink and hug the contours of the undulating bottom.
Hope this helps,
John
