ASK THE EXPERTS
This month's winning question:
Dear Team
I am currently a member of a small syndicate complex in Dorset. As time has gone on, more and more people have joined, resulting in the carp becoming extremely wary. Do you have any tips I could use to gain an edge over the other anglers when fishing for these pressurised carp?
Lewis Swift
Well Lewis, this seems to happen to most syndicate waters eventually. Normally, when they are first started, the size of the fish and the maturity of the water means that they are not so popular, but as the fish grow and the lake matures, they become more popular and normally the price increases, thus the anglers spend more time on the bank to justify the cost, and the fish get more wary as a result of being fished for almost constantly.
Choose a good quality bait for your baiting campaign. You will not go far wrong choosing one of Mainline’s excellent range.
You will need to look carefully at how you approach your water from now on. Firstly, study the water and other anglers. Find out when the quieter times are and try to plan your sessions around these times. Fewer lines in the water will always be a bonus. Next, you will need to plan a baiting campaign using a quality bait. Obviously I can totally recommend Mainline Baits. Any of the range will catch fish; boilies, with pellets, dips, pop-ups and particle syrups to match, add a large selection to your armoury.
Regular baiting of this swim produced five fish in one night during a cold January.
So, once you have chosen your bait you need to start to introduce it. Normally I choose to prebait 3-4 swims at a time, in small quantities at first. If at all possible I make sure no other anglers see me bait up. Continue fishing whilst you carry on with the baiting programme. I might not even fish the areas I am baiting unless I see signs of the fish having it from the start. I like to allow them to gain their confidence, letting the fish visit the area, feed, and then move on; you will find different fish will visit at different time of the day. This will give you your best chance of multiple captures.
A recent capture from a syndicate water just like you describe, and yes, this too has become very difficult at times, but with careful plans you too could reap the rewards.
When you do start to catch, keep it quiet for as long as possible. If other anglers see you doing well they will inevitably jump in the swim. Whilst fishing make sure you still carry on baiting the other swims in case you turn up only to find someone in your first choice swim. I tend to choose neglected or unpopular swims for my campaign and let the other anglers fish the usual spots. Try something different and I am sure you will benefit from the campaign and consistently catch these wary carp.
Good luck
Rob Marsh
