ASK THE EXPERTS
Dear Panel,
On the venue I am currently fishing, I’ve noticed the larger carp (three in particular around the 40lb mark) tend to get caught from totally different parts of the lake from week to week. Is there any way I can narrow down their location? Is their movement due to angling pressure (it is a pressured lake, but far less in winter), weather, or other factors? Could there be a pattern to their movements?
The lake is 22 acres, approximately 6-8ft deep with a few snags and an island. Where do I start?
Bob Benson
Shirley,
West Midlands
Dear Bob,
To be quite honest with you, fella, this is not a bad problem to have at all. At the very least you are fishing for big fish, and this will help to keep you motivated when the going gets tough. I think most of us have been in this situation at one time or another, so you are not alone. Unfortunately you haven’t told me how many carp are in the lake, or how many carp you have been catching. To that end I will assume that there is a fair head of carp in the lake and that you have been having a few. I suppose in that scenario it would be easy for me to say just keep doing what you are doing, and the big ones will turn up at some point. However, if you are anything like me, you will want to be a bit more pro-active than that.
Frimley October’05. A bait fished away from the baited area produced the biggest
mirror in the lake
There is little doubt in my mind that angling pressure has the most dramatic effect on fish behaviour. This is going to vary from lake to lake, but accepting that it does happen keeps you on your toes. As the lake is pressured in the warmer months the carp will be feeding with a heightened level of caution; they will be eating a large amount of the bait, but invariably getting away without being caught. At times big fish can be quite solitary, and this is something that helps considerably when trying to target the bigger fish in any lake. It is very often the case that the smaller and more competitive fish will feed continually on the more pressured spots. To that end I try to fish a rod or two a short distance away from these areas. A small PVA trap (stringer or bag) 10-12yds away from the baited area, has often brought me a bigger fish or two.
Maybe you should look a little more closely at the areas from which they have been caught in the past. I wouldn’t mind betting that there will be a pattern of sorts. Without knowing more about the lake it is hard for me to speculate, but it is worth further investigation. Bait has a massive role to play in the carp fishing game. Is there a history of a certain bait producing the bigger fish? Do they get caught over large beds of bait or smaller, subtle traps?
Small subtle traps sometimes sort out the bigger fish
You mentioned that the lake is far less pressured in the winter. This is the time that I would be at my most active. With fewer anglers to contend with you will be able to move around until you find the areas that the bigger carp prefer at this time of year. Depth is a crucial factor in the colder months and I have found that concentrating on swims that offer plenty of variation in depth is best. In milder spells they will not have far to travel to find a comfortable depth in which to feed. You say the lake has an average depth of 6-8ft and I have found that to be an ideal depth for winter fishing. By narrowing your choice to three or four swims you will be able to keep the bait trickling into them and if one or two are taken you still have a choice. You don’t have to go mad with the bait either. By far the most important thing is the regularity with which you are putting it in.
Isolating and catching the bigger carp in any lake is not an exact science, but the tactics I have outlined here have helped me in the past. Do your homework and make a plan. Stick to it and work hard. You only get out what you are prepared to put in.
Best of luck, Bob, and I hope that helps.
Chilly
