ASK THE EXPERTS
Hi Team,
I have been carp fishing for quite a while now, mainly fishing easy day ticket waters, so I decided that I wanted more of a challenge and I joined a local club water which is a lake of about 18 acres with very low fish stocks, but some cracking-looking fish that go to 30lb.
I have been walking round the water for the last couple of weeks just to look for signs of fish and try and get some information. There are some good size fish down in a quiet bottom corner when the weather is quite warm and with a lot of weed on the bottom. It is very fishable, the fish come in very close to the banks but are quite easily spooked.
Could you tell me if it would it be worth targeting these fish that are in about 2ft of water, and what approach would you take; why do think other anglers aren’t targeting this area, the other anglers won’t give out much information.
Thank You,
J. Harding,
Swindon
Hi, thanks for the question.
Well, before we go into specifics I would like to say that walking round the lake and spending time watching whatever swims around, or above, your lake (i.e. ducks, etc.) is one of the best ways of learning how to catch the fish in your lake. That may sound obvious but so many anglers just don’t do it, opting to ‘camp’ next to their mate just for the social or whatever reason, so, in fairness, if you are walking round the water, you are already well on your way to putting the pieces of the carp jigsaw together.
Sunrise. Always watching; 4.00 a.m. trying to put the pieces together. Kelly kettle on!
If you are regularly seeing the fish in your quiet little corner that no one else is fishing, it may be possible to start introducing a bit of bait. Now, depending on ducks, coots, etc. you may be able to introduce a few handfuls of boilies in and around the gaps in the weed (if your lake has a lot of birdlife on it then perhaps a good few handfuls of hemp or chopped up boilies would be better in the shallower water), then keep watching the spots you have baited. After a while it’s a pretty good bet that the carp you are seeing will feed in this area, so keep popping the bait in for a while and when you are confident that the fish are returning and eating the bait it’s definitely time to have a go for them.
Targeting the Fish in 2ft of Water and the Approach to Catch Them
There is absolutely no reason why you cannot target these fish in 2ft of water as long as you are fishing in a manner which is suited to that style of fishing – back to basics really, i.e. I advise against fishing really tight bowstring lines in this area, a more subtle approach may be called for. Don’t have your rods poking well over the edge of the swim, have them back from the edge, sit well back and keep quiet, and maybe use a smaller bait and hook (with a micro barb) than you would normally fish in open water with just a small amount of bait around it when actually fishing for them. When I am in this situation I often find that a mouthful of bait in the shallow water, whilst actually fishing in the edge, does regularly produce the goods. Don’t wear silly bright coloured clothes if you are fishing in close, I mean let’s face it, you’re practically stalking them now, especially if you have them feeding on your bait and you know that the fish will return looking for more.
The Sergeant at 34.08 from Catch 22 syndicate taken in 2ft of water.
Why Do You Think Other Anglers Aren’t Targeting This Area?
There may be a few reasons for this one. Quite simply, the anglers fishing your lake may well be happy with the way they are fishing, the areas that they are targeting, and the results they are getting. They may also have tried that area in the past for some reason or another and feel that the area is not for them, things such as duck pick-ups, fish too edgy, etc., etc., may well have put them off. Not beyond the realms of possibility is that the other anglers quite simply do not know that the fish are getting into that area as much as you do, and this could be a big advantage to start off with – you can bet your bottom dollar that at least a few of them would fish there if they thought they would get a bite
Happiness – what it feels like when you have finally put the pieces together!
The Other Anglers Won’t Give Out Much Information
Don’t worry that the other anglers don’t give much information away; I can quite understand this, because they may have been fishing the lake for some time and put a lot of work into learning how to catch them. My advice is just do your fishing, and don’t worry about it. If you see someone land one, go over and have a look, say “Well done, mate” and walk off. You will probably find that by not asking and always watching what is going on around the lake that the pieces will fall into place. You may also find then that when you start catching, one of the regulars will come over and do a photo for you, and this is your chance to get to know people – when he/she has taken your picture, offer him/her a beer, a cuppa, or even a cigarette, and you'll soon start to break the ice a bit.
It really can feel odd walking onto the banks of a new lake, worse than your first day at high school, I know, because I have been there, but don’t forget, you have paid your money and you have as much right to be there as anyone else.
Cheers,
Spug
