Carp Fishing: A Brief Introduction
Essentially, all you need to enjoy carp fishing are three things: basic tackle, bait, and a lot of patience (being last but by no means least!). But first, you will need to know where the carp are.
Arguably the greatest thing about carp is the slow moving environment in which they prefer to live. This means you will have a tranquil environment for a day’s fishing. Even if you don’t catch anything, it’s a lovely way to spend a few hours. For the real enthusiast, it is possible to immerse yourself in your hobby by choosing one of the increasingly available carp fishing holidays available to both professionals and beginners.
Carp are naturally gregarious, preferring to school in groups of at least six. They prefer a quiet, shaded environment, with plenty of floating vegetation above them. Being bed feeders, they are usually not easy to see from the surface. But you will know they are there.
There are many seasoned fishermen who have been seeking out the best spots for decades, such as George Barnes. “They love the dark and the quiet,” he says. “If disturbed from their habitat, they may disappear and not return to the bed for days. They are easily scared, and a spot where four or five were landed on one day may be barren the next.”
Whilst a fifty-odd pound specimen has been recorded from time to time, it is not likely that your average carp fisherman would ever be that lucky. Typically, you will be looking at 3-5 lbs, so carp fishing tackle need not be too sophisticated. In the beginning, a simple 10lb-line rod and reel set-up is more than sufficient. When choosing your carp fishing tackle, don’t underestimate the value of a good float. It’s generally best to invest in a decent float if you can afford it as you will be thankful in the long run. Try not to fall into the temptation of pulling in and re-casting unnecessarliy, as this will cause the carp to become scared and they will simply swim away.
As carp are omnivorous and will try almost anything which comes their way, there is a huge range of carp fishing bait on the market. “I usually use a ground bait, lowered gently into the water,” says Barnes. “Boilies or pellets or lobworm paste all work well. Once the fish are used to the introduction of these, they will be more inclined to take them from the hook.
“You must have patience for carp fishing. One day, you may have no luck with one type of bait, so it is essential to have as many different types of carp fishing bait in your bag as you can. Fruit flavour boilies or pellets can sometimes bring instant catches: on other days, you have to keep changing the variety of carp fishing baits before you get results.”
Other equipment, along with the Thermos and sandwiches, may be deemed necessary by some. You may want to take along different sized hooks, depending on what time of the year you are fishing. An extra rod can often come in handy. Your best rod and reel with a hook loaded with lugworm paste or a fruit-flavoured boilie – specially produced carp fishing bait – can often be bettered by a simpler rod and reel set-up.
When all is said and done, and however much you spend on carp fishing tackle and fancy new bait flavours, it is up to the fish to decide whether or not they feel like taking it!. In conclusion then, the most important thing to remember when going carp fishing is to take along your patience!
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