Yet another article from our fellows at Nash Tackle. Enjoy.

Although an element of mystery in our fishing can create a real buzz, before embarking on a monster hunting campaign I like to make sure my target fish actually exist. Most of us have limited fishing time so don’t make the fatal mistake of chasing myths that may or may not be swimming in your target water!

DO YOUR HOME WORK

With big carp fishing there’s often a very fine line between failure and success, attention to detail is important, long periods of inactivity are often the norm so you have to be fully committed and focused if you are to succeed.

If you research your water and find out as much as you can about previous captures you will often find patterns start to emerge. In my experience, big fish often have favourite areas or haunts were they like to feed and spend long periods of time. Some big fish tend to get caught from certain swims or areas at very specific times of the year, so as you stack up the information you will also be stacking the odds in your favour.

Once these areas have been located I like to start introducing some bait as often as possible so the fish can start to gain confidence in my chosen boilie. Initially if the fish can feed on my bait safely without the pressure of lines in the water and there are no potentially dangerous hook baits to be avoided, ultimately it will make them, I won’t say easy, but maybe less difficult to catch.

These areas can be anything from dense weed beds, deep channels, gullies or heavily silted areas holding blood-worm in abundance, neglected swims are always worth investigating or any area where I’ve spotted the tell tail signs of a big fish.

BIG FISH HAUNTS

Its difficult to put a time span on this but as you become more tuned into your water, the pieces of the jig saw start to drop into place, but having said that there will always be a few pieces that don’t fit! Big carp can be very different creatures to the other fish inhabiting the lake and often lead different lives.

WHEN IT ALL GOES RIGHT

A prime example is the capture of my ‘pb’ mirror from a Northants syndicate lake I was targeting a few years ago. On this particular trip in June, the forecast was warm, plenty of sunshine with very little wind.

Because of knowledge procured during the campaign I was really starting to get ‘under the skin’ of that fish and just knew it would, at some point turn up in the car-park bay. I set up camp in the central swim of the bay ( a neglected swim) which gave access to a large area of water. My traps were set on well fished spots, but because I used different line angles and fished a more ‘stealthier’ approach, the chance of success was greatly improved.

Just after first light the following morning, a ‘stuttery’ tench like take followed by a titanic battle, produced the largest fish in the lake, job done!

CONFIDENCE

If you are angling for a special fish its easy to make the mistake of thinking that you need to do something different to your normal approach. I prefer to stick with what I know works and instead focus on the detail, I might only get one chance, so strong tackle is a must and I make sure the hook point is sticky sharp. I’m angling to land that fish not loose it!

Compared to some of the concoctions I’ve seen in the monthlies recently my rigs are pretty ‘boring’ but believe me, they are more than capable of outwitting the cutest rig shy carp. The more components you throw into the mix when constructing a big fish rig, the more chances there are of things going wrong, so I prefer to keep it simple.

Hooks have to be strong and super sharp, for me the legendry Nash TT Fang X ticks all the boxes. These have been my number one choice for a very long time, the latest updated version of the hook which has been around for a couple of years is simply as good as it gets.

Without doubt the number one hook link choice for a big old weary carp has to be Nash TT Armourbraid, it’s strong dependable, bomb proof in fact and ultra stealthy.

When dry, Armourbraid has a subtle stiffness which eliminates tangles and helps kick the hook link out and away from the lead when combined with a balanced hook bait, but on the lake bed it becomes much more supple and stealthy. The colour is interesting too, it just seems to melt away and disappear regardless of the lake bed conditions, a lot of thought has obviously gone into the design of this product.

TIME SPANS

My traps are normally set and left in position for the full duration of my session (48hrs) so its important to make sure the rigs are 100% tangle proof and sitting out there as intended. When presenting baits on or near the lake bed my big fish rigs consist of 12 inches of  20lb Armourbraid tied to a Fang X hook fished blow-back ring style and a longish hair.

A Diffusion Weed Safe bolt bead or an inline lead set-up fished with long lengths of fluorocarbon or Nash TT Core-Plus lead core leaders completes the set up.

I know its predictable, but for pop up fishing its got to be the chod, I’ve fine tuned my own version of the rig which can be fished effectively over any lakebed conditions, its also the perfect rig for chucking into the unknown at a showing fish.

GO YOUR OWN WAY

I like to keep an eye on what others are up to but more often than not and particularly on pressured waters I choose a different path, in other words, be a shepherd and not a sheep. If you “clone fish” you will only catch the same as the rest, hoping for a lucky result rather than angling for one.

Bait is another aspect where some original thinking will pay dividends.  When using boilies, to create the ‘confusion factor’ I prefer multiple sizes and shapes. If the carp are browsing over one uniform size or shape of boilie, a controlled suck can be used to easily inspect and also reject any unwanted or potentially dangerous items.

Whereas a mix of food items creates confusion and greatly increases the chance of a mistake being made with the hook bait.

A balanced hook bait rather than using a standard/heavy bottom bait also provides a massive edge. My own home made balanced specials have had a dramatic effect on my catch rates and have played a major role in the down fall of a good number of my target fish.

Another deadly tactic that is very under used these days is the solid p.v.a bag. On the water’s I’ve fished in recent years everyone has been focussed on ‘the stick’ I’ve even met anglers who believe pva has ‘blown’ and will no longer catch carp? But I’ve continued to catch countless big carp using my trusted solid bag tactics and I can’t see any reason why that will change. I like to use longish hook links with a balanced hook bait and fill the bag with food items that can easily waft up from the lake bed when disturbed by a feeding carp. Big fish have the ability to suck in food items from a considerable distance, a short rig could well blow my one chance of  success. ‘Give them enough rope’ is the way the saying goes I think and it certainly makes sense to me.

BIG FISH BAIT

Big carp are eating machines and can consume large amounts of food when they are really on the feed. I am a firm believer that good quality boilies will always be the best bait to use when targeting big carp. Boilies will out fish any other method in the long run; it’s a method that has proven itself time and time again. We all have our favourites that keep those bobbins moving and I am no different. Because I’m a Nash consultant I don’t have to worry about my bait choice, baits like Scopex Squid, Monster Pursuit, Mac 1 etc have an envious big fish track record, so all I have to do is concentrate on finding and catching them.

It’s hard to imagine how the modern carp scene could have evolved without the likes of Kevin Nash and Gary Bayes, both gurus in their own field, innovating and developing many of the bait products and tackle items crucial for the pursuit of big carp that we tend to take for granted.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my big fish ramblings, if you are hoping to track down a monster or two this season, remember it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Don’t expect instant success and be prepared for the inevitable highs and lows along the way. Stick with it and most important of all enjoy your time on the bank

Be lucky,   Mick Henderson