Cold water carping is all about location - like the carp in your fish pond they are prone to shoaling up tightly, so location is key.

Small baits, very small PVA bags of baits fished on fluorocarbon leaders, in-line leads and fluorocarbon hook lengths, with small size 12's or 10's hooks, are the order of the day. I am not bothered if I get bream or tench as at least it's activity - and if we can trick these fish, well, we can trick carp. Carp will often feed alongside or bully-off other fish in the swim. Do not over-feed the carp as they do not need much food, just a little to keep them interested.

With winter fast approaching, many anglers will be hanging their rods up when the first hard frost arrives, but what they don't realise is that there are many rewards up for grabs for braving the cold.

Here is how I approach my winter fishing.

Venue Choice
Make no mistake, winter fishing is hard, and choosing the right venue for a winter campaign or even a few day sessions is crucial. A shallow, well stocked, venue will provide you with the best chance of a bite in the cold. It really depends what you want from your fishing. Venues such as Thorpe Lea in Surrey, Sandhurst lake in Yateley, and Linear Fisheries in Oxfordshire are all excellent winter day-ticket venues worth considering.

The Right Kit
Keeping warm in the winter will not only keep you happy, but will also make you more efficient and increase your chances of a bite in the cold. Let's look at some of the kit needed to make winter fishing comfortable.

Bivvy – A good sturdy bivvy, with a twin skin to keep the warm in and prevent condensation is essential, a heavy duty groundsheet will keep the cold and the rain out too and generally make life a bit more bearable. Good examples are the Chub Cyfish+ or the Chub Vizor with the extreme canopy cover.

Sleeping Bag – A good quality 5 season bag is worth investing in if you are planning on doing some serious winter night fishing, a thermal sleeping bag cover will provide added warmth in the coldest of weathers, depending on how much you feel the cold. A good buy is the Cub Cloud 9 3 season bag, couple this with a Chub Cloud 9 fleece bed chair cover and you can turn a 3 season sleeping bag into a 5 season arrangement.

Clothing – I don't want to tell you how to dress yourself but it's surprising how many anglers are under gunned in the clothing department when it comes to winter fishing. More thinner layers of clothing are better than a couple of thick layers. If you do get too warm then it's easy to remove thinner layers and still be comfortable. The Chub Vantage base layer suit when used in conjunction with hoodies and the Chub Vantage all weather bib and brace / jacket combo is a great way to keep warm and dry. If you cannot get warm then you cannot concentrate and even worse you might get frost bite in extreme circumstances so always take enough clothes and a few spare in the car just in case the weather changes and catches you out.

Cooking and Home Comforts – A good quality petrol stove is perfect for winter sessions as gas stoves can be hard to light in the coldest of weathers as the gas turns to liquid. Petrol stoves will work in the coldest of weathers, and are superb for making moral boosting drinks and hot food! The Coleman Sportster is a fantastic bit of kit, and a stove well worth investing in, with a small amount of maintenance each year it will give you years of cooking and tea making!

There are a vast array of gadgets and bits of kit to make life more comfortable on the bank. Bivvy heaters, portable DVD players, the list is endless; with the night's drawing in and darkness arriving around 5pm, and first light not until 8am, that's a lot of dark hours spent on the bank. Make life as comfortable as you can.

Once you have your winter kit sorted, and a venue arranged you can start to plan your fishing. Do as much research as possible, with the more popular day ticket waters you can find out reams and reams of information if you dig deep enough. How does the lake fish in the winter? Any areas that produce well in the colder months? The more research you can do, the better prepared you can be.

Bait – This is a subject I could write pages and pages on, but for this piece I will keep it simple and suggest a few tried and tested baits.

Boilies are the obvious choice but steer clear of high oil content boilies. Your good summer fish meal bait will more than likely struggle to produce in the winter. A good fruity or bird food based boile will see you right. Nut based boilies such as the Dynamite Tiger Nut ones are usually a good bet in the winter, try your own and see what works for you.

High visibility fruity pop ups produce time and time again. Yellow pineapple pop-ups and orange tutti fruitti's have accounted for thousands of winter carp and you should always have a tub of either in your bag - when the going gets tough, a single pop up can often produce the goods.

Maggots are a favored year-round bait of the pleasure angler but they are also a fantastic winter carp bait. If the lake you target is full of small nuisance fish then you may find they are not very effective but if carp are dominant then they can be a very instant bait, often encouraging carp to feed even in the coldest of weathers. Fished with a large PVA bag of freebies and mag aligner style or even using one of the Korda maggot klips, maggots can be devastating!

Peperami is a very underrated bait and has caught me lots of carp in cooler weather. Fished with a mesh bag of pellet and crushed peperami, often tipped with a fake piece of corn, it can often produce a take when the boiles aren't being touched.

If you have been baiting a few spots around your lake through the summer and autumn, then don't assume you have to stop once the winter arrives. If you keep presenting bait on the spots the carp can be encouraged to continue feeding all the way through the winter. Keep topping up the bait and try not to stop the baiting-up. If you do stop the carp will slow down into a winter slumber and either slip into a semi dormant state, or find somewhere else to feed.

Keep your eyes peeled, showing carp in the winter are very rare and should you see signs of carp you need to move onto them to maximize your chances of producing a take.

Winter is a time to be cherished on the bank; the number of anglers will be dwindling, the fish will be at good weights and in peak condition. However, the fish are without question harder to catch, but that just makes it all the more rewarding!

So here are my top 5 tips for winter fishing:

1) Kit yourself out properly - being cold and uncomfortable won't help you catch fish!
2) Make sure you have a supply of hot drinks and food, a steaming cup of tea can be a fantastic morale booster when the fishing is hard going.
3) Be prepared to up sticks and move if the fish are not in front of you.
4) A single bright pop up can often induce a take when other baits are not being touched.
5) Keep at it! Winter fishing can be tough and gruelling, but the rewards can be great!

I hope you find this helpful and are encouraged to give winter carp fishing a try, until next time tight lines and good luck!
Ian Gemson - www.smartcarping.com

Everyone can with a bit of practise and the correct tackle feel the lead when casting out into the lake. This feeling will enable you to better understand the type of lake bed your rig is landing on.  The first thing to understand is after you cast the lead out into your swim your line has to be tight and the rod  held high and under slight compression as the lead hits the surface of the water to stand any chance of feeling what is going on.

To achieve this you need to feather the line down or fished clipped up to ensure a taught line.

The feeling of the lead hitting the lake bed will be amplified if you are using stiff action rods this will ensure you do not loose sensitivity due to the compression of the tip absorbing all of the impact of the lead.
Line also has a big part to play you can use pre-stretched  mono’s that offer less stretch compared to standard mono’s however these are not as good as braid which offers no stretch which is why it is used for marker rods.
The lead you use can make a huge difference in the feeling you get.

A standard plastic coated lead will dramatically reduce the feeling of the lead as it strikes the bottom.  So with this in mind I would strongly recommend a lead without any plastic covering like the new Korda Probe lead or the AI Feature finder

Now we have the tackle and technique correct we can start learning how to feel what the lake bed is like on our chosen spots.

Gravel can be felt as the lead hitting the bottom with a really hard Jolt, which will have the tip of the rod springing back out of compression with a sharp snap as the lead hit the gravel and comes to a sudden stop allowing the line to slacken.  At this point it is worth noting that on a tight line your lead will travel through the water at about three feet per second so you can also get a rough idea of depth as well and the lake bed type. As you bring the lead back you will be able to feel the lead chatter over the gravel as it comes in.
Silt will have a far softer feel through the rod as the lead starts to dramatically slows down as it enters the thicker silt eventually coming to a stop, again make a mental note of the time it take to hit the bottom. The silty bottom will make the lead feel like it is being pulled through cold custard as you bring the lead in.
Weed will feel as if the lead has landed in cotton wool and the length of time the lead is descending through the water will also be reduced compared to clear areas next to the weed bed.  Weed will load up against the lead as we retrieve it coming loose with enough tension but still feeling heavy as we drag a clump back to the shore.

Bait placement is key to ensuring you obtain the optimum from your chosen swim, with your baited rigs in the correct position you will get more pickups and hopefully bank more carp.

The Ring Rig or Blowback Rig is a great rig if you find you are getting plenty of bites but not actually hooking any carp. The idea behind the rig is the ring allows the bait free movement so when a carp blows or moves the bait it moves very naturally. This free movement also allows the hook to move indipendantly of the bait which means when the carp has the bait in its mouth the hook point will always drop and present it self in the idea hooking postion greatly increasing your chances of a solid hook hold in the bottom lip.

What you will need

Tools
1. Sharp braid scissors
2. A braid stripper
3. A baiting needle
4. Rig pullers




Tackle
1. Longshank hooks
2. Coated braid hooklength



Tackle cont.
3. Heat shrink
4. Bait stops




Tackle cont.
5. Fine Diameter silicone tube
6. Micro rig rings




Method
Step 1



Cut enough coated braid hook length for you to be able to work comfortably with the braid about 30-35cm is fine. Then using the braid stripper tool strip about 12cm of coating off the braid.



Step 2



Double the stripped braid over on itself and form a simple overhand knot, do not pull the knot tight yet. Insert the two rig pullers into the loop and the center of the knot now use the pullers to minimise the waste tag end and form the corrcet size loop to suit the size of bait to be used.



Step 3
Using a fine baiting needle carefully put the needle throught the middle of the bait.



Step 4
Thread the bait onto the hair and add the hair stop to prevent the bait from coming off the hair.



Step 5
Slip a micro rig ring onto the hooklenght over the stripped portion of the coated braid. Now tie a single over hand knot with the ring in the middle of the knot.



Step 6
put the baiting needle into the micro rig ring and pull the ring along the braid to set the hair length.



Step 7
Tie a second overhand knot to fully lock the micro rig ring in place.



Step 8
Now pull the ring over the hook point and pull the hooklenght through the back of the eye on the hook.



Step 9

With the micro rig ring in the correct position on the shank of the hook opposite the barb measure the silicone tube next to the hook and cut the tube to the correct lenght.



Step 10
Slide the cut peice of fine bore silicone tube onto the hooklenght and down until it stops against the micro rig ring.



Step 11




Step 12
Tie your standard Knotlees knot.(These steps can been seen in the How To:tie a knotlees knot article)



Step 13
Add a small peice of tight fitting heatshrink to the eye of the hook.



Step 14
With The heat shrink steamed over the kettle and pulled forward whilst cooling you should end up with a rig looking like this.



Step 15
Double over the coated braid and tie and overhand knot to form your loop. Lubricate the knot with saliva when you pull the knot tight.



Step 16
With the rig complete use the puller bars to fully test the rig and knots. Youy rig should now look like this.




I hope you enjoyed making this rig good luck with your fishing.

Tight lines!

Well I used my Christmas present today and yesterday and I think it was the best present ever! last year at my local clubs show I met a very nice man called Ian Gemson doing some carp fishing coaching, and was very impressed and asked my mum to book me a session as a christmas present. Come Christmas I had my session booked! after a very nice, long and informative phone conversation with Ian the date was set and the venue was to be Thorpe lea, now all there was to do was wait. The day finally arrived and as the bedside alarm clock rang out at 5:30am I leapt out of bed with great excitement and huge expectations! the car was packed and me and my dad headed of to the venue, after some mishaps along the way we finally arrived 45 minutes late!

We met Ian in the beach swim numbers 16+17, the best swims on the lake and it was apparent from the first few minutes we were in for a treat, firstly the carp were acting like dolphins and secondly how good Ian was with informing us!



The first job was assess the setting up of our swims, However before I had even got my bivvey out the bag one of Ian’s rod was away resulting in this hard fighting 15lb 3oz mirror
I headed back to my swim and before I had the bivvey out the bag Ian’s other rod was away resulting in a 13lb mirror! there was a trend occurring!!! after all the commotion the guy from a couple of swims up came up to ask Ian what he was doing as they weren’t catching, Ian showed him the rigs and told him exactly what we were doing, then even let him take the next run, betting him it would take less than 5 minutes! 2 minutes later the Delkim was squealing with a fast running carp doing its best to escape Ian's rig, The angle struck to hard on the fast running carp and unfortunately the fish was lost.
We left the rods in now and set up our swims, some very good advice about how it should be done was given out and it was now time to undertake some marker and spod work.
After a very clear and informative demonstration from Ian it was time for us to have a go and both of us cracked it first time thanks to his help! (Some of us more accurate at spodding than others!) we then set up my rods to fish at range, or pub chucking as he called it !. Straight away both rods were off and one was handed to my dad who landed a 12lb 4oz stunner and I landed probably the smallest fish in the lake of about 8lb!. Both fish were suitably held for a brace picture (i don’t have it though!)



About 3 minutes later the rod ripped off again resulting in this 12lber



Before I had the chance to get the rod out I was in again resulting in this 19lb 4oz a new PB for me.



I thought by now it couldn’t get any better, but I was so wrong!



The very next fish was another PB but this time a 23lb 6 oz and my first 20! ! Which after a few photos was slipped safely back:
Then we went through a very descriptive explanation of what, leads, lead systems and leaders to use in what situations, which I found very interesting and helpful, I put my rods back out and so did my dad for the first time! it wasn’t long before he was battling this:



A lovely 15lb 12oz Pb, by 3lb!

it was then time for lunch so we brought the rods in to actually be able to eat, it took a while for the next bite but when it came it was my turn, again , to land this brute of 16lb 12oz:




The afternoon flew bay and dinner time was upon us so the rods weren’t recast, just as the pasta was cooked, my only rod ripped off again, resulting in this long and lean 14lber the rods were again recast and before the second was on the rest the first was away again, resulting in this 13lb 4oz fish:




then the showing started to slow down as the wind died down and the temperature dropped dramatically. it was time for some shut eye so the rods were brought in and checked then whacked as far as possible, but one of the 6 was placed in the margins after Ian explained that the biggest fish in the lake patrol the margins at night.

as soon as the rods were out again the liners started, some of them very vicious, indicating that the fish were in closer. we couldn’t be bothered to bring them in again as we were all very tired from the days events so they were left at about 120-130 yards. no sooner than I had put my head on my pillow that one of Ian’s rods got a savage take. he went on to land a very pretty fish of about 17lb which was slipped back, only for his other rod to go and land a 14lb fish.

Again just as my head hit the pillow, my right hand rod roared off, what followed I can only describe as being very sad to see, I had hooked into a massive ball of weed, line, hooks and probably the worst lead weights! it sickened me that someone had put such a bad rig into such a nice lake, the fish was quickly held for a photo (scary eye !) then slipped back at an estimated weight of 15lb.



The rest of the night passed uneventfully , but straight away in the morning Ian had a 16lber, I soon followed with this 17lber



Only to be followed by Ian taking an 18lber, not to be beaten I followed with a 19lber!!!! Ian then had to go as the session was over, but before he left he made sure the guy in the next swim knew what we were doing when he asked first cast on the new method he landed a 21lber! , but as I slowly packed up my only rod in the water ripped off, straight from the start it felt a good fish, like the carp gods didn’t want me to leave ! it turned out to be this immaculate 22lber!


>

(I couldn’t be out done! )by now Ian had left so we had no bait to re-cast with , so I was fishing single pieces of fake corn- it didn’t work ! I wasn’t too bothered as in total the 3 of us had landed 19 fish with an average of about 15lb! it was then time to go home and reflect on what a brilliant day it had been and how much I had enjoyed it and all the things I had learnt!

I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending a day with Ian/ Smart Carping (same thing !) as I learnt loads and had a brilliant time at the same time as he is a very clever angler, who wont hold anything back from you, he even let me and my dad use his £270 rods and £150 reels, (I wouldn’t trust us with that kind of kit !) I think that it has definitely changed my angling for the better and now have an approach I am very happy in using and hope to take this to my harder waters and get some success!

Calum Kletta

The most important aspect of carp fishing, and possibly the one that gets overlooked the most, is bankside carp care. People spend thousands of pounds on the best rods, sparkly reels and expensive alarms and then buy small unhooking mats and inappropriate landing nets. We need to ensure the fish we catch are returned back to the water in excellent condition, suffering the least amount of stress or damage so that these fish can be caught and admired again by other anglers.



Before you cast your rods out into the lake you should set up your carp care kit. Being prepared to handle and treat carp once caught means that you never leave a carp unattended on the bank.

Let’s start with the landing net; a 42� or larger net with a deep and soft mesh is the least you should have. Make sure the net has a fine mesh as this will prevent the carp’s front pectoral fins from catching in the mesh whilst it is being landed. The landing net should also have removable arms which will make carrying the carp to the unhooking mat much easier.

A large deeply padded unhooking mat is essential to protect the carp as they are naturally buoyant in water and do not feel their own weight. Once out of water they feel every ounce, so a soft unhooking mat helps protect their body from damage, as and when they begin to struggle. Place the mat on flat even ground staying away from gravel, brambles or thorns, which might hurt the carp if it manages to work its way off the mat.

Next to the unhooking mat, position a large bucket of lake water and make sure this is as cool as possible. If you are fishing on a hot day, regularly check the temperature of the water in the container to ensure it is not getting too hot. The water is used to wet down the mat and to cool the carp once it is on the mat, which must always be well wetted down before you lay the carp on it, as it becomes very hot in the warm summer sun.

A dry unhooking mat will strip the mucus layer from the side of the carp and effectively leave the fish stripped of its protective layers allowing the carp to be more exposed to waterborne disease etc.

Attach a pair of forceps to the mat. This will ensure that they are always where you need them. Always remove the sharp hook from the carp with the forceps, as this prevents the carp from moving the hook to your fingers whilst you try to unhook the carp as it moves.

Carp care kits are available from a number of companies and the Korda Carp care kits designed by Thinking Anglers are the best available at the moment. You can also get product such as Kryston Klinik carp care, which is also a good antiseptic/barrier. The Korda kit includes mouth and body liquid treatments with a few swabs included to assist in applying the treatments accurately onto the wounds.



Weigh slings are available in all shapes and sizes, so choose a sling that is soft and one that will support the fish well whilst it is being weighed. A sling with front and rear access zips also makes releasing the carp back into the water a lot easier.

Finally you need to have your scales next to the mat. If you have mechanical scales like Rubin’s or Avon’s, take a little time to wet the sling and zero your scales so they are ready for use when you need them. Finally make sure you have got your camera ready to go and within easy reach.



Now how to use the equipment we have set up. If the margins are deep enough net the carp in the close margins, however, if you are fishing where they are very shallow it is best to try and move into a position where you can net the fish in deeper water, or to be able to slip on your waders to net the fish in deeper water. Please note that wading is dangerous and is not allowed on CEMEX waters.

With the carp in the landing net, if you have someone around ask them to help by either holding the carp in the net, or, by wetting the unhooking mat and weigh sling for you. With the mat ready remove the arms from the landing net and roll up the net, and before lifting the carp from the water, make sure its pectoral fins are tucked back along its body.



Lift the carp in the rolled up net and slowly walk over to the mat placing the carp carefully onto the wet mat.



Leave the net over the carp’s eyes and body and remove any sharp jewellery, watches, rings etc. that might damage the carp. Wet the carp and your hands to help cool them and start slowly unrolling the landing net, slowly follow your line down making sure your rig is not trapped under the carp fins. With the entire rig exposed, and clear of the carp, use the forceps to remove the hook from the carp’s mouth.



If the fish flaps about - quickly cover its eyes and body with the landing net mesh until it lies still again.



Wet the fish again and now inspect the carp for any body or mouth damage using the carp care kit to treat any wounds found.



With the carp now checked over gently, remove the net and lift the carp into the wetted down weigh sling, making sure that the fins are all back against its body.



Zip up each end of the sling and attach it to the scales, gently lifting the carp just a few inches above the mat. Read the weight of the fish and lower back onto the wet mat very carefully.



Now for the photography. If you have your photographer ready with the camera, gently lift the carp over the unhooking mat. Do not pick the carp up in a towel as this will strip the protective mucus from the sides of the carp.

When picking up the fish, place one hand under the front pectoral fins and the other around the anal fin and hold the carp vertically in your hands about 6� to 10� inches away from your body. Only lift the carp a short distance off the mat as we do not want the carp to fall from a dangerous height. As you are holding the carp, if it starts to flip, let it fall back into you’re forearms and gently lower the fish down to the mat.



Once the photos are taken place the carp back into the weigh sling making sure the fish is upright and its fins are back against its body. Now return the carp to a deep marginal spot to release it back into its watery home.



At the bankside spot, lower the sling into the water and slowly unzip the front of the sling allowing water to flood over the fish.



Lift the back end of the sling and gently allow the carp to slide back off into the water. Make sure the carp is OK and watch it swim off. If the fish shows any sign of distress do not leave the fish on its own, stay with it until it shows it has enough strength to swim away. Never keep fish out of the water for any longer than is absolutely necessary.



Treat the fish you catch with respect and care for them when they are on the bank. The fish you have caught may only be a 20lb fish but with the right conditions it may well grow to be the next UK record fish. The pressure on carp has never been so immense and there is no sign of this letting up. The carp we are catching today are the future and they will be the specimens that anglers will be hoping to catch tomorrow. If we do not care for them then now then there will no future sport for anglers to enjoy.

Tight Lines,


Smart Carping Limited