Carpaholixx Magazine Issue 2 by Carpaholixx Magazine

issue 2 CONTENTS

Editorial News

Videos Features

Learning Zone Notes from the Bivvy

Editorial April 2012

February went out with a howling gale, March turned 19. Notes From The Bivvy - Birdy Talks Tactics tropical and now it’s back to the cold in April. Even Notes from the bivvy - This month Birdy talks so, we have hosepipe bans on the horizon and stark ‘Tactical Carping’ warnings about water levels and even fish stocks in some waters under threat, so much so they are being 25. Behind The Rods - Nigel Sharp’s Carp Fishing moved to “safer” areas...

Tips Video - Part 2

03. Paul Moulder - A Spring In Your Step

A Spring in Your Step, Paul’s first article for Carpaholixx, takes a look at the fundamentals of fishing for carp in the spring. Location, rigs and bait are all discussed in depth, but the need to remain mobile is a must if you want to catch more than your fare share... READ ON...

09. Carp Biology - Lifting The Lid. Part 1 Locating And Eating Food Items By Leon Fisher

Nigel Sharp, one of the UK’s most successful carp anglers, gives are rare insight into his carp fishing. In part 2 Nigel continues with the basics; Approach, Observation and application.

26. Martin Pick - Carp Fishing Video - Cold Water Carping Carp Fishing Video - Martin Pick, the likeable Leicester angler, gives his thoughts on fishing for carp in the colder months.

Leon Fisher, who teaches warm water aquaculture at Sparsholt college, gives us all a lesson in the basics of carp biology...

12. John Elmer - Carp Fishing Video Approaching A New Water

Carp Fishing Video - In Session - John Elmer, the renownd master of the margins, talks about how he approaches a new water.

13. news - ZIG-BUGAZ

Be first to get your hands on these super buoyant Zig Bugaz. These beetles are made using strong, super sharp hooks, which have an in-turned eye to aid hooking.They look and represent a natural food source that the carp will find hard to resist.

14. Learning Zone - The Art Of Making Bait By Paul Bettles

y g o l o i carp bg the lid liftin and ocating part 1 -flood items eating er leon fish

The previous editorial began with a comment about the weather and so does this one! Chalk and cheese, Tom and Jerry, whatever – February went out with a howling gale, March turned tropical and now it’s back to the cold in April. Even so, we have hosepipe bans on the horizon and stark warnings about water levels and even fish stocks in some waters under threat, so much so they are being moved to “safer” areas. These changeable conditions can make things very difficult for fishing. You could argue that the temperature fluctuations haven’t affected the water too much. They didn’t last long enough to penetrate the depths, but – and it is a big but – they did impact the bank side and margins, with a flush insect hatches, while in the water algae and other microscopic water life sprang into activity. This will have undoubtedly affected feeding patterns and other carpy behaviour. We are undoubtedly good at weathering the weather, whereas other countries are blessed with seasons. The great thing that comes of this is how resilient and ingenious British carp anglers are; some might say that if you expect the worst weather then you are not going to be disappointed. Anyway, let’s stop rambling about the weather – there’s always the bivvy; good for rain and wind and for keeping out of the hot sun! Right then - Without further ado, what’s in the April issue… One of the most interesting articles in this issue is Leon Fisher’s ‘’Carp Biology – Lifting The Lid”. Leon talks us through the basics of carp biology, lifting the lid on one of the most misunderstood subjects in modern-day carp fishing. **Paul Moulder’s “A Spring In Your Step”... A Spring in Your Step, Paul’s first article for Carpaholixx, takes a look at the fundamentals of fishing for carp in the spring. Location, rigs and bait are all discussed in depth, but the need to remain mobile is a must if you want to catch more than your fare share. **”The Art of Making Bait”. Paul Bettles talks us

CARPAHOLIXX Magazine Editorial Office: 3D Angling Ltd, Unit 1E Littlehampton M arina, Littlehampt on, West Sussex BN17 5DS E: sean@3d-angl ing.com W: www.carpaho lixx.com Editor and publis her: Sean Tidy Designer: Sean T idy Illustrator: Mark Smith Carpaholixx.com – sean@3d-angli welcomes articles with photograp before submittinng.com – with a short synopsis hs. Please email the editor font, double line g it to us. Text to be supplied of your article or article idea preferred. Note: spacing. Photographs must be hias an electronic file – 10 pt writing that the it is a condition of acceptance th gh-resolution files – jpg files article or articles at are exclusive to Caauthors are able to state in rpaholixx. © 2013 Carpaholi xx.com ISSN: No part of this pu consent and writt blication may be reproduced in en permission of any form withou t the prior the publisher. Carpaholixx acce pt s no liability for an this publication. y action article. Subscribe Carpaholixx does not endorsearising from the contents of rs opinions express are advised to check for products and ed in any manufactu services advertise d / promoted in rers and suppliers claims this publication.

through the various procedures that you can use from small scale to industrial production levels. This article is highly recommended, particularly to those who have not yet attempted to make their own baits. The whole process of considering what to put into the mix appeals to the hunter-gatherer in me. Just think how many hours you spend sitting at the water’s edge gathering information – almost subconsciously – about carp feeding habits, the conditions, the environment and so on. All of that information can come into play when making your bait. Absolutely nothing wrong in buying commercial bait if you want to, but catching a prize carp using your own special recipe has to be the ultimate in fulfilling fishing, doesn’t it? Paul talks us through equipment and set up for use in your kitchen right through to configuring your own bait factory. We’d really like to hear about your adventures in baitland – so if you think you’ve hit on something you’d like to share with your fellow carp anglers, get in touch with the editorial team.

Editor: Sean Tidy

a spring in your step - paul moulder

aul Moulder has been fishing for as long as he can remember, and has targeted carp for over 20 years. He has fished some of the UK’s premier carp waters and has caught UK carp to over 46lbs. Paul mainly fishes overnight sessions on specific venues that hold, not only large, but fantastic looking fish. These venues vary in size, ranging from small intimate ponds to lakes in excess of 100 acres! A Spring in Your Step, Paul’s first article for Carpaholixx, takes a look at the fundamentals of fishing for carp in the spring. Location, rigs and bait are all discussed in depth, but the need to remain mobile is a must if you want to catch more than your fare share... READ ON... At last the nights are beginning to draw out, and as I sit down and write this piece the tackle is all sorted and loaded in the car ready for another overnight session after work. It’s a great time of the year for carp fishing and being beside the lake. Everything is starting to wake up, the wildlife, the fauna, as well of course, as the carp. Early spring can at times be a bit hit and miss, so knowing your venue and how the carp behave in different conditions is key to this time of the year. The weather can be very unpredictable, as we have already seen, with a week of unseasonal high temperatures, then the following week bringing the frosts back again. I like to travel as light as I can so that I can move around the venue freely without too much hassle. I used to find that when I took a lot tackle with me, it became a great effort to move swims, which I’m sure cost me a few fish over the years. So for me, I’ve cut the tackle right down. I now only take three rods with me; after all we only need one rod to catch a carp! I take two rods to fish with and one to use as a marker and spod rod. After a spot(s) is/are found with the marker, it’s easy to wind it down, clip it up, then change the marker for a spod and bait up accurately – simple! I have also cut the rest of my tackle down; a lightweight umbrella, bedchair, one carryall which holds all my end tackle, hookbaits, alarms, food, camera equipment etc. etc., and a small bag for my bait. It’s not just springtime that I fish light, I do it year round. I do however; find it’s more beneficial at this time of the year as the carp do seem to move

from area to area a lot quicker as the conditions change so quickly. This doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem when the weed is up, as carp can spend weeks in areas that they feel comfortable in. We all know that location is the key to success – so where should we start looking in the spring?

Shallows These areas are without a doubt my favourite area for spring carp. On a sunny spring day they will warm up quicker than anywhere else, and as soon as they do, it doesn’t take long for the carp to move in on them. Over the years I have regularly checked water temperatures, and it’s been quite an eye-opener what difference a couple of degrees has made.

These will be carp holding area’s at anytime of the year, but on careful inspection, very early in the spring, you just might find which snags the carp where holding up in during the winter months, so not only will you have an area to fish for the spring, you will also have an area to fish for the coming winter too Dead reed beds It won’t take long for these areas start to flourish again, but carp will be visiting them regularly. Reeds grow in shallow areas, (which warm up a lot quicker) and can hold a lot of ‘naturals’ for the fish to feed on. Carp will also use the reeds to clean parasites and leeches from their bodies by rubbing against them.

Back of the wind

a spring in your step - paul moulder

Snags

Early spring will still have quite a few northerly winds, which will be cold. I have always found that fishing off the back of these winds at this time of the year has produced quite a few bites for me, especially if the sun has been warming up the water.

Dead weed beds If the venue you fish is quite weedy, you’ll probably find that there is still a fair amount of weed lying on the bottom. Not all of the weeds dies off during the winter and fresh shoots will begin to appear from it as the water slowly begins to warm up as the sun hours lengthen during the day. Carp will visit these areas regularly looking for any natural food.

Growing lily beds If your venue has any big lily beds then the carp are sure to visit them (especially in the spring when the pads start to grow). Carp will visit these areas on a regular basis in search of their daily meal, but It is only spring and late autumn/winter that it is safe to fish deep into these areas. As well as the list of ‘carpy’ spots above I also pay attention to the bankside vegetation close to the waters edge. It’s these plants, bushes and trees that can give you early signs of areas to try first. I look out for areas that start to bud or blossom first, as these plants and trees must have been getting plenty of sunshine for their growth to start taking place. On every lake that I have fished there has always been an area of bankside that starts blooming first and the carp are never far away. These are some great areas to look for carp, but always keep your eyes and ears open! Spring Rigs I don’t over complicate my rigs, and I tend to only use three different types. My pop up rig choice is a chod rig. This is such a great rig,

as there are many times in the spring just as you are beginning your sessions and starting to locate the carp, you’ll see one jump in an area, and you can cast this rig straight at it, knowing it will be perfectly presented. My choice of hookbait for this rig is a Yellow Peril from Fishing Wizard; you just can’t beat a yellow wanger! This rig has caught me loads of bonus fish. My bottom bait rig is a simple blow back rig on a long shank hook. My hookbait for this rig is a small Kudos barrel with a small piece of fake yellow corn on the end of the hair. I’m a great believer that having a small visual aid helps greatly at this time of the year, as the carp have just woken up from their winter slumber and I find it helps them home in on my hookbait. My last and final rig that I use in the spring is a zig rig. Fishing these during the day, have often turned a fishless session into a good one, though I still haven’t the confidence to try them during the night like some have, and caught! With the sun beginning to warm the surface layers of the water, you’ll find carp drifting around in the uppers levels. I use two different hookbaits for my zigs; a trimmed down pop up, just as long as it’s very buoyant, or a piece of coloured foam, usually black or yellow is my preference.

Conditions will obviously dictate how I approach every session, but I find myself evermore fishing bottom / pop-ups during darkness and switching over to zigs as the sun comes up. There’s something about the spring sun; it’s like a magnet to carp; bringing them up in the water level to warm themselves. It’s also worth looking out for insect hatches as I have noticed on my spring venue that the gulls have already started to take advantage of this extra food source, and I’m sure that the carp won’t be far behind them. It’s these time’s, that zigs come into there own and will undoubtedly catch you fish where other rigs fail. I’m also sure we will all see a massive increase in carp caught on zigs this year with the new insect bugs that are starting to hit the shops from different manufactures and I, myself, plan to try a few of these out to see how they do. I particularly like the look of the one’s that Johnson Ross Tackle have in stock and I’m sure that their Zigsect’s will be putting plenty of carp on the back this year.

Trickle the bait in... One of the key factors to a successful spring and season ahead is to introduce a good quality bait. I go to great lengths to make sure that the fish find it as soon as they start moving around more in the spring. You don’t have to go too mad early on, but a small amount regularly introduced into where you find the fish will defiantly get them eating it and hopefully to long-term acceptability. I’ve been using Fishing Wizard’s Kudos and Yellow Peril over the last couple of seasons and can’t really fault either bait. I’m happy to use both on any water that I plan to fish. Early spring - I like to introduce boilies only, with no particle baits at all, and in various sizes with a few chopped up so they can release their attractants sooner. This is normally done after an overnighter (the following morning) in area’s that I have seen, or heard fish during the night, or evening before. Again, there’s no need to go mad with it, just a couple of pound here and there to get them feeding on it. As spring progress’ and fish activity increases (hopefully through captures), baiting levels can be increased to suit the situation. As long as the fish are eating it, I’m happy to really increase the levels, as I know that I’m giving the carp a good quality food source.

aNigel spring Sharps in your memorable step - paul capture moulder

a cracking spring carp caught by moving onto showing fish in the middle of the night Use your ears There are still plenty of hours of darkness during a spring overnight session so it pays to stay up as late as you can, listening for signs of fish. I rarely listen to the radio (unless there’s an important football game on of course) and prefer to sit quietly at the front of the swim, cup of tea in hand, taking in the surroundings. Everything is kept packed away and I might only have my bedchair and Tea kit out, so if I hear a couple of fish crash on the other side of the lake, I can move onto them as quick as I can. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not planning on a move for a single fish show – but two or three in the same area, when I haven’t seen anything in front of me, will get me

winding the rods in, and on the move. Once in a new swim, it’s chod rig and Yellow Peril time again! I cast out to the area that I had seen the carp, feeling for the drop in the process. I find that putting that little extra effort in does and will put you one step ahead of everyone else on your water, and hopefully a few extra carp in your net to boot - after all that’s why we all go fishing! Changing the way I fish, and putting the extra effort in has definitely put a spring in my step, and hopefully after reading my rambling’s it will put a spring in yours too. Until next time Paul Moulder

carp biology lifting the lid part 1 - locating and eating food items leon fisher

carp biology - leon fisher

Leon Fisher, who teaches warm water aquaculture at Sparsholt college, began carp fishing when most people still had leads exiting their alarms and isotopes moulded into bottle tops with the aid of a bit of cork (which were the height of sophistication!). It was all very secret squirrel and ultracult. Such phrases as; “crack six eggs” were yet to be coined and “bait-boats” were pure science fiction - God I miss those days!!. In part 1, Leon gives us all a lesson in the basics of carp biology. Read On... As anglers we all have our theories and ideas as to why carp respond in a certain way to a variety of situations presented by the angler, as well as their reactions to a wide variety of environmental factors. Harsh as this may sound many of these opinions, as valid as they are, have little or no basis in hard scientific facts. Although I should state at this point that the many hours of experience gathered by the great and the good of carp angling should not be merely dismissed because it may differ from those views held by fisheries scientists. Quite often in fact what actually occurs in angling situations can fly in the face of scientific facts. A good example of this will be the oxygen levels found in water bodies will generally be at their lowest first thing in the morning, whereas we know this can be one of the more productive periods, at least in terms of fish activity. We all have our own theories as to what makes carp behave in the way they do, especially when it comes to interaction with angling paraphernalia such as rigs, line and bait. But do we, as anglers, really understand what goes on in the carp’s world; well our understanding has certainly improved leaps and bounds with the help of underwater filming of fish behaviour and their reaction to angling situations. It is however my firm belief that our understanding of what makes a carp tick can be improved by having even a basic grasp of the biology and senses of that animal, and how it uses them to survive and go about its daily business. In order to demonstrate how a carp uses its senses and biology, we will examine the process of finding and eating food in this case your common or garden boilie, and discuss its journey from lake bed to excretion. Carp use three main senses in the location of food items sight, smell and taste. Although sight is a

highly important sense it is more likely that that carp especially larger fish will rely on the latter two. In many situations a fish may smell the food item long before they actually locate it and begin munching A carp has an unbelievably well-developed sense of smell, one that is according to Dr Mark Burdass, formerly of Sparsholt College, is able to detect one teaspoon of a chemical compound in a water body that is the size of 2000 public swimming pools (Burdass 2001). Which is certainly something to consider when using heavy doses of dips or flavourings to attract fish into your swim. Is this really necessary with the carp’s ability to detect even the smallest doses? Are you running the risk of overpowering their senses and putting them off investigating your baited area? This incredible sense of smell is processed by the two nostrils (figure1) found in front of the eyes, water is drawn in one nostril as the animal breathes in and exits via the other as it breathes out. In between is a collection of folded skin called the olfactory rosette, which is covered in a layer of skin that smells the water as it passes across.

What is of particular interest to the fisherman is that carp have been shown to associate smells with certain food items; they are particularly sensitive to amino acids in the water column. This was determined by research performed largely on koi carp, but nevertheless suggesting that amino acids can be used to promote a feeding response. So our carp is swimming along and detects a smell that it associates with food, by constantly smelling the water it is able to home in on the item. In clear water situations it is able to use sight to pin point the exact location of the boilie. Like many fish the carp has well developed colour vision, but they are not able to judge distance very well. This is due to their eyes being located on the sides of the head which gives poor binocular vision. So whilst they are able to see in fairly high definition a short distance directly out in front of them, they have blind spots immediately in front of their noses and directly behind, as shown in the diagram opposite (figure2). A good example of how relatively unimportant the use of sight is to a carp can be seen in the numerous examples of fish that have become blind and still manage to exist and even grow in size. Although they may be much slower off the mark than their able sighted cousins and therefore not be very good at competing for food. Also they are far more reliant on the use of sight when feeding on items floating on the surface of the water. But again when they get close to an item they are not actually able to see it, perhaps this accounts for the carp’s tendency to sometimes almost grope at floating baits or glide by - mouth open as they miss the floater entirely! So now the fish has approached the boilie and made a decision to either test it as a food item, or it has recognised it as such. As I mentioned previously our fish can’t see directly in front of its nose therefore it is now reliant on smell to find the bait.

be passed backwards towards the Pharynx which is where the pharyngeal teeth are located. The Pharyngeal teeth are a set of bony structures that are used to crush the carp’s food, so it is here that any boilies would be ground down or broken up before they enter the carp’s stomach. From here the boilie will begin its journey through the stomach and eventually through the intestine of the fish until it is excreted through the vent. As the carp is an omnivore it has a relatively long intestinal tract so the process of digestion is a much longer than in carnivorous fish which have much shorter intestines. Although it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine just how much fish are able to detect the chemical smell of a boilie or flavoured pellet over all the other smells that exist in the lake. I think that you can be confident that even if your bait is buried in silt or covered over by a bit of weed, it is still very detectable by a passing carp, now all you have to do is ensure that you hook it! Leon Fisher

Next month...

Leon continues to look at the senses of the carp, concentrating on sight and sound, and also examines their basic biology as well.

As the boilie is sucked into the mouth, our carp uses a body part called the palatine organ to taste/sample the item. A carp also has taste buds on the lips, at the back of the throat, and also on the fins. Once it has decided that the item is worthy of eating it will

Fig 2

VIDEOS JOHN ELMER - CARP FISHING VIDEO - APPROACHING A NEW WATER

Carp Fishing Video - In Session - John Elmer, the renowned master of the margins, talks about how he approaches a new water.

UK ZIG-BUGAZ

Be the first to get your hands on these super buoyant Zig Bugaz. These beetles are made using strong, super sharp hooks, which have an in-turned eye to aid hooking. They look and represent a natural food source that the carp will find hard to resist. The Zig Bugaz are fished off the lead from as little as 1ft to all the way

up to the surface - or until you find the depth where the fish are. Definitely a massive edge this spring and summer, so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on this underrated approach. Please check out our facebook page at... www.facebook.com/UkZigBugaz or purchase online from ebay by clicking the image below: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to upload your Zig-Bugaz caught carp on to our facebook page.

Learning Zone

THE ART OF MAKING BAIT Paul Bettles

THE ART OF MAKING BAIT

A Lost Art - Paul Bettles shares his carp bait making expertise and tips in this special Carpholixx stepby-step guide. He discusses the equipment and ingredients you’ll need to make the deadliest catching boilies. I want to inspire you to make your own baits. It isn’t rocket science, as you’ll learn from reading this article. I am aiming to give you an insight to how it is done from one angler in the kitchen (usually to your partner’s disgust) to using a fully automated system (possibly resulting in divorce). This should give you an appreciation of what process the bait undergoes before you open the bag and throw it in the lake! The basis of a good bait mix includes the addition of eggs, liquid flavourings, colourings (optional) the base mix to make a dough. The mix is formed into sausage shapes before rolling in to balls. Seems simple enough, or is it? The budget needed for making your own bait varies. You can spend as much or as little as you wish, as the cost is dependent on the quantity of bait you want to make. It won’t cost you a lot of money to make a handful of baits for each session, or for occasional use. All you need is your ingredients, a plastic mixing bowl and wooden spoon to mix the liquids and base mix. You roll the dough into balls by hand (ideal while the soaps are on TV) and boil them in an old saucepan, dry out the cooked baits and then freeze them. Could it be any easier? This small-scale method is especially good when producing bespoke shapes, which can give you an edge against standard shapes that the fish see all the time. (Or, is it simply that the manufacturers lead us to believe this because they have released yet another mass produced bait shape they want us to buy?)

AUTOMATING YOUR BAIT PRODUCTION Stepping up a bit from handmade bait making, we can begin to automate things by using an electric mixer for the dough, and a manual or pneumatic boilie gun to produce the sausages. We can also introduce rolling tables and a berko boiler to cook

the baits, which is ideal when larger quantities are required, especially for pre-baiting or when a group of you wish to use the same food source bait. Yet again, try not just to thunder out 25kg of 14mm baits, spice things up, like extruding some sausages and cutting them into random sizes to enhance your chance of a take. You will need to make a small investment in equipment, but a group of you share the costs of buying it. Most of the items mentioned can be purchased off internet auction sites, and with the correct set up you may be able to produce up to 5kg or more of rolled, boiled baits an hour. quantities; this is when you need more than 5kg of bait mix. To mix the ingredients, you can use a baker’s dough mixer to produce up to 8kg of dough per mix. A butcher’s sausage extruder is also a good buy for larger quantities, and this machine helps to keep the mix damp while extruding and it stays moist for rolling. Larger rolling tables such as the Shilam type, which are twice the size of standard plastic ones you see in the tackle shops, and gas rings and vats for boiling, all make lighter work of making larger quantities of bait. With a system like this, you would be able to produce in excess of 20kg an hour, with two anglers working the machinery. Remember that you’ll need extra drying space, preferably NOT the airing cupboard if you want to maintain household harmony!

MASS BAIT PRODUCTION Then finally, you can seek the holy grail of bait making, the ability to make massive quantities quickly and easily. This will require mass production machinery, with mixers that can produce 60kg of dough per mix, automated machines that you load the dough in to flatten it, cut it, and then send it through a pair of stainless rollers to produce readymade balls of goodness that fall out of the other end of the machine. Such machinery can produce up to 150kg an hour. The production unit can be linked by conveyor systems that pass through boiling vats of water to cook the baits, which all sounds good. However, when you are considering rolling machines that cost

more than ÂŁ6000, the idea of mass producing baits just looks good on paper - and where is the fun in that!

EQUIPMENT VIEWPOINT - Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a breakdown of the

equipment I have shown you, with the pros and cons for each.

MIXING

If you only want to make a handful of baits, then the traditional kitchen mixing bowl will be adequate. However, if you were looking to start making kilos of bait mix, I would recommend a proper dough mixer. These can cost up to several hundred pounds, but are worth every penny.

EXTRUDING

For smaller projects, Gardner tackle sells a rolling table with a lip on the reverse side, which helps form the sausages. You place the sausages on the table to make your boilies, or you can purchase a mortar gun kit, which can be used as a manual boilie gun. But, if you were looking for a more sophisticated approach, I would recommend buying a small compressor and a pneumatic boilie gun. This equipment will set you back about a hundred pounds, but you will thank me, unless you want arms like Arnie Schwarzenegger.

COOKING

The more boilies you make the larger the capacity equipment you need to boil them efficiently. For the average quantity, a berko boiler is more than adequate. Alternatively, you could steam them, but I will cover this another time, with more pros and cons. RYING You can buy readymade drying trays, or to save the expense, just make them using tile batten and greenhouse mesh.

MACHINERY

The ultimate home wrecker! The automated machine, put the dough in, readymade boilies fall out, boil them and away you go. Maybe a lottery win is needed to buy one of these.

GO ON GIVE IT A GO... Now I have given you an inside information on the different processes of bait making, I hope that you may wish to have a go for yourselves.

I have observed on previous occasions how anglers had fished the channel with tight lines and the effect that this had on the fish.

notes from the bivvy - birdy The rope swim It’s been a lean winter, but spring is finally here and along with it some very welcome sunshine. I had my sites firmly set on the Mets lake, but to take full advantage of the productive months ahead I needed to return to work and earn some much needed cash. A good friend of mine had three weeks work for me, which would set me up for at least two months of fishing - happy days! On my return I decided to take a look at the Mets lake, but not much had been caught during my absence so, because I was on a bit of a roll, and closing in fast on the one hundred fish mark, I decided to give Thorny Weir a go. After a brief walk round the lake, I found a group of fish laid up in the channel area. After watching the fish I decided to bait-up no further than half way across the channel (I have observed on previous occasions how anglers had fished the channel with tight lines and the effect that this had on the fish). The spots that I chose to bait-up were firm and covered in silk weed.

Knowing that at this time of year the main weed is starting to grow and the silk weed is already alive with all sorts of food sources for the carp, I chose three different swims in three sections of the channel, all with a two swim option. This approach would allow me to easily monitor my baited areas and if the bites started to dry up I could move off, rest swims, and then move straight back on to the fish as and when required. My plan started to work and within two days I had bivvy size patches of bubbles in my middle swim. The middle swim was tight for space and only fishing at ten feet out made it perfect for visual fishing. After catching three fish I decided to move down to a swim known as the ‘Rope swim’. The move would allow me greater flexibility and a better chance of pushing. through the one hundred fish mark. I caught a few nice fish on a very simple combi-rig, utilising a size ten hook and a 12ml pop-up. I had noticed that my hook hold’s varied between the bottom lip and the scissors.

A little tweak goes a long way... Hook-holds in the bottom lip were secure and didn’t move (even when using barbless hooks). Whereas a hook that had caught in the scissors was less secure and tended to fall out when the fish was in the net. This simple but (generally) effective rig wasn’t quite hitting the mark, so I attached a small piece of shot on the hair between the bait and the bend of the hook. The addition of the shot neutralised the buoyancy of the hookbait and stabilised the rig – simple but very effective. A little tweak goes a long way… I finished my innings at Thorney Weir on 160 carp not-out. The channel tactics had worked well simply because I was doing the opposite to what all the other anglers were doing (Sometimes it pays to spend a bit of time observing the habits of other anglers). I also found that the average size of the fish had risen from about twenty one pounds to at least twenty four pounds, with many of the fish appearing uncaught! Puttin’ on the METZ I had managed to catch some very nice carp up to the forty pound mark during my stay on Thorney Wier but the Mets carp needed my attention. I could not have chosen a better time to make the move because the weather was rapidly improving and the carp were beginning to get their heads down. The Mets - Unlocking the code - part one If you decide to fish a swim based on it’s proximity to the car park or it’s sunbathing potential then, chances are, you are going to fail (sunbathing in March whatever next?). With this in mind I decided to spend the next few days on observation and baitingup duties. Two swims in particular caught my eye; Charlie’s and the Board’s. Both these swims had been heavily pre-baited and have great view points too. I planned to spend a couple of days in each swim.[pic 6 the boards swim] On arrival in the Board’s swim I found Alex, one of the other members, who had managed to catch a few fish from the lake whilst I was still on Thorny Weir, perched high up in the observation tree. He confirmed that there were carp feeding on my baited

spots – Happy Days! Without further ado I climbed up the tree and spent the next few hours watching the fish come and go. Nightfall was fast approaching so I decided to bait-up and return to fish the swim the following morning. After an uncomfortable nights sleep in my car the thought of spending yet more time in the tree held no appeal whatsoever, but when needs must as they say! I watched the water for an hour or so but didn’t see any fish, so I decided it was time to wet a line. Now; the Board’s swim is very shallow with the deepest part at only five feet deep. The water is crystal clear which is perfect for observation, but does require a little more thought with regards to presentation and line lay etc... After a few attempts I managed to place my hookbait on the money. I slackened off my lines, placed my rod tip away from the waters edge so as not to spook the carp and climbed back up to my perch in the tree. After forty minutes or so I noticed a few wobbles under the surface weed as a couple of nice commons came into view. Both carp drifted towards my hookbait. At approximately ten feet away they suddenly stopped in their tracks, turned tail, and swam off! I was amazed at what I had seen - these fish are so cute. Ring the changes… It was time to ring the changes. Line lay/visibility could have been the cause so I attached three ‘shotted’ cotton loops to my main line, pinning it down to the lake bed. I hoped this would work and climbed back up the tree to monitor the situation. The same two carp re-appeared, but this time they came in, swam around for a while, and then settled under the tree to my right. They appeared to be unaware that there was line running through the swim – job done! After a short while the carp began to feed on the bait, kicking up lots of bottom debris during the process. They were really getting their heads down. My heart was in my mouth, I could see them sucking and blowing directly over my hookbait, but without warning they stopped feeding and slowly drifted out of the swim. I jumped down from the tree and reeled in to check my rig, and to my horror I discovered that the hook had a leaf firmly attached to it! I took the opportunity

notes from the bivvy - birdy

If there was somewhere we go after this life, then where I am right now would be my ideal heaven.

melon-slice

If you decide to fish a swim based on itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proximity to the car park or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sunbathing potential then, chances are, you are going to fail

Red spot

to refine the set up. I decided to reduce the size of the hookbait by whittling it away until it was the size of a match stick head (this should stop the hook from being pulled into any debris) critically balancing the rig. In fact I think the only reason that the rig finally settled on the bottom was due to the weight of the Hydro-Link hook-link material (Rigmarole Hydro-Link has a Flouro-Carbon inner core). I took great care to make sure that my rig was positioned correctly and the hook was not embedded in any debris. I spent the next few hours analysing the situation. If this latest adjustment did not work where could I go from here – home?

Thorney rig

Mets rig

Day had turned to night and with that I decided to retire to my bivvy for some much needed shuteye – or so I thought… No sooner had my head hit the pillow when one of my alarms burst into life… BINGO, I had got it right - at last!! Every session is a lesson learnt Over the next few days I managed to take my Mets tally up to eight fish, but most importantly I had won round one with the Mets carp and learnt so much about the fish that swim in this fabled Colne Valley pit. Every session is lesson learnt. Closing Thoughts Carp fishing is a way of life – a culture, and as I sit and write this article my mind drifts into total relaxation. If there was somewhere we go after this life, then where I am right now would be my ideal heaven. If I never caught another carp then so be it, I am in my heaven and aim to enjoy my time here. BIRDY

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