Overnight and Off by Official Nash Tackle

NASH KNOWHOW

OVERNIGHT

NASH KNOWHOW

and

OFF

www.nashtackle.co.uk

Not confident trying to squeeze carp fishing between days at work? For Stuart Mellors it’s his standard approach – here he shares some golden rules of overnighting for maximum success.

www.nashtackle.co.uk

NASH KNOWHOW

Now spring has sprung it spells the perfect time to get out and fish overnight sessions. For many anglers the only fishing time available is in the week, between work hours, but I’ve learned the hard way that there is a real skill getting the most from what can often only be 10 or 12 hour trips. Overnight fishing take a certain mindset. Maximum effort is needed to take advantage of short feeding spells and catch carp on a limited time frame. With that in mind I tend to do a lot of prep before I fish. Whether it be tying rigs in my lunch break, or taking the time to get out on the lake one evening in the week before my session to look for a few fish, you can put the odds in your favour with a few simple steps. Location is the most important part of carp fishing but it’s so much more important when you have just a few hours to get a bite. Keep an eye out on other anglers catching in the days leading up to the session along with keeping a keen eye out for signs of carp yourself when you arrive. I like to really pinpoint the carp before I turn in for the night. With this in mind I tend to fish off the barrow until darkness. Everything is to hand on the wheelbarrow and it’s no hardship to move onto the next area if the fish should move. Keep your torches off and listen intently for any signs of fish in the swim. If the fish are showing with any sort of regularity you will spot them and be in with a chance of getting rigs out to them. If you do the groundwork properly finding the fish at the start of the session it’s likely that you won’t have to move later on. It’s easy to feel like you are wasting time not fishing and just watching and waiting but so many times it is better use of your time than setting up somewhere only to have to move again anyway when the carp give you the sign you are looking for. Most anglers don’t like setting up the dark but it doesn’t worry me these days and I can be confident that no matter what time I cast my rigs are sitting perfectly. After all once its dark it isn’t going to get any darker. I find by rushing to beat the light I will often make more casts and cause more disturbance. By being relaxed it often makes you fish better. The whole point of being there of course is getting a bite. Now I am not one for filling in the lake with bait, preferring to fish for one bite at a time. I focus on high attract hookbaits and traps, and find the Flake is perfect for this approach. It takes on liquids really well and with the inclusion of the bait soaks creates a really active spot that carp readily search out. My starting point is seven small Spombs of liquid infused Flake. That’s relatively nothing on the lakebed interns of food, yet the attraction in a swim is significant because of the liquid load in the Flake. Over the top of the soaked Flake it’s normally a simple balanced hookbait that I have trimmed down, or Wafter straight out the pot. Like the free bait I boost both the hookbait and the PVA bag. I like Key Cray Signal Liquid as it seems more concentrated than the Liquid Bait soak. I deliberately allow the Signal Liquid to separate and then syringe the oil out into a separate tub so can soak my hookbaits in the oil. I like to have lots of rigs tied along with plenty of bait at my disposal. With short feeding spells the last thing I want is the fishing to kick off and then be unable to react and get fishing again straight away. As a result I tend to tie rigs and prepare baits for when the fishing gets hectic. With a busy work and family life my one night a week is precious to me, so I will go fishing come rain or shine. If you want to succeed then its key to make the most of your time and be as efficient as possible. The outcome can be brilliant action and if you catch on a work overnighter, it makes it that bit more bearable to get up and then go off to work smelling of carp.