7 Things Every Carp Angler Must Know How to do
Carp angling is often made to seem too complicated, and there’s no doubt there is a lot to learn — in fact, you’ll never stop learning. But master the seven skills in this article and you’ll give yourself the best chance of catching carp more often than not, whatever the weather.
Feel the lead down
Knowing what you are casting your rig and bait on top of is one of the absolute fundamental skills of carp angling. There’s a reason boats and echo sounders are such a huge edge — it’s because they shortcut your way to this vital piece of learning. The more you practice this skill, the better you will become at understanding what exactly is in front of you.
How to do it:
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After casting, stop the lead by trapping the line with your finger or allowing it to hit the clip before it hits the water. It should plop or drop in gently, not crash.
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With the line tight, gently ease back the rod and follow the lead down on a tight line until it hits the bottom.
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If it hits the bottom with a firm ‘donk’ the ground is clear; if it gently touches down with a dull thud, you’re likely in silt or low-lying weed; if you can’t feel the lead falling or connecting with the bottom, you’re likely in a thick weed bed.
Not only does this method allow you to know the nature of the lakebed, but with experience it can also help you determine a rough depth by counting how long it takes for the lead to touch down. This is all key information.
Another benefit of this skill is that it helps your rig enter the water cleanly and well separated from the lead system, preventing tangles. So when that lead hits the bottom firmly, you know you can leave it in position in full confidence.
Cast accurately
Another skill which can be shortcut by using a bait boat — accurate casting. The ability to place your rig exactly where you want it, and more importantly then bait up over the top of it in any conditions, will catch you significantly more carp. This is why many find they catch better on venues where they can fish at closer ranges. Of course, there are other factors at play too, but when fishing closer in you simply are more accurate. If your rig is sat in the middle of your loosefeed, or very close to it at least, you stand a far better chance of a take. Even when spread baiting with boilies, where accuracy isn’t quite as pinpoint, you need your bait to be somewhere in the same vicinity as the free offerings — which may be a foot or so apart — so the carp encounters your hookbait on its natural path.
Being accurate takes practice, but there are tricks that can help you. The line clip on your reel is an invaluable tool, as is a pair of distance sticks. Use the skyline opposite and cast to an obvious marker, and always make sure you’re stood in the same place when you cast.
It’s important with this skill to understand your limitations. You’ll notice we haven’t mentioned the ability to cast a long way in this article — that’s because you can catch carp without casting to the moon. The important factor here is to be accurate, so if that means you can consistently cast 20 wraps, then find a presentable spot at that range or just shorter and focus on that. Often people feel they need to fish long, and whilst this can be an edge, it isn’t if you’re fishing long inaccurately with bait all over the place and nowhere near your rig. Play to your strengths. This can be aided by choosing the right rod too…check the Black Pearl family out.
Read the water and conditions
We have covered ‘the best conditions for carp fishing’ in a separate article, but understanding what to do in any conditions you’re faced with comes with experience. It can also change from venue to venue. There are some general rules around wind, rain, pressure and moon phases, but the important thing to first realise is that these all can and do play a part in the behaviour of the fish and your likelihood of catching them.
The wind will blow fish into certain areas of the lake, particularly if it is warm, new and strong. However, if that same wind is a few days old, stale or cold, fish may choose to stay well and truly off it.
Sun and rain have an impact too. Rain can oxygenate the water, particularly when heavy, but it can also provide a cooling effect which can have a bigger impact at certain times of year. Warmer weather that brings rain after a period of snow, for example, might seem like good conditions, but the melting ice will quickly lower the temperature of the lake and knock the fish off the feed. In relation to sun, the impact can be great on the fishes’ location on the lake and within the water column. Even in winter, a day of sunshine might see the fish sit higher in the layers, where only a zig will catch them, despite anglers sitting in the warmer temperatures expecting bottom-bait chances.
Thundery spells often coincide with a drop in air pressure which can be superb for fishing, but if this causes a dramatic drop in oxygen — which it can do at specific times of year — the fishing will actually be worse.
Then finally we have the debate about the moon phase. It almost certainly plays a part, but how much? Fishing on or around the period of the full and new moon is a productive time, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still catch at others.
The important point here is to understand that many things can contribute to your carp fishing success, some totally out of your control — which is what makes it such an utterly fascinating hobby.
Tie a strong knot
Every angler that goes fishing for anything should know how to tie a reliably strong knot. You’ll notice we haven’t said a particular knot just yet, because knot choice can differ with the material used and the situational requirements. The important part is that it shouldn’t fail. Test it to destruction with a knot puller, like those that can be found on the OMC Cool Tool. Below we will list some popular knots and their best applications — learn one or all of them, but just be confident you have tied it correctly and it will hold.
Best fishing knots:
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Grinner Knot – High-strength knot for tying to swivels or hooks with mono and braid. Can be tricky to tie with thicker fluorocarbons and can remove the coating when tied with coated braids if you aren’t careful.
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Blood Knot – A very simple knot to tie but can slip when tied with thin braids and can strangle and weaken the line when tied with monofilament. Best knot for thick chod filaments and heavier materials.
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Palomar Knot – Simple to tie but needs to be bedded down carefully. Incredibly strong and good for many materials. Can be tricky due to the way it is tied with longer or larger items which need passing through a loop.
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Figure-of-Eight Loop Knot – Superb knot strength when tied with braid and mono, but can weaken fluorocarbon. Great for looping on Spombs or in hooklinks for connection to swivels.
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Back-to-Back Grinner Knot – Best for connecting mainline to shock leaders. If you can tie a Grinner, you’ll be able to tie this one with a bit of practice too. It pulls down neat to easily pass through the rod rings and retains high strength.
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Albright Knot – Best for connecting braid to fluorocarbon on combi rigs. Relatively simple to tie but can’t be rushed. Neat and strong.
With all knots it is important to always wet the knot before pulling down neatly. Then test your knot firmly to almost destruction — if you can break it easily, you can bet the fish will be able to too. Don’t risk it without testing; even the best anglers can tie a poor knot that slips or weakens the line somehow.
Handle fish with care
It goes without saying that our catch needs to be treated with respect and care. It is our responsibility as anglers to return carp to the lake after capture in the condition we found them in, so other anglers can experience the same joy as us for years to come. Early on in your carp fishing journey, this may mean heading out with someone more experienced to show you the ropes. But regardless, if you’re on your own or with a fellow angler, these are the best steps to follow…
How to safely unhook and handle a carp:
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If possible, try to remove the hook and rig from the fish whilst it is still in the landing net in the water by gently leaning over it and popping out the hook. It might not always be safe or practical to do so. Having rigs that can unclip from the lead system is useful here, as it will remove the tension on the hook hold when lifting it out of the water, preventing any damage to the fish — meaning you can then remove the hook once it is on the mat.
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If possible, transfer the fish in the broken-down landing net to a weigh sling before lifting from the water.
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Prior to lifting the fish out of the water, ensure all its fins are flush to its body and not sat out at any angles.
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Transfer the fish from the water to a nearby wet unhooking mat.
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Once on the mat, remove the hook if you haven’t done so already, and move away the net — the fish should now be just over the sling and mat or the mat on its own.
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Keep the fish wet by applying lake water from a reasonable height with a bucket. Here you can check for any damage to the fish and treat with the appropriate carp care kit.
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Hold the fish up for your catch pictures over your unhooking mat, ensuring you have a good grip on it. Try not to stand for pictures and keep the fish as low as possible.
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Place the fish back into the sling and transport it to the water where it can be slowly released by unzipping the zips. Be sure the fish is kicking and strong before you let it swim off.
Carp care is incredibly important to us at One More Cast, and you’ll find several great products designed to protect your catch at all times. These include appropriately sized landing nets with fish-friendly mesh, practical, well-padded and secure unhooking mats and marine-grade rubber mesh slings.
Understand bait
You could write a book about the best baits for carp fishing, and we’ve already covered several in articles on this website. The main thing to learn with bait is what is right to use when, and how much you should apply. Like many things, it comes with experience, but there are some general rules…
At times when the fish aren’t feeding heavily — which might be when it is freezing cold — you want to use a lower amount of feed, but feed that is almost over the top with attraction. This is when bright colours, strong flavours and live baits can play a huge part. What you’re effectively doing here is trying to trigger or lure a fish into taking something when they actually don’t really need to feed at all.
There will be times, of course, in colder water when the carp are actively feeding and will readily accept more bait, but the trick here is to think about digestibility. You don’t want to fill the fish up quickly — you want bait that passes through them fast and they are eager to eat more of. This is why crumbed boilies, maggots, worms and corn can be such winners in tricky cold-water conditions, whereas things like whole boilies, nuts and pellets are better in the warmer months when the fishes’ metabolism is working faster. They simply find it easier to get through it. It’s not to say you won’t get bites on very minimal quantities of these baits in the colder months, but you risk making the fish full up in a much faster period.
It’s not just temperature and season that impact bait choice either. The lake itself might dictate you have to change your approach. Nuisance species, crayfish, birdlife, water clarity, depth and the lakebed can all play a part in determining what the best baiting approach is. If the water is clear, for example, you might want to use a smaller or darker bait that is less obvious on the bottom — not only will this reduce the attention of birds, but it will be less alarming to the carp too. In contrast, on coloured lakes you might need to go for a more pungent or highly coloured offering so the fish can easily find it, even if they aren’t actively looking for it.
The depth of water and undertow are vital considerations too. Is your bait staying where you put it? Bait scattered over a wider area, particularly if small particles, can reduce your chances of a bite. The deeper the water, particularly on a big and windswept lake, the more chance of this spread occurring. In this scenario, you need a heavier bait mix that falls quicker to the bottom. Mulching your boilies and pellets to make them stodgy can help here.
The main point we are trying to make here is really spend time considering what bait you should be using on your session — don’t just say, “well, carp like boilies, so I’m using those no matter what.” Or, if you do really want to use them no matter what, consider how to adapt them to make them more suitable for different situations. Crumb can be a superb bait when spombed accurately, and when fishing on a sloping lakebed you’ll find much greater success with chopped boilies than whole ones. It isn’t always as simple as casting a rig out and putting bait on it — sometimes you need to dive a bit deeper.
Our bait is often competing for the fish’s attention against natural food, leftovers from other anglers and anyone else who might be on the lake at the same time. With a bit of consideration, you can really get your bait working for you so you’re leaving far less to chance.
Choose the right rig for the situation
Once again, you’ll notice a couple of things here — we haven’t said ‘learn to tie a rig’, as actually pre-tied rigs will save you time and catch you as many fish, if not more, than one tied yourself. We also haven’t told you a specific rig either, and that’s because you need to understand how each rig works so you can use the right one for the situation.
So, what do we mean by the right situation? Well, your rig choice should depend on the lakebed it is to be cast on and the feeding scenario you will present around it.
On a flat and clean bottom, like fine gravel, you want a rig which blends in and doesn’t stand out to the fish. Choosing a bottom bait or wafter presentation is likely the best option here, particularly if you’re feeding a tight bed of bits and pieces. Something like a Fluorocarbon D-Rig, Slip-D or German would be best suited here — the fluorocarbon is hard for fish to spot, as are the right coloured braids on the other rigs mentioned. An inline or lead clip system is best on this kind of bottom, as both provide direct hooking.
On a more silty and choddy lakebed, it is vital to pop your rig up, which is where the Ronnie, Hinge and Chod come into their own. Using a helicopter system on really soft areas helps here too, as it allows the lead to plug into the dirt without dragging your rig in with it. Being popped up and arguably more blatant to the fish, tighter baiting strategies can hinder the success of these rigs, so a more generous spread can help here too. Longer hooklinks can provide a more natural presentation in this scenario as well.
You see the conundrum we’ve presented? Even if you have one rig you absolutely love to use no matter what, there will likely be a situation when it isn’t the best choice. So, unless you plan to always fish the same areas in the exact same manner, you need to know the details of how each rig is working.
One setup that kind of cheats this and almost works anywhere is the Solid PVA Bag. The short hooklink and inline lead provide good hooking properties, and until disturbed, they are always sat inside a tight pile of loosefeed. It can be improved further with Ali’s lead trick and Ian’s magic combination too. So if you are unsure with rigs, this is a pretty good place to start.
Lessons learned
So there you have it — seven fundamental skills all carp anglers must know. Master them and you will catch as many fish as anyone else if you’re on the right waters and putting the time in. Don’t get confused — stick to these basics and catch more fish!
Journalist Chris Haydon joined the OMC Family in the spring of 2024, after six years working for the UK's number 1 fishing publication, the Angling Times. He is a keen Coarse and Carp Fishing All-rounder, fishing in the South West region, including the famous Cotswold Water Park.
