Baiting Heavy & Carp 'Safe Zones' At Iktus | Underwater Grand Fishing Adventure Episode 3 Review
Episode 3 of the new Underwater Grand Fishing Adventure TV series took Ali Hamidi, Bobby Zamora, and Luke Boerrigter to the stunning Run Lake at the mighty Iktus complex in southern France. Renowned for its enormous stock of big carp, the lake sees plenty of fish in front of the cameras. However, the varied lakebed — which ranges from 3 to 10 metres deep — made fishing here a bit of a challenge. Here's what the team discovered...
Carp fishing in France always brings excitement — and the chance of landing a true monster. That was certainly the case during our last visit to Iktus in the previous series of Grand Fishing Adventure, when Bobby landed the biggest carp ever caught on an underwater camera using the phenomenal Magic Twig and Lock Hook combo.
This time, we tackled the newer Iktus Run Lake. While it holds a much higher stock of carp, it’s far from easy. As we've already seen this series, fishing in front of underwater cameras is never straightforward...
Carp, Cameras and Safe Zones
One of the biggest takeaways from this trip? Carp do not like underwater cameras — especially in confined areas where there’s no easy escape from the disturbance.
At our first base camp, the cameras were positioned near snags on the far margins. Initially, there was plenty of fish traffic, but that quickly dried up as the carp sought refuge in the safer, open water.
This mirrors what anglers see on many pressured waters: concentrate too much activity in a small area and the fish will vanish. And on most venues, the safest zone is right in the middle — well out of casting range for most anglers.
If you think the fish have moved off, don’t hesitate — stay mobile and follow them.
End-of-Day Margin Spots
Even after relocating base camp, there were still areas the carp preferred at specific times. Ali’s margin rod stayed quiet through the day, but fish nearly always showed up around early evening, and the bait would often be cleared by morning.
In contrast, a plateau in the centre of the lake showed consistent daytime activity but was often untouched overnight — clear evidence the fish were avoiding that area in the dark.
This is an important lesson for your own carp fishing sessions: different swims often produce at different times of day. If only we could fish all of them at once!
Depth Really Does Matter
How often do you consider the depth of your swim? On this session at Iktus Run, it proved to be critical.
Patrick, another angler on the lake, was catching consistently from the deeper middle section, where the lakebed was softer and muddier. Unfortunately, we couldn’t film there due to poor visibility — but it was clear the fish were far more confident feeding in those deeper zones.
This was further proven when Bobby managed a bite by casting into that area. A move that earned him a much deserved yellow card! Moral of the story? Find the right depth, and your chances of catching increase massively.
Paste That Lead!
This episode once again highlighted how attractive paste is to fish. Ali wrapped his Arra Leads in paste and also dropped additional paste balls around the spot.
Several clips showed carp and even sturgeon feeding directly from these paste deposits. Even more interesting, the movement of their fins puffed the paste off the lakebed, creating a suspended cloud of attraction that drew more fish in.
How Much Bait is Too Much?
One of the key debates in this episode was bait quantity. Bobby was all for piling it in, while Ali stuck to a more cautious strategy.
Both approaches have merit. Even with heavy baiting, we saw that carp often ghost over the area, occasionally dipping for a mouthful. This suggests that too much bait might reduce your chances of a take.
However, when carp are actively feeding, they create competition, drawing in more fish and clearing a spot in no time. So, more bait can also mean more feeding confidence — and more fish.
As ever, it’s a balancing act. It comes down to watercraft and understanding the mood of the fish during your session.
What About Rigs?
Ali stuck to his favourite Lock Hook Spinner Rig with the Magic Wand, while Bobby experimented with Spinners and his record-breaking Lock Hook German Rig. Both rigs delivered when it counted.
If there was one rig tip to take away, it’s this: attraction around the hookbait is key when the carp are finicky. Bobby’s brightly coloured Snowman Rig was narrowly missed by a clumsy carp — proof that both visual and scent appeal matters.
Fish Traffic Is Everything
Things really kicked off with the team moving their long rods even further into deeper water with a sandier bottom. We knew it was a productive area, as another angler earlier in the week had success there.
From the outset, we observed increased fish traffic in front of the cameras – regular ghosting, light feeding, and all during the daytime. This just goes to show what all anglers know: location is everything.
Visibility Drops When Carp Are Feeding
When carp are heavily feeding on a spot, water clarity plummets. As you’ll have seen, when a group of fish gets their heads down, all that remains is a cloud of silt and particles.
The fish can’t really see what they’re taking, but others are undoubtedly drawn to the activity. Ali’s white hookbait just about stood out in the cloud, and he received a more confident take. One thing to watch for is bait wafting everywhere – as Ali said, it can turn into “fish soup” down there!
Matching the Hatch Really Works
Now onto some technical insight, and there was plenty to take away from this frantic episode. During the session, Ali decided to “match the hatch” with a wafter hookbait that closely resembled the loosefeed boilies on the lakebed.
While it matched the colour, it was heavily boosted with Goo – as he put it, “looks the same, smells different!” In this case, white was right – the fish simply couldn’t resist.
Building a Swim with Consistent Baiting
You’ll often hear anglers talk about “building a swim” with bait, and this episode proves just how effective that approach is. Consistent feeding throughout the week – pellets, boilies, tiger nuts, and more – had the carp fully tuned in to our zone.
Even when we changed spots within the swim, the fish still came quickly to investigate. For those who like pre-baiting, take note – it’s worth it! The old ways are still the best: little and often. The key is often!
Carp Go Mad for Tiger Nuts
How nuts was Bobby’s rig? Not one, but four! And the carp loved it. The Quad Nut Spinner with the Lock Hook and a small piece of cork for balance, is one to try if you’re a fan of tiger nut baits, especially in warmer months. So grab some tigers and Get Flossing!
Pay Attention to Moon Phases
New or full moon = more carp. This is a theory Ali has long believed in, and this trip supported it. The final day fell under an optimum moon phase with peak fishing efficiency – and that’s when we landed the biggest and most fish.
Do yourself a favour: download the Fishing Calendar App, watch the moon phases, and plan your sessions accordingly.
Two Rods on a Spot? Can Be Risky
Feeling confident, Bobby tried fishing two rods on one spot, just feet apart, right in front of the cameras. It’s a common day-ticket tactic, with some even placing three rods in the same area.
But is it wise? As you saw, the disturbance from one fish practically dumped the rigs on top of each other. Who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t moved them?
The Wonderful Wand
We’ve said it before, and this episode confirms it again – the Magic Wand is special. Ali found the winning rig, and it could well be the “Greatest Carp Rig Ever”.
This Spinner presentation combines the Wand with our Corefree Leader, Pin Lead Clip System, Dog Bone Ronnie Clips, Dazzler Inturns and Hookbeads, plus the Lock Hook. Paired with the right hookbait, we’ve seen nothing better underwater.
Its only drawback, as Ali discovered, is when fishing over rocks – the hook can fall between them, limiting movement. But on level ground? It hooks almost every time.
With nothing to hide, we did see the Wand get “done” twice on Bobby’s rigs – once a rapid shakeout from a fast ghostie, and once as a fish approached the lead. Even without the Wand, neither would’ve even had a chance of getting hooked. These are the fine margins between success and failure – and the Wand stacks the odds in your favour.
A Finale to Remember
How about that for a finale to a truly epic series and learning experience? Those Iktus carp really turned on in a big way, didn’t they? At points, it was total carnage – it felt like we really couldn’t put a foot wrong. That, as you’ve seen, even led to Bobby doing more experimenting! We hope you agree, some of our findings in this episode were truly fascinating.
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.
