| So many time we all fall into a rut of doing things | | | | double-checked at the sounder box and rods. |
| simply because they worked before, but forget | | | | With very wary fish and at many busy carp |
| to our cost that carp are dynamically learning | | | | waters, those alarms such as the Fox ones which |
| creatures with a very strong instinct to survive! | | | | go off at high decibels (5 times,) the moment |
| We can think and not simply learn by association | | | | they are turned on create huge disadvantage. |
| and that is a gigantic edge over wild creatures like | | | | This is not just via tight lines either, but I believe |
| carp; but often we don’t think enough to | | | | via air across the water and even via the ground |
| achieve the great catch results that are most | | | | in the case of fish in near proximity. Just because |
| often just waiting to happen. So don’t miss | | | | it is popular to show off the sound of who got |
| out... | | | | the loudest most expensive alarms on the lake, it |
| It has been said on many occasions that the | | | | doesn’t mean they are not shooting |
| biggest edge in carp fishing is being different. This | | | | themselves in the foot! |
| relates to the fact that carp learn all the time by | | | | I don’t know about you, but for me, fishing is |
| association in terms of all our angling activities, | | | | a very rare opportunity to escape the rat race |
| tackle, baits and physical presence in and around | | | | and madness of everyday humanity and relax in |
| their environment. This is often apparent by the | | | | a totally unexpectant neutral and natural |
| fact that carp can literally stop feeding freely | | | | environment that has no opinions! I now personally |
| when they feel the vibrations from a tackle | | | | avoid the waters where from the moment you |
| barrow trundling down the bankside, or even | | | | arrive to the moment you leave, there is a |
| when sensing fishing lines passing through the | | | | cacophony of blaring bite alarms. This is from |
| water... | | | | those peace-shattering alarm fiddlers constantly |
| This power of association is so acute in some fish | | | | spodding and casting, maddening mobile phone |
| and on some fisheries, that the slamming of car | | | | tones (and their users, shouting down them at all |
| doors by anglers at the carp park can either turn | | | | hours,) and ignorant shouting right across the lake |
| fish on or off depending on what they associate it | | | | because certain individuals cannot handle boredom |
| with. The same goes for night feeding fish on day | | | | or are addicted to the sound their own voice! |
| fishing only lakes that can start feeding literally the | | | | To my mind, these are not carp anglers but out |
| moment they sense most of the angling lines are | | | | of place football or pub groupies and might as well |
| being reeled out of the water at dusk! A very | | | | bin the fishing rods, get a football season ticket, |
| simple example of this is a small pond containing | | | | or go down the pub instead and watch it there, |
| only 9 small carp, which will feed freely on ground | | | | where you have to shout to be heard and where |
| bait upon first introduction; but the moment the | | | | they’d feel right at home! Don’t get me |
| first line enters the water, they simply disappear... | | | | wrong though, I’m not strictly a purist; I fish |
| It might seem like a waste of time, but I’ve | | | | for results like any angler, and have been known |
| caught enough big carp by setting up for 3 days | | | | to be exceptionally competitive with it; but not to |
| and nights and not fishing until the third night. The | | | | the ignorant cost of my fellow anglers! But |
| time is not wasted though, as small amounts of | | | | happily, the actions and behaviours that induce a |
| small baits are introduced every half hour during | | | | truly peaceful fishing environment catch you far |
| the day, and every few hours during the night in | | | | more of those big wary fish, especially on highly |
| order to get the bait stimulation source familiar to | | | | pressured smaller waters. |
| carp in the area in safety with no lines in the | | | | So many articles focus purely on the rig end of |
| water. | | | | fishing activities and bait introduction, when what is |
| There was one small by very tricky water I used | | | | critically very often over-looked and equally |
| to fish where 70 percent of short-term anglers | | | | important, is your own impact upon fish, just by |
| would blank all the time. I used to fish primarily 3 | | | | your presence at a water. What about being |
| day and night sessions there as it was obviously | | | | aware enough of how you change fish behaviours |
| the only way to get fish to take baits because | | | | by your presence and fishing activities, in order to |
| they were so spooked by a new angler setting | | | | develop many productive corrective behaviours - |
| up in a swim and introducing bait and casting out. | | | | that genuinely catch you more big fish! |
| This was the kind of smaller fishery where casting | | | | When I see someone trundling up to a swim with |
| 3 rods out was just enough to ensure you might | | | | a heavily-laden tackle barrow in clothes designed |
| get a take in the swim within 48 to 72 hours, but | | | | to make you look like a walking bush, it does |
| much more than this and you would blank! | | | | make me laugh. Where fashion meets artificially |
| (This sounds extreme; but this really is the case | | | | created popular demand, things can well over the |
| there, and it is proven to be so consistently over | | | | top! Just how many more fish does looking like a |
| the years.) The best approach I found with such | | | | tree trunk catch you; if you are not stealthy?! |
| waters, was to set up as light of foot and slowly | | | | Some of the biggest carp I’ve ever caught |
| and carefully as possible. The most successful | | | | from very small waters were caught by being |
| baiting-up method very frequently to fire a wide | | | | stealthy, acting as if the fish can see me at all |
| swath (as opposed to pin pointed,) of small, often | | | | times, and very light on the feet. Also in such |
| crushed and fine particle-sized bait items, | | | | situations very rarely casting-out, and using dim |
| introduced in very light scatterings, extremely | | | | pencil torches at night; instead of shooting 100 |
| regularly, and right from the moment of first | | | | million candle power lanterns at the water from |
| arrival. | | | | my head each time I turn round are definite |
| This often meant setting up right in the middle of | | | | edges! |
| the regular non-feeding times which on this water | | | | I’ve actually had a carp fishing fashion freak, |
| were 10 am to 3 pm daytime. No bivvy peg | | | | (an advertising and peer pressure-conditioned carp |
| mallets, or those close encounters of the third | | | | angler) say that my 3 rod set-up (with metal |
| kind of LED head torches were used and high | | | | pegs on the line to create alternative line |
| decibel alarms were turned right down. | | | | pressures,) looked Mickey Mouse (a deliberately |
| (I believe carp hear their vibrations sounds when | | | | insulting phrase!) But when you design your whole |
| you are attaching your indicators at the rod for | | | | individual fishing approach including your thinking |
| example.) I go to the extent of using a low tone | | | | and all tackle, bait recipes and angling practices |
| low volume sounder box leading from the alarms | | | | tools to solve each specific challenge you face on |
| and the alarms are turned so low you can’t | | | | a particular water; you can achieve successes |
| hear them so any sound vibrations are removed | | | | that are not normal! |
| from my activities at the rod and indicator. I also | | | | I personally take someone inferring that my |
| set-up my rigs and indicators with the alarms | | | | set-up is not fashionable, dangerously |
| turned off and only turn them on when | | | | non-conformist and too different to normal, to be |
| everything is ready; which is when they get | | | | a sure sign - I’m doing something very right... |