| The title says it all - this article is all about those | | | | many of the biggest fish in the lake were over |
| absolutely crucial big carp secrets that even | | | | the bait and were filter-feeding on the dissolved |
| having the best baits, rigs and tackle cannot beat; | | | | substances coming off it, but were not willing to |
| so read on right now and find out more! | | | | actually pick up whole baits. This was due to the |
| Part of the hidden factors in successful carp | | | | fact they had been hooked on whole baits before |
| fishing relate to logic. If you see carp like dogs | | | | and knew to avoid them. Again, this is all too |
| and think of them as being able to be conditioned | | | | familiar a feature of fisheries today. |
| in many of the same ways you can see that | | | | I was shocked at the extent of the carp instinct |
| almost anything we anglers do to make carp | | | | for survival as despite baiting all week and fishing |
| scared of our baits makes them harder to catch. | | | | the proceeding 5 days and 4 nights not a single |
| It is logical to assume that the majority of anglers | | | | bite came again - that is until the fifth night; when |
| are obviously making life very difficult for the | | | | another of the biggest fish took a hook bait and |
| carp or they would be much easier to catch! The | | | | weighed in at over 36 pounds too. Sometimes it |
| fact is that more often than not the entire | | | | can take quite a time for carp to treat new |
| approach of the average carp angler means he is | | | | sources of food as safe, but once they do it |
| conditioning carp to become harder to catch but | | | | really reap its rewards for applying it, but it does |
| how does this happen? | | | | not mean you will necessarily catch all the biggest |
| Carp are instinctive individuals programmed to | | | | fish straight away. |
| survive by associating anything with danger of | | | | Often big fish let the small fish do bait testing. In |
| threats or with opportunities for safety or extra | | | | fact if I recall correctly when pre-baiting for the |
| energy in the form of energy-efficient nutrition. | | | | biggest carp in the Essex Little Grange water, the |
| There is not a lot in between these 2 extremes. | | | | 2 anglers only caught the smaller fish when they |
| Once a wary carp is alerted to the possibility that | | | | began fishing a new bait (called the Grange) and it |
| a bait or situation or circumstances it experiences | | | | was only after a few months they caught the |
| in the past in a swim that may be a threat then it | | | | fish they were after. |
| will more than likely feed far more cautiously | | | | Going back to the small lake I previously |
| there - if at all! | | | | mentioned catching the 36 pound carp from, I |
| Unfortunately, many of the rigs and standard | | | | caught one of those fish twice in 2 weeks on the |
| baiting and hook bait approaches that worked | | | | new boilies yet it had come out to no-one else all |
| even a year ago can now not be the edge they | | | | that year. But more interesting than that was |
| once were when originally applied to a water. Carp | | | | that once I started fishing my hook baits some |
| communicate in many ways between themselves. | | | | distance away from my regularly baited spots I |
| You might not believe this but just consider the | | | | was able to catch 2 of the other biggest fish in |
| times you see multiple carp jump out of the | | | | the lake; both around 38 pounds. |
| water literally simultaneously when nothing has | | | | What this indicated to me was that in all likelihood |
| shown on the water all day. | | | | the big wary fish were not getting hooked by the |
| Carp communicate many things by various | | | | average anglers at all because they were fishing |
| means, be it body postures and methods and | | | | using a smaller picture to fish with based on their |
| rates of swimming, to releasing hormones just in | | | | own ideas on tackle and baits (often influenced by |
| the same way that they do and we do to attract | | | | fashions,) but not influenced by knowledge of |
| a mate. In fact it is thought that the mode of | | | | exactly what the fish were doing to avoid |
| action of hormone based stimulants used in baits | | | | capture. |
| operate on male fish for instance by making them | | | | Frankly I believe that the wary fish were picking |
| more aggressive so they approach baits much | | | | baits up in their lips, taking them away from the |
| more positively. Similarly, one might well also | | | | baited area, dropping them and leaving them until |
| postulate that some of the success of those carp | | | | they thought they were safe, then swallowing |
| anglers using the early hair rigs using female hair | | | | them. The amount of single bleeps I got on my |
| benefited from female hormones naturally in the | | | | bite alarms indicated something like this was going |
| hair. | | | | on where my hook baits were often getting |
| It is not news to many carp anglers nor anglers | | | | picked up then dropped like a stone when the fish |
| of other species either to learn that when a hook | | | | felt any resistance. |
| bait is rejected as suspicious, even for no | | | | One of the obvious solutions was to fish away |
| apparent reason, other fish in an area are | | | | from the baited areas plus give the fish enough |
| somehow able to locate that same bait and totally | | | | rope to hang themselves with so to speak by |
| ignore it without any testing of it first. This means | | | | changing to a more refined rig. This worked like |
| that moving hook baits maybe every 12 hours is | | | | magic and the other 7 thirties plus 60 twenties |
| perhaps a better idea than simply leaving them in | | | | came along while many anglers failed to catch at |
| the same spot all the time in case the bait and rig | | | | all. |
| have been marked and ignored so to speak. | | | | But this result was just a feedback loop born of |
| This type of behavior is a common phenomenon | | | | being acutely conscious of the hidden factors |
| in very heavily fishing-pressured waters and has | | | | involving how fish were responding to any threat |
| been remarked upon by anglers fishing a wide | | | | represented by signs of angler presence on the |
| range of waters from Redmire and busy circuit | | | | bank, any obvious lines in the water, crude baiting, |
| waters and even to local ponds. Carp fishing for | | | | use of familiar fishing tactics that were obviously |
| wary fish seems to be more like a chess game | | | | now history, plus the disciplined regular application |
| where you are attempting to make the fish feel | | | | of a unique new bait, bait format, and baiting |
| as safe as possible by fishing and using tackle and | | | | technique all new to the water, and so on. The |
| baits as cunningly as possible, also while avoiding | | | | average angler visiting the water thought it was |
| the sometimes unhelpful intrusions of competitive | | | | just your average commercial day-ticket water, |
| fellow anglers fishing activities and baiting and so | | | | saw the photographs of fish caught in the past |
| on. | | | | by many anglers and thought they could lazily |
| I used to fish a small carp water where in the | | | | empty the place with comparatively very little |
| summer the average angler blanked over 70 | | | | thought and effort. |
| percent of the time. The hidden factor here was | | | | The fact is that fishing for big wary carp and |
| that because it was a small water the fish were | | | | aiming to catch them very consistently is not for |
| all too aware of angling activities and knew | | | | the faint-hearted and demands attention to detail |
| whenever anglers where present on the banks. | | | | and effort of thought many average anglers are |
| But the anglers themselves did not help | | | | not willing to stretch to. I notice that the biggest |
| themselves. On a small very rich water where | | | | fish came out of Elphicks Lake in Kent recently. |
| the fish have been absolutely hammered by | | | | Again it was caught on a method that defeated |
| anglers for years, they can respond in the easiest | | | | its caution and that actually exploited the |
| way possible and begin avoiding familiar baits and | | | | behaviours it and other fish had developed in |
| baiting formats and avoid them altogether, | | | | order to feed on bait in safety; i.e. on the drop |
| choosing to feed on natural food primarily instead. | | | | and mid-water binge-feeding. |
| This lake was where it took me 6 weeks during | | | | The secrets of big carp fishing include studying |
| June and July of the summer of 2003 to land 60 | | | | the fish, their senses, their adapting dynamic |
| twenties and 10 thirties which was incredible catch | | | | behaviours in direct and indirect response to |
| for the time. This year that lake had produced to | | | | everything we do to catch them, and to exploit |
| all the anglers fishing that lake precisely 1 thirty all | | | | what we observe. This is how successful army |
| year. So what on earth has happened that | | | | commanders often beat superior forces - with |
| enabled me to achieve my catches? | | | | superior intelligence and information. |
| Well going back to 2003 the fish were very | | | | You see lots in magazines about new tackle, rigs |
| spooky and I decided on a medium-term baiting | | | | and baits etc, but to truly exploit such wonders, |
| approach with homemade baits the carp had | | | | you really need to analyse what your fish in a |
| never experienced ever before and I knew this | | | | water are actually doing, how they are doing it |
| for certain because I made them myself. Vitally I | | | | and why they are doing it! |
| made them and presented them in ways never | | | | The effort doing this will open many doors to |
| tried before their. | | | | your future success again and again and will leave |
| However, because the fish were so spooky, even | | | | many of your fellow anglers scratching their |
| after a full 5 days and 4 nights of consistently | | | | heads because such things in pressured modern |
| baiting up and seeing fish rolling over the baits I | | | | carp fishing are hidden and not obvious! Even if |
| did not get a single take. Then on the fifth night | | | | you happen to have 6 grands worth of gear on |
| one of the biggest fish in the lake took the bait at | | | | the bank it will not guarantee you will catch if you |
| an awesome 36 plus pounds. | | | | do not understand your fish! (For more |
| Even at the time this fish took the bait it was | | | | information see my website and biography right |
| very obvious from the fish rolling activity that | | | | now! |