The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

But then the anglers opposite will be casting across the lake directly into your swim to fish the margins!!

Santiago wrote: ↑Mon Oct 15, 2018 11:42 am But then the anglers opposite will be casting across the lake directly into your swim to fish the margins!!

Some truth in that too, sadly - many modern carp guys like to "fan out" far with their evident self importance and multiple rods on rod pods...!

My current tactic has always been to keep away from other anglers as much as possible. Our club waters have a ban on fishing the far margin and people do tend to be pretty good about this.

I love the " modern lot" making loads of casts to the far margin to get their line " locked up" at the right length. Every carp of course has departed the scene when of course wearing some soft shoes and some care you could creep round and catch your fish under the rod top.

Ian.R.McDonald wrote: ↑Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:06 am I love the " modern lot" making loads of casts to the far margin to get their line " locked up" at the right length. Every carp of course has departed the scene when of course wearing some soft shoes and some care you could creep round and catch your fish under the rod top.

My favourite method for carp...

Ian.R.McDonald wrote: ↑Wed Oct 17, 2018 11:06 am I love the " modern lot" making loads of casts to the far margin to get their line " locked up" at the right length. Every carp of course has departed the scene when of course wearing some soft shoes and some care you could creep round and catch your fish under the rod top.

Or, if you are as clumsy as I am, move into the swim as quietly as possible and then sit with minimum movement for an hour or so, dribbling feed in. They usually come back if I disturb them!

Although I'll admit to not being a keen study of carp fishing techniques as don't often target carp, I'm finding this a very interesting thread. I only float fish and freeline when bait fishing on still waters and I do probably 80% of my fishing either hard in the margin under my nose, or directly under my rod tip if there is a shelf within say 7-12 feet of it (the remaining 20% being hard on lilies or reeds in summer). I was taught to always try and fish with any wind blowing straight into my face if at all possible, uncomfortable as that can sometimes be. My experience of fishing with the wind at my back (say in heavy cold rain!) is that I don't catch as much as to expect to on waters I know well. However, if I've learned anything about fishing techniques it's that there are no hard and fast rules and that you need to be flexible in your approach.

When the wind is blowing a nice scum into a corner that's where I will be, with a bait bouncing against the bank or reeds. Even very wary fish fall for this kind of tactic and to me creeping in and hooking that fish is just about as close as I can get to quench my hunting instincts. I do love it when all hell breaks loose as the quarry realises the error of its ways.