Spring's a brilliant time of year for carp fishing! The carp have awoken from a more static winter state and will be searching the lake for areas of warmth and food. It’s a time of year when, if you get it right, special things will come your way. Follow these simple tips and stack the odds in your favour...
Get prepared
First and foremost, before you get to the lake, I’d always advise you prepare your kit for the season ahead. Re-spool your reels, get plenty of rigs tied and prepare any particles. Anything that helps you to hit the ground running for your very first session is going to stand you in good stead.
IF YOU WANT TO CATCH BIG CARP THIS SPRING, MARK HOLMES HAS ALL THE TIPS YOU NEED!
You can't take it out!
Go steady with your baiting. The water still isn’t quite warm enough for huge beds of bait. I like to build up the swim – a few Spombs over three rods per bite is enough. As a rule, 8-10 Spombs is a perfect starting point, followed by two or three after each fish.
Minimal ingredients
Using a simple bait mix is far better than overcomplicating things. My mix is made of mulched-up boilies - recently I’ve been using Manilla Active - mixed with corn and sometimes a bit of hemp. There’s no need to go overboard with wild concoctions.
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Accuracy is king
Accurate baiting is of paramount importance to me – there’s no point fishing at 100 yards if the bait is spread over a 20-yard square. It’s better to knock a few yards off your casts and land the Spomb within the size of a standard groundsheet every cast, rather than put all your effort into fishing as far out as you can.
Use tangle free rigs
I use a select few presentations. The main thing is they need to be completely tangle-free and work effectively. There’s no advantage in using the latest rig if half the time it’s sat out there in a ball, completely useless and tangled. Use anti-tangle sleeves, hooklinks with an element of stiffness or even PVA bags, absolutely anything that gives you confidence that your rig is fishing effectively 100 per cent of the time.
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Check the weather
Warm weather fronts, with low pressure, are frequent in the spring, and can lead to super-prolific sport. If you can plan your trips around them using long-range forecasts, you’ll increase your chances by a considerable margin!
Get on the solid bags
Solid bags are perfect for use in spring. They have very little food in them and don’t overfeed the fish, plus you can cast them around various spots to help you pinpoint exactly where the fish are. I use a mix of Bloodworm Active Mix, pellets and add some Pure Calanus Liquid at the end – what carp could resist?
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Bright hookbaits
Bright hookbaits have always been a mainstay of my angling, but even more so in spring for single hookbait fishing. They work really well on the turning point of cold to warm water temperatures and I’d never leave home without several different options. If you’re on a tight budget, then atub of mixed hookbaits such as Mulbz will be perfect for you, because they offer three different colours in one tub.
Upper layers
In early spring the sun plays a huge part in the whereabouts of the carp and, more often than not, unless you have a big wind and low pressure, they will be swimming off the bottom. It is vital to remember your zig fishing kit, as if they don’t want to visit the lakebed, you could be sat there twiddling your thumbs and scratching your head.
Stay on your toes
Fish are highly nomadic in spring and can move spots in the blink of an eye. It therefore pays to keep focused and be prepared to move with the fish, to ensure you keep catching throughout your session. We can’t always stumble on a honey hole – sometimes you have to work for your bites that little bit harder.
THE BEST FISHING BARROWS WILL HELP YOU PACK UP AND MOVE QUICKLY AND EASILY!
