When we think about snake lakes, we often think of fishing for F1's as our main priority, but a lot of these lakes are stocked with carp too. You will find, especially in the more mature fisheries, that these carp are present in numbers and are getting really big too, so they are well worth fishing for if you are a match or pleasure angler.
The approach to catching these fish has to be slightly different than one you would use to target F1's and I will show you how to get the most from your swim in this guide...
POLE FISHING IS THE BEST WAY TO TARGET A SNAKE LAKE, FIND THE BEST AVAILABLE IN OUR BUYER'S GUIDE.
Make it stand out
When fishing the margins especially, it’s important that a big carp spots your hookbait, and so I think nothing of putting eight to 10 dead grubs on the hook when the fish average 5lb or more. These go on to a size 12 Guru XS Spade, so that the point is never in danger of being covered. This works equally well when fishing to the mudline too, or if fish are stirring up the silt when fishing down the middle.
CARP CAN BE CAUGHT ON A VARIETY OF BAITS, READ OUR EXPERT ARTICLE TO FIND THE BEST ONES TO USE.
Attack the mudline
If you can get tight up against a bare bank in front of an island or snake lake far bank, you can feed it in a similar way to the margins. I like to big pot a mix of groundbait and dead maggots to keep fish in the area when I am not fishing it, and when I drop a rig over the top, I’ll feed via a medium Guru pot on the top kit. This cuts down what is available, and the carp will quickly find the hookbait.
THE BEST FISHING SEATBOXES WILL KEEP YOU POSITIONED CORRECTLY WHEN FISHING THE POLE.
Mug them
It isn't very often you will catch a lot of carp shallow on snake lakes, as usually the F1s will intercept the bait or there aren't quite enough carp present to get them competing. However they will act like carp in lakes and will be seen cruising on hot days, this is where a mugging rig will catch you more fish, and usually the big wise fish that aren't feeding.
A PAIR OF POLARISING GLASSES WILL HELP YOU SEE CRUISING CARP SO YOU CAN MUG THEM MORE EFFECTIVELY.
Remain positive
When temperatures start to drop off, be careful when feeding pellets, which are very filling. Baits like maggots and casters have a lower food content, so you can be more positive with them. They allow you to keep bait going through the water column without compromising your swim, and that trickle is often sufficient to get a shoal interested.
THE BEST FISHING CATAPULTS HELP YOU KEEP YOUR FEEDING ACCURATE, WHICH WILL GET YOU MORE BITES.
Hard pellets
If there's one bait I would use to target carp in snake lakes, it would be hard pellets. Using either a 4mm or 6mm hard pellet helps deter nuisance species, allowing carp time to come into the swim and start feeding, increasing your chances of catching them. I prefer not to lift and drop the rig too often; instead, I set a nice trap with 10-20 pellets, depending on the time of year, and wait for a hungry carp to intercept them.
THE BEST BIB AND BRACES WILL KEEP YOU DRY AND COMFORTABLE REGARDLESS OF THE WEATHER.
