Carp love summer too!

1 Beef up your fishing tackle up

With the waters getting weedier and weedier, summer fishing tackle needs to be up the job of coping with heavy weed. The carp’s safety should be uppermost in you mind, and of course you want to be in with a chance of landing your hard earned prize.

2 Be mobile to catch more

Another key to summer success is staying mobile and being versatile with your approach. Anyone who relies on static bivvy boilie fishing will severely limit their chances. Strip down your gear and go looking for them.

3 Set the alarm clock

Although the nights are short and it gets light at silly o’clock, it’s always worth making that effort to watch the water as dawn breaks. Yes, we know this can be hard after having just a few hours sleep but what you might see may well help you put a few extra fish on the bank the follow or next night you fish. Plus, after a couple of hours surveillance you can always get your head back down and catch up on a few hours whilst the rods are still out.

4 Summer = oils

Don’t forget the oils in the summer months. Try L-Zero-30, salmon oil or pure krill liquid on floaters, boilies or pellets. They will all individually or combined pull fish up, down and onto your hookbait whether you are fishing on the bottom, mid-water or the surface.

5 Trout pellets are winners

A small handful of good quality oily pellet will get them grubbing about. Carp simply can’t resist them in the warm summer water.

6 Lose the bivvy

The lovely warm summer nights means you can leave the bivvy at home. Sleeping under the stars makes it much easier to stay mobile, as a shelter mentally ties you to a swim. To help combat the mozzies, try Summit Citronella Candles,

7 Night floater fishing: it works

Many anglers regard floater fishing as something to ‘have a go at’ on a hot summer afternoon when nothing else is happening. However, that couldn’t be any further from the truth and you show be looking for surface opportunities right through the day and even into darkness. Try it and you just might be surprised at the results.

8 Learn to fish mid-water

In the summer months carp will spend a large majority of their time up in the water during the days, especially in bright conditions. Don’t hide your head in the sand, learn how to fish mid-water and floater fish effectively, you won’t regret it!

9 Forget boilies – think particles

After May, when most of the lake’s stock has been hooked on a boilie, it’s at this point when things like tiger nuts and other particles really come in to their own. A simple tiger nut balanced out with a bit of cork can be absolutely deadly, especially with just a pinch of hemp and a couple of loose tigers in with the mix.

10 Surface fish early

Keep a floater rod set-up in your rod bag and have it ready to rock at a moment’s notice, even to the point of putting a bait on the hook before you go to bed the night before. When the fish first ‘pop up’ on the surface, it seems far easier to get them to take a floater at that point in the day than it does, say, at midday. Don’t be afraid to cast out single hookbaits either, especially if birds are a nuisance, as these seem to know that a ‘thwack’ of a catty means food, far more than the ‘swish’ of a rod being cast out.

11 Little-and-often is the best way

Be adaptable. Look around for them and try different tactics rather than just boilies on the bottom. Look for chances to stalk fish: might they be on the surface, under the scum in the corner, tucked away under a tree? They tend to feed little-and-often through the summer and sometimes will have a morsel stuck in front of them but won’t get on a bed of bait until dark. Somewhere on the pond in front of you there will be a fish that wants to pick up your hookbait. You just need to locate it and that’s a damn sight easier in the summer than winter.

12 Look to the quiet areas for consistent success

As the long, hot summer days creep upon us, there are always chances to nick a bonus fish when all around are soaking up the rays. The fish will find a quiet area to settle for the day or they maybe scooting around in the margins in a swim where there is no pressure. Go have a good walk around and when you find the fish it may just be a case of lowering a small bag or single hookbait in their path.

13 Not catching? Go stalking

By now the carp will be well aware of angling pressure and very particular about what they pick-up. In the day especially, they will spend lots of time resting and soaking up the sun so stalking and surface fishing will work very well. Don’t try to rush things because the fish will be very spooky, if they don’t want to feed, don’t push it by casting too much or firing out too much bait near to them, they will sample in their own time. The summer can be very rewarding and certainly singles out the working anglers from those who rely on the luck of sitting and waiting.

14 Head for the shallow water

Weather conditions play a huge part in summer fishing but on roasting hot days never neglect the shallows; it’s amazing how shallow a big fish will feed.

15 Fish like it’s winter

Consistency and summer can be polar opposites! So flexibility is crucial because the goalposts can change all the time. Natural food blooms, weed explosions and a lack of wind means that summer fishing can often be terrible, but it doesn’t have to be. Try fishing like it was winter, rather than trying to force-feed fish that aren’t interested. Zigs, singles, little patches – they’re all well worthy of consideration. Take each day on its merits basically and look to fish new clear areas, not the old ones. The fish will be creating new spots all the time, away from the pressured, obvious ones.

16 Location – as ever – is key

As always, location is critical for consistent summer success. Spending time walking the lake with the polaroids on and climbing a few trees can tell you so much more than just sitting in your swim for hours on end. Understanding the carp’s daily habits and movements is crucial. You may well be in a good area for fishing the night, but where do the carp go for the days? Be mobile and fish effectively for the whole time you’re on the bank!

17 Try the float – it’s mega exciting

Forgotten by many a carp angler, float fishing is a very effective method, especially once it’s warmed up and the carp are using the margins. It’s a great way to angle and puts you back in touch with how it all began. Catching carp on the float is one the most exciting ways of catching them and is something everyone should try from time to time. One of the best float set-ups is the Lift Method – it’s dead ease to put together and you can use all manner of different hookbaits. Give it a go – you won’t be disappointed.