Do good anglers have a 'sixth sense'?

To a degree, yes. I’ve met people over the years that do seem to have what appears to be a sixth sense – anglers that just get it, naturally. I think it’s just an extended watercraft ability, no doubt picked up what we see whilst fishing. I have experienced many times myself where something pops into my head, or I have a strong gut feeling about something. I think this is just the culmination of time and effort, understanding the venue.

There’s a lot to be said for being able to think like a carp, and that’s what I would call the sixth sense theory. You may not necessarily see fish but are you able to assess the situation, go in blind and get a result. This seems to come more naturally to some than others, but I guess it’s the same with anything in the world.

I believe you’re able to hone what you would call a sixth sense by spending the time on the bank, building up your understanding of what the fish do and why they do it. Not just on one venue either, across the board – this will only come with time though. Eventually you’ll have fished enough places, with a wide enough host of scenarios to be able to use past experiences to help guide you. The more you fish a particular venue, the more you’ll be able to predict and second guess the carp. Once you can think like the carp in your chosen venue, the easier they will become to catch.

Cell boilies are a firm favourite

Plenty of times I have experienced captures of big fish where after a period of time spent fishing the lake, in search of a particular carp, it all clicks together and all of a sudden you feel like you know exactly how you’ll catch it. I’ve also had times where I’m sat there and an overwhelming sense of the fact that I’m going to catch my target fish has come over me, and then later on in the session it just happens. I’d guess that’s as much of being psychic as it is having a sixth sense though!?

It’s your ability to understand why things happen, when they’ll happen and how to catch carp from that situation, that is most important. If you can call that a sixth sense then yes, I do believe in it, but that’s no doubt a result of hard work, years in the making, and something that can always grow stronger.

If there is such a thing as a sixth sense theory, then winter is the time that it will come into play. Fish calm right down and far less daylight hours are at our disposal to see fish. There’s always going to be times between winter and spring where you’ll turn up in the dark and have to set-up where you think they’ll be rather when you’ve actually seen fish. It’s always worth spending as much time as possible looking, as once it’s dark, it’s dark, so what’s an extra hour walking round looking for shows? The more you learn, the easier these decisions will become, and the less of a stab in the dark they will become too, excuse the pun. Every little bit of info is worth its weight in gold. When times get hard it’s the smallest things that can make the biggest difference. A couple of sightings could lead to a successful campaign.

Once you’re able to second guess the carp’s movements, your catch-rate will rise

One thing is for sure, seeing physical signs of carp and acting accordingly to what they do will catch you far more on average than trying to follow your senses. If I’m able to see fish first, then make my mind up, I’ll always do it that way. It’s
those times where you’re left in the lurch, without a single sighting to your name, that the whole sixth sense theory really comes into play. It’s a last resort but if I have to rely on what my head is telling me, rather than what the fish are willing to tell me, then so be it.