10 New Year's resolutions you can actually keep

1. Make more time to get on the bank

Neil Spooner proves you can be married, be a dad and hold down a full time job and still be successful

To get the most out of your limited fishing time, you need to consider a number of factors, starting with your chosen lake. When choosing a new lake, I tend to pick and choose very carefully. It has to be situated as close to work as possible so that whilst I may not put lots of hours into actually fishing, I can walk round and bait up likely looking areas a couple of times a week. I tend to try and pick two/three swims to concentrate my efforts in so when I turn up to the lake, I can pick the area that best suits the conditions of the day. I then spend a bit of time in each swim and find a few different spots that I can bait regularly. These spots are then walked out and marked as inconspicuously as possible. If however, I turn up and the fish are blatantly in one particular area then I will set-up on them and wouldn’t just head to a baited area.

“Before going to bed the night before, I make sure that my fishing clothes are all ready to pick so that I’m not hunting around in the dark and risk waking the missus! The alarm clock is then set 30 minutes earlier than normal which sees me getting up at 6.15a.m. and then getting the van loaded, before heading off to work. If I’m extremely lucky I can get out of work about 30 minutes early. This ensures slightly quieter roads and means a journey time of 25 minutes rather than about 40. This could make all the difference and mean getting in a better swim or baited area.

"When it comes to packing away in the morning, as with most carp anglers, the last things out are always the rods and a net. Everything else is packed and loaded onto the barrow at about 7.00a.m. which means the rods can stay put for another 30 minutes. It obviously doesn’t happen all the time but on more than one occasion one of the rods has rattled off whilst lying on the ground!

“Lastly, if I know that I’m doing another night that week then I will tend to put a small amount of bait out and clip my rods up before leaving. That way as soon as I arrive I have three baited rigs on the right spots in just three casts which helps keep disturbance to a minimum.”

2. Just be smarter with your cash

Money is ace, but right now, most of us haven’t got a lot of spare cash floating around to throw at fancy shiny carp-catching products and produce. Fear not: CARPology Editor, Joe Wright has a few suggestions…

EXPENSIVE STICK MIXES
“Forget it! Now while we’re not saying a Stick mix containing the highest quality ingredients available won’t be super attractive to the carp, it’s just you can achieve the same effect for a faction of the price. Option 1: take some halibut pellets and blitz them to an almost powder. This will almost bind on its own, but to help stiffen the mix up, add a splash of liver liquid. Option 2: blitz up in equal parts of white and brown bread. Add a few grains of sweetcorn and some casters and again, if you need to thicken it up, just add some of that liver liquid. Deadly!”

PREPARE YOUR OWN HEMP
“Not prepared to splash out £7 on ready-to-go hemp? No problem, here’s how to produce the finest hempseed at a fraction of the cost.”
1 Rinse the hempseed off before placing in a large bucket with a re-sealable lid.
2 Pre-soak the hemp for 24hrs in water at an approximate ratio of 4:1 water to hemp.
3 You now have three cooking options: (1) a large saucepan, (2) a pressure cooker or (3) for larger quantities, a Burco boiler.
4 Empty the bucket contents into the desired cooking vessel and bring to the boil. Continue boiling at the highest temperature for a good ten minutes or so; you might see early splitting at this point.
5 Bring the cooking vessel to simmer, adding additional water if necessary to keep the volume constant.
6 Simmer for around thirty minutes or until the seeds are splitting.
7 Once the hemp is split remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can at this point add extra hemp oil or salt.
8 Many anglers swear to adding bicarbonate of soda to the cooking process at a rate of approximately one teaspoon per pound dry hempseed. This will blacken the husk, but can also darken the white pith.
9 One method I rate very highly is adding cider vinegar, it’s a tad expensive in Burco boiler terms but the other two methods are fine. This really aids splitting and is very attractive to carp!
10 Preparing in volume means the hempseed can be easily frozen.
11 Why not try liquidising cooked hemp? It really is quite stodgy and can be thrown in by hand or baiting spoon for close work, or add water to make it into an excellent spodding feed.

BRANDED/FLAVOURED SWEETCORN
“Save money by flavouring and colouring your own. (1) Pick a food colouring and flavouring – the choices are endless. (2) Empty a tin of corn into a bait tub. (3) Add a helping of colouring and flavouring to the sweetcorn; you want quite a heavy dose of colouring. (4) Now close and shake the tub well and then leave it to soak until the corn has taken on the colour and flavour.”

EXPENSIVE SPOD MIXES
“Why bother when you can use a mix that’s cheap and comes recommended by none other than Danny Fairbrass. The bulk of the mix is hemp; throw in some pellets (again, blitz them in a food processor slightly to increase their surface area); add some sweetcorn and a can of tuna and to make your boilies go further, crush them up in a Korda Krusha.”

3. Learn how to catch from more waters

Having fished hundreds of short sessions on a huge variety of lakes, Simon Crow is here to offer some advice

First off, you need to find a new water. The internet is such an easy tool to use these days: you can type in what you want and get it. However, when it comes to looking for new waters, I’d be wary of just reading the adverts and jumping straight in. Always do a bit of research by checking on the forums, see what’s been said both good and bad about a venue. The one thing that lake owners tend to lie about more than anything is the size of the fish and the stock. Ask around local and on forums to check if a water is well stocked and if it contains the size of fish you want to catch. If you’re happy with what you’re getting told, give the owner a ring and book yourself on.

“Next you to learn how to maximise your chances when visiting a new lake. The best bit of advice I can give here is to follow the local advice. There is nothing as good as the info from the lads who fish the water regularly. If there’s a going bait or rig, you really do need to get onto it, and the same with a swim: if there’s a known good area that’s free, jump in it. Then it’s a case of searching out the fish, which I’ll always do by spreading my rods out, trying to cover as many areas as possible. If it’s a three rod limit, I’ll look for three different areas, never putting all of my eggs into one basket.

“Another good piece of advice to follow here is to not over-bait. Start off lightly, with stringers or bags and then start to gently apply some bait depending on activity. Never go into somewhere blind and just pile out a load of bait: you can’t get back what you’ve already put in, but you can add a bit more.”

4. Beat your PB

Big-fish angler, John Kneebone gives you his five biggest tips to help you target bigger carp

VENUE
“The first thing to do when targeting bigger carp is to choose the right venue, one that holds a good number of carp in the size bracket you are aiming to catch next. So if you’re looking to catch your first twenty then target a water that holds a good number of these sized fish, the more the better. The same principle applies when trying to catch a 30lb plus fish and so on. Remember, it’s not a race, starting with doubles will better prepare you for catching a twenty and catching twenties, will in turn provide valuable experience for targeting bigger carp when the venues may well become harder.”

LOCATION
“Many big carp are creatures of habit and will often have a track record of being caught at certain times of year, particular swims or even a combination of these factors. So if you’re targeting a venue’s ‘A-List’ of bigger fish, do some homework and research their past captures, to see if any pattern exists as the best times and places to raise the chances of hooking these beasts. Better still, see if there is anywhere around the lake that you regularly see the bigger carp, like a set of snags for example and if there is a particular hotspot for spying the biggie then again target these areas.”

CARP BAIT
“In my experience, big carp just cannot resist boilies that have provided my big carp results time and time again. As carp grow and become bigger specimens they need to sustain this gain of weight and will soon learn that eating highly nutritious boilie baits is a great way of achieving this. The food source style baits within the Mainline freezer bait range are perfect for this approach, as they are suitable for use throughout the year. So you can pick a bait, say New Grange, keep with it, and coach those biggies into seeing it as part of their staple diet, which will ultimately lead to their capture.”

END TACKLE
“Although I wouldn’t say that rigs are able to single out bigger fish, I would say there are rigs that perform better in hooking and landing big, powerful and heavy carp. Matching my boilie approach perfectly, the Hinge Rig is my number one big fish rig. The stiff section of mono curved to an aggressive angle below the hook, combined with the disjointed effect of a hinged loop and swivel is absolutely deadly and difficult to eject, even with the cutest of carp. This pop-up rig would be better described as a sleeping assassin!”

FISH ON THE EDGE
“Big carp can also be some of most cautious fish in the pack, often nervous of feeding first or within a group of other carp. One tactic I like to employ that works really well in covering this consideration and to target shy fish is to fish one rod over a heavily baited spot, but also position a rod about a rod length away, on the edge of the feeding zone. This fringe rod is only baited with a single hookbait to match the free, safer offerings that have strayed from the main spot, and can often fool those bigger, more wary carp.”

5. Reduce the number of hook pulls

Danny Fairbrass reveals how to reduce the number of hook pulls you have in 2016

It happens to all of us,” explains Danny, “but there are few things you can do to reduce the amount of hook pulls. First off, keeping the rod tip high; let the rod do the work when playing the fish, especially when it’s close in.”

"Using a very sharp hook and creating an angle with a bit of shrink tube around the eye of the hook to help it flip over will really help. Using a blunt hook will take a lot more force to penetrate the flesh compared to one that’s fresh out-the-packet razor sharp and might then fall out as the fish shakes its head. There are various ways of checking your hook point, but personally I use what’s known as the ‘Nail Test’. I check every hook point on my nail before casting it out and if it’s sharp the hook should dig in, if it’s blunt it will simply glide across your nail.

“Finally, using beaked pointed hooks will help too. Although they might not penetrate as easily as a straight pointed hook, they will stay in better thanks to their claw-type shape.”

6. Just pack better

Who better to tell us how to pack more efficiently than Mr. Mobile angler himself, Nigel Sharp

To start off, you don’t need to have a huge rucksack – mine is only 40lts, it’s just I pack it very well. The side pockets take my tea-making equipment, sacks and scales. The top pocket houses my licences, permits etc., and inside you’ll find a spare jacket, camera equipment and my tackle pouch, which weighs far less than a normal tackle box.

“Next I use a zip type mat which is not only very padded but it also doubles up as a sling, meaning I have one less item to carry. I also use it for storing kit in when I go off stalking. To carry my bait, I use a camo bait bucket which houses enough carp food to last me a 24hr session – i.e. one or two kilos of boilies, a few bags of pellets and a selection of pop-ups. I also have a small tub which has all my baiting kit: dental floss, needles, scissors, plastic corn etc., so everything is in one place and saves me hunting around.

“I don’t normally bother with a rod sling to save on weigh and ease with mobility. To retain all the rods together, I’ve made some extra long rod bands to strap everything together, including my landing net.

“Finally, here’s a few other tips: I carry two cups, but have two pots that fit inside each mug – one for coffee and the other for sugar. Careful saucepan and kettle selection means one fits inside the other, plus a plastic container stores the teabags and this fits perfectly inside the kettle. An old classic here: don’t bother taking a massive pillow – they’re bulky and don’t compress down that effectively – instead, just take a pillowcase (Gardner does one) – and then when it comes to bedtime, stuff the jacket that you’ve been wearing all day inside it.”

7. Just catch more fish when you're on fish

Tom Maker, one of the UK’s finest talents and expert ‘bagger-up’ angler reveals his tricks

TACKLE BAG
“Before any session, whether it be a short day at Walthamstow or a longer trip out to France, I aim to be as well prepared as I could possibly be. A few hours in the front room with my tackle bag and rods one evening saves me huge amounts of time when I get on the bank and has definitely accounted for a few extra fish I know I wouldn’t have caught had I not put the extra effort in. This works especially well up at Walthamstow, as the fish can come early in the session as it’s a ‘day only’ water. I always try to get my gear as near to fishing the particular lake I am going to so literally all I have to do when I arrive is clip my rods up, put a bait on and I can be fishing whilst other anglers round the lake are still sorting their gear and wasting valuable time.”

RIGS
“As I fish a lot of different venues I find myself using a couple of different rig variations, so inside my tackle bag I carry one rig box and one Zig box. The ordinary rig box is consistently filled with over 150 rigs ranging from 360ş Rigs for big fish and long-range single pop-ups fishing, right down to short braided ones designed to take a small hookbait should I go to a venue where solid bags are the order of the day. The Zig box is also filled with around 50 Zigs of varying depths, ranging from 3ft up to 15ft, as you can always guarantee that throughout any session if it’s not happening on the bottom then a single Zig out there can produce the goods.”

BAIT
“Bait plays a massive part in my fishing and I am always finding myself taking more bait than actual fishing tackle sometimes! Although I am always fishing different venues, I have found myself becoming so confident in a mix of bait that I very rarely use anything else. My mix will nearly always consist of boilies and these can be chopped into a spod mix or used in a throwing stick to bait an area for when targeting bigger fish. There’s two different pellets, plain hemp and a few tins of corn. This mix is extremely basic, which means I can take a few buckets of each and if I don’t use it, I can simply bring it back home and use it on the next session.

"As for hookbaits, I always like to go prepared with a variety: a selection of bright ones as well as duller colours, and of course the trusty pot of plastic and foam. However, I always make sure that my hookbaits are soaked in Betalin to add extra pulling power.”

MARKING STICKS
“I would be lost without these: two storm poles that I simply push into the ground 12ft apart and count the line around until I come to the line that is under the clip. These not only allow me to know the exact distance I am fishing, but also means that casting is kept to a minimum in my swim. Another great thing about the ‘Marking Sticks’ is that once I have found a spot and clipped up to it, I can write the details down in my fishing book so that if I am ever fortunate enough to get back into the same swim I don’t even have to make a cast, I can simply put my sticks in the ground, count the line off, clip-up and I’m ready to fish.”

SPOOLS AND LINE
“Nearly every reel on the market these days comes with one, if not two spare spools, and these are massively essential when it comes to fishing different places. I always carry my spare spools in my bag as I never know where I am going to be fishing. One set will be loaded with 15lb line for mid-range fishing up to 100yds; three will be loaded with 12lb line and leaders for extreme-range and the others will have 20lb line should I be fishing a weedy venue or margin fishing. As well as the spare spools, I will also carry a spare spool of line to suit because there is nothing worse than having a breakage or any other drama and not having enough line on your spool to continue your session.”

8. Tweak what you're already doing

Bait expert, Gary Bayes, offers some advice when it comes to hookbait shape, not size like everyone else is focusing on

TRIPLE BAITS
“Perfect for those who favour long Hairs. I have nearly always found the hook hold to be well inside the mouth on bigger baits whereas delicate rigs with little baits often result in end of the lip hook holds. I found a 10mm bait near the hook followed by a 15 and then a 20mm on the end is a good set-up.

CHOD HOOKBAITS
“Is the Chod losing its effect because of the hookbait you’re using? Lots of anglers use a single 12-15mm round pop-up but I like to use barrel-shaped pop-ups. It’s easier to tie the bait on, the hook point is more prominent and because of its shape it’s more buoyant and it’s different.”

SIDE-BY-SIDE
“Dumbell-shaped baits are great but are often just fished on their own. Last season I used a lot of 12 x 20mm baits and I had nearly all my takes from the waters I fished on with two side-by-side on a Hair. The result of this is a bigger mouthful and more weight to help turn and pull the hook down.”

TEARDROP-SHAPE
“Teardrop-shape baits also leave the hook nice and available to create good hook holds. “I used to use them a lot and will be making some for this season. You can create them very easily by using a sharp knife but remember to leave the tougher skin at the base of the bait to stop it coming off.”

CUBED BAITS
“These were one of my favourites at one time. I used to catch well on cubed baits as free offerings but found it best to slightly misshape the hookbaits by making them into longer cube shapes to keep the bulk away from the hook. This shape also works very well for floater hookbaits.”

APPLE CORE
“As just hookbaits, any round bait can be trimmed. Apple core pop-ups are good and by trimming the sides away extreme critical-balancing is easy to achieve. Make sure the Hair enters and exits through the tougher skin at the top and base of your hookbait so it can’t come off.”

9. Add 10 yards to your best casts

TV star, top carp angler and all round nice guy, Danny Fairbrass reveals how to up your top distance

The biggest and most common fault to not achieving greater distances is being too tight. Your arms are too close to your body; you’ve not got a solid grip on the rod and your stance isn’t balanced and positioned correctly. The goal is to get you working the whole of the rod – not just the tip section and here’s how…”

REEL AREA
“First off, set the spool so it’s sat at its maximum height, meaning the main line can peel free and easily off the spool when you make the cast. Next, wear a fingerstall, as this will protect you from getting any nasty line cuts. Thirdly, hold the rod so you’ve got two fingers in front of the reel and two behind it.”

TIGHTEN UP
“One very small and simple tip before you start trying to hit the horizon is to tighten down your reel clutch. When making a big cast, sometimes the spool can slip and if you’re not wearing a fingerstall the main line can cut into your finger.”

LENGTHEN
“The drop (the distance from your rod tip to the lead/rig) should be lengthened to half the length of the rod – i.e. so the lead is level with the spigot before casting.”

MARRYING UP
“Matching up the rod’s test curve to the lead size is crucial for distance casting. If you have a 3lb test curve rod, then a 3.5oz lead will probably be the optimum for casting. Go bigger and it’ll be unbalanced, go smaller and you won’t be able to compress the rod.”

FOOT POSITION
“Your front foot (i.e. left if you are right-handed or right if you are left-handed) should be pointing in the direction you want to go.”

FRONT FACING
“Face parallel to the front of the swim with your back leg slightly bent and with your body weight leaning back on it.”

A BIG ARC
“Most people when casting only move the rod through 60-70° – like a small whip – meaning only the last couple of feet is compressed and bends. So, by putting the rod action through 180° it will help drastically increase how compressed the rod is and will improve the overall distance of the cast.”

STRAIGHT UP
“Having both arms almost positioned straight up above your head will help you create this large 180ş arc. Also, by using the hand around the butt of the rod to pull down increases the power, as opposed to just using the hand around the reel seat which really just guides the direction on the cast, not increase accuracy.”

STARTING AND FINISHING
“The rod tip at the start of the cast should be dropped right back behind you and at the end of the cast the angle of the rod and line should match, easing the flow of line through the rings.”

10. Make 2016 your best yet

Carp legend, Shaun Harrison reveals what he loves so much about carp fishing

“I guess that for many it would be the preparation and perhaps the journey to the venue, but for me I have never enjoyed the preparation part of it. I guess it comes from so many years surrounded by fishing tackle and bait in the tackle trade that sorting out my own merely seems an extension of work and the journey to the lake I am usually driving with a million and one things going around my head to truly appreciate that.

“For me by far the most magical part of any static angling session is the moment all of the setting up is complete, the baits are where I want them, the baiting is completed and I can finally relax and soak in the atmosphere with my first drink of the session in my hand. At that moment after the first sip I breathe out a long breath and then know I can start to relax and try and get myself totally in tune with the water and its surroundings. Never do I feel more at peace than when I first sit back and relax in my chair after the necessary setting up has been completed.”