10 top tips to help you find the fish
Achievable goals – adding one percentage at a time – are a far more successful way of improving your angling than setting yourself massive, scary targets.
“I concentrate on trying to put myself on fish as much as possible, then I’ll present a rig that doesn’t tangle. After all, even a poorly tied rig cast where a lot of fish are showing/feeding has surely got to stand a chance of a bite.” Iain Macmillan
“Depending what you are after. If you simply want to catch as many as possible then set-up on good shows of fish, but the larger ones can lead more solitary lives and can often be found in quieter areas.” Shaun Harrison
“Heading for a windward bank would be my gut instinct for choice of location, however, I will never make my swim choice solely upon the wind direction, as I will take my time to carefully look around the whole lake.” Joe Jaggar
“Silt, gravel or weed: all fish will feed in these areas at one point or another and if you are faced with two or three of these, hedge your bets and have a rod on each type of bottom.” Harry Charrington
“Set the alarm and be at the lake before it gets light. Other anglers will be asleep so you’ll see and hear so much that you’ll be amazed. Oh, and there’s no traffic at that time of day either – perfect!” Myles Gascoyne
“If I’ve turned up for a session but have very little to go on, I’ll set my alarm for 2am the next morning. I’ve found the 2hr period from 2am until 4am is a great time for locating carp and nearly always comes up trumps for me.” Ian Poole
“Keep watching the water and sling a bait at anything that moves. Opportunist captures are great for results and confidence, as you catch quickly as a result of a direct action and you feel like you really deserve it.” Rob Hughes
“Walk the banks and watch the water at the start of a session. Many of us are too quick to pick a popular swim or act on the first sign of fish we see. A little more effort will often reveal a better opportunity further around the lake.” Martin Locke
“Look, look and look again! Keep walking round your venue until the carp tell you where they are. Get familiar with the winds and compass points and spend time trying to work out feeding areas and patrol routes. Doing this will help you in the long run.” Tim Childs
“If you walk around any lake, the most prominent feature has got to be the margins. Lots of anglers think you need to fish at range to catch carp when, in reality, you can catch lots of carp within a few feet of the bank.” Jon Jones
