Having it off the top

Some people call it cheating, to others it is a fine art. For sure it can be frustrating but I just can’t think of anything better than watching the water surface break as a set of lips rise over my hookbait.

In my opinion, floater or surface fishing is the ultimate method for catching carp. That, alongside stalking, are the only two sure ways of having a clear understanding of fish behaviour, their reactions to your bait and rig and most importantly when a take will occur. Little is left to chance when fishing on the surface and as a result, with practice and patience you can catch a significant amount of fish – often when others are struggling with more conventional tactics.

Depending on venue choice, stocking levels, time of year and just like carp fishing in general, a decision to an exact tactic, method swim or bait will have to be made on the day of angling, however the following are some pointers that I will always try and follow…

For me it’s all about those lips going over the hookbait

The approach

If I am going for a day’s floater fishing and I want to have it off then I will go early, especially in the heat of summer. It’s well worth getting to the water just before dawn to see if you can locate any fish jumping or showing or better still, moving through the upper layers. Small disturbances and vortices or if you are lucky, backs breaking the surface are the giveaway signs. An ideal situation is finding the fish at relatively close-range which is often the case on more pressured lakes, with the fish having used and fed in the marginal areas through the night.

However, as the sun rises and other anglers start arriving they will head out into the open water or areas of sanctuary. If you can find them early then you can really have it off right under your feet and stand a good chance of holding them in that area of water all day! I will feed very heavily to start, with eight or ten handfuls of Riser Pellet and Mixer to really let them know it’s there before, as I mentioned, they start to split up and go about their daily routines.

Initial tactics would be a simple free-lined hookbait and due to the rush of wanting to get fishing I would normally tie on a size 8 Fang Uni and just side-hook a soft hookable floater. Once you have the fish feeding then it’s important to keep them there so a regular stream of bait needs to be applied, all the time building up the confidence of the carp. At this point in the session the fish should be relatively easy to catch so keep quiet, watch your shadow and if possible, even whilst playing a fish, keep the bait going in to hold them in that area.

As time goes on and your swim is disturbed (hopefully through captures and not Bob next-door chucking a spod out!), the fish will start to venture out further and become more cautious. It is now time to refine the crudeness of the side-hooked bait and really think about presentations and tricks that will keep the bites coming through the quieter parts of the day.

When free-lining, I like to use a dedicated floater line on the reel

Covering all the options

I will always have three rods set-up with three different rigs allowing me to fish at three different ranges. The first, as mentioned, is the free-lined set-up. This will be loaded and ready with a bait all day just in case the odd fish ventures close enough to drop a bait on its head. The other two will be used for the majority of the day session, probably right up until an hour before dusk when I hope to have the fish back under my feet again. On one rod I will fish with a small controller float for ranges of 15 to 45yds and on the other, a Bolt Machine for distances of up to 80yds and even further. My experience is that as the day wears on, the fish will venture further and further out then gradually come back towards me towards the end of the day. With these three different set-ups and an understanding of their feeding habits you can continue to catch fish in open water right throughout the day.

Attention to detail must be a priority now and I will drop a hook size to a size 10 Fang Uni, Hair rig a Mixer and get the dedicated floater hooklink out, NXT Zig Flo, sometimes going down to 8lb breaking strain where obstacles and weed are not a problem. It is also now really important to ensure my main line is floating. The reason for this is because I need to be able to ‘mend my line’. What I mean by this is that I can easily lift my line off the surface of the water and lay it back down in a straight line ensuring I am continually in direct contact with the controller or Bolt Machine and ready to strike at a take.

Be prepared – if you have got them going then there won’t be time for looking for baiting needles!

When watching for a take I always try my absolute hardest to watch the hookbait and not the movement of the float or line. That’s the real exciting part for me: watching the hookbait disappear and striking at the correct moment, setting the hook and the surface exploding. Saying that, there have been many times when the distance is just too great and that is when the Bolt Machines really live up to their name. By plugging the swivel into the body you can create an immense ‘bolt effect’. The rod (or better still rods in this circumstance) can be left in a rest or on the floor as the fish can hook themselves.

Light hooklinks and small hooks can still catch some large carp off the surface

Baiting patterns

Bait and baiting also changes and I will now tend to flavour my freebies and hookbait with one of our flavours of Nashbait Boilie Dip, thus creating slicks on the surface of the water that flatten the ripple, making it easier to spot the hookbait. At one time or another I’ve probably soaked floaters in most types of liquid flavours. However, firm favourites are: IC-1 Boilie Dip with a touch of Scopex No1 and Intense Sweetner and the potent Pure Crustacean Extract. Two very different smells and make-ups but both very, very effective.

Bait and bait application are a massive part of a successful session

Getting the bait out when fishing at ranges between 15 and 45yds will usually be with a catapult or PVA bags. However, the latter is very time consuming and for the hour it can take to tie 50 PVA bags they can disappear from a bucket quickly! When using the Bolt Machines at those greater distances I will get the spod rod out (just like Bob), as this is the quickest way to continually get the bait to the fish. I always take a kilo or so of smashed-up floaters with me that I can turn to a groundbait to act as a ‘plug’ in the open end of the spod.

If the fish are proving to be really cagey then I will start experimenting with my hookbait, trying smaller baits, larger baits, different colours, shapes and flavours. I always carry a good selection, however a good bet is a large chunk of bread or often scaling right down to a small floating pellet or whittled down 10mm pop-up. It’s different every day so it does pay to carry a good selection allowing you to work out the carp’s tipple of the day.

Only one drawback

As the day draws to a close I will be hoping to feed the fish towards me and as the banks become quieter, end the session with catching on the free-lined rod. If time is not a problem then it can also often pay to stay into the first few hours of darkness – another great opportunity to have it off. The fish will now really drop their guard but there is the minor problem of not being able to see anything that’s going on. In these instances I will get back on the Bolt Machines, casting past the feeding fish and slowly drawing my hookbait in over the top of them. I have had many a session when they just don’t stop and on a number of occasions I have fished right through the night.

I think for me there is only one bad thing about catching them off the top and that is that you can’t do it all year long. Make the most of it guys, we will all be moaning about the cold winter before you know it. Get out there and have it off the top.

Gallery

Top tips

1. “Try twitching your bait. Sometimes just half-a-turn on the reel handle and the hookbait moving will grab a fish’s attention causing it to react and take the bait.”

2. “Manage the level of free offerings in your swim – get the fish competing but don’t introduce so many that your hookbait is a needle in a haystack.”

3. “When you can clearly see the carp, try and sit on your hands and wait for the ‘better fish’. This is a great opportunity to target individual fish in your water.”

4. “Don’t be put off by a ripple on the water. The carp will detect and take floaters through this and in most cases it works in your favour as they are far less cautious.”

5. “Don’t forget the following: drinks, polarised glasses, a hat, sun cream and plenty of bait.”

6. “Take plenty of bait. There’s nothing worse than having a brilliant start only to cutting it short because you had it off and they cleaned you out by midday!”

7. “If you’re having massive problems with the wildfowl then try a real small floating pellet. The birds and gulls will struggle to see it but the carp just love it.”