Why do I always blank?

Question: I’ve blanked most of this year on my 2.7-acre club lake. I’ve just been using Cell and long rigs, with long Hairs, and not even getting liners. Help please! Toby Perry

These are always quite tricky to answer as there’s no fast fix, however, there are a few pointers I can give you. Firstly, you mentioned that you’ve been using long rigs and long Hairs – it depends how big the fish are in your lake but this could be detrimental to your catch-rate. Like you, I use long rigs (nine-inches) and long (three-quarters-of-an inch) Hairs, but a large part of the reason for doing so is an attempt to deter smaller fish. If there’s a large head of twenty-pounders in your lake then you shouldn’t have too much to worry about, but if it’s mainly doubles then I wouldn’t advise using long Hairs. If your main aim is to catch carp then I would advise that you use a rig of around seven- to eight-inches and a Hair length of around 10mm between the hook and the bait. This presentation will catch you carp of all shapes and sizes from anywhere in the world.

I’m a big fan of longer Hairs

With all of this said, the most important thing is always location and none of the above will matter if you’re not on the fish – it’s that simple. You can only catch what is in front of you and I would always put 95% of my effort into finding the fish, before exerting the other 5% into getting the rods in position.

Cell boilies will catch you carp all year round, and I have found them to be particularly effective during the cooler months. I have always found that you need very little Cell to succeed, due to the colour of the bait, it seems to grab the carp’s attention very quickly, and they home in fast. Try a bright hookbait on the rig I mentioned previously, bait lightly with around 30-50 baits, ensure that you have carp in front of you and you won’t be blanking for long!

If you’re main aim is to catch carp then I would advise that you use a rig of around seven- to eight-inches, and a Hair length of around 10mm between the hook and the bait