ADTV Carp Chapters - Carp Fishing Day Tickets

When carp fishing day tickets, you can be at a severe disadvantage before you even get to the lake if you have not done any venue research beforehand. By looking on the internet, social media and google earth, you can not only get an idea of the look and size of the venue, but can immediately start to create an approach on what fish are already coming out on or where people are catching fish.

Not only that, a quick check of a weather app always helps, as this will give you an idea of the conditions and wind direction for your session, which always play a big part in how the fish will feed.  

From my research, I have found out that this lake is quite shallow and the shape of it is long and thin, with fishing only from the one bank. Before, I settle on a swim, I am going to take a quick lap of the lake with my polarised sunglasses, to see if I can find some fish before deciding where to set up, because if there are no carp where you are fishing, then you are definitely not catching any! 

On my travels, I have quickly found some murky water with 2 carp feeding just off the no fishing bank in around 2-3ft of water. This is where polaroids are a must as even in the heavily coloured water, I can clearly see the carp feeding. Whilst finishing my lap of the lake, I find some more carp sitting in a shallow corner, but have decided to initially set up on the swim opposite where I have seen the fish feeding, which is around half way along the lake. 

Now, I've decided on a swim, and having a basic approach originally based from my venue research, I can now commit to an approach for this session. As the fish, are feeding over on the far margin, I have decided to use a very underrated tactic, as I feel it will allow me to stealthily present my rig without causing too much commotion. 

This tactic is the washing line method, and involves me casting my lead onto the far bank, going over to the opposite bank and stealthily lowering my rig into the water with some feed via a baiting pole. I then clip my line onto a storm pole, so the entirety of my line from the storm pole to my rod tip is out of the water, so there is no chance of any fish swimming into it, spooking or moving my rig. I feel this will be the best bet for getting a quick bite, as I won't be crashing a lead into the water multiple times trying to clip up to the far bank which undoubtedly could cause any feeding fish to vacate my swim. 

As I am using a bait spoon to present my rig for this session, I find it best to use a heavy inline lead, especially as I am fishing on a hard marginal slope. This is because the lead will not only sit flat on the lake bed, but when a fish picks up the rig it will immediately feel the weight of the lead, which is not always the case on a lead clip arrangement. 

For the rest of the rig, I am using 1m of leadless leadcore, as this keeps it out of the way of any fish around the rig. The hooklength is 5-6" of supple coated braid, with a size 6 Korda Wide Gape and an aggressive piece of tubing which allows the hook to turn. As I am using a bottom bait, I have also added a small piece of hook silicone to futher increase the hooking potential of the rig. 

I soon found out that the stealth approach of the washing line was correct, as after only an hours fishing, the bobbin has dropped back as the line has come out of the clip on the storm pole and I am into a big fish that is trying to pull my arm off! 

After beating me up around the lake, I soon slip the net under a beautiful 28lb mirror carp, and this signalled the start of  great evening with another 2 fish hitting the bank before dark, a 22lber and a small 12-13lb fish. The washing line rig has definitnely done the trick, and I don't think I would have had such a great start to the session by fishing conventionally, crashing leads and spombs to the far bank

Choice of bait can always be confusing when tackling a new venue, especially if a venue is dominated with a certain bait. Do you follow the crowds or use your own bait that you have confidence in? For me I always lean towards a bait I am confident in, so I am using my favourite Sticky Baits Krill Active in 12mm and 16mm, with a cut down Krill Dumbell hookbait with a small piece of Krill White Wafter as a topper.

As the water is coloured, I have also brought some sweetcorn as it is a visual bait. The rest of my feed is some crumb boilie and a mixture of the venues house pellets and Krill 2.3mm Pellets. I did also bring some chopped worm, as it has been taking some waters apart that I have been currently fishing, but I soon found with the amount of silverfish in this venue that it was a no go. 

Despite the great start to my session, I am always keeping an eye out on other areas of the lake, as on day ticket lakes there is always an opportunity to find fish as they tend to move around these lakes quite frequently, and a spot that was full of fish can quite quickly be devoid of life! 

This is the exactly the case on this session, and after another 2 small carp through my first night, it seems the fish have drifted off somewhere else. Rather than persevere on this spot and wait for them to come back, as I am only fishing for 24 hours, I decide a move is needed if I am to catch any more fish for the cameras! Donning the polaroids again, I soon find a load of carp in another corner of the lake, again feeding along the no fishing bank in less than 2ft of water. So, I decide to relocate and as it worked so well before, have stuck with the washing line approach on both my rods. 

After presenting my rigs, I quickly take a look over both spots to see if the fish are still in the area, and to my amazement over my left hand rod there is a carp confidently hoovering up my bait, so I quickly run back to my rods awaiting a bite, but to my amazement it is the right hand rod that takes off. 

After a great fight, I soon have a cracking common carp in the net and although it is completely empty from spawning, it still weighs 26lb. Unfortunately, after this fish the fish have moved out of the area due to the disturbance, but it shows how quickly a move in swims can produce.

This is the last fish of my 24 hours fishing, but with 6 fish in total topped with that stunning 28lb Mirror, its a perfect illustration of how you can tailor your approach to carp fishing day tickets you have never fished before. So, give this approach a go, the next time you are out fishing carp fishing day tickets, so you can see the results for yourself!