When I fish with friends, there is one who always catches systematically less carp than me. He fishes in the same place as me, with the same baits, and yet he catches much less than me, to his great displeasure. Am I in direct communication with Brother Andre? Do I have any magical power? Are my pockets full of four-leaf clovers? Let’s see what distinguishes my friend and me. When I arrive at a new spot that I have previously analyzed with a bathymetric chart or Navionics, I always try to find out what kind of structure I am dealing with. Using my Deeper sonar, if I find an interesting break or shoal, that’s what I’ll focus on. I clip the wire to my reel so that I can reel back at exactly the same distance. Then, to measure it accurately, I wind my line on “distance sticks”, each turn being equivalent to 12 ft, like a typical carp rod. This will become the baiting distance and the reference measurement for my bait.
When I cast my spod, once again, accuracy is the key. From a fixed point such as my rod pod, for example, I make sure I always aim for a reference point on the opposite bank, to be in the right axis. With the clipped wire for the chosen distance, I only have to worry about lateral accuracy.
The bait should preferably, in my opinion, be presented directly on the offering mat. There’s no point in casting 50 feet alongside. If I miss my cast, I raise immediately. This can make all the difference between a 20 carp session and a hood.
After each catch, it is up to you to measure your line again with the “distance sticks”. Sometimes, laziness takes over and you try to cast again approximately at the same place without clipping. If it’s not far, it can pass, but for distances of 50 m and more, I don’t recommend it. It can be useful to mark your line with a rubber band or with a liquid marker. I prefer the latter because it holds very well on the line. Elastic bands tend to slip and move too much. The marker is particularly useful when you want to retrieve your line to change bait or refresh your “packbait” on the lead. It avoids us having to use the “distance sticks” and saves us time. We simply clip the line before rewinding.
With carp, it is necessary to work constantly and to be very methodical. It’s a guarantee of success. There is no miracle boilie. There’s no use pretending that one brand is superior to the others. It’s all about marketing to catch a lot more fishermen than fish. Carp fishing is a fishery that requires a lot of strategy and depends on a combination of several factors; weather, structures, water temperature, baiting, color of lures and baits, rigging, perseverance and you guessed it, accuracy. When you’re looking to take shortcuts and don’t want to get out of the comfort of your bivvy too much, the results are proportional.
Happy fishing!
Steve