Catch Loads of Carp on Natural Baits
Although paste fishing on commercial fisheries for carp has really taken off and on its day is difficult to beat there are times when fishing natural baits, such as maggots, worms and corn can score highly as well.
Speed fishing
One of the advantages of using natural baits is that more often than not, the bait stays on the hook after a capture meaning that an angler can put together a run of fish very quickly, as opposed to having to change bait and carefully ship this into position.
Venue choice
Today I have come to Greenridge Farm Fishery near Romsey in Hampshire, a venue which is popular with match anglers, one where I compete on a regular basis and where match weights can exceed 400lb! Its predominantly small carp between 3-5lb that feature here so, as well as a brilliant paste venue, it’s also one where due to the lack of nuisance fish, baits such as maggot and worm can be used effectively.
Edge activity
My standard approach on a match day would be to start long whilst feeding an edge line down each side and a two-plus-one line straight out. The reason for starting long is that after all the commotion of anglers setting up the fish tend to back off, so starting long can produce a few fish from the off, and often these can be the bigger fish that can weigh over 10lb. This long line isn’t one to spend too much time on though as these fish love food and it won’t be long before the margin lines start to show signs of fish activity.
What lies below?
First job, and very important is to plumb up each of my four lines so I’m fishing hard on the bottom, around two inches over depth, and so that I can adjust this depth and make small changes throughout the match I mark the position of the float tip against my pole using a Tipex pen. When pole fishing I like to use a heavy plummet, it just gives me a more accurate feel for not just depth but also the makeup of what I’m fishing over, be it hard ground or deep silt.
Almost identical
The rigs I use for all lines are almost identical as the depth doesn’t vary much and are made up of Preston 4×14 edge floats, Cenex 0.18mm Hybrid Power Mono to a 0.16mm six-inch hook length and a Sphere size 12 or 14 barbless Beast hook. The float is shotted with a bulk just above the hook length and I tend to leave plenty of tip showing so that I can distinguish between line bites and proper bites. These are teamed up with a Sphere Zero-G F1+ pole and 1.6mm Hybrid red elastic which has a rating of between 10 and 12.
Practice makes perfect
Everything so far will sound very simple, which it is, however the difficult part is how to get the best out of the swim and this comes down to feeding. Generally I will start three lines using groundbait, and the one that seems to work for me is Champion’s Method Formula Fish. I mix this up on the damp side using a whisk as I don’t want it to be too active, proffering it to hit the bottom and create a carpet of feed. Each of these lines will see a big pot full of groundbait introduced at the start but not before adding a few dead maggots to the pot, as I want my loose feed to be on top of the carpet of bait when it lies on the bottom. The forth line will be fed more cautiously with just a small pot of micros and if I have to go down on this line my hookbait will probably double corn. Once the fish arrive in the swim, which should be after around twenty minutes, it’s all about getting into a routine. This may be taking two fish from a line before feeding and moving to another, often the best plan, to having one of those red-letter days when you just continue to catch on the same line and absolutely smash the venue to bits. Knowing what routine and when to feed and switch all comes down to practice, the more you fish, the sooner you will know what is best.
Reds are best
As for hook bait you really can’t beat dead red maggots and I place between five and twelve on the hook or if this isn’t producing as quickly as I would like double worm, basically one big red worm pinched in half and placed on the hook. A good baiting and catching plan would be to feed a big pot of groundbait, plus a pinch or dead reds, take a couple of fish, feed again, switch line and repeat. Obviously this means using a lot of bait and three kilo of groundbait would be about right for a five hour match. As previously mentioned the good thing about using natural baits is that if you miss a bite you can simply lower the rig back down as the bait won’t have come of unlike paste fishing.
Carp carnage
Today’s practice session has been unlike match conditions as the far bank line just hasn’t produced. The two-plus-one line produced a good run of smaller carp, but then it started to fizz as the carp started to rip into the silt, not ideal, and if I picked this peg out of the hat in future would feed on a more sparingly fashion. Having continuously fed the left hand margin with a pot full of groundbait every ten minutes has seen it come good as once I made the switch it’s been carp carnage all the way.
Colin Sheppard
Colin’s Tackle
Sphere Zero-G F1+ Pole
Hybrid 1.6mm 10-12 Rating Elastic
Cenex 0.18mm & 0.16mm Hybrid Power Mono
Sphere Size 14 & 12 Beast Barbless Hooks
4 x 14 Inline Edge Pole Float
Colin’s Bait
Red worm
Dead Red Maggot
Sweetcorn
Micro Pellets
Champion’s Feeder
