Carp Fishing Baiting Theories - Everything You Need To Know...
How should you bait your spots when you're fishing for Carp? Is there more than one way to do it? You bet! In this article, we take a look at some of the best Carp fishing baiting strategies and theories...
Over many years, underwater filming has shown that the way you feed your spot when Carp fishing can have a huge impact on your success when it comes to catching them.
The way you feed can impact the behaviour of the fish, how aggressively they feed, how fast they move along and above the bottom, which ultimately plays a big determining factor in your Rig choice.
Each bait behaves slightly differently on the bottom too, causing the Carp to react in different ways when they are presented with them. It's a bit of a minefield of information, which we will delve into further in the paragraphs below...
Matching The Hatch
This baiting theory is simple. You match what you are feeding as closely as possible, so the fish cannot tell the difference. This tactic is used in loads of other fishing disciplines, take Fly Fishing for an example. Fly anglers will try to mimic the hatching insects around them, so the fish take their hook without caution.
In Carp fishing, this can mean fishing a grain of Corn or a few grains on the Hair if it is a key part of your bait mix. It could also mean simply fishing a Boilie straight out of the bag, with no added buoyancy in the form of a Pop-up and no standout colours.
There are downsides with this approach, however. The first, is that on your Rig, you can never truly replicate the feed around it, as none of them are actually attached to a weighted Hook and Line. Cautious fish are very smart when it comes to figuring out if a bait behaves differently to those around it and will quickly reject it. Anglers try to counter this by using Cork, Rig Foam or small Pop-ups to negate the weight of the Hook so the bait flies into the mouth like the other free offerings around it.
The second downside to 'matching the hatch', is that baits like Corn, Bread, Pellets and Luncheon Meat can quickly be pulled off the hair by nuisance fish. This is often countered by anglers using artificial baits like those in our Revibed Range. These plastic baits can withstand the attentions of small nuisance fish and never come off the hair. Our Corn and Pellet Caves can also be loaded with paste for an added layer of attraction.
Bright Standout Hookbaits
In stark contrast to the previous bait strategy, this approach is all about making your Hookbait, and therefore Hook, the most obvious thing in the swim. This can be done in a variety of ways, most notably colour.
High-viz Pop-ups of all sorts of colours work wonders at attracting and catching carp, particularly in the winter and spring months. The downsides to this are that as much as they can draw Carp in, get the colours wrong and you can make it easy for the fish to avoid your presentation.
Colour isn't the only way to make your Hookbait standout from the crowd, however. Glugging baits in Liquids and Boosters is a superb method for getting Carp to single them out, as is adding additional toppers in the shape of Artificial Corn or even real baits like Maggots.
Tight and Accurate Baiting
You will have heard a lot of anglers say that, the more tight and accurate you are with your feeding and Rig placement, the better - which the majority of the time is 100% correct.
When Spombing or Spodding out large quantities of smaller items like Pellets, Hemp, Sweetcorn, or Maize, accuracy is crucial. Fish will feed very slowly and close to the bottom over these items, therefore you want your Rig to be right in amongst it. A trap 20ft to one side on its own won't do, and it could be hours before the fish investigate it, if at all.
This level of accuracy is also vital when using natural baits like Worms, Maggots or Casters. You want your Hookbait to imitate these items and be totally surrounded by them. Carp them come in... slurp, slurp, bang! - You're in!
You only need to look at the effectiveness of Baiting Poles, Bait Boats and even PVA Bags to know that accurate Hookbait and feed placement is useful. These methods more often than not see the carp take your Hookbait more by accident as they engulf the other items around it, rather than by design and them singling it out.
'Three on a spot' or 'Tramlining' are other terms you will have heard that take advantage of this approach. This basically means putting all three of your Rods on the exact same and tightly baited spot. This usually works best on well-stocked waters where fish come into the swim in packs, meaning they can devour a lot of bait in a very short space of time. With all your Rods on the spot during that period you can take full advantage. This tactic often results in double and even triple takes.
The best Rigs for tightly baited areas are those with a short Hooklink between the Lead and Hookbait. Often, the fish will suck up the bait and Hook, then eject it, before any contact is made against the Lead. Shortening the Hooklink means there is less play for the fish before it hits the Lead System. Alternatively, if you really do think they are 'mugging you off', just the addition of The Magic Twig will totally change the game for you.
As a general rule, Bottom Baits and Wafters work better over areas baited tightly with smaller particles, as a fish slowly approaching a Pop-up off the bottom can soon notice that something isn't right and reject it.
Spread Baiting
Whilst accurate baiting can be very good, so too can be spreading bait about a bit, particularly if you're using Boilies. For larger baits of 14mm or more, creating a bit of separation between each offering and forcing the fish to move between each one can make them incredibly vulnerable to anglers' Rigs.
For this approach, you want to find a nice area of silt or low-lying weed, and using a Throwing Stick or Catapult, literally spread bait all over a Tennis Court sized area. You need more bait to do this effectively than you might imagine, so look at putting out at least 1kg at the start to avoid the area looking barren. You basically want the carp to be bumping into a Boilie wherever they go.
The best Rigs for this spread baiting approach are usually Pop-up Rigs like the Hinged Stiff, Ronnie or Chod Rig. These Rigs keep your Hookbait clear of any rubbish on the bottom, reset beautifully and often hook/prick the fish without the need of the Lead System. Because the fish are usually higher off the bottom and 'picking' when feeding over a spread, these presentations become harder for them to suss.
Some anglers like to use a combination of both tight and spread baiting. This usually focuses on a concentrated area of bait around their Rigs but then a spread in the general area. This is particularly effective along patrol routes like margins, where you want the fish to gain confidence before they hit your spot.
The Buffet Theory
A chosen tactic of OMC Founder Ali Hamidi, this baiting approach as the name suggests, simply means giving the fish a real mix of items to feed on. The aim of this tactic is to bring as many different fish as possible to the party, your spot and eventually your Rig.
When enacting the 'Buffet Theory', you want as many different items, flavours and smells in your mix as possible, so no matter what a particular carp's preference is, it is still interested in your spot. As humans, we don't all like the same foods, do we? Carp are no different!
A typical 'Buffet' mix may include Boilies, Pellets, Hemp, Maize, Corn, Groundbait, Worms, Casters, Tiger Nuts, Liquid Boosters and more. If you can't afford a lot of high-quality Boilies, this approach is perfect for bulking out your mix and increasing your chances of a bite.
Pre-Baiting
When used correctly, this one can be a proper edge. Simply put, it means baiting the same spot over a prolonged period of time. Many make the mistake of thinking this means piling in bait on a spot once a week. Whilst this might work, it is far more efficient to bait every couple of days with small quantities.
This is an unbelievable method for preparing your own feeding areas, perhaps in areas of the lake which aren't popular for other anglers. The main difficulty is often deciding on when you should fish the spot and hoping that no other angler does before you. This is why it is best to pick areas that are a little out of the ordinary.
In terms of baits for pre-baiting, Boilies are an obvious choice as they don't break down quick. For similar reasons Tiger Nuts are also a very good shout. But if you want fish to clean off areas of weed and really make clean spots, you can't go wrong with Hemp and Pellets.
When coming to fish these spots, it's then best to not feed hardly anything at all over your Rigs. The fish will arrive at some point looking for their regular helping of feed and all they will find is your Rig, which will soon be taken without caution - what a tactic!
The Baiting Pyramid
This theory is essentially an offshoot of pre-baiting and basically it means building your spot so smaller species of fish visit first, then building it up for the giants to arrive.
If trying a 'feeding pyramid', you would first feed a fine mix of Groundbait, Micro Pellets or small particle baits, so species like Roach turn up. You would then move up to larger Pellets and Particles that might draw in bigger Bream or Tench. Finally, you would introduce Boilies, hoping that the Carp will arrive and eat these.
It's an interesting tactic that has worked wonders on many waters over the years, and even in short sessions anglers can see something similar happening on regular occasion. How many times have you been pestered by Bream before the Carp turned up?
Singles and Bags
Our next tactic is a simple one used all-year round on waters up and down the country. The only bait used, is the one attached to your Rig.
This gives the fish very little choice but to either ignore or investigate your presentation, and it works incredibly well when the fish are not really up for feeding. Their inquisitive nature means they often can't say no when a bait is offered to them, either entirely on its own or alongside a small PVA Bag of pellets.
The majority of anglers use bright Hookbaits for this tactic, and there is no doubt standout colours work remarkably well earlier in the year. But singles or very small traps with PVA Bags or Tape can still work magic in the summer months too. There's very few Carp, for example, that can resist a single Tiger Nut amongst a bag of chops cast in the right place.
Off The Bottom
Everyone knows it, but it's surprising how many don't take advantage of the fact that Carp spend very little of their time on the bottom. Throughout the day and often night too, they are found in the mid-layers and thermoclines. Which is why Zig Rigs are such a superb method.
Zigs have to be the cheapest and easiest way to carp fish. All you need is a Lead Clip System, some Hooklink and a Hook with a simple Hair Rig. This can be used to present a Pop-up, piece of foam or anything else with some buoyancy that you fancy. Cast it out entirely on its own and if you have got your depth right, Carp will soon show interest.
If you need more confidence in your Zig you can always feed around it. This can be done by either regularly catapulting slow sinking Pellets over the top or Spombing over them with a cloudy mix. If you choose the second option, make sure your mix is full of light and small particles and really sloppy. The longer the cloud of attraction stays in the upper layers, the more chance you have of a bite.
Don't forget surface baits either! Carp love taking floating Pellets and Dog Biscuits, even Bread. This is a cheap tactic that in the warmer months can catch more fish than anything else. Feed a steady stream of bait to get the carp feeding confidently, then introduce your rig, bang!
Bait With The Seasons
There is no doubt that certain baits work better at specific times of year, so if you want to catch Carp all-year-round, you need to adapt to their preferences.
As a general rule, smaller and more easily digestible baits work best in the colder months. Things like Boilie crumb, Corn, Maggots, Worms and Casters.
Moving into Spring, Carp become more catchable on small quantities of Boilies, particularly with bright Hookbaits. Pellets in Bags and as a small part of the mix can also start being introduced during this phase.
When late Spring moves into early Summer the Carp are truly ravenous and will be eating almost everything they can find. This is when being different can get the best results. In this period, Tiger Nuts really start coming into their own, as do surface offerings.
By Autumn, the Carp have truly seen it all. There is also now a huge abundance of natural food in the lake which the Carp will be now making the most of before it begins declining. This can be a sometimes good, but more often than not, tough period. Clever and accurate baiting and 'matching the hatch' with the introduction of naturals back into the mix can keep the bites coming in this phase of the calendar.
Hopefully this article has opened your mind a little to the amazing world of the Carp baiting game. Keep up to date for future articles where we will delve even deeper in to bait tactics that will help you put more Carp in your net!
Journalist Chris Haydon joined the OMC Family in the spring of 2024, after six years working for the UK's number 1 fishing publication, the Angling Times. He is a keen Coarse and Carp Fishing All-rounder, fishing in the South West region, including the famous Cotswold Water Park.
