Catching Carp In Autumn - What You Need To Know

Autumn is a strange period in the carp fishing calendar, historically it was known as the 'big feed up' time where anglers could fill their nets with fish at their biggest weights. In recent years, however, this season has become increasingly tricky for many, mainly due to angling pressure. In this article, we take a look at some of the edges and tips that will keep you catching as the leaves fall...

Carp fishing in autumn can be incredibly exciting but equally frustrating at times. The fish are back to their peak weights and look stunning in the changing backdrop, but they certainly don't give themselves up easily in this period. Put simply, if you fish lazily in autumn, the carp will 100% give you the punishment you deserve.

Lots of things are changing above and below the surface in the autumn months, this has a big impact on the behaviour of the fish and it is vital the angler recognises this to stay one step ahead.

NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME

Every fishery and location is different but as a general rule, as we move into autumn, carp will become far more active at night. Where in the summer peak activity is commonly associated with first light, as we move more into the autumn the first few hours of darkness are superb periods to locate fish showing. This is likely due to the more stable oxygen levels in the water as temperatures cool. In the summer, however, oxygen, particularly on weedy waters, can be very low during the hours of darkness.

With this in mind, now is the perfect time for anglers who fish short overnighters. Sure, you may end up arriving in the dark and even packing up in the dark, but you will be fishing during the best period for a bite and you will have the edge on finding them whilst other anglers already set up will be tucking down in their bivvy for the night. 

Early morning will still be a reliable bite time too, but you will find this spell finishes a lot earlier than it has been the previous couple of months.

NATURAL ATTRACTION IS THE ONE 

With the weed starting to fall over and die back on a lot of venues, carp will be hitting the natural food that has become exposed very hard indeed. There is also plenty of truth in the theory that the fish will be looking to fatten up for the winter and harvesting all available food sources in their environment. 

One of the real frustrations with autumn carp fishing can be that fish are so occupied feeding, fizzing and showing over these natural larders, that they simply don't pick up a standard hookbait.

For carp anglers, the best bet to keep the bites coming is to try and mimic these natural food items as closely as possible. Maggots, worms and casters should now be starting to be introduced back into your bait armoury as the activity from nuisance species begins to slow down.

Worms in particular can be devastating at this time of year and with our Wormurai Sprig Kit and Revibed Imitation Worms you have a bullet proof method for using them. Always remember with natural baits to keep them and introduce them as fresh as possible. It might not seem a big deal, but it really is.

If pesky bream, roach and other irritations are savaging your hookbaits, don't worry, you can still fish a natural-looking offering with our Revibed Range. The latest additions, the Bloodworm Tippers and Escargo Snails really are special when used as toppers and will 100% generate more takes when carp get to see them.

The Snails also work phenomenally well when fished on their own and balanced with the foam plug provided. Presented over just hemp as a wafter hookbait on a clear spot in clear water, you have something even the most cautious of carp won't be able to say no to.

SPOTS ARE NOW MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER

Location is important at any time of year but really nailing down your spot choice is arguably more crucial in autumn than at any other time. You not only need to locate the areas the carp are showing but also those zones they seem to be feeding in.

Find those fizzers and then do some meticulous lead work. Presenting your rig in these natural feeding zones will give you a far greater chance of a pickup. Don't trust that the carp will just come to your baited spot, they have been falling for that old chestnut all year.

(Check out this article on feature finding to learn more)

BOILIES SHOULDN'T BE IGNORED EITHER

It might sound contradictory to what we said earlier, but a boilie-only approach is also a great shout in the autumn months. This is particularly true on venues where there isn't a huge larder of natural food or those that have been heavily pressured by Spombing and particle tactics over the summer months.

There's loads of things you can do to make your boilies more appealing to the carp, but one of the best is to soak them in lake water just before and throughout your session. This process softens the baits to make them more easily digestible for the fish, meaning hopefully they will eat a lot more of them!

In terms of boilie flavours, fishmeals will continue to work well during the autumn months but if you are going to switch to a milk protein/sweet nutty bait for the winter months, now is the time to start introducing it to the fish. 

When applying your boilies, look for large areas of low-lying silkweed or silt, then spread them about a bit with a catapult or throwing stick. This will keep the carp moving and searching for baits, making them more vulnerable to picking up your hookbait.

(Store all your bait in our AWESOME PB Buckets)

MATCH THE HATCH WITH COLOURS 

Carp will have been taking and getting caught on little bright baits for months now, so if they aren't already, they will begin to treat them with real caution. Try matching your hookbait to your chosen feed both visually and in behaviour. To make it standout you can always try boosting it with extra flavours and glugs that ooze off slowly once on the bottom. 

POP IT UP OVER LITTER

Leaves falling off trees, weedbeds starting to die off and fall over, you might find your clear areas are a little bit more choddy in the autumn. The easy way to counter this is of course to pop your baits up over the muck.

Helicopter systems and rigs like the Chod, Hinged Stiff and Spinner will give you the best presentation, but beware of being too blatant to the fish too.

A great trick to enable you to still fish your bottom bait presentations is to add a nugget of PVA Foam to hold the rig up when it hits the bottom. This can also be done with some old pop-ups inside a Mesh PVA Bag, in which you can add a few more freebies too. 

The key thing to remember when fishing over any dirty bottom is that if you can keep your hook and bait clear of the rubbish, you can still get that all important bite. 

DON'T IGNORE THE MARGINS

Most anglers associate the margins of lakes with warm summer days, but ignore them at your peril in the autumn. If your margin has a steep drop off or shelf, this is a prime patrol route for the carp in the autumn months. Shallow spots around islands and on the near bank may begin to see less fish traffic, but deeper areas, no matter how close to the bank, certainly will not, especially if they have some cover too. 

Try not to bait heavy in these zones, fish aren't necessarily holding in here, more so moving through on their daily travels. What you need is enough bait to spike some interest but not so much that they keep eating a little bit and moving off. A handful of mix or a couple pouches of boilies should be just about right for the night.

Remember to lock those Heist Banksticks in tight when fishing in the margins - takes can be savage! 

BRING YOUR 'A' GAME

Whilst carp are very much still catchable and worth pursuing in the autumn, you really do need to bring your best to outwit them consistently. Spend as much time as you can looking for them, then leave nothing to chance and certainly drop any "that will do" attitude. 

The fish will now be as cute and 'riggy' as ever, so your end tackle needs to be on point. Your hooks need to be razor sharp and kept that way on every cast, this is where our Tweakers Touch Me Up becomes invaluable. Give your hook a finger or nail test on every cast and hone it to perfection with this mega tool when required.

Using rigs that won't tangle and reset every time they are interfered with will massively help you too. A stiff section, like those created with our Kickback Links will aid in this area massively, as will the addition of anti-tangle sleeves and PVA bags.

If you want to have no doubt your trap is working for you 100%, there's one addition to your rig that will change the game. That is of course, the Magic Twig. This device turns 'pricked' fish that may use the weight of the lead to shake the hook, into 'nailed' fish in the back of your landing net. It really is as simple as that.

GET YOURSELF COMFORTABLE

Our final piece of advice is around your own personal comfort, which is paramount now the temperatures are beginning to drop. Bring more clothes than you need, the variations throughout your session can be massive, it might be toasty T-shirt weather in the day but freezing Thermal Sock and Jacket weather at night.

Having all your Luggage and Shelter organised will help you massively in this area, as you will know where absolutely everything is. The last thing you want to be doing is scrambling round looking for an extra clothing item in the night after you've just landed a fish. Being prepared with the essentials will see you enjoy these longer hours of darkness much more.

MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

So there you have it, some essential tips for autumn carp fishing. This is a wonderful time of year to be on the bank. It ain't always easy, but when you see carp and their environment in spectacular autumn colours you know every second is worth it. It's now all down to you, get out there and chase down a monster! Here's some awesome shots from the OMC Family to keep you inspired...