How To Get Really Good At Carp Fishing... FAST!

Want to be one of the best anglers at your local carp fishing lake and catch all the biggest fish? There are some fundamental tips, skills, traits and practices you will have to adopt. In this article, we highlight some of the main ones...

One of the amazing things about carp fishing is that everyone has a chance to be the best. Once you learn the basic fundamentals of angling, a lot of success is generally down to time, commitment and access to waters.

That's if even being the best carp angler you can be interests you in any way at all. A lot of anglers don't care if they are the best or not, they simply want to enjoy themselves and if a fish comes along, it is a bonus - and that's absolutely fine too!

But, if you are an angler who is looking to improve their game, read on, as the tips below may just help you...

MASTER THE BASICS

Just like any other skill, hobby or sport, you need to start your journey to carp angling mastery by learning the basic skills. But what are they?

In short, to be a very good carp angler, you need to be able to know where to find carp on any lake in any conditions, know what bait they will want to eat and the best rig to present that bait with. After all that, you then need to be able to cast your rig and bait towards them. Once a fish is hooked, you then need to have the knowledge of how to play that fish safely and effectively to the bank.

Doesn't sound all that difficult when you put it like that, right?

If you want to learn these skills, why not book yourself onto a tuition with Carp Tuition Socials , where you can learn from experienced anglers at phenomenal locations.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

No article, video or brilliantly made OMC Instagram Reel will help you more than time on the bank will. It's no coincidence that anglers who fish a lot, not only catch a lot, but know an awful lot too.

If you really are determined to be the best angler you can be, spend as much time on the bank as possible. With every session, success or failure, you will find your knowledge of carp behaviour grows. You will then have crucial information saved in the memory bank that you can draw on in the future. Think about it as a marathon, not a sprint.

FACE THE ELEMENTS

Yes, we know it sounds grim, but hear us out. You need to be out fishing for carp in all winds and weathers. Why? Because different conditions often require varied approaches, tactics and styles.

Learning the adjustments you need to make and when you need to make them is crucial to honing your skills as an angler. There's no excuse for not being comfortable on the bank, even in horrendous weather, just gear up with items from the OMC Clothing Range.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF AT DIFFERENT WATERS

We all have our favourite venues, but if you want to dramatically improve as a carp angler, you need to challenge yourself at a variety of locations. Every lake, river or canal you visit is different, and some take years to master completely. Putting yourself in new situations and learning how to deal with them will see your skillset sky rocket.

Don't just fish the same types of waters either, mix it up by visiting runs waters small and large, club lakes and rock hard syndicates, or if you really fancy a challenge, a river or canal. This mix will see you having to fish long and short distances, with all sorts of baits and rigs, with different tackle required. This learning will ensure in the future, no matter what you are confronted with, you can beat it.

GET RIGGED UP

It has never been easier to use the best carp fishing rigs and baits, these days you don't even need to tie them yourself. Pre-tied rigs like those in our All-In-One range are perfect for anglers who don't want to waste time tying rigs but still want confidence in their end tackle.

With this said, understanding how each rig works and when to use them is what's important here. Simple step-by-step guides on this site and on our YouTube channel will have you tying some of the most complicated rigs with ease, after a little bit of practice, but a great rig can become a bad one if used in the wrong circumstances.

Learning the minor adjustments that need to be made to improve any rig in a given situation and the preferred baiting approach/substrate the rig should be fished with, is what will really make you an effective carp angler.

There are so many rigs out there that nobody has time to learn them all. So the best advice is to pick a reliable pop-up presentation like the Hinge Stiff Rig or Ronnie, a decent wafter/bottom bait rig like the Fluorocarbon D or German and a good roving rig like the Solid Bag. Master one of each of these and learn the tweaks that can be made to improve them, and on the bottom at least, you will be well armed.

LEARN TO FISH THE LAYERS

A lot of carp anglers make the mistake of only fishing on the bottom. This is NOT where carp spend the majority of their time, in fact, far from it. Learning how to fish with Zig Rigs and surface fishing tactics effectively will see you catch far more fish than those around you, and both tactics are also a hell of a lot of fun.

Learning the art of surface fishing with both a controller float and a freelined bait can not only mean you get out on the bank a lot more (as surface sessions can be short), but will also help you catch on those days when bottom fishing is rock hard. Basically, you'll reduce the amount you blank significantly. 

Watching fish on the surface feeding can also give you vital clues into how they may behave elsewhere in the water column, how much you need to feed and how shy they are of tackle.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS

The really good carp anglers out there, of which there are many, all generally share this trait; they are suckers for detail. This can mean so many things but you see it most with their spot choices and rig placement, as well as in their rigs.

You will have heard the phrase "a spot within a spot", well the best carp anglers have a knack of finding these and dropping a rig on them with pinpoint accuracy. This might mean initially, however, if you were to watch them, it would seem that they are leading up to an excessive amount. Any casts or recasts that aren't perfect are redone, there is no "that will do", the rig must always be on the money. These spots might be a small area of clay in a sea of gravel, or a seam of silt alongside an obvious clear area. This might appear so minor, but it can be the difference between a bite and a blank. 

This thoroughness is important with rigs too, if you really want to be good, you don't want to be casting out a rig with a burred over hookpoint, kinked hooklink, or anything that will tangle. Fortunately, the Touch Me Up is here to change the game when it comes to sharpening hooks, we also have some great advice on beating tangles in another of our articles too (one to read later!).

BIGGER ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER

One of the biggest misconceptions in carp fishing is that bigger means better. That 100% is not always the case. Sure, the big fish steal all the headlines, but they aren't always the hardest to catch. Added to that, is it is all relative to the venue you're fishing. If the fish in your lake average 40lb, it stands to reason that you will be catching forties regularly. Don't let size fool you, if you're regularly catching on any venue, even one full of doubles, you're doing something right.

As we already mentioned, every venue is different and actually, every fish is different. There are big carp that go years without getting caught, and some that come out almost every week. Similarly, there are smaller fish that are unbelievably tricky to tempt. Working out how to catch what is in front of you, no matter the size, will help you become a more rounded angler. 

Of course, there may be times when targeting specific fish, when actually trying to avoid getting too many bites may well be the answer. Actually going against your well tuned carp angling instincts and fishing away from obvious signs of activity. This is all part of the never ending learning curve of carp fishing.

BE RELENTLESS

Like we mentioned before, some anglers just want to chill out from the stresses of everyday life and use their bank time as an escape, which is why fishing is so great - it means so many things to different people. If you really want to be good at catching carp, however, you need a more relentlessly determined mindset.

Be prepared to move swims at any given time, day or night, if your gut is telling you something isn't right or you see signs elsewhere. Don't settle for any old swim. Use your feet and your Peekaboos to spend as much time as possible looking for fish, and get as near them as possible.

Have rigs and bait ready in advance, so you don't waste a moment getting a rod back out on the spot and capitalise on any window of opportunity.

This whole process can be aided and encouraged further with good organisation. Get your luggage ordered and compact, so you can move at a moments notice.

UNDERSTAND HOW BAIT WORKS

Many books can and have been written on this subject, but the basic point is, you need to be using the right bait. This can vary day to day, season to season, from venue to venue. It is a part of the puzzle that once you unlock, the rest of the game becomes so easy. Find something the fish really want to eat and they will do a lot of the work for you.

If you are an angler who just uses boilies in their round form all-year-round, both as hookbaits and loosefeed, you are missing a trick, or ten! Notice we didn't say don't use boilies all-year-round, but think about changing how you apply them when the going gets tough. Crumb, chops, spreads or stringers - same bait, but a world of options!

Try experimenting with different baits in a variety of forms and see what works. Learn the best ways to apply them for maximum results, and when they are permitted at a venue, you will have an edge for sure.

Naturals are fantastic in autumn and winter, boilies can be phenomenal in spring and particles take places to bits in the summer. Using the right bait at the right time can make a big difference.

Consider how the fish may feed over this bait too, will they be moving fast or slowly? This will impact your spot choice and how you should feed. As a rule, smaller baits should be fished with higher accuracy on a tighter area, whilst larger baits like 18mm boilies can be spread about a bit to get the fish picking. 

MAKE YOUR HOOKBAIT SHINE

When it boils down to it, if the carp doesn't want what is attached to your hook, you will never catch it. This is why hookbait choice is paramount and why boosters are such a big edge. The more you can do to increase the attractiveness of your hookbait the better. 

If you can't increase the attractiveness of the hookbait, consider amplifying it by boosting the immediate area around it. This is essentially how Solid Bags, Method Feeders and Paste Wraps work, the hookbait is almost taken by mistake due to the luring power of what is all around it.

KEEP THEM UNDER CONTROL 

When you have finally had that long awaited bite from a carp, the last thing you want to do is lose it. There are loads of factors that can lead to a lost fish, some of which are entirely preventable. The first is obviously good tackle. Assuming your rig and hook are working perfectly, you also need a robust mainline that can endure a long battle from a powerful fish in a demanding environment. Check out our Dancefloor for a superb all-round line choice.

Your rod and reel also need to be up to the job. Too soft a rod and the fish will be able to lunge all over the place into danger and you just won't get it under control, or its head up to go over the net. Similarly, if the drag on your reel is unreliable, you might not be able to give line smoothly when it is needed. If this gear is up to scratch, this process is simply a case of keeping calm and reacting to the movements of the carp.

But can anything else be done before the bite has occurred to reduce losses? 100% it can! Many anglers simply fish with their clutches too loose. This can allow the fish to charge off into snags and can also lead to poor hookholds. Anglers do this through fear of losing their rods on the take, which is understandable. The solution is easy. Get your rod support rock solid. With the new OMC Heist Stabilisers and Banksticks, flimsy setups are a thing of the past. You then simply need to set the clutch so the fish can still take line, but it is difficult for it to do so.

RESPECT IT, LOVE IT AND ENJOY IT...

So, if you made it this far, you're obviously wanting to become a top carp angler, and if you follow all the advice in this article, you will be. Never lose sight of why you're doing it in the first place though. Fishing should never feel like a chore, if it does, take a break for a bit. The tips in this article might appear full on, but when you really do get into your carp angling, a lot of them will come natural to you.

Treat everything you catch or meet on the bank (even pesky bream) with respect, love being outdoors and enjoy the journey, do that regularly enough and being "the best" will come...

Author Chris Haydon has just joined the OMC Family 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.