6 Carp Fishing Tactics Not Enough Anglers Use

Despite being remarkably effective, there are some carp fishing tactics that remain incredibly underused by anglers. In this short article, we take a look at some of the best…

Every angler has their favourite rigs, tactics, and baits, but when times are tough and bites are hard to come by, thinking outside the box and trying something different can transform your results.

It’s easy to make excuses with the comforts we have on the bank these days. If we’re not getting bites, it’s often dismissed as the fish aren’t feeding—wrong! There are always small tweaks we can make to get us closer to that melting clutch and a big carp in the net. In the paragraphs below, we delve into some underused tactics that are sure to bring more action.

PASTE AROUND THE LEAD

A favourite of OMC Founder Ali Hamidi, this tactic may look outrageous on the bank, but in the water, it works wonders. Moulding a soluble paste around your lead creates a constant, long-lasting source of attraction in the area immediately around your hookbait. This paste isn’t as easily disturbed as, say, the contents of a Solid Bag.

The concept is similar to that of a Method Feeder, still one of the best match carp fishing tactics available. But, as mentioned, paste is far more resilient to fish movements and works over a much longer period.

On underwater filming trips, we’ve seen carp drawn directly to this paste ball, feeding on it. Even after the rig is gone, they stay in the area much longer, sucking at the small particles that have flaked off onto the bottom.

You can combine this method with all popular rigs too. Ali has used it with Spinners, Slip-D’s, and even inside Solid Bags. Like many things, you’re only limited by your imagination.

Using the right lead is crucial to get the most out of paste. In the OMC range, the Arra and Deckz are the best choices for holding paste for long periods—even on rivers!

ZIG RIGS

It’s a fact that carp spend much of their time up in the water column, off the bottom. It’s also a fact that Zigs are a great way to catch them when they’re doing this. But go around most waters, and you’ll find the majority of anglers not fishing up in the layers.

The dislike of Zigs is somewhat understandable. It takes a lot of confidence to cast a single piece of foam or a pop-up out and expect a carp to take it. But trust us, they really do work.

The key to Zig Rigs is setting them up correctly and fishing at the right depth. This means doing a bit of marker work to find out what’s in front of you. It’s then about adjusting the depth of your Zigs regularly to find where the fish are sitting and feeding.

There’s certainly a skill to fishing Zigs too. You need to cast them correctly to avoid tangles. This involves adding an Anti-Tangle Sleeve and dissolving rig foam, then stopping the cast so the hookbait is thrown away from the lead system in flight and lands separately.

A few rig tweaks can help too. First, consider your hook choice—most anglers prefer to go smaller to make it less visible to carp. They also often alter the hook’s appearance and mechanics with the addition of Dazzlers, Shrink Tube, or similar. This needs to be paired with as small a hookbait as possible, with foam being one of the most popular choices. Experiment with colour combinations until you find one the fish want on the day.

The final concern with Zigs is actually hooking and landing the fish. More fish tend to come off when using Zigs. This is simply because the long hooklink isn’t setting the hook correctly in the carp’s mouth. You can mitigate this by fishing with tight mainlines and striking early at indications. It’s also worth ditching the lead on the take, which prevents it from bouncing around away from the fish during the fight.

Using a heavier lead that ejects will also improve indication, which can often be quite subtle with Zigs. Don’t be afraid to switch to a drop-off inline lead to aid this process either. Our Inline Arras are perfect in this scenario.

RUNNING RIGS

With Helicopters and Bolt Rigs now the norm, one thing you hardly ever see anglers use (unless they’re river fishing) is the Running Rig. Don’t be fooled—this method can trick even the most cautious carp.

With the OMC Vitabitz Run Rig Kit, you can easily create both a Running Rig and a Bolt Rig. So you really get the best of both worlds.

When using the Running Rig, contrary to popular belief, you want to use as heavy a lead as possible to increase the ‘run’ effect. Couple this with pointing your rods straight at your spot, and you have a tension-free setup that carp aren’t used to anymore.

Underwater filming has shown that carp can, and will, use the lead against you when trying to shake out the hook. If there’s something slightly off with your rig, they’ll get away with it. But with a Running Rig, during this shaking process, the lead is running away from them the whole time and can’t be used to help eject the hook. This makes it fantastic for cautiously feeding fish that might be too smart to “bolt” off the spot.

As this is a lead system adjustment, it can be fished with all popular rigs too, including the Spinner. You can even adjust to have a bit of both and create a ‘Shocker Rig’. This method has the lead initially running before hitting a stop bead on the leader, similar to how the ‘Running Chod’ is fished.

Another game-changer is to combine the Running Rig with the Magic Wand, our own Alex Westwood has had some success with this in recent months, landing winter fish over 30lb in the UK.

BAITING WITH A CATAPULT OR THROWING STICK

Sounds ridiculous, right? But honestly, when was the last time you spotted a carp angler baiting with a catapult?

With Spombs, bait boats, and baiting poles, the catapult has become a bit of a forgotten gem. However, the feeding scenario you create with a catapult is entirely different from the norm, which can make all the difference on busy lakes.

The throwing stick can be lobbed in here too—very underused, mainly because of birds. But the baiting situation you create with one, at times, is unrivalled. With boilies in particular, spreading them around and getting the fish moving can dramatically increase your catch rate, especially when fish have become cautious of tightly baited areas with three rods sat on them.

THE STRINGER RIG

This is a real classic tactic that you hardly ever see used these days. The Stringer Rig essentially involves threading some loose-feed boilies onto Fade PVA Tape and tying them to your rig. This creates the perfect little trap on the bottom with three to five boilies together. It also works well with half baits.

For boilie anglers wanting to fish with bottom baits, there’s no better way to blend in amongst your loose offerings. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the shape too. A circular stringer around the hook with your hookbait as the bullseye is another edge for big carp that have seen it all.

ONE ROD ANGLING

This tactic is largely underused due to the venues many are fishing, with busy banks and bookable pegs. It’s very easy these days to slip into a camping mindset, thinking the only way to fish for carp is from a bivvy sat behind three rods and bite alarms. But if you do this, you’re missing out on some of the most exciting fishing imaginable.

Fishing with just one rod on the surface or in the edge is a thrilling way to catch carp, big and small, and is arguably the most skilful. Stalking in this manner allows you to watch your targets and adapt to their behaviour. Then, position yourself along their patrol routes with single baits or small traps to ambush them.

This highly visual form of carp angling leaves nothing to chance. You have to put the rig in stealthily, bait quietly, and in some cases (like surface fishing), even set the hook. It’s almost an entirely different approach compared to sitting it out over a heavily baited spot.

Some of the best anglers are true masters of this tactic and will do many circuits of a lake in a day, catching fish from almost every area as they get ahead of them. It’s a true art form that’s almost totally forgotten in modern carp angling.

So, how many of these underused carp fishing tactics do you still try? Maybe there’s a few you need to add to your game…

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.