Locating carp

Depending on this size of water you are fishing, finding carp can be easy or difficult. On large gravel pits locating the carp can be a hard task, when walking round just watch for the clues and on large lakes one of the biggest things to watch is the wind direction. Carp on these waters waters will almost always follow the wind especially if it is a new warm southerly wind. In winter the fish will change this pattern and will generally hold on the back of a cold wind.

Pre baiting is a method which can produce fish at any time of year. Gradullay and steadily introducing your bait into chosen spots or swim on the lake over a length of time will get the fish used to seeing food there and over a period of time they will learn to trust this area as safe for feeding on. Boilies and particle such as hemp are probably the best baits to use when you are starting on a pre baiting campaign.

Try to choose a boilie which is a little different to what everyone else is using so that others will not benefit from all your hard work. A rolling fish can tell you where carp maybe present but this does not always mean the fish are feeding when they roll. Carp will often roll after they have been troughing in an area to clean themselves. A fish which rises from the water coming straight up with its head and half of its body showing is a big sign telling you where the carp are or have been currently feeding. This is called head and shouldering. The carp may do this to clear their gills of silt and other debris.

A bait cast to this type of showing fish can often result in a quick take. The weather will always play a big part in locating the carp and can be the biggest deciding factor. On silty lakes bubbles can provide clues as to where the carp are. As the fish trough's or ambles through or disturbs the bottom silt it produces a fizzing effect on the surface where hundreds on tiny bubbles are released, this is a massive give away on these types of silty estate lake waters. Sometimes rather than pulling out the marker rod when you fish a water for the first time in an effort to find a gravel bar or weedbed, just try watching the water for a while. A few hours walking round or sitting down and watching, observation can give you more ideas and you will learn more this way rather than turning the water to a foam and making the carp nervous and spooky. The key to carp location is observation. Keep your eyes open !!