General Articles

Typically there are three main varieties of carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are generally sought after by the carp fishermen, these being the Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Leather Carp. There are other types of carp ...

Spodding is a great way of baiting a swim, but can be difficult to get used to.

Hopefully this will help.

Bait/spod mix is used to attract fish to a swim, and it is just as important when trying to catch specimen carp as it ...

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 ...

Choosing a suitable carp water

Choosing a water to carp fish on is primarily depends on what you want to achieve from the sport. Whether it's a tough challenge, peace and quiet in idylic surroundings or just to catch as many carp as possible, there will be a water out there for you.
Club waters - These waters are available to fish upon joining an angling club or society. These are usually one of the cheapest ways of getting carp fishing with angling clubs all over the UK from as little as £40 a membership. Each club is different though and your enjoyment of the sport will often depend on the other members and types of fishing they prefer. I.E. If you join a popular club for match fishing you can often expect your fishing to be curtailed on a Sunday morning by a match. The best approach is to contact a club and ask if it is possible to walk round a venue so you can see what it has to offer and talk some of the other anglers

Day ticket waters - These are now the most common waters for carp fishing and they generally offer the easiest way to catch that first big carp. The downside of day ticket waters are many though, they can be expensive to fish on a regular basis, they can be extremely busy so a tactical approach to your carp fishing is difficult and they are often not the most pleasant waters as high angling pressure can mean more littering, bankside damage and plant life and folage can often be damaged. Fishing these easier of waters also limits your skill development if you are wanting to go on to better things a few forays onto day ticket waters before joining a club is often a good way of getting into fish and landing and returning them successfully.

Syndicate Waters - Syndicate waters are not normally the first port of call of the beginner to carp angling, syndicates do hold most of the countries biggest and most sought after carp. Syndicates are operated on a limited membership basis depending on the size of the water and many of the best syndicates have waiting lists that can be for years. These waters are probably not the best choice of first waters to start on because of expense and catching difficulty, it could be worthwhile getting your name down on a waiting list or two for when your carp angling abilities have devleoped a few years down the line.

Rivers - There are free and paid stretches of river to fish on throughout the country holding some big carp, but because of the nomadic nature of river carp, currents, and other things, these are not the easiest waters on which to begin your carp angling adventure on.

You don't have to spend a fortune on tackle but you will need to spend a bit

Carp are big, strong and demanding fish to catch. Carp can be easily damaged so appropriate care must be taken when fishing for them. Cheap tackle is often false economy, as it will often struggle to last a couple of seasons and make your fishing less pleasureable. Some really good tackle is available on the cheap though, mainly through deals from carp tackle shops that have online access . On the flipside you don't need to spend a fortune though, despite the best efforts of the marketing men. Mid range tackle spending about £50-£70 on each rod and reel usually offers a good performance combination that can last you a number of years.

The one thing that you should try and have the best of though is your carp care equipment. Nets, un-hooking mats and weigh slings all need to be upto the job and often the cheaper end of the market on these items will do the carp no good whatsoever and often be inadequate, depending on the size of fish your are angling for. Always buy over sized than just the right size for the fish you catch, as you never know what may take your bait next time your on the bank.

My preffered choices of carp care equipment< not everyone will agree with my choice of equipment but i find these do the jobs i want them to.

Greys ...