Friday 23 January 2009

How to Start Carp Fishing

This piece will hopefully act as a guide to anyone who is thinking of taking up carp fishing. I am just starting out myself, so I will share my experience with you. I will make you aware of what things I feel I got right, and what mistakes I made. When it is completed, my hope is it will act as a complete guide for the beginner.


Commitment

The first thing to consider is: are you committed enough? Carp fishing can be expensive, it can be frustrating, it will challenge you both physically and mentally, and there will be times when you spend many sessions without a fish. You might (make that probably will) get bitten, scratched, too cold, too hot, too wet, tired, scared, scarred; your precious tackle might snap, you will fall over, you will bash your head on a tree; you might fall into the depths - you might have to launch yourself into the depths to get that "big fish". You will go through all kinds of emotions from elation for a personal best fish, to utter despair after a long, long spell with no fish, and no bites. Carp fishing is not just a case of dropping a line in the water. You have to learn water craft, find the fish, bait the right area, be prepared to lug your tackle to a new swim if nothing is happening in yours; you need to be thinking to yourself all the time - "why am I not catching?" Is it the bait, the rig, the weather, the swim, the noise, the other anglers? Going carp fishing is very, very hard work if you are to be successful.

Further, there are loads of television programmes, magazines and papers showing people catching monster fish all the time. Forget that completely. That is not the real world. You will NOT catch every time you go out. You will NOT land monsters regularly. Those programmes and pictures are usually focused on fantastic anglers who have vast experience, fishing the very best waters, and often at the very best time. So don't get caught up in the hype - it is simply not the real world.

If I have scared you off already and if you are not prepared to put in the hard graft, then you should perhaps reconsider, and spend your time and treasure on other species. If you feel you are committed enough, then read on.


Types of Carp Anglers

There are different types of carp anglers and different types of carp fishing. You need to decide which type you want to be, at least at first. I have listed the different types below as each requires different tackle, commitment, and expense. But before I do, you need to be aware that some waters have rules regardless of the type of carper you choose to be. For example, some waters ban certain baits, some insist you have a mat to unhook your carp on, so as not to damage the fish; still others require you to have a 42 inch landing net. So whatever type of carper you decide to be, you MUST ensure that your budget and commitment level extends to the rules for the waters you think you might fish.

The Casual Carper

This is the most comfortable and cheapest type. You can get yourself one rod, one reel, some other bits and bobs, perhaps a bag and a chair, a license and you are good to go. As long as you have the equipment required by the water you wish to fish, you can go to day ticket waters local to you in the Summer time, enjoy the season and the warmth; pack up at dusk and enjoy a pint with a buddy or two in your local. You may catch a few fish, so you might want to weigh them, but this is by far the most casual approach. That is not to say that it is easy. Carp, especially big carp, are always difficult to catch. You will still have to put in some research, learn your water craft, tie your rigs, choose your bait, locate the fish, bait the swim properly, cast accurately, and much else besides. But at least you should be relatively warm and dry (English weather excepted), and not too much out of pocket.


The Sensible Carper

This chap (or lady) is not so different from The Casual Carper. He will only venture out when the green shoots of Spring are showing, and cease somewhere during "the season of mists of mellow fruitfulness" (the Autumn); and he does not fish overnight. He likes the warm. But he may have joined a syndicated lake or club for a fee. He probably has more than one rod, he will have more tackle, such as electronic bite alarms, or he might have spent a bit more on his rods and reels. He reads the monthly publications and chats in the carp forums that abound. He might take a holiday dedicated to carping in France to try and improve his personal best catch. He will try new techniques, and he experiments with different baits. He is serious about his carping but he sticks to the warmer months. He will have put in the research and groundwork necessary to catch the bigger carp, and he probably has a PB over the twenty pound mark. He loves his fishing but spends the colder months cooking a Christmas turkey, and maybe reading the odd carp book.


The Nutcase Carper

Now these guys are completely insane, and I am proud to say I am about to join their ranks. They fish in any weather, at any time of the year, during the day and at night. They will endure monstrous conditions if they think they are in with a chance of a biggie, and they will spend a fortune on all the tackle necessary to combat the elements and fool the carp. Their is even a sub-section of this group called "The Tackle Tart", who just has to have all the tackle in the shop and always the most expensive brand - even if they don't need it. Believe me, there are a lot of these guys. Hi Rich' :) These guys are not only dedicated, they are obsessed. They eat mouldy cheese sandwiches for dinner so they can afford high protein, expensive food for carp; the grave yards are littered with Carp Widows laying flowers at the graves of the fallen carp warriors; they neglect their home lives - the divorce rate for Nutcase Carpers is 89.76%; they eat, drink, and sleep carp; and some have even started to look like them. They are serious men and women, dedicated to their art.

If you decide to be a Nutcase Carper, you must be prepared to kit yourself out with all the gear you will need so as not to feel utterly miserable at the lakeside. Imagine being by a lake in darkest January, at night, fully exposed to the elements with the temperature hovering around zero. The amount of kit you need can be endless: a bivvie (small tent); proper, proper warm clothing; a bed chair to sleep on; a long session seat with back support to sit on when awake; electronic alarms that have any number of settings; head torches; cooking equipment, water, fuel, rucksacks, carryalls, boxes, bags - the list can go on and on and on, and so can the cost. I even know one guy who takes a TV that runs from a car battery; and I have also heard of some folk who spend every single moment from late December to early February at the lake. So you can see why I have called this group insane. You will have to take a very deep breath before you decide on this approach, as it takes ALL your commitment, a lot of time, and a barrow load of cash. Whatever you do, DON'T fish overnight in Winter without adequate protection - you won't enjoy it, and you will probably either pack up and go home, or wake up staring at the Pearly Gates!


Money Management

Once you have decided you are prepared for the rigours of hunting carp, and once you have decided upon what type of carper you want to be, you must consider your budget. DO NOT go into debt. There is no point in sitting by the lake side worrying about how you are going to pay the mortgage or car insurance – you are there to enjoy yourself, so save before you buy. The costs of carp fishing do not just extend to tackle. You may want to join a syndicate water, which will cost you money; you will need a constant supply of bait, especially in summer. which will cost you money; you will need to replace items of tackle on a regular basis, which will cost you money. The lesson here is that you must ensure your initial budget is enough to cover all up front costs, and you will need regular cash to cover the on-going costs you will definitely incur.

So how much does it cost?

You can start with a couple of hundred Pounds, and you can start with a few thousand Pounds. Everyone's budget will be different, but the important thing is to set a budget you can afford and stick to it. But to do this, you must know what costs you will incur. Your costs will include:

Fixed Costs (The easy bit)

Fishing licenses in the UK. One license will cover you for two rods, but you will need two licenses should you wish to fish with three or more. I would not advise you to start with more than two rods, as you will need to walk before you can run. A UK rod license costs £25 and runs for a year from 1st April to 31st March the next year.

Venue Costs. Almost every water you fish will charge you for the privilege. There are two types of cost. The first is the day ticket water. These are waters that allow anyone to fish. You just turn up and a bailiff will, at some point during your stay, come along, ask you for a fee, and give you a ticket by way of a receipt. Day ticket prices vary and can range from five pounds per day up to a great deal more. The second type is the club, or syndicate water. For these waters, you pay an annual fee and usually you can fish all the waters governed by that particular organisation as often during the year as you like. Fees for syndicates also vary, and go from £150 per year up to very large amounts for the popular or fashionable waters. You may also find yourself having to put your name on a waiting list for some syndicates, and oftentimes you will have quite a wait before you get to become a member.

The Angling Trust. This is a body that was created in January 2009 as an amalgam of almost all the regional angling societies across the country. Its sole purpose is a dedication to anglers, fish, and fisheries. You do not have to join the trust, but the more members it has, the more effective it can be; and what is more, we will all benefit from its activities, so I would encourage you to join. The price of membership is £20. More information can be found at the trust web site:

http://www.anglingtrust.net/


Variable costs (The hard bit)

There are several ways you can equip yourself so that you can set about catching carp. I list some of them below, together with the benefits and pitfalls of each, and I then recount the exact route I took myself. But before I do that, there are a couple of things that you may wish to bear in mind, even if they do seem contradictory:

Firstly, the old adage that states that you only get what you pay for has more than a grain of truth to it. There is little point in spending money on a poor quality rod if, when it is really put under pressure, it snaps. You can not only harm fish this way, but you will end by having to pay again for something better. Beware of false economy.

The second point to consider is that you can spend your hard earned cash needlessly on a brand name. Imagine how much more money a shirt costs simply because it has a label like YSL on it. The same applies to fishing equipment and you can get some really good tackle for less money simply because it's not from a manufacturer that has a "name".

Lastly, I would like to stress again, that before you start to purchase your kit, you should set yourself a budget that you and your family can afford, and absolutely stick to it. Some items you can spend less on thereby saving money; whilst with some other items you should always go for the best quality you can find - hooks for example. How would you feel if you lost a personal best fish simply because it straightened a cheap hook. A few Pounds spent wisely can help you avoid situations such as this. Below, I list the items you should concentrate your money on, and what you can save on.


Quick, Easy & Cheap

You can buy complete starter kits for carp fishing. Many tackle shops offer these, as do Amazon. The Zebco Start Carp Set from Amazon costs under £100 and provides you with almost everything you need - all brand new, and with a guarantee. Here is a link for it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zebco-Starter-Carp-Set/dp/B0010X83KA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1233922299&sr=1-12

The good thing about these kits is that they are easy to purchase, very cheap, and you can be up and running in no time - and you get some kind of manufacturers guarantee. If you are looking for a quick and easy fix, then this could be the option for you.

I have never used one of these kits, so I am not talking from experience, but I run shy of them as I suspect the quality cannot be good for the simple reason of price. I worry because I know that the time when you really put your tackle to the test, the time you really need it to stand up for you, is when you have a big fish on the line. And it is precisely this time when poorly crafted tackle can let you down.


Tackle Trader

There are several carp forum sites that have a section with items for sale. One of the most popular is Tackle Trader:

http://www.tackle-trader.com/

It is free to place an advert on this site, and you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of items for sale, including complete carp set ups. It is quick and easy to see what is available and you can put your own "Item Wanted" ads in for free too. You can find some good deals on the site, but you have to remember that you will dealing with people who you don't know, the tackle will usually be second hand, there are no guarantees, and therefore there is risk. I am not saying that everyone on the site is trying to rip you off because that is not the case (I have bought a rod from there myself); but you just need to be careful. The other problem you may find, especially if you do not have anyone guiding you, is that you may not know what it is you should purchase, in which case you will be completely stuck.

There are several other sites offering equipment for sale, including the ubiquitous eBay. But unless you know what you are looking for and know what represents a good price, you will still be at a disadvantage.


Start Cheap and Build Up

My best fishing buddy took this approach, and it is not so different from the "Quick, Easy, and Cheap" option. He bought two set ups from Dragon Carp Direct: the first of which was the "MEGA CARP 3-PACK SUPER DEAL". Here is the link to this deal:

http://www.dragoncarpdirect.com/acatalog/SSP-A.html

He also went on to buy the "MEGA SPECIMEN LAND & WEIGH SAVER PACK", and that link is here:

http://www.dragoncarpdirect.com/acatalog/SSP-F.html

With these two purchases my buddy had virtually everything he needed for daytime carp fishing. I say daytime fishing, because night fishing is a whole different ball of string with its own equipment requirements to ensure you don't get frozen to the bank side.

My buddy was an experienced general course fishing angler, so he knew his way around a rod and line; and with these two purchases, some reading material, and bait, he ventured out onto his carping career. He is a modest chap and doesn't regard himself as an expert angler, but with this tackle he not only caught good fish (I would say a "good" fish is over 10lbs), on his first outing, but he has caught consistently ever since. He keeps things simple, which is excellent advice, and uses techniques that he is happy with and, what is more important, has confidence in.

Gradually over time he has added to and replaced items of tackle as his budget has allowed. He now has a beautiful album full of pictures of the superb fish he has caught down the two years of his career.

This is a very sensible approach, and has been proven to work by my pal.


Research and Spend

This time I really am talking from experience, because this is exactly what I did. You should bear in mind that before I began my task, I had not been fishing for twenty years, and was essentially a complete novice. Tackle and techniques had changed so much since I was last on the bank side that they were barely recognisable to me. I was a carp fishing babe in arms!

I live in Central London, which is fine if you want to catch a show, or one of the sites, but if you want to get to a tackle shop, Central London is curiously unhelpful. I therefore got onto the internet and found all the larger tackle shops within the Greater London area, and listed them down.

I set out on many a trip to the shops on my list, and journeyed to each. I had a good look round, but what I was searching for was not vast amounts of tackle or super dooper prices - I wanted to find a shop that had a friendly feel to it, a shop populated with folk who were willing to spend time with me, and who would guide me. I drew several blanks at first - sometimes I was completely ignored by spotty teenage sales assistants; sometimes I was hailed with a Neanderthal grunt; but after half a dozen rolls of the dice, I hit gold in the shape of Bowler's Angling in Dagenham. Since that first visit I have never even considered using a different shop for my ever growing collection of kit. I was given a friendly and articulate welcome, a dubious but warming cup of coffee, and we got down to business. I initially hid my budget figure as I wanted to get the feel of the place a little more and to see if the shop denizens were as genuine as my first impression had led me to believe they were. And they were!

My budget was £1200, and I told my man (Richard) that I wanted the complete kit and kaboodle - a two rod set up, all the tackle, electronic alarms, overnight kit, clothing - everything. Richard said it would take him a day or two to put together a complete package and could I pop back when he had done the ground work? "No problem", said I, and pop back I did. For the money I had (I did overspend by £200), I got a superb set of equipment, and at the time of writing it has not let me down and I am very happy with it.

I decided to buy my tackle in this way because I had no friends or family who were fishermen and therefore no one who could advise me. I didn't want to buy second hand gear because I wasn't sure what to buy and I had no idea of pricing. I was in a high risk position, and felt the best way to minimise the risk was to find a friendly tackle dealer. Yes, I could have bought the same tackle cheaper, but this way I had a reliable source of information, every item came with a guarantee, and I avoided paying through the nose for "name" items. And on top of that I got a great deal because of the size of my order. I was lucky in as much as I did have a good budget, but even if I had less, I would still have taken this option, but perhaps cut out the night fishing kit (expensive) until such times as I had saved for it. You can always build your kit over time, and at a rate that suits your wallet.

What did I buy?

Here is a brief summary of what I got for my money:

2 x Daiwa Theory 12" 2.75 TC rods
2 x Shimano Baitrunner xtea 8000
Chair
Bed chair
TFG Force 8 Bivvy
Rod Pod
ProLogic bite alarms with receiver - don't forget to pack spare batteries!
Ruck sack
Heavy duty bag
Tackle box
42 inch landing net
Unhooking mat and weighing sling
Head torch - don't forget to pack spare batteries!
Line, swivels, leads, hooks, pre-tied rigs, tubing, metal putty, back leads
Monkey climbers with isotope fittings
Thermal padded jacket
Thermal padded bib trousers
Thermal padded hoody
Rod holdall Ron Thompson thermal boots

There were several other items, but I ensured that I had the tackle to safely land the carp, and also clothing enough to fish over night in Winter and not freeze.


What items should I pay top dollar for?

As I said before, there are some items you should never skimp on, and there are others on which you can cut costs. I would say the general guide to help you decide which is which is as follows: always pay top money to ensure that if you hook a fish, you can get it on the bank, unhooked, and returned safely. The other guide is to ensure that you are sufficiently warm when exposed to the elements, so that you don't feel miserable on the bank side. Taking these two pointers together, I would say that the list of items you should spend top dollar for is this:

Line
Swivels
Hooks





To be continued ...

Notes: Carp care and photography - hold carp properly and only just above water or mat,


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1 comment:

  1. "They eat mouldy cheese sandwiches for dinner so they can afford high protein, expensive food for carp". Love it - there's more than a bit of truth in that!

    Harold Palmer, Hong Kong

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