Gardner Tackle’s articles. Written by our team of highly experienced carp and specialist anglers.
I like adapting to the green stuff in my angling, I always have. Adapting presentation, thinking about rig length and materials. Adapting lead weight, for the perfect drop and to aid more stealth getting rods into position.
The start of a new challenge is always exciting and after hearing about a special big scaley mirror and then seeing some photos, it was one that I was desperate to have in my album. The venue in question was a large 60 plus acre boating lake with a relatively low stock of carp.
Question: Summer Spots/Zones? What are you looking for during the warmer months, and what adjustments do you make to your line and rig concealment when fishing these "different" spots? We ask Wes Coggeshall, Carl Udry and Dan Chart.
It was now close in, but staying deep, and it was a further 5 minutes of arm ache before I got a look at it. I saw the cluster of scales near the tail, and the distinctive round body shape, confirming what I already knew, it was the unmistakable SP. It wasn’t finished yet though, despite me praying for it to just give up, and twice having it over my outstretched net...
Ultimately, I always want to be sitting behind my rods knowing I have full confidence that I am on fish and fishing effectively for them! In my opinion, confidence catches you fish. My honest advice would be to never go to a new lake, fishing rigs or bait that you’ve never used before....
With Covid impacting angling being so open and closed this last year, plus restrictions in place impacting visitors on the bank when open. My family haven’t been able to nip in to say hi to Dad this last year. But at random points in the past, they have dropped by and shared my love for carp angling.
I could still see some frothy bubbles on the surface, with that, a good fish showed but it was a bit far out in this swim and I knew that I could get a much better line angle in the point swim. It was a zone that I had never seen anyone fish from the point but more important the line angle would be perfect...
Het begint allemaal op een namiddag tijdens een opendeurdag in een shop waar ik Gardner Tackle sta te vertegenwoordigen. Vroeg in het voorjaar van 2017 dat ik enkele foto’s te zien kreeg van het desbetreffende water (ik vermeld het de locatie niet uit respect voor zij die er vissen) maar ik noem het ‘de diepe zand put’ of ‘the deep sand pit’.
Eventually, though, my thoughts were that I needed to be back at the park lake. This was to be my 3rd season on White Swan and I was determined to fish it my way, as I wasn’t really happy with how the past seasons have gone...
After Monday 23rd March when the government finally said we could go fishing I was out the door in a flash! I was doing one or two nights a week at Milton, unlike some places, Milton did not exactly fish its head off. In all truth I was scratching around each trip trying to get a bite with plenty of blank trips...
The backend of the season was a bit of a disaster on my local rivers as they were in flood like most other river’s around the country. I did fish a bit on the rivers, but it was no fun, and it was extremely dangerous walking the flooded riverbanks after dark in chest waders. I ended up spending the majority of my time Pike fishing the local gravel pits...
The start of the new season on the island lake was a bit strange… Coming after the lockdown, and the fact the biggest fish in the lake had come out at 60 lbs plus meant the lake was rammed. The first few weeks became a lottery and I just slotted in between anglers in vacant swims that weren’t really on fish...
I had been trying to catch a 6lb+ chub, coming close on so many occasions. I think I have now had over 10 chub between 5lb 14oz and 5lb 15oz, but I could never get one with that extra magic ounce I needed. On this particular evening though, I finally cracked it, not once, but twice! Firstly, with an absolutely pristine chub of 6lb 4oz...
At 62 acres with 75 swims, lots of room and carp to go for the carp in Horseshoe are very catchable and I caught plenty, but they keep you on your toes. Keeping eyes on the water for signs can lead to numerous sightings in short spells and then being mobile, it can be very productive...
The year got off to a great start with a 2lb 13oz roach from Linch Hill, after which I decided to try my luck at Linear. I had been intending to have a go for the roach on Brasenose for a while and with the complex re-opening after extensive flooding...
The first week of March was when I saw my first fish, as late one night I heard one crash out in the darkness, and the following morning another showed in a snaggy corner. That same week the level had dropped so much, it was possible to walk round the entire lake. It was all building nicely, and then the lockdown came! It was frustrating, but in the scheme of what was happening in the world, far less important...
I enjoy my winter fishing as much, if not more so, than summer. If minimal angler pressure, freedom to move, stunning sunsets and a challenge do it for you just get out there and do it. Experience has taught me a lot over the years and, whilst there are no hard and fast rules, here are a few tips that might give anyone approaching their first winter carp fishing a head start.
Now, on some waters, casting at fish sometimes works and on others it doesn't and after a few hours of not receiving any action I started to think that maybe casting at them wasn't such a great idea!
I continued to press on with my Winter campaign and as we all know we were getting some awesome record-breaking mild weather during late February and into early March. This weather had my head in a bit of a spin because, although I don't believe for one minute that the Frimley fish had stopped moving all winter, they were really starting to show...
After a few successful seasons on the front lake and with my amazing journey across Germany behind me, now felt like the perfect time to go after the remaining 27 known carp from the original stock that were left swimming in the back lake...
