Three rods, three different hookbait presentations, one baited area. Which one catches the most fish – pop-up, wafter or bottom bait? Ricky Thomas investigates... MOST anglers today use three rods and quite often they opt to fish all three in a tight area, especially when looking to get the fish feeding well. With that in mind...
“All my target fish are special” He’s caught some of the most desired carp in the land. Here’s what Gardner’s Lewis Read has to say. LEWIS Read has fished many of the country’s toughest waters, including the tricky Car Park Lake, where he caught his personal best – the famous Heather the Leather at 47lb 12oz. UK Carp spoke to him...
Ricky Thomas demonstrates the effectiveness of keeping your rods active and finding the fish during a session on a large winter reservoir WINTER carp fishing is a challenge. Fish will usually be lethargic, so I find a mobile approach gives me the best shot at locating them. Durleigh Reservoir is an 80-acre venue with a good...
Calum Kletta’s take on a favourite rig means he can fish it anywhere from right under the rod-tip to extreme range. I AM not an angler that spends sleepless nights over minute changes that I could make to my rigs – I would much rather they were simple and effective. For this reason, my favourite is the snowman rig, but I do make...
“This is a rig I have a lot of faith in. Ist ’fairly simple to tie, almost tangle-free and offers superb hook holds with great anti-eject properties,” says Gardner’s Ian Lewis. I USE this rig over most substrates, and the broken colour of the Disruption coated braid blends in nicely, especially when you've got a mixture of...
Gardner Tackle’s Ricky Thomas looks at how smaller baits can catch wary specimens. WITH the modern big-fish scene now dominated by boilies, it’s not surprising to see how many anglers arrive at their chosen venue, get the throwing stick out and fire out 18mm baits. With their aerodynamic shape and different application methods, it makes...
Nick Burrage finds there’s something special brewing at this crystal-clear venue in the far south of France... MOST people book their French trips well in advance, but my trip to Iktus Lake came round rather quickly to say the least. After speaking to Robert Watts from carpfishingtrips.co.uk who takes bookings for...
Gardner Tackle’s Ricky Thomas fishes Digger Lakes in Devon for the first time and reveals the tactics he uses for a successful debut... YOUR first session on a venue is always exciting as you plan how to get that first fish in the net. There are some simple rules I always follow to give me an edge, and they certainly served me...
There's an instant cure for insect bites, sunburn and hay fever that exists only to anglers. All the unwanted by-products of a summer’s day on the bank are banished in a flash by a screaming clutch. Ian Lewis’s single rod, lying in the freshly trampled grass of a tucked-away margin spot, is shaking and bouncing as a fleeing...
Gardner-sponsored angling coach Tom Oliver discusses the role that both bright and dull hookbaits play throughout the seasons. I'm often asked why I use certain hookbait colours in particular fishing situations at different times of the year. Through experience, my decisions now come as second nature, but it was...
