Everyone knows it, you have been doing your thing for years in a certain way and somebody tells you in a different way and then you think “I would have known that before”. We often hear that when fishing for carp. Methods, techniques, tricks or simple simple things to pay attention to that can immediately lead to more catches. Most tips are purely attention points that do not even cost money. In this articles we give you no less than 5 tips on which the chances that you catch more carp are immediately increased! These may have to do with your material but also be a matter of paying attention to something. Do you know all 5 already?
Make sure your rig is good
A shiny hook, a rig that has been tied up by throwing in or a carp line that is tangled on the bottom. These are all causes that prevent you from catching as many carp as you would like. Therefore, make sure that your rig is perfect. Use the possibilities that have been developed for this, such as anti-tangle material, line aligners, matte hooks, stiff rig material, tungsten putty or sinking material.
Use new and good hooks
A subject that is underestimated by many carp anglers is the effect that the hook point has. The moment at which the hook touches the lip of the carp is a crucial moment. Pricks the hook or the carp has enough time and awareness to notice it and it becomes a miss. The blunt the hook point is the more difficult it pricks into the lip. The hook point can not be sharp enough. Not all carp hooks are equally sharp when you have bought them new.
Cheap hooks from unknown brands are often not as sharp and certainly not as strong as real quality hooks such as those of Gamakatsu. These are made of the strongest materials and even chemically ground. But even those will eventually become blunt by use. Really not because of that carp lip, but it is because of sanding on all kinds of things such as stones, wood, etc. Have you ever been stuck somewhere with your hook? Then you can best replace it for a new one to make sure that you do not miss the next carp by a bad hook.
Keep a detailed log
Keep a detailed log every session you do. Make a note of the location (possibly GPS coordinates), the weather conditions, the installation and bait such as boilies with which you fish and not entirely unimportant the results! You can make this as comprehensive or simple as you want. Also note, for example, which fishing rod or carpenter mill you use or just leave this if you have a fixed set. It can all be very valuable information if you want to go fishing again.
You can also recognize patterns in this way, for example that the catches with a particular boilie are remarkably good. This can then be used more often. The other way around, of course, is that with a certain technique you do not catch anything on multiple sites. It is then wise to check whether the technique is correctly applied and whether there is perhaps something to improve or whether you can leave the technology behind better. It is best to create such a log in a program in which you can work well with tables such as Excel.
Use underlines with different lengths
The length of a bottom line is very decisive for the time the carp has before the hook punctures the lip. With a relatively short underline of grab him 20 centimeters, the carp will soon feel resistance, spit out the hook and be crocheted. The advantage of this is that the hook often sits nicely in the front of the lip. However, some carp are very shy and very careful. A longer line can offer a solution because it takes a little longer for the carp to feel resistance.
However, the risk of swallowers is also increased, so try to find a good balance. Ideally you fish with a short underline but if you have a lot of misses try to extend the bottom line (in steps). You can also vary the position of the hair in relation to the hook and its length.
Go fishing at the right time
Still far from known to all fishermen. Most fish – and carp too – are especially active in the early morning and evening. Buy only the best fish finders for kayaks because during the day, the carp is the least active and your chance of catching will be the least big. That is why it is wise to go fishing in the morning or evening. If you accept a full day / night / weekend fishing then your catch opportunities will be less during the day. You may be able to use that time for something else.