Carp Fishing Tips - Feature Finding

If you want to do well on a venue you must learn how to find those invisible underwater features such as gravel bars, weed beds and clear areas. Carp use the lake bed to navigate their way around just as we use roads. Hugging gravel bars, following gullies and feeding on plateaus. The more you know about your swim, the more you will catch.

You will need a strong rod with a TC of at least 3lb. There are purpose made Marker rods out there but these can be expensive I use a Fox method master and although it has a 3.5lb TC it is still responsive enough to feel the bottom. You will need a large spooled reel to allow you to cast a lead of at least 2oz. the reel should be loaded with 15lb-20lb braid. braided main line has no stretch which makes it more responsive and will give you a better idea of what the lead is move over.You will also need a marker float set up

Now cast the marker rig out starting from the left hand side of the swim, allow the lead to hit the bottom then with the rod pointing at the point of impact wind down on the reel until you feel a bump, that would be the float hitting the run ring, the float will now be 12ins above the lake bed. Gently pay off line a foot at a time, when the float reaches the surface you will be able to count how deep it is from the line paid out, don't forget to add on 12ins for the run rig and lead. now wind in a couple of feet and repeat the process all the way in to the margins. As you wind in feel how the lead moves along the bottom this will give you an idea of what the lead is moving over. Feels smooth but steady bouncing, that's clay. If it feel like you are pulling through cotton wool, that's silt. If you feel a lot of tugging and suddenly pulling free then that is weed. Clonking and jarring, that's gravel.

Now Cast out again this time a couple of feet to the right and repeat the process. keep doing this all the way to the far right of the swim. You will soon build up a detailed picture of the water in front of you. I like to do a rough sketch of the swim and add in the depths as I go that way I can build up a detailed map of the swim and over time you can even build up a detailed map of the entire lake.

Remember knowing what you are fishing over will determine what rig will work best so the more you know about the water in front of you the more chance you have of outwitting those Carp. Now get out there and get that lake mapped out.

Tight Lines
Steve