Showing posts with label Carp fishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carp fishing. Show all posts

Viper Euro Bait Boat

  • The 'Euro' Viper is built to the same high standards as the Viper 3 with the following extras:
  • More powerful cluster spotlight (7 LED's)
  • Faster top speed
  • Unique double hopper for more bait
  • Catamaran hull design to cut through choppier waters
  • Two x 12 volt batteries positioned one in each hull to give even weight distribution. (Boat works from one battery and can easily be changed over to other battery when required.
  • Physically larger size to cope with bigger waters, especially overseas.
  • No priming necessary.
  • Complete with Solar Panel And Carryall.
  • Euro dimensions:  
  • 800mm x 440mm x 300mm
Best deal £724.99 at Lathams fishing

Maver Storm Rider Shelter With G/Sheet

  • This superb new offering from the Storm Rider range raises the standards for Day Shelters.
  • Designed by Derek ‘The Don’ Ritchie himself, this quality Day Shelter features a groundsheet as standard, and also has extended side panels, which provide additional protection when the direction of the wind or rain changes.
  • Incredibly lightweight, yet superbly stable, the Storm Rider Day Shelter comes supplied in a quality carry bag that will fit into the majority of quiver holdalls with ease.
  • Manufactured from the same 420D fabric as all the bivvies in the Storm Rider range, it is waterproof to 5000mm. The slim aluminium frame is fully elasticated and features plastic bushes to protect the elastic from damage.
  • Featuring double pegging points throughout, means that the Day Shelter can be set up perfectly every time regardless of the terrain.
  • Already sold in large quantities, the demand for this Day Shelter is going to be huge throughout the whole of 2009.
  • 420 Denier fabric
  • Waterproof to 5000mm
  • Supplied with a lightweight groundsheet as standard
  • High quality carry bag
  • Supplied with steel pegs
  • Fully reinforced pegging points
  • Elasticated poles
  • Extremely stable
  • Weight: 4.8kg (exc pegs)
£79.99 at Lathams Fishing

The Anglers Fishing Bivvy

Here is an article by carp angler Steve Baldry that explains all you need to know about that essential bit of fishing equipment 'The Bivvy' If you are into night fishing or carp fishing or indeed anyone who takes their fishing seriously it is likely you are going to need a fishing bivvy at some time so read on.
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The specimen anglers fishing bivvy is now an essential part of the modern day fisherman's armoury. They allow the fisherman to camp out on by lakes or rivers for days or weeks at a time usually while specimen hunting for difficult species such as Catfish or Carp. A Bivvy is actually a nickname for a dome shaped tent which has been specifically designed for the over-night or long session angler in mind. Bivvy comes from the word Bivouac - which means 'to set up or camp in an improvised shelter', sometimes from natural materials. Often the Bivouac shelter consisted of two sheets - one for the groundsheet and one for the roof, which would usually be tied up between two trees. Another version of the Bivouac is the Bivouac sack, which is a thin waterproof outer casing fabric shell designed to go over the top of a sleeping bag. The Bivouac sacks are commonly used by climbers, mountaineers and hikers.
The Fishing Bivvy became commercially available to fisherman in the UK in the 1970's. It was designed as a throw over for a large fishing umbrella and effectively created a dome shaped tent, which was then pegged down for stability. This type of bivvy was also known as a Brolly Camp. These wrap around brolly camps or 'bivvies' are still available today, but also available now are stand-alone versions that do not require an umbrella for the body of the brolly camp. The more modern stand-alone bivvies are designed with a collapsible all-in-one structure that can be 'popped-up' and constructed much quicker than the wrap-over brolly camp styles. In fact manufacturers compete with each other to see whose bivvy can be erected in the quickest time as well as qualities such as waterproofing, stronger, breathable, easier to access and lighter. The latest models of bivvy such as the TFG Force 8 Extreme Bivvy can be apparently erected in less than 15 seconds.

Bivvies were primarily designed for anglers to fish overnight, but some are now designed to give anglers comfort during the day and to shelter from the elements. These bivvies are known as a day session shelter.
Bivvies are also designed for either 1 or 2 man fishing crews. The 2 man bivvies are obviously larger than the 1 man bivvies, but specimen anglers looking for a little more room for the vast amounts of tackle they require may opt for a 2 man bivvy for just themselves. Top tackle manufacturers that supply fishing bivvies and day shelters include Daiwa, Fox, JRC, Korum, Nash, Pro Logic, TFG (TF Gear) and Trakker.

Also available for anglers with bivvies are bivvy accessories such as lights, tables, rig stations etc.. There is one clever device - the Fox Halo Elite Bivvy light for example - that can actually be programmed to switch on when a fish indicates a bite from your electronic bite alarms. According to Nash their TT Rig Station is the carp worlds first dedicated bivvy station, work station and total tackle storage solution. It's an all-in-one solution for storing and organizing the carp anglers essential rigs, baiting needles, foam and other items.

Many bivvy accessories are available from all the top tackle manufacturers including kettles, pans, pots, stoves, tables, plates, torches, towels, headlamps, and many others - everything but the kitchen sink!
For more information and reviews on Bivvys and Shelters goto http://how-to-fish.co.uk/category/bivvys-shelters/

For more advice, tips and articles on How to Fish, Where to Fish and What Fishing Tackle you need see the 'How to Fish' website/blog.http://www.how-to-fish.co.uk/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Baldry

Carp Fishing-How To Make Carp Fishing Baits And Save Money With Homemade Bait

We fishermen pay lots of money for readymade fishing baits! The fact is that if they were so wonderful, companies would not have to keep on offering new baits all the time! Just the same number of fish or more, can be caught as a result of making your own unique baits and this will save you bags of money too!

In fact when you have made your homemade baits despite any mistakes you might make, well over 80 percent of your recipes will catch fish and equal results on readymades with ease. The fact they will be fresh and new is a giant factor in this too. New baits will arouse far less care and suspicion for most fish as they have never even been hooked on your new bait before. One of the great things about homemade baits is that they can keep you well ahead of the fish and fellow anglers who always follow the crowd using readymades, giving you even better consistent catches and more big fish!

Of course it takes the usual fishing skills and application in order to catch any fish especially those bigger ones which are far less easily caught, but your unique bait is a distinct factor in producing for you consistent big fish catches. One of the most incredible highs is to land new personal best fish on bait you have made from your own recipe and knowing you are the one angler who is ever going to exploit your secret bait. You never have to compete with hundreds of other fishermen on the same bait as you!

Bait only really has a peak of effectiveness when fish feed confidently on it because they know they most likely will not get hooked and risk getting taken home for tea. Sure we put them back, but if you were hooked and dragged out of your safe air environment into a foreign one you would be wary of any bait that has led to you being hooked previously too! Making your own alternative secret bait recipes is such a great advantage over the masses who use readymades without a further thought to their never talked about disadvantages!

Popular baits in many ways do have a shelf life in terms of longevity of effectiveness. Top bait manufacturers will tell you that even in a stock pond which has never been fished, when a new bait has been fished intensively by a number of anglers successfully, their results can slow right up even literally to the point of no more fish being caught on that bait. (This is no exaggeration, for example Gary Bayes of the international bait company Nashbaits told me of his experience of this!) Many baits exploit highly concentrated flavors in order to affect bait pH to stimulate fish. Others use the biological nutritional value approach and call their baits food baits for this reason.

It might sound hard, but making baits that really work effectively is easy, and your baits do not need to be perfect like commercially produced machine rolled round or barrel shaped boilies or pellets shapes etc. There are obviously very many methods of making baits and you do not need to follow conventional steps at all, in fact there are many steps you can leave out completely. This makes things very much easier, saves hours of time and take the least effort possible!

Many fisherman overlook the advantages of not making their baits oval in shape. Remember carp remember, so using angular baits or non oval baits is a definite advantage. Just with a handful of eggs and a pound of semolina and soya flour you can make limitless different baits utilising any of thousands of additives and flavors, sweeteners and appetite stimulators and so on, or just one! Such a bait will form a protective skin if you drops pieces of such baits in water or scald them with steam. Why bother boiling your baits when bait which is merely dried in warm air are frequently more effective than boilies?

Making homemade bait is as hard as finding a bowl a mixing spoon or knife, a few eggs and some flours or other dry ingredients. Many flours about the house will bind to form a bait, from semolina and soya to maize and corn flour, and dried rice flour. For example, crack 5 or 6 eggs into a bowl and whisk them adding any flavouring or liquids additives you might choose, like ketchup or a flavoring from the baking aisle of your local store. Take 8 ounces of semolina and the same of soya flour and slowly add to your eggs until a dough the feel of putty is made. It is very easy and quick and with practice you can do this at lightening speed!

When your dough is ready you can use it immediately, or put it labelled plastic bags for later use. Store baits in the fridge or freeze them. It is best to make a note of the ingredients and levels in each individual bait mix. To make around a kilogram of bait it takes about 6 eggs with your dry powders. But this is a very rough guide and every mix can vary widely depending on ingredients, their solubility etc.

Considering you can easily make very economical baits even with better food nutrition value than just carbohydrate baits like the one described, it is still shocking to work out just how much money you can save. You can produce very effective big fish baits for 2 or 3 pounds or about 6 dollars per kilogram compared to shop prices of 5 or 6 times this cost. The total cost of 10 kilograms of readymade baits can be 80 to 120 pounds, while your homemade bait can cost you just 20 or 30 pounds, saving you 60 to 100 pounds for every 10 kilograms of readymade bait!

The best advantage of all is you can make your baits as different to normal as you like. Remember, being different is what really counts. Most frequently it is the most different and alternative homemade baits which tempt the very biggest and wariest of fish. You can start off with the simple bait here, but you might like to find out more if you really want to get cracking and hit the big-time!

By Tim Richardson.

About the Author=For expert help enhancing and making top fishing baits see: "BIG CATFISH AND CARP BAIT SECRETS!" And: "BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS!" And "FLAVORS, FEEDING TRIGGERS and CHEMORECEPTION SECRETS" SEE: http://www.baitbigfish.com These volumes are by Tim Richardson and even used by members of the British Carp Study Group so visit his site now!

Carp Fishing-That first big carp

Do you remember your first big Carp? That is a memory dear to any Carp angler and one of the highlights for anyone into carp fishing. If your into carp fishing or coarse fishing i am sure you will be able to relate to this article by Steve Kepson.

My first Twenty.....

I started fishing as a small boy around the Birmingham area, mostly on the canals and small lakes in the public parks. It did not take me long to catch my first Carp and of all things it came from the canal just half a mile from where I used to live. I can remember thinking what the hell have I got here as my little 6ft spinning rod doubled over and the line ripped from my reel at the speed of a roaring train. I landed the fish at it was a 10lb 2oz mirror, from that day I was hooked (excuse the pun!) and Carp fishing took over my life, as it does with many of us !.

It was not long before I became obsessed with catching my first 20lb carp and I went everywhere trying, the canal did produce other carp for me but none of them hit the 20lb mark and I spent many lonely nights on the canal bank, sometimes feeling very isolated and scared, fishing the canals in Birmingham can be a scary thing and I would not recommend doing this these days, make sure you have some friends with you!
There were many day fisheries springing up all over the country boasting of 20lb and 30lb fish and I knew they were there but could I catch that twenty, NO I always ended up just short and went home disappointed to fight another day.

So, to cut a very long story short a mate of mine told me about Horseshoe lake which boated big fish and there were lots being caught, I guess part of the answer for me was if I really wanted to catch a twenty I had to fish where they were, and Horseshoe is where they were !.

Armed with every carp bait you could imagine off we went to Horseshoe, we had booked a mid-week session as we were not members and we fished from Monday to Wednesday, we were luck and managed to get the double peg in the winter bay. Horseshoe is exactly what it suggests and lake in the shape of a horseshoe, with a summer bay which is quite shallow and a deeper winter bay where the fish move into when the weather gets colder.

We were fishing in the winter bay on the double peg about half way up the bay. Horseshoe is very weedy and you have to find a gravel spot by casting out and slowly pulling your tackle back, I found my spot about 80 yards out, a clear patch probably no bigger than 3 foot long and 4 foot wide. I clipped up and put two rods out hitting the patch after about 7 or 8 casts!!.

I had read so much about complex rigs and super wonder baits but the truth is if Carp are in the mood they are in the mood and will eat anything, this has always been my experience. So, out went both rods with the same bait on tiger nut flavour boilies, my mate decided to use his tried and trusted Maze.
Having cast out the rods, then came the really hard work, horseshoe is no easy lake, you have to work hard, I know people who have spent a whole week at this lake and never had a run!!, this was my first visit and that was not going to happen to me, or was it!!

I had a spod mix of maze, hemp, corn and shopped boilies and I must have spodded out about 50lb well it seemed like that anyway, and my arm was dropping off after the first night. So, the rods were out, Tiger nut boilies on both of them, the areas was baited up and the wait was on. The first night I had a run at about 02:00, yep she was on and I lost her, the hook pulled out I was devastated, she was a big-un I could tell. No action during the day so we eagerly await the next night, bingo my left hand rod went off like a train and I landed my first carp, was it my first twenty NO, she weighed in at 18lb, dam just two pound short !!.
I was beginning to think it was not going to happen, we were on our last night, this was my last chance was that twenty going to come. I sat up for most of that last night praying for a run, the last thing I remember was looking at the clock 04:00 and I must have fell asleep.

I was woken by my left hand rod screaming off at 06:30, I could not believe it, we were packing up in just two hours and I was in to what felt like a very big fish, no mad dashing around the lake just heavy thumping on the rod top. After about 10 minutes I had the fish in the net and I knew it was a 20lb yippeeee. The fish actually weighed 29lb 4oz so not only did I catch my first 20lb I nearly had my first 30lb !!.
Horseshoe was kind to me, two fish in three days and a 29lb fish to end with.
So what’s the morale of this story, if you want to catch a twenty or thirty go and fish where they are !! Keep it simple and pray...

Steve Kempsonhttp://www.fishingguide4u.com/
email - L.kempson@btinternet.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Kempson

Hooked On Carp Fishing=What is carp fishing all about?

Here is an excellent article by Dave Offan for all those who love to fish for Carp. Just one of the fishing articles that I hope to publish on the subject of Carp Fishing.

Why do people, me included, spend days (and nights) on end on the lakeside, often ending up without having caught a thing?

I've often wondered, when soaked to the skin on the lakeside, "What am I doing here". But I realize that carp fishing is not just about catching a few fish and putting them back.
Carp are special fish. Many are even given names. Some are legendary, like "Mary" the former British record carp that used to grace the occasional landing net from Wraysbury. Of course, part of the lure is that, other than the occasional catfish, no British freshwater fish grows as large as the carp. There are several carp in UK lakes over the magical 50 pound mark, and if you venture across the English Channel to France, carp of this size are almost common place, with 60 and 70lb fish regularly caught - often by British anglers on a carp fishing holiday.

Carp are clever fish too. One of the reasons that we try out so many different rigs and tactics is that we know that the carp have learned to be wary of certain types of baits and presentations. That makes it a battle of wills between you and the fish. I know of guys who have targeted a particular carp and not been satisfied until they have had it on the bank. Often they have spent a whole season (in the old days when there was such a thing) pursuing that one fish.

And of course, when you are lucky enough to hook into a decent sized carp, they fight all the way to the net.
But carp fishing is even more than that. The social side of things can be great fun too. A couple of lads in a bivvy, chatting over a brew. A fry up by the lake on a cold winter morning with a few mates. It all adds up to make carp fishing a great way of making friends for life.

by Dave Offen

For more on carp fishing, including catch reports, rigs, bait talk and more, visit http://www.baggingup.co.uk/blog
Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dave_Offen

Spod with accuracy

There is no point spoding out loads of bait all over the lake and then casting your hook baits yards from where you need to be when there is a sure fire way to get your spod bait and hook bait in exactly the same spot every single time.
As a specimen hunter being able to cast to the exact same spot every time is essential if you are going to be successful in catching that big one.

Before you can start to fish you have to find a clear area which you can spod out too and cast your hook baits too. I like to keep this simple, I set up one rod and cast to an area that I like the look of. As I cast I pick a specific feature on the far bank such as a tree or building, anything will do as long as it is easily visible. This will then be my casting line and I will always aim for this line as I cast.
At this point I have no rig attached just my weight. I then retrieve the weight by very slowly pulling the rod towards me. You can easily feel the weight pulling through any weed by the resistance. I reel in the slack line and then pull the rod backwards again. When you find a clear spot you will feel the difference as the weight moves freely across the bottom. This is the weed free area I am looking for so I stop pulling.

Now, I need to be able to cast to this exact spot every time because accuracy is the key to success!

I simply get some electrical tape and wrap a small piece around the line at the end of my rod tip. This gives me a marker on the line so when I recast using the feature on the far bank that I picked earlier I simply reel the line in until I can see that the tape is at the end of the rod tip. Now I know I have my bait in the exact spot that I wanted. I simply repeat this process with my other rods so that I am confident that all my baits are in clear areas that I can hit every time.

To insure that I can now reach the same spot with my Spod to put out my freebies I simply follow these steps.

  1. Take one of the rods with the tape on the line and put your reel on free spin or take the bail arm off and walk up the bank with the end of the line in your hand. When you get to the tape at the end of the rod tip stop. This is the correct distance.
  2. Now simply get the spod rod and do the same, walk up the bank to where you left the other line, when you get there, don't put tape on the spod rod line just go back to the reel and use the line clip to mark the distance.Now you can cast the spod rod out and it will hit the line clip at exactly the right distance.
  3. Now fill your spod and use your casting Line to aim and you will be able to bait your swim with total accuracy.

These are a few simple steps that will insure that you are accurately feeding the areas you are fishing and if followed correctly they will help improve your catch rate.


Benson gone but not forgotten


Bluebell lakes Famous common Benson has died. Voted Britain's favourite carp she is sure to be missed.


I was somewhat surprised to see a picture of a huge carp on the front page of 'The Times' newspaper this week and was saddened to see that it was to report the death of Benson the countries biggest common carp. It may have been a slow news day that elevated Benson's death to the front page but it is good to see the national press reporting an angling related story all be it a sad one. You can check out the full 'Times article here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article6737929.ece
Benson was resident at Bluebell lakes in Northamptonshire and at 64lbs 2oz she was Britain's largest common carp. The amazing thing about Benson was that she was the monster that anyone could catch. Bluebell lakes is a day ticket venue and in these days of expensive syndicate waters that hold most of the countries giant carp just knowing that you could simply pay your money and fish with the possibility of catching such a record made Bluebell lakes very successful.
And Benson Proved to be very obliging to visiting anglers by visiting the bank 63 times at an average of 4 times a year. Benson became an angling celebrity and her status saw her get voted Britain's favourite carp by readers of the anglers mail. There are many different opinions on naming carp and making them celebrities but it would seem Benson was just that.
Benson may be gone but in the hearts of the nations carp anglers she will never be forgotten.

Think fish safety!

Any serious angler should insure that they have an adequate unhooking mat.


We all love catching big fish and it is important that we treat the fish we catch well and insure they are returned safely back to the water.

That is why it is important that we have the correct equipment. Anyone that goes fishing for large carp should have an adequate unhooking mat like the Terry Hearn Euro zip mat pictured here. The fish we catch give us a great deal of pleasure and they deserve to be well treated while in our care. A large carp can be very hard to handle when on the bank and can flip and damage themselves which is a needless tragedy that can be easily prevented by ensuring you have a suitable unhooking mat ready on the bank and then by placing your catch there while you remove the hook. That is basic fish safety and all anglers should make that there priority.

Remember many waters will not let you fish without a suitable unhooking mat now. So please ensure you are prepared.

We all need to insure we care for the fish we catch so please make sure you are properly equipped. You can find suitable unhooking mats and other fish care products by clicking this link

Lathams Fishing - Click here

H3 Rod Butt illuminator





I have now added a H3 Rod Butt illuminator to all of my Carp rods and will soon be adding them to other rods that I use when nightfishing


How many of you have been woken in the early hours by a screaming bite alarm?

And how many of you have lost the fish because you knocked over your rod before you could strike?

Well this is the answer to that scenario! The H3 Rod Butt illuminator is a great idea. This nifty bit of kit fits securely onto the end of your rod. Then as darkness falls it starts to glow just like the isotopes in your hangers or swingers. This means that even on the darkest nights you will know where the darkness ends and your rod begins. It means 'No more lost fish' due to running into the rods as you are rudely awoken in the early hours.

H3 have come up with this clever little device, the H3 Rod Butt illuminator which is 20mm in length and 18mm in width with the diameter of the stem measuring 10mm. It has an isotope integrally fitted into it and it is this that glows in the dark. The casing is made from stainless steel and is very robust. So not only can the isotope be seen clearly from up to 20m away but it also gives added protection to the end of your rod. The H3 Rod Butt illuminator is simple to fit to your rod. You simply slide it onto the butt end.

I not only have the H3 Rod Butt illuminator fitted on my Carp rods. But i have also fitted one onto the end of my landing net handle. So i now know exactly where my landing net is at those critical times even on the darkest of nights.

This bit of kit is a must have for all Carp anglers who fish at night and here at UK Coarse Fishing Reviews we give it 9/10

Find out more about the H3 Rod Butt illuminator or buy yours now by simply clicking the link below

Have you got an article or a review you would like to share with the nations anglers?

It does'nt matter if its a bait or tackle review or a review on your local angling club we would like to see it. If you feel you have something worth saying please feel free to send it to UKcoarsefishingreviews@gmail.com and subject to an edit we will try to publish it.