|
Are You Casting Regularly Enough or not?
Frequency of casting for different carp
fishing methods.
I often wonder what is the necessary amount of
time before we should recast a rod?
I think the easy answer would be that it depends
on the carp fishing situation we encounter. This answer is generally correct
but, lets see if we can be more specific and give some detailed answers concerning various
fishing situations.
I think the first question to ask is what type
of carp fishing method are you using? Are you fishing the method, ledger or
what type of rig system is being used?
METHOD FISHING FOR CARP
I think its pretty common sense to say that
fishing for carp using a method would probably require more frequent
casting. When I fish with the method I generally use it to cast to various
areas of my swim in order to catch what I call bonus fish. Roaming around
your swim with a method feeder is probably a good fishing tactic because
many anglers use small or particle hook bait with a method. Small soft
particle baits don't always tend to last very long on the hook so casting
regularly also helps to check if the bait is still on. For this reason when method
fishing I tend to cast roughly every 30 minutes.
LEDGER CARP RIGS
How frequently I cast a ledger carp rig will
generally depend on whether a specific rig or tactic has taken lots of time and effort
to put in place.
Single Hook Baits
I generally cast a rig out every 60 minutes
or so when targeting carp with single hook baits. If I notice
frequent fish movement around a certain feature then I may cast to it using
a single hook bait. If I get no action, plus if there are no more movements
then I may leave the rig for 45 minutes before recasting to other areas.
I cast single bait rods regularly so I can try
out different Glugs to attract carp through various smells. This gives me an
idea of what type of flavour the carp in the lake are enjoying at the time
of fishing. For instance, if I am getting action on fruit flavours, or more
specifically pineapple, then I can try using more pineapple or fruit
flavours on other rods or in the method mix.
Pop Ups
When using pop up baits I tend to cast more
frequently and I use this method for roaming around the swim. I may recast a
pop up rig as frequently as every 30 minutes, this is especially so
if there are lots of different features in the swim. Again, I like to try
out many different flavours or colour combinations until I find something
that stimulates carp into feeding. I like to answer certain questions
quickly, like finding out if bright colours are spooking or attracting the
fish. The only way to build up a picture is to keep trying out different
combinations. Casting pop up baits frequently sometimes helps discover
answers to simple questions.
Baited Areas
When I'm casting to baited areas I prefer to
leave the rig in the water for longer periods. I generally cast the rod
between 3 - 6 hours, again, this will depend on the time of day or
how long it took to set the rig used. If there are carp in and around the
baited area I won't recast the rig for much longer, instead I may attempt to
trickle feed the area every ten minutes or so to try to get the carp to dive
down on the bait and start feeding.
PVA Set Ups
If I use PVA bag set ups then I generally leave
the rigs for
longer before re-casting. In fact I often use PVA bagged-up rigs for setting
the rods during the night. This way I feel that there is enough
surrounding bait to attract the carp towards the rig. Also, the swim can be
kept quiet throughout the night - providing no carp caught - so the rigs are
set and ready for any patrolling carp during the morning feeding session.
Any other time I may recast a PVA rig every 3
hours, depending on fish movements, as well as other variables listed
below.
Other things to consider how often you cast a
rig are:
-
Duration of fishing session
-
Location of fish in the swim
-
Feeding rate of carp
-
Catch rate
-
Strength of hook bait (soft baits need regular
attention)
-
Any small bites that didn't turn into a run
The casting frequency I have stated above can
vary from one fishing session to the next. I have revealed a few reasons why
I would decide to recast a rig, but it will always depend on all the
variables together. I think it's important to also take into account how
your instinct feels at the time. It may also pay to think about what is
working for other anglers around your swim. Catching carp is a hard task but
it always pay to try out new bait, rigs and ideas, finding the answer always
starts with a cast!
Many carp
catching tips and tactics to help fishing for big carp
List
of all our Carp Fishing Articles & Information
|