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!

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