I've just joined a club water containing around a dozen Carp upto a little over 30lb.

the water is heavily silted and around 25 acres in size.
Boiles are banned and so are bolt rigs (this is a new rule and we're waiting clarification on what they actually mean by this, I get the impression that they actually mean teather rigs).

I've got a few ideas to be getting on with but how would you appraoch this?

TIA

Rig wise i'd go with Light leads and long supple hooklinks.

As its a low stocked venue it would be a good idea to prebait a number of spots now so that the fish are used to your bait going in and they will hopefully make a clear spot where they feed.

As boilies are banned, maize, pellet or hemp seem the obvious alternatives to use but doing something a little different such as using bloodworm pellets may give you an edge.

Is there a large number of smaller fish present? Bream/Tench in particular? If not i would recommend using maggots on a mag-aliner rig as this is a deadly rig when tied properly.

On the topic of live baits, Bloodworm beds will more than likely be present on a heavily silted lake so locating those which are fresh and contain lively red bloodworm will give you another spot to place a bait as the carp will feed here.

good luck
Nick

why not use paste baits made from boilie mix? you could even freeze round balls of it so you coulf throwing stick them out. call them "freezies" and jobs a good'un

thanks Nick,I was thinking light leads at least until I can get clarification on what they mean by a bolt rig...Hemp is banned too, so that will have to be replaced by white/red dari or some blend.

there is quite a large stock of Tench and Bream and some beautiful roach so that sort of rules out the Maggot approach.

I've never used bloodworm pellets before so I'll have to have a look at them, not sure if I can get them big enough to potentially use as a hook bait? I think Maize and rubber corn will be the bait to get starting with.

Frothey,
I when for a walk around on Saturday just prior to paying my subs, I asked the same question, air dried lumps of boilie paste...I was told I'd probably get away with it too!

The committee are all old matchmen, who have no idea about carp fishing. if someone suggests something at the AGM that will make life a little more difficult for us it gets voted in, but they all fish the clubs other waters they don't bother with the mere, hopefully this will change as a mate of mine has been asked to either join the committe of advise them.

use a heavy lead - the foods all in the silt anyway. and the further the rig sinks into the silt, the more it'll be a bolt rig anyway!

Doesn't a heavy lead free running on the line/rig tube in conjunction with a heavy indicator work like a bolt rig anyway? Poppped up baits would probably work best over silt, or critcally balanced with a long hooklength.

yep, it would! even if you slack line, if the lead is buried it wouldnt run properly.

silts great, as you dont really have to worry as much about the presentation - just make sure the hooks sharp, and a bit of dissolving foam on the hook.

why have a pop-up/critical balanced bait floating above the silt where the food is? carp feeding in silt tend to have their heads buried in it. not saying pop-ups dont work, but it might be despite them, rather than because of them.

Depending on the silt. Some silts are totally devoid of food sources and are rank!

Had good results years ago fishing over silt pockets with heavy leads burying the hook bait in it.

I've fished some meres which are nearly all silt and did better popping baits up. But hey that was mainly for tench. Let the fish decide!

a pop up's height would depend on the depth of the silt, the length of the hooklink and the weight of the lead.


My suggestion would be Vitalin and maize and lots of prebaiting under the cover of darkness.

Wol is right, some silt is black, stinky and devoid of food and fish, make sure you pick the right silt or a hard patch amongst the soft.

the pop-up might've been a bottom bait.....

Thanks for your input gents the carp appear to be very nomadic, most of the guys that carp fish there use baitboats and drop their baits close to the far bank reeds. this isn't an option for me can't stand baitboats and at the moment I'd rather spend my money elsewhere.

how long are we talking hooklength's? depth of silt? (this could mean 3 - 4 feet).

cheers

Dave
www.PredatorAngling.co.uk