Carp are always near islands why?

[blackout]

I was fishing on sunday for chub on a comercial with bread soaked in blue cheese special SAC and my mate was going for the carp.

I had a decent bag about 20 fish altogether in the margins under abush sticking out of the water. Fish do like features and most like to shelter or hang around them but strangely most times when targetting the carp they are always over at the islands whereas the chub and silvers are right in front of you most of the time.

Why is it carp are big bully boys dominating the place and yet they are the furthest away sometimes? I often wonder this any thoughts guys thanks.

 

[barbelboi]

Briefly, carp are more likely to feed in places where they feel safe and, especially on pressurized waters, will associate certain areas with danger. Carp can hear all the leads splashing in the water and constant splashing will often send most carp into the furthest regions of the lake. Islands are a common area where carp tend to patrol and generally offer some protection and cover. Carp may well feed much more confidently around an island so long as anglers don’t target these areas too often.
Jerry

 

[Merv Harrison]

Be it on the bank side or the island, they're still patrolling the margins, which is quite often where you'll catch them on lakes/ponds without islands. I'll go along with Jerry that they've 'adapted to the danger' and keep away from the bank side during the day,

 

[sam vimes]

I'm not entirely convinced that they have any special affinity with islands, they just like margins. If they see a lot of pressure on the bankside margins they'll retreat to an island and vice versa. If they get a lot of hammer in both they'll often sit in areas which have the least accessability to anglers, either due to range or bank access. Look at the number of big pits where you need to be an excellent distance caster to catch, or the number of lakes with a sanctuary area where the fish hide for the majority of the time. With many carper's obsession with distance casting, there's more than the odd lake where a stealthy approach will see you get excellent results because the majority never bother to fish them.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Personally I tihnk it is because some of them aren't very good swimmers so they like to be in shallow water where they can touch the bottom . . . . . . . . well, it works for me . . . . .


More seriously, I think it is down to being margin feeders, where ever possible, and an island margin is away from all the noise on the banks.

 

[stillwater blue]

I'm not entirely convinced that they have any special affinity with islands, they just like margins.

I'm not so sure I agree with that Sam.

I've fished a couple of lakes where the fish aren't pressured, indeed on two I've been the only angler to fish the lake for years and the islands massively outfished the margins. The margins looked really good too, shelves, gravels bar and even a lilly bed or two.

Personally I've come to the conclusion that if the lake has islands then your margin isn't really worth concentrating on.

I'm talking about bigger carp in more naturally stocked waters than a commerical.

 

[sam vimes]

I'm not so sure I agree with that Sam.

I've fished a couple of lakes where the fish aren't pressured, indeed on two I've been the only angler to fish the lake for years and the islands massively outfished the margins. The margins looked really good too, shelves, gravels bar and even a lilly bed or two.

Personally I've come to the conclusion that if the lake has islands then your margin isn't really worth concentrating on.

I'm talking about bigger carp in more naturally stocked waters than a commerical.

The lake I have in mind is exactly as you describe, very, very unpressured (30 acres, up to 35' deep, no more than 300 carp and only 30 anglers, no more than ten being anything like regular) by modern standards. There were more than the odd one or two that used to take the mick out of me for walking round twice then creeping about with a float rod. The tune started to change when they realised I was thrashing them. Some have even started immitating my methods. The snag is that many refuse to believe just how close to the bank I'm catching them. There have been a total of eight carp out this year, I've had five of them. Three of the five have come from within a rod length of the nearside bank.

 

[barbelboi]

I'm not so sure I agree with that Sam.


Personally I've come to the conclusion that if the lake has islands then your margin isn't really worth concentrating on.

I'm talking about bigger carp in more naturally stocked waters than a commerical.

Don't forget that not all lakes fish the same - Burghfield lake, a lake I fished for many years, is around 100 acres with masses of islands and bays. When Terry Hearn was searching for the 'Burghfield Common' he spent many months over a two year period cycling around the lake, climbing trees etc. When he did eventually spot her within four days he caught her no more than a rod length's out.
Jerry

 

[iannate]

Margins with overhanging tress offer cover from predators above, there is also the benfit of reducing the number of places they can be attacked from; dangling branches can also give some indication of underwater predators.

The overhanging branches also give food dropping in from birds, insects, berries etc.. and help to channel food when it rains (could also provide cover when it rains and there aren't any bridges to hide under) which is also why drain pipes are good holding spots.

You won't always find them on island margins as noted aboved, but it gives them distance from disturbances we make when clattering about.

Over hanging branches also make it difficult for us to place a bait (especially me anyway), so they are not often caught there and associate it with safety.

Deep water also provides safety, which is why it is a good idea to plumb the depth all over to find potential holding spots.

Fish will be where they will find food, safety or at certain times of year other fish ready and willing; find where and when they are looking for food, and you will catch, think like a fish.

Sorry what did you just say

 

[cg74]

Don't forget that not all lakes fish the same

That is the crux of it carp, all carp, well all fish for that matter, react and adapt to the environment they are living in; stocking density, angling pressure, predation, features in and around the water....

Carp do show a real liking for margins be that the nearside or the fringe of an island, why - Simple, it offers them a larder of food items and it's an easily distinguishable mark for the carp to reference when they are moving around on the feed.
Carp are very much creatures of habit, to the extent that you can over time establish a very good picture of where and when individuals will visit certain areas.

 

[frothy]

Carp do like margins it's true but in my experience they tend to choose margins that suffer the least amount of vibration. A lake I fished a few years back had a bridge built to the island and for the first few anglers that ventured on there with light feet it was like seal clubbing but as soon as it had some well worn paths it was well and truly game over.

 

[smufter]

If they get a lot of hammer in both they'll often sit in areas which have the least accessability to anglers, either due to range or bank access.

Ain't that the truth!!
I visited a "speci" lake in Hampshire on a 24 hour ticket. Got there at mid-day and it was baking hot. Not a hint of breeze to ripple the water. Didn't bode well.
This lake only had 4 swims, all 4 of them on the "nearside". The far bank was inaccessible. So were the "sides".... I know. I tried. It was like the jungles of Borneo, you couldn't get around there, no way no how.
Guess where the fish were sunning themselves?
About 1 foot off the far bank under overhanging branches. Big buggers too. There must have been forty or more. Sitting there grinning at me.
There was no way on gods earth to get a bait out to them. Unless you had a baitboat. And they were banned. As were floating baits.

 

[fishingjack]

It's because of food. Insect hatches occur in shallow water. Many emerging insects need to reach dry spots to develop. Sunlight is strongest in shallow areas allowing plant life and thus insect life etc to feed in these aquatic areas. Over hanging plant life can offer falling insects and fruits. Add to that the fact that people aren't present to scare off cautious carp and that's why.

Oh and shallow water warms up faster aiding metabolism, growth and digestion.

 

[noknot]

Don't forget that not all lakes fish the same - Burghfield lake, a lake I fished for many years, is around 100 acres with masses of islands and bays. When Terry Hearn was searching for the 'Burghfield Common' he spent many months over a two year period cycling around the lake, climbing trees etc. When he did eventually spot her within four days he caught her no more than a rod length's out.
Jerry

Hello Jerry, Pure Class and Terrys a nice guy as well!

 

[blackout]

All fish will seek shelter from preditors and noise from anglers will drive them furthest away I can understand that but still the roach and rudd are catchable right at the rod tip I can get them feeding a frenzy (more so than the big carp it seems to me?) which is strange maybe they are more intellegent than we give them credit for.

If Im fishing for silvers I will fish right out front, maybe feed another swim near some feature too but if im carping I will always go for the island or a feature never in front if you know what I mean?

 

[noknot]

Hi Blackout, as Jerry has stated, Terry Hearn has caught many Big Carp from the Margins!