Help for a beginner...

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Jeff Butler

Guest
Hi,
I have been a general course fisherman for some 15 years now and have finally decided it's time to seriously apply myself to carp fishing this coming season. I have had carp to a mere 7.5lbs while fishing for Chub and really want to know what the big monsters go like! I have had a good nose through various carp mag's, have recently bought Lee Jacksons book 'Carp Clinic' and watched a few vidios. As good as they all are I must confess to being rather overwhelmed with it all. How would you put a beginner on the right track? I have some Diawa carp rods with a strong test curve for heavy loads and some Diawa bait runners, bite alarms, large landing net, unhooking mat etc which I use for my Pike fishing. I hope these will be ok for the job? It's really a case of what end tackle I need to purchase and what baits to look at before the season kicks off again... I am quite interested in the method feeder but for the life of me can't understand if it's only for heavily stocked commercial waters where fish are competing or if it can be used on 'harder, normal waters'? All these PVA bags, hair rigs and boilies are all new to me. I live in Cheshunt and fish with the Ware Angling Club in the Lea Valley if any of you guys have any local knowledge then great!
Thanks for your help in advance,

Jeff
 
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chris day

Guest
The funny thing is that if you applied your coarse fishing experiences in a 'carp' way, you would probably outfish the guys on these lakes geared up with all the toys. Float fishing worms or sweetcorn in the edge will catch more than the people more interested in camping. Watercraft is what counts...............
 
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Jeff Butler

Guest
Thanks mate good advice really. I shouldn't overlook the experience that I have gained trying to out wit wiley old Chub etc...

Thanks

JEff
 
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nick austin

Guest
failing that, if you do go down the "equipment" route, don't get too overwelmed by the rigs etc, a simple hair rig, with a decent hook and a lead the releases if lost will do the trick time after time. also, check your local rules, a lot of waters don't allow method fishing, certain particle baits, boilies,braided hook lengths, surface fishing etc.....i found that i read all about these wonderfull methods, then could not use half of them in my chosen waters. Find a venue, check the rules, then tailor your fishing to that venue.
I would also say that fishing a mixture of relativly well stocked lakes and harder waters may be a great confidence booster if the monster you are after dosn't apear immediately! hahaha
 
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Dave Silvers

Guest
I find it very interesting that there are two threads on here from 'new carpers' and with a couple of exceptions none of the regular carp crew on here can be bothered to give advice.
Is this the state of carp fishing?
Jeff, I'm not an out and out carper but I'm willing to give advice and if any of the 'experts' disagree with what I'm saying maybe they will take the time to put us both right.
To answer a couple of your questions, the method will ( in theory at least) work for carp on all waters, it's just that it is harder on hard waters, if you get what I mean.
PVA bags are an excellent way of presenting loose feed adjacent to you your hook bait.
PVA is a material that dissolves in contact with water and is therefore ideal for this purpose.
I prefer the net type but bags work just as well. Use net or bags to put out a pile of
pellet, broken boillies, even sweetcorn (if your dry it in a towel first).
If you use bags remenber to puncture the bag
a few times, this will allow it to sink. If you don't do this sometimes the bag will float untill it starts to dissolve and then your bait is spread out over a larger area.
If you want to present boillies make up a stringer by threading five or six boillies onto a length of PVA string, this is just nicked onto your hook, the same can be done with a mesh bag, which is one reason I prefer them.
Listen to the advice you've already been given and keep it simple, also make sure you are using carp friendly rigs, check out the rigs page on here for further info.
Hope this helps.
 
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Mark Morton

Guest
just thought i'd mention a method that seems to
be working for me at the moment. Hair rig two
grains of sweetcorn with an artifical one or a
piece of yellow foam. Put the artifical/foam corn in the middle of the two peices of real corn. This produces a
counterbalanced bait just off the bottom. The height of the bait off the bottom can be vaired
by putting a AAA or BB weight on the hooklength.
Its worked for me
 
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Dave Silvers

Guest
Mark - spot on with the balanced corn.
Its a method I've used for a couple of years now, since I discovered the Partridge artifical corn, I believe at the time it accounted for a record carp.
I mainly use it in the margins and it rarely fails, although like any bait fail it will at times.
Good tip though.
 
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Jeff Butler

Guest
CAKEY, I live just near the old pond mate, you local I assume?

Jeff
 
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Jeff Butler

Guest
CAKEY, you live in the pub do ya...? Nice! So you obviously know about that 40 that came out down Cadmore lane a few weeks back? Was a good fish weren't it mate, got in the anglers Mail.
 
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Mike Lee

Guest
Bit unfair of you Mr Silvers!

Not everyone can log on every day...

"none of the regular carp crew on here can be bothered to give advice.
Is this the state of carp fishing?"

No Dave, It isn't.

There was plenty of advice freely given and received at the recent Fish-in

Not everyone was there to see it.
 
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Dave Silvers

Guest
Apologies Mike

But at least it got a response.

It can be very daunting to come on here and ask a question and even worse if it is subsequently ignored.
The two posts had been up for almost a week and had very little response.
That is all I was aiming to do.

I may be travelling along the A14 to Bury St Edmunds next week, if I get a chance I'll stop for a cup of tea and a bacon buttie and also to apologise in person, if you promise not to bite my head off.
:eek:)))
 
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Dave Silvers

Guest
PS - give the guy some advice.

Although he may not need it as it looks like Cakey may be taking him under his wing.
 
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Cakey

Guest
Jeff
yes I know all about the Cadmore lane fish,a mate called Gary Norton had Lumpy at 44lbs.
My two boys Ian and Lee both fish there and have been in amongst the fish last week ,Ian has had Redscale twice in a week at 30 something and Lee has had a fish called Toothpaste at 36lb 8oz .
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
"Lumpy", "Rescale" and "Toothpaste" ??

Can't you carp chaps think of names more romantic than these.

What about "Laudiamus" or "Mephistopheles"?
 
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Dave Rothery

Guest
"posh" "scary" "sporty" "baby" or "ginger" cant get more romantic than that NOT!
 
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Mike Lee

Guest
Dave (Silvers that is), the only thing bitten at my van is usually plastered between two pieces of bread.

I look forward to seeing you mate!

A fair point well made needs no apology Dave!

As for giving out advice, I haven't fished since Selby and if I remember correctly, I blanked and was asking a talented young angler for advice as I'd run out ideas! ;-))
 
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Ryan Whalesby

Guest
Just out of interest, I remember carp fishing being a progression from general fishing, learning water craft and other skills along the way.

Now it seems more people are going straight into carp fishing as their first taste of angling.

I remember it being a daunting task after having fished for years, so it must be really scary for some people entirely new to the sport.
 
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Dave Rothery

Guest
no, there were hardly any specialist tackle/bait or books in "our day" (hark at him!) - these days you can walk in the shop with a pile of cash, and be fishing with the latest rigs, baits etc within an hour or so. which is why so many people give up so quickly - no "watercraft". i'm having a rather embarassing 3 week blank (as in 3 one day sessions) on a "moderate" lake at the moment - but i know it will happen (wont it?). how many instant anglers would put up with a few blanks when others are catching?
 
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