Carp on the Old Lake

[magicmarkie]

Hi just thought id add a few words after having a couple of very productive sessions recently.
We have been trying out lots of new paste and boillies 18-28 mm(huge i know but it did work on the larger carp and kept the bream at bay) on the old lake fished over hemp and pellet on two occasions i tried two different hemp flavours and mixed pellets both with amazing results! Spod it hard and tight to the island and place your bait on or around the spodded area,all the larger fish where taken 12-24 inches of the island at numourous locations from peg 75 back to 65.Remeber clip up to get in close.Fish going through the range from 5-30lb we lost count how many.Look at some of the newer baits on the market.Starmer baits have an amazing range and they will send you free samples to play about with before you order just email them on starmerbaits@aol.com or call 01268690300 all of the bait they have on offer was very productive so ive just placed a nice size order with them.
We used Korda safe zone gravel chod,srip tease 15lb hook lengths to size 8-10 barbless hooks. We also used in line leads on the second session which produced just as well.
Remember if you try somthing new the chances are it may not produce so take at least 6 different baits for a 24 hour session then your in with a shot.As soon as you start getting takes on specific baits then switch the other rods to that bait and keep on feeding them with the spod periodically 2-3 hours.I have found that the more proactive you are on the old lake the more you get out of it.I also know you can catch from any point of the island so dont be scared to move around a bit.
New baits are working for me at the moment and they are sucking of the paste like its going out of fashion.So for the moment i reakon try some new boillies wrapped in paste any combo we have had hits of loads of combos.
Good luck Guys

[carppikeangler]

As you may have seen from my posts, I'm quite new to fishing and carping and struggle to reach the island in casting....have you got any tips for longer range casting?????

I will bear the info youve posted in mind....quite a few people have suggested using paste, so i will try it next time

Tight lines for your next session

Carppikeangler

[magicmarkie]

I use shimano forcemaster 16lb and my rods are 2 3/4 test curve and i generally use 2 1/2-3 oz weights.If your worried about losing rigs then i would suggest first cast with just the weight(no rig)say if you hit 3/4 of the way out,walk back with the rod and try to judge a rod length from where you just cast short of your destination if you think a rod length is to long the just walk half a length back,clip the line from the reel and cast again this way you wont over cast the clip will stop the weight when your happy with where the weight is landing put the rig on with small pva bags and hit it as hard as you like the clip will stop it dead ! Always remember to have a point on the peg that you always cast from make a mark with a bank stick and always cast from that exact point with the toe of your shoe,Remove the clip once your happy with it and put the rod on your alarm,you will be amazed at how acurate you will be with this method.You will be able to hit within 12 inches once you get the hang of it.
Yes a bit of practice is needed but you can also apply this to spodding everyone does it this way when casting long distances to snags and islands.You will also find that by doing this you will also learn to cast long distance with acuracy without clipping when you feel confident you may not need to use the clip,i always do though coz im rubbish at casting,clips o'clock mate always remember to unclip before setting the rod on the buzzer.if you want to keep the distance and reset the bait just clip up again before you reel the rig in then youll hit exactly the same distance every cast.Untill you get that screemer that will be your P.B.
Hope you get the idea of what i mean.
Good luck any other Q's get in touch