21 Things to Try in Your Own Carp Fishing in 2019

This week we take a look at 21 Things to Try in Your Own Carp Fishing in 2019.

2019 is going to be a great year for trying some new so why not add something new to your own carp fishing.

This guide will give you some new ideas to try in your own carp fishing. Having goals in fishing can make it super exciting, even if the challenge is something small.

This guide includes new tactic ideas, new skills and new places to get you carp fishing fix, on and off the bank.

Let’s get started…

Types of carp fishing to try

Surface fishing

Fishing for carp on the surface in the summer months has to be the most exciting and most simplistic form of fishing. Surface fishing can be as basic as using bread or dog biscuits as a hookbait and free offerings.

Use a surface float if you need the distance we recommend having a few spare Korda Interceptor Surface Floats with you whist surface fishing. Try sticking with smaller hooks (size 10/12) and getting the hookbait as close as you can to the hook.

Margin fishing

Margin fishing has to be my favourite way to catch carp. Start with baiting up a few spots and check back to see if the water has been disturbed by feeding carp. Lay a rig carefully and wait for a bite. If the fish are heavily feeding on the margin spot, bites can come very quickly.

Stalking

Similar to margin fishing, find the fish first then gain their confidence before dropping a rig into the spot. Walking around and spotting fish can be time consuming but you can have some great results.

We recommend you wear some polarised glasses like the Fortis Polarised Wraps before going stalking as this should remove any glare from the water allowing you to see more and spotting fish easier when stalking.

Zig fishing

Zig rig fishing in the past five years has become a very popular method in carp fishing and can help you catch lots of big carp by targeting different levels of the water. Zig rig fishing can be a great method when fishing on the lake bottom is not being so effective on that specific day.

Check out our guide on the best tackle and tips for zig rig fishing here.

Tactics to try

Pre-baiting

If there’s a specific water you’re fishing and want to get the best results, pre-baiting spots over several weeks or months can be super effective. Bulk buy particles, pellets and boilies. This can be a great way to gain the most wariest of carp the confidence to take your bait.

Try underused baits or tactics

Try using an underused bait or tactic on your water, this can often unlock the key to a successful fishing season on some occasions. There is so many choices nowadays in tackle shops, supermarkets and pet food stores when it comes to bait.

Some underused baits we recommend trying are luncheon meat/peperami, vitalin and bread for groundbait or method mix, cheese (yes cheese) and imitation plastic baits.

Make your own bait

Making your own bait can be time-consuming but can be very rewarding catching on a bait you’ve made yourself. Make a simple basemix (50/50 mix), add some eggs and flavours can make some super effect homemade boilies.

Due to time constraints, I haven’t had the chance to make my own baits in a while but I will be getting back into it this session. If you need any inspiration on what to make and need some bait recipes why not check out my other blog The Homemade Boilies Quest.

Things to join this year

Join carp fishing related online groups and forums

There are loads of carp related online forums to the check out and be apart of the carp fishing community. Full of experienced and novice anglers that you can get some handy tips from, on anything from bait to finding new waters in your area.

We recommend checking out carpforum.co.uk and carp.com if you’re interested in joining a carp angling forum.

Join Instagram

Instagram has to be one of my favourite places to share captures. A great place to follow the top anglers and top tackle brands in the carp fishing scene.

If you haven’t joined yet I would highly recommend it and also check out our page @carptacklereviewer.

Join a membership or syndicate

Why not join a new water for 2019. There are lots to choose from, full of large carp and thriving angler communities. Some have waiting lists and some waters you can join straight away so now is the perfect time to do your research on a new membership or syndicate water.

Master the art of carp fishing

Practise your casting

Even if you think your a master caster, by adding extra distance or getting a little more accurate can often increase your success rate. There are lots of informative tutorials on YouTube that can help you improve your overall technique.

Try your own rigs

If your new to angling or just haven’t tried trying your own rigs it really isn’t all that difficult. Most rigs consist the same few knot patterns, just make sure you don’t over complicate your rigs and use reliable components.

Check out our ‘4 Successful Carp Rigs You Should Try This Spring‘ post for some rig ideas.

Learn your lake

Make this year the year you learn everything about the lake your fishing. Research online, talk to other anglers and try out new methods. Gaining information on fish feeding patterns, lake features and successful tactics will increase your capture success rate.

Freshen it up

Scout out new waters

Now is a great time to try new waters. Often travelling a little further than you usually would can surprise you with some bonus captures and some exquisite looking lakes to fish.

I would usually start by having a walk around the lake a few days before to try to get some ideas on how to start your approach. Talking to other anglers and chatting to the head bailiff can help you gather more info such as underwater features, feeding spots and baiting approaches.

Clean and restore your tackle

Get ready for the new season by cleaning your carp tackle. Check out our post on how to keep your carp tackle in a pristine condition for some quick and easy ways to get your tackle ready for the new season.

Buy shiny new tackle

Been thinking of getting a new item to add to your tackle armoury? Now is a great time to get it. Do some research and a price comparison is an ideal way to start. Try and find some reviews too… our blog has loads just saying ?.

Get inspired

Watch carp fishing videos

There are so many carp fishing videos nowadays to choose from. From DVD’s to YouTube and other online videos platforms. Check out our top free videos from a few years ago guaranteed to keep you busy for a while.

If you don’t mind paying for top carp fishing content why not check out Cypography online video subscription service.

Read the magazines

Most carp magazines are full of the best carp captures and pro angling tips. We recommend checking out Total Carp, Carpology and Carp World Magazine.

Go to a carp show

Nowadays there are loads of superb fishing shows around the country and Europe. If you want to visit a show this year we recommend checking out The Big One, Carpin’ On, Northern Angling Show and Carp In The Park.

Subscribe to our blog

If you haven’t done it yet subscribe to our blog to get a notification every time we post something new. We write tackle reviews, DIY posts, comparison posts and other carpy posts.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading our guide to 21 things to try in your own carp fishing in 2019.

If you have any comments on anything in this guide then let us know in the comments below.

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