West End Lake for pleasure & match angling

Waggler fishing for F1 carp

• Using a rod and reel allows you to cast around, find fish and present your bait at a range of depths. There’s lots of different waggler floats available, some allow you to change the colour of the insert tip depending on the light conditions, others have a clear body and sensitive, interchangeable tips for showing delicate bites on the drop. Many of our regular anglers fish a loaded insert waggler on 0.16mm mainline, 0.11mm hook link to a size 18 hook.  Feed 1o or so carp pellets every few minutes, cast beyond your free offerings and wind the float back into the target area. Waggler fishing can be an extremely active, exciting and rewarding style of fishing, especially when the carp come up in the water to get at your loose feed.

Fishing the slow sinking bubble float for Summer carp

• Bubble float fishing is a great technique for the Summer months when the fish are up in the water or on the surface. The bubble float is more to help with casting than bite indication. Catapult a few free offerings to get the carp feeding confidently, then cast beyond them and draw your float into the feeding area. If balanced correctly, your float will slowly sink through the water at a similar speed to your free offerings. Watch the rod tip for bit indication which can be quite fast and strong.

Fish the margins for bonus fish & larger carp

• On commercial match fisheries, the margins can be a real match winner and quite often the bigger fish can be caught down the edge too. If there are marginal reeds or snags then you will have to ‘up’ the strength of your tackle accordingly. Use your pole and plumb the depths of your swim thoroughly to understand the topography of your swim so you know exactly what is out there. It is always important that you feed your swim correctly, be accurate, cautious and do not over feed your swim. In that last hour of your match, carp often move into the edges as anglers begin to throw in their unused bait.