A large number of carp fisherman will decide on a swim which offers at least one feature that they can fish to, this is often a sunken tree, island or in many cases a bed of lily pads. Carp love to conceal themselves in these features and if you stand for just a few minutes in the warm weather sometimes you will see Carp lurking around these features, in particular lily pads.

Now, if we just choose a swim which has visible features as explained above then we have a good start however there are other techniques we can utilize to even further increase our chances of catching those elusive carp. What I am referring to here is the bottom of the lake, we're going to want to look for a “weed free” area and ideally a gravel bar, Carp definitely will feed heavily on gravel bars so how can we find them?

We use a simple method to probe the bottom of the lake and we actually feel through the rod tip what the bottom is like, using this approach we will identity silt areas, weed free areas and gravel bars, these are the exact locations we need to be fishing.

To make use of this method we utilize a large lead, anything about 3 to 4oz and we tie this to the end of the main line with out using a hook. We cast the lead out and let it sink to the bottom, when the lead has hit the bottom we tighten the line with the rod tip pointing down towards the bank. We know life the rod and very slowly pull the lead forward and we will feel every bump on the lake bed. When the rod tip is pointing toward the sky we drop the rod back to the water and reel in the slack line. Again we very slowly lift the rod pulling the weight along the bottom as we lift the rod upwards.

By repeating this process we will be able to know if the bottom is silty, gravel or weed free. This system needs a little practice but the more you do it the better you will get at feeling the rod tip. If you are pulling the rod through weed you will feel the end of the rod becoming stuck in the weeds, when you are past the weeds the rod tip will become free and the weight will come back over the bottom with no resistance, you now know this area is weed free and a good place to cast a bait.

If you find a gravel bed you will feel the rod tip quiver and shake as the weight drags over the gravel, when you find a gravel bed you have struck gold and you should definitely put a least one of your rods in this area. I have caught many Carp from gravel beds that I have found using this exact method.

Keep in mind there is a great deal more to carp fishing than picking a swim with features, you must know what the bottom of the lake is like in your swim and pulling a lead across the bottom using the method described above will tell you exactly what you have in your swim. Put this extra effort in and you will catch more fish for sure. carp fishing france