Autumn is the time for BIG Carp

I love the autumn and it’s undoubtably one of the best periods of the year for carp fishing. Gone are the long, steamy hot days and short nights of summer. The air is cooler and the nights are getting longer. The water temperature has dropped a few degrees, allowing the dissolved oxygen levels to rise which provides perfect conditions for the carp to digest their food. The carp become more active in response to the changing conditions, actively searching for food and feeding for longer periods. This is the time for big catches and also big fish. It’s a great time to be out carp fishing. 48lbs of muscle, probably never been caught before

Last October, I organised a 6 day session with 3 of the Big Carp Team France to a huge natural lake in the south east of France. We don’t have many opportunities to fish together and this was a great opportunity for me to spend some time fishing with Alban, Arnaud and Francois. We all share a real passion for adventure and this lake of several thousand hectares provided just the sort of challenge we love. The lake has only a small population of carp but they are of a big average size. Fishing pressure is low because of the difficulty of the fishing and also because of the limited number of night fishing areas.

What a beautiful spot!

The key to success in this type of big, natural lake, is location - first find the carp! Once you find a zone or large area where you see signs of carp, then you look for smaller areas and features in that area where they are likely to feed. Arnaud lives the nearest the lake and for several weeks before our session he spent time at the lake plumbing the depths, looking at possible spots, searching for signs of carp and learning as much as possible about the carp’s habits in preparation for our weeks session. A large bay of at least 20 hectares of water seemed particularly promising. Along the west side of the bay the bank is steep and rocky, plunging quickly into deep water. Over-hanging trees and bushes provide cover in the deep margins and the marginal rocks and gravel provide a perfect haven for the crayfish which would form a large part of the carp’s diet. The margins are protected from cold northerly and easterly winds and would be exposed all day to the suns warming rays. The point at the opposite side of the bay is formed by a rocky outcrop with exceptionally steep sided margins, dropping into deep water with a sandy, silty bottom. The centre of the bay is a mass of reed beds, weed and lily pads with large silty and sandy areas. The bay screamed ‘carp’ and this was where Arnaud decided would be a good area for our session. As Arnaud rowed around the bay a big fish jumped clean out of the water near the boat! That was the only fish he saw that day but it confirmed that this was an area the carp liked and where there was one carp there were likely to be more!

Hydro Liver mix and D88 flavour - a fantastic bait for big carp.

The plan was for Arnaud to bait several times before our visit. I sent Arnaud enough Hydro Liver mix and D88 flavour to roll 30kg of 30mm boilies, to which he added several buckets of hemp. This would be for the pre-baiting. We also rolled nearly 60kg of 20mm and 30mm boilies between us, which we would divide between the 4 anglers for the 6 days fishing. 15kg of boilies each would be a good quantity. Boilies and hemp were thrown here and there in likely looking spots all around the bay, from very shallow water of only 1m in the margins, to depths down to about 10m. The idea was to give any carp in the area a taste for the bait and to encourage them to move around the area searching for the boilies. Carp also love hemp and they would stay in the area much longer, searching out every last seed. Once the carp have eaten a few of the boilies, they recognise the taste and smell and will search actively for it.

When actually fishing, the bait is then concentrated in smaller areas to attract the carp to feed in the area of the hook bait. Another very important aspect of this type of baiting is that bream and other smaller fish are less interested by a single boilie and hemp seeds that are scattered here and there, than by a concentrated bed of bed. This way our bait is eaten by the carp rather than other fish. This is an extremely effective tactic that I have used on many occasions with success in all sorts of different waters. The final baiting, two days before the beginning of our session, was uniquely with boilies and approximately 7 kilos were spread around the area in the same way as before. This would give the carp two days to search out every last boilie and be on the look out for more – that was the plan anyway!

Bait is always a very important factor when carp fishing. I’ve used every possible type of bait since I started carp fishing over 35 years ago and I am now totally convinced, by my own results and the results of my friends, that for consistent results and particularly for big fish, a ‘food source’ bait is the only one to use. The better the food, the more enthusiastic the carp will be about your bait and the easier they will be to catch. Don’t underestimate the value of a good bait, especially when targetting big fish.

To many anglers the flavour is the bait. To the question "What bait are you using?" The answer is often the flavour, such as ‘Mega Salmon‘, or ‘Fruit Bomb’. This is a mistake. The base mix provides the food and it is better to think of the base mix as the bait. So, the answer would be a ‘fishmeal‘, a ‘birdfood’, the ‘BioMix Shellfish’, or the ‘Hudro Liver Mix’. A good base mix is a good food that is nutritional, digestible and attractive and will catch carp used on its own. The addition of flavours, additives and attractors improves the taste, nutritional value, attractiveness and ultimately the effectiveness of that food.

I prefer to roll my own bait, when I have the time (!) but if not I use the TopBaits Pro ready made boilies. These are made with my own recipes and fresh ingredients and the only difference these ready mades and the boilies I roll myself at home is that they contain a low level of preservative so that they can be stored in a bag. They are a great bait and a very convenient option. I always take some of these with me as a reserve in case the carp are particularly active – the worst thing is to have feeding carp in front of you and to run out of bait !
If you do have the time to roll your your own bait, then that’s the best choice. Not only is rolling your own bait more economical but you can also formulate your own personal recipe that ensures that your bait is different from all the other anglers. You can also adapt the recipe and size of bait, to suit your own preferences and type of fishing. You don’t need a complicated recipe to make a good bait. You can make a very effective bait from a simple recipe, as long as you use fresh, good quality ingredients and a proven flavour, at a low dosage level. A very effective bait can be made from a good quality economical boilie mix, such as the PBM (Perfect Boilie Mix) with a flavour and taste enhancer such as ’Sweetfruit’, ’Intense Sweetener’, or one of our Bingo! Additives which really boost the bait’s effectiveness by increasing not only the attraction but also the bait’s food value. Add a little fishmeal or birdfood and the bait will be even better. You can also use a complete base mix which contains a variety of additives and enhancers, as we did with the Hydro Liver.

Carp eat food – not flavours ! Even a good flavour can ruin a good recipe if used at too high a level. So, don’t be tempted to increase the flavour levels. Stick to the levels advised, or use lower levels, and your bait will be attractive, taste good and be an acceptable food source. Get the bait right and the carp will search out every last bit and keep eating it until it’s all gone.
I introduced the Hydro Liver mix and D88 flavour to the Big Carp Team early last year and this autumn session was an opportunity for Arnaud, Alban and Francois to discover this new bait. The taste, smell and nutritional profile of this bait are exceptional and carp recognise it instantly as good food. I knew that if we could find the carp, then we would have a good chance of catching them.

The weather was warm and sunny as we excitedly loaded the boats with all the food and equipment for the 6 day session. Arnaud decided to fish the right side of the bay along the edge of the steep rocky bank. Alban chose the centre of the bay and fished along the weed line. I set up on the rocky point, hoping to intercept any carp coming into the bay, reasoning that they would follow the contours of the point around the deep margins tight to the bank .
Early evening, as the sun started to go down, I heard a ‘run’ from across the bay. Arnaud appeared between the trees, grabbed the rod and jumped in his boat - fish on! Alban and I quickly joined him in our own boats to watch the action. After a long fight a huge mirror finally slipped over the net. What a fish! On the scales the magnificent mirror weighed 21kg.300. What a fantastic way to start the session. Arnaud’s first fish on the new bait and the first fish of the session, a real monster after just a few hours fishing! Confidence was now sky high for all of us and we returned to the quiet calm of our own spots as the sun passed behind the hills and day slipped into night.

That night I caught two small commons. Alban’s alarms remained quiet but Arnaud caught another fish at 02.00, another big fish of 19kg. Both carp had taken a single Beton boilie placed amongst the rocks along the cliffs in just 1m of water.

The day was quiet but that night Arnaud again caught two carp. Not as big as the first night but both nice fish, a long common and a 15kg mirror. Interestingly, all the fish had come in water less than a metre deep in rocky, gravelly areas. Alban and I had no action that night. Alban was fishing in shallow water close to the thick weed beds, over a silty, sandy bottom The area in front of me dropped quickly into deep water and I had baited in a line out from the maegins into 9m of water, hoping to intercept any patrolling fish. Arnau was catching in the very shallow, rocky margins, so Alban and I decided to investigate more closely the areas where Arnaud was catching to see if we could find signs of carp and determine what they were feeding on. With the sun at the right angle we could clearly see the gravel and sand in amongst the rocks. Looking carefully, we could clearly make out several areas where the gravel and small rocks had been cleaned and disturbed by feeding carp. Moving some of the rocks revealed lots of small crayfish. So, that was it. The carp were coming in to the warm, shallow areas to feed on the crayfish. Now that we knew what to look for, we discovered similar areas all along the steep margins for several hundred metres.

A move was in order. I found two areas of gravel that had been recently visited and with a lot of effort I was able to set up my bed chair and rods in a precarious position amongst the rocks, 50m or so from the spots I wanted to fish. This would be ideal, as it is never a good idea to fish these shallow marginal areas from a spot too near by. Carp are incredibly sensitive to noise and movement. It also gives a better chance of multiple captures as any disturbance of landing a fish isn’t then on top of the other rods. Setting up on the rocks was really difficult but luckily the weather was good and I didn’t need an umbrella! I carefully placed my baits in areas where there was evidence of feeding and baited with just a handful of broken boilies. All 3 rods were positioned in less than 1m of water in different spots along the margins and I could clearly see my hook bait and freebies lying on the gravel.
Once all was set I was able to sit back and enjoy the quiet and beauty of this lovely lake. I imagined the carp patrolling along the margins as the light faded into evening, searching out crayfish. The signs of feeding activity on the spots I was fishing were very fresh and carp had fed on those areas probably only the night before. On such a big lake there are innumerable spots where the carp could feed and I crossed my fingers that they would return tonight.
All was quiet until 01.00 when I was awoken by an absolute screaming take on the middle rod. The fish had dived off the shallows and I had to give line as it powered out into deep water on its first run. This fish had probably never felt a hook before and the fight was hard and long. It was clearly a big powerful fish. The moon was bright and I could clearly see the shape of a big carp struggling in the clear water under the rod tip. It was a great relief when it finally began to tire and I was able to lead it over the net. I could see it was over 20kg and I carefully sacked it for a photo in the morning. I decided not to replace that rod in case I disturbed any other carp that might be feeding in the margins. In any case, if there were any other feeding fish, they would come across one of the other baits as they moved along the margins. The rods had to be positioned using the boat because of the overhanging trees and I didn’t want to risk scaring any other fish in the area.

Brace of 48s I caught that night

Two hours later the right hand rod roared off. This fish was equally as powerful as the first and it was again a long fight before I was able to net a fish that looked equally as big as the first one. What a night! The sky was already becoming lighter in the east as I sat back with a fresh cup of tea and a big smile on my face. These carp had never seen this bait before and probably had never seen a boilie before and yet they had instantly recognised it as food. Two big fish - what a result - this would be a photo session to remember!

I decided it would be too risky to try to photograph the fish amongst the rocks, so in the morning I rowed over to Arnaud’s spot. We couldn’t believe it when I got the fish out for the photos and we realised that one of the fish was the big mirror that Arnaud had caught less than 2 days before. Same bait, same carp!

Francois joined us later in the day. We stayed another night in the same spots but none of us saw any more signs of fish. Arnaud decided to stay in his spot as he felt there was a good chance that the carp would return. I wasn’t so sure and I felt that the carp had probably moved out of the area. On these huge lakes the carp can move large distances very quickly and Francois and I decided to spend the day looking for carp and another area to fish. We spent most of the day and travelled several kilometers in the boat visiting different areas before finding what we were looking for. Probably 2 kilometers from the first spot, we decided on an area with deep water close in and fallen trees and snags in the margins. The bottom was mainly sand but the fallen trees and snags would be a haven for crayfish. As well as the marginal areas that looked interesting, the bottom shelved evenly then dropped off quickly in 7-10m of water. This created a real feature that also looked like an area where the carp would feed.

When I fish this type of lake with big, wild carp, I always use strong, solid tackle. These fish aren’t shy and the emphasis is on a strong, simple and effective rig that will ensure good presentation and land a big, powerful fish. There are often snags and rocks, so I use the 60/100 Armure Leader which is a brilliant shock leader that will resist all sorts of abuse. The 115g or 140g lead is mounted on a Speed Clip and the 25cm hook link is made with fluorocarbon Mirage XT which is very strong and abrasion resistant. Hook is a TT size 1 and the bait is mounted on a ‘D’ rig. Simple, strong and very effective.
In areas with lots of crayfish, the bait must be very hard. For this I make extra hard hook baits with the Beton Mix which I formulated specifically to resolve this problem. Boilies made with this mix are rock hard and I either use a single large boilie of 35 – 40mm, or a snowman presentation with a Beton boilie and a pop-up. Over sand and silt, and in areas where the crayfish are less active, I often use a single large Equilibrée boilie. These are hook baits made with a mix of 1/3 Pratique Pop-Up Mix and 2/3 mix which makes a bait that sinks very slowly. This ensures a perfect presentation and also optimises the efficacity of the rig. The Equilibrée boilies are available ready made in 24mm or you can make your own – see recipe below.
I like to dip my baits in the Bingo! Food Boost before casting. These are ‘Food’ dips made from a combination of natural extracts and attractors, and the same flavour used in the boilies. They diffuse a strong ‘food’ single that enhances the bait’s natural attraction.
We couldn’t find any signs that the carp had visited the marginal areas but Francois and I both placed one bait in shallow water in the margins, as we had caught from the shallow spots in the previous area. I baited with 3kg of boilies in a line across the drop off only 20m out in front of me, the line covering depths between 5m and 10m. Two rods were placed along this line of bait.
Francois was set up 100m along from me and early evening I walked along to see him. Francois had made extra large 50mm Equilibrées and his 3 rods were placed in different depths of water in front of the fallen branches, amongst a scattering of a couple of kilos of the Hydro Liver boilies. Just as I got there his rod placed in 6m, on the edge of the fallen trees, roared off and he was into his first fish on the new bait. The fish fought hard and was another big one. Incredible, another fish over 20kg. This one weighed 20kg.500.

That night Francois caught 2 more small carp. My alarms remained quiet and I awoke to a very misty morning. Whilst I lay looking at the rods, the middle rod tip pulled down and as the indicator registered the first bleep, I picked up the rod and pulled into a very heavy weight. That was the rod placed along the line of bait in 9m of water and from the very heavy weight and powerful lunges, this was clearly another big fish. I got in the boat so that I could fight the carp in the deeper water away from the marginal snags. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I netted the fish and saw a big recognisable scale on its shoulder. This was the same fish that Francois had caught the evening before! The same thing had happened to me just two days before when I had caught the same carp that Arnaud had caught on the first evening. Same fish, same bait less than 24hours later, twice in the same session. Once the carp get a taste for this bait they just can’t leave it alone. Incredible!

We now had only one night left. Arnaud had seen no more activity in his first spot, so he came to join us for the last night as there were clearly carp in the area we were fishing. That night both Francois and I caught small fish. In the morning we heard a very happy Arnaud approaching through the mist in his boat, singing the Marseillaise. He had obviously caught something big on the last night. We weren’t to be disappointed. In the sack was a magnificent mirror of over 23kg, the biggest fish of the session. Fantastic.
Tired but satisfied, it was the last morning and time to go home. We had moved several times and worked really hard for our fish but it had been an incredible session. We had caught 9 big fish with 6 over 20kg, one of 19kg, one of 15kg and several smaller carp. An amazing average size and the Hydro Liver and D88 had once again proved itself as an amazing bait for BIG carp.
As you read these lines we will once again be in early autumn. So, find the feeding spots, use a good bait and get out there. Good fishing.