| Do you quietly inspect the margins when you arrive | | | | from possible disturbances. Fish the bank furthest |
| at a carp fishing lake? You might want to if you want | | | | away from the road or car park or from the general |
| to improve your catch rate. Fishing for carp in the | | | | footpath that the other carp anglers tend to use. |
| margins can be extremely productive if you find the | | | | Try to find margins where other angler's wont target. |
| right places and apply good angling tactics. | | | | Yes they may not be targeted by others because |
| I find it amazing just how many carp fishermen | | | | they are not regular feeding spots for the carp, but |
| ignore the margins when fishing. They see all that | | | | they may be areas where the carp feel safe. Once |
| water out in front of them and believe the fish must | | | | bait has been introduced there the carp may start to |
| be out there. I often see carp anglers using three | | | | feed there fairly quickly. |
| rods with all of them cast out to the horizon. With so | | | | If the margins in the lake have some snags or |
| many anglers casting out far it makes the margins a | | | | general debris, then it can be a good idea to fish with |
| safe place for carp to hang out. In fact, the margins | | | | single hook bait tactics or pop-ups. This means you're |
| can even be the best places to target the bigger | | | | not committed to placing the hook baits in the same |
| carp. | | | | place every time because you haven't thrown lots of |
| As long as you're quiet when setting up and fishing | | | | free bait in an exact spot. You don't want to have to |
| you can take fish from the margins in most lakes. | | | | keep casting to get it exactly in the same spot only |
| Carp have great hearing and will be able to pick up | | | | to catch a snag and render the rig useless. |
| vibrations from the surrounding bank, thus you do | | | | The greatest advantage of fishing closer in the |
| need to be as quiet as possible. Banging in pegs with | | | | margins is that you can bait up easily and accurately. |
| a hammer will only cause them to move on. During | | | | You can also place rigs onto the bottom with ease |
| your stay try to remain hidden as much as possible, | | | | therefore eliminating the chance of any tangles in the |
| or keep low when you approach the water. Try to | | | | main line which can always happen without |
| always wear dark green or brown clothing or better | | | | knowledge during any normal cast. |
| still use camouflage clothing. I usually set the bivvy up | | | | Another benefit to fishing for carp in the margins is |
| a little away from the waters edge or try to get | | | | that bite indication will be much more sensitive to |
| hidden behind a tree. I also try to be light on my feet | | | | carp picking up the bait. There is less line distance |
| and walk around in my bivvy slippers as much as I | | | | from the rod to the hook bait which means there will |
| can. | | | | be less stretch in the line. Another tactic is to use |
| Hopefully using the tips above will help keep the carp | | | | running leads as this will create even more sensitivity |
| in the margins. Now, what tactics can you employ to | | | | to bite indication. It will also reduce the chance of a |
| catch carp from the margins? | | | | carp unhooking the rig using the weight of a |
| Fishing the margins is even more important if the | | | | semi-fixed lead. When fishing close in, I use very |
| carp anglers at the lake tend to fish at distance. It | | | | slack lines with the bobbins resting on the ground so |
| means the carp are often pressured at range in the | | | | that my line lays flat on the lake bed and out of the |
| waters main body thus the fish become more | | | | way of wary carp. |
| cautious of bait out there. Eventually the fish have | | | | As a final tip, beware of fishing in margins where the |
| learned that food found in the margins is safer. | | | | wind has coloured up the water. I have read from a |
| The trick is to find the more subtle features rather | | | | good source that small, suspended particles from |
| than the obvious ones such as overhanging trees, | | | | muddy or gravel lake beds may get stuck in the gills |
| island banks, etc. Many other anglers would have | | | | of carp thus they try to avoid these places. If you |
| targeted those obvious features making them a | | | | disagree, then fish in the coloured water, but also try |
| danger spot in the eyes of carp. I feel the best | | | | placing a rig just outside the coloured area a bit |
| margin features to look for are undercut banks or | | | | further from the bank just to see the difference. If |
| any protruding point, posts or signs sticking out of | | | | it's actually the carp that have coloured the water |
| the water, small reed bushes, lily pads or inlet pipes. | | | | then that can be very productive! |
| Sometimes the best margins to fish are those away | | | | |