Planning your short session Carp fishing approach

When embarking on a short session or day session I used to often struggle to make the decisions of how to fish, what bait to use? what approach to take? When going to a familiar water this issue did not normally would arise, but if tackling a new water there are so many variations, that often I would find myself taking a little of every thing to cover as many fishing options as possible.

Getting organised

I decided it was time to get organised. As a Project Manager by profession these tendencies come naturally to me but there is more to my structured approach than just organisation. I wanted to maximise my catching potential when on the bank so I would enjoy even more of the limited time I have available to fish. Short session carp fishing can be very rewarding when it goes well so I try to make the effort to plan out my fishing trips. Sometimes the plan comes together, sometimes it doesn’t, but crucially I will always learn something more for next time.

The plan

My plans will fluctuate depending on my knowledge of the water, the length of the session or campaign, the venue characteristics and level of experimentation needed. So why don’t I just fish and note down my findings as you go along? Well I have done that in the past but have found it has taken a considerable amount of time to get to know a water and its resident fish stock. My structured approach has resulted in many more fish on the bank in a shorter space of time. Overall a much more enjoyable carp fishing experience given the knowledge that on every trip I have the information to catch with a bit of luck.

1. Decide on your chosen venue

Venue selection is a personal choice and is really up to you. For me I have always picked small (less than 20 acres) to medium (20-50 acres) sized venues for the majority of my fishing. Living in the North West of England means that there are plenty of these venues for me to choose from. If you are a beginner carp angler than I would suggest that you go for the smaller venues and work your way up.

2. Research the water

With the amount of information available to you, researching a water is easier than ever before. Valuable information can come from a variety of sources from talking to the bailiff or anglers at the venue, searching on-line and asking in on-line forums, Google maps for the layout of the venue, Publications (weekly and monthly magazines) and tackle shops are all great sources of information.

3. Make your first non fishing visits

Usually done during winter when most waters are receiving least angling pressure. On these visits I try to get my marker rod out and write down features and depths that I find. Beware that this process can take you several days or even weeks on a large venue. I fishing a larger venue limited mapping would be a better option and chart the water as you fish it on each session. Mapping out and charting the water can be a long process but is very beneficial in the long term and I feel will get you to your end goal of catching fish regularly much faster. Record everything that you find and discover. My basic records consist of Photos of the water and swims, depth of water at different ranges, detail of each swim, features of each swim and the general venue, stock level estimation, anglers and word of mouth comments.

4. Recording your findings

Draw a map of the water, record each session in a diary, note weather conditions and observation, your orientation to the lake (North, South, East and West), the Moon phase on the day.

5. Planning your first approach

From your research and findings you should now formulate your plan of attack. Pick your initial approach to a water and try it, stick to your plan for each short session you do.

6. Change and refine your plans

It is important to keep ringing the changes to your approach even if you have been catching. Personally I know that one good session does not mean that I have mastered a water, as the next session may require a completely different approach in order to catch again.

7. Conclusions

You will probably be already drawing some conclusions after only a few sessions. It is important to collate your findings regularly to identify the patterns that will begin to form, particularly when you have had some success.

8. When to stop!

Well some carp anglers chop and change their fishing venues very regularly. With the amount of venues to choose from this is an easy thing to do. However I prefer to concentrate my efforts to one or two waters for a period and then move on. I feel that your time on a venue will naturally come to a close after you have perhaps capture the majority of your target fish, or you just need a change the scenery. You can always revisit the water at a later date all your research and findings will still be there for you to pick up from.

Good luck with your campaign.