LUKE STEVENSON HAS BEEN GOINGBACK TO BASICSMOVING ONTO FISH AND APPLYING BAIT WITH THE CATAPULT; ALMOST A FORGOTTEN TACTIC, BUT ONE THAT HAS WORKED WONDERS FOR HIM!
Being able to watch the lake religiously puts me in a position where I can nearly always get on the carp. Providing nobody else is fishing there, I want to be on the fish at all times. Moving on to them is easy but getting fishing without ruining it can be the tricky part.
Due to being a proactive and mobile angler, a lot of the time I find myself fishing minimally and very simply. Putting rigs to areas that fish show in, catapult a few freebies round it and I am fishing. It is a style of fishing that has almost been forgotten about but, in my opinion, works as well as it ever did before.
The obsession with Spombs has, in my opinion, put the fish on edge in some waters. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be able land on a rock-hard clean spot first cast, but when you don’t know the lakebed, you would have to be very lucky to do that. This is why I fish one of two rigs for this sort of fishing, either a Chod or a Hinge.
I use a Hinge if I know the rough contours of the lakebed and know that there isn’t too much weed around. A Chod is great if you know it is weedy or have absolutely no idea what the lakebed is like. With the top bead positioned a few feet away from the lead, the rig will settle down on top of the weed, giving you the reassurance that the rig is fishing.
ONCE THE RODS ARE OUT, PARTICULARLY WITH CHODS,
I LIKE TO FISH REALLY SLACK LINES!
ONCE THE RODS ARE OUT, PARTICULARLY WITH CHODS,
I LIKE TO FISH REALLY SLACK LINES!
I tend to fish a match the hatch pop-up for most of my fishing, but in the spring, I do like to use a White One when I feel the time is right. I think it is so important that you are confident in the bait you are using. I stick to Krill for most of the year and if those fish are eating bait, I want my hookbait to match it. On pressured lakes, I steer clear of the bright ones and use the match the hatches as it has always, and still continues to serve me in good stead.
I use a fluorocarbon main line and I allow it to sink down and stay away from any passing or feeding carp. If they know you are there or they are being fished for, they can be really hard to catch.
I spread the bait around the rods in a rough 12-yard radius. I want the fish to move between each bait, as I think they are much easier to catch while they are grazing around an area. This style of feeding suits the rigs that I use too; fish moving between each bait and dropping down to pick boilies up.
I spread the bait around the rods in a rough 12-yard radius. I want the fish to move between each bait, as I think they are much easier to catch while they are grazing around an area. This style of feeding suits the rigs that I use too; fish moving between each bait and dropping down to pick boilies up.
A GOOD QUALITY BAIT, WILL GIVE YOU THE CONFIDENCE TO FISH WITHOUT A SPOMB!
A GOOD QUALITY BAIT, WILL GIVE YOU THE CONFIDENCE TO FISH WITHOUT A SPOMB!
Hook sharpness is also key for me in all fishing situations, but on pop-ups I have to cast out a super sharp hook. There isn’t anything that can burr it over, as it doesn’t touch anything on the lakebed, so it makes sense to have a super sharp hook. The combination of the aggressive curve in the stiff material and that sharp hook makes it hard for the fish to deal with or eject.
Hook sharpness is also key for me in all fishing situations, but on pop-ups I have to cast out a super sharp hook. There isn’t anything that can burr it over, as it doesn’t touch anything on the lakebed, so it makes sense to have a super sharp hook. The combination of the aggressive curve in the stiff material and that sharp hook makes it hard for the fish to deal with or eject.
CARP LOVE BOILIES,
IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!
If I see fish feeding in an area, after I’ve flicked the rods out and caught nothing, I will wait until bite time passes and have a flick around with a bare lead on some braid. I use a small lead to cause the least amount of disturbance as I can and with the braid, I can feel how firm the drop is. I then pull the lead across the bottom to give me an idea of how clean it is.
Once I have found some spots, I clip the fishing rods up, tie the Hinges on and still catapult the bait around it. It isn’t just a quick and easy way of fishing; I have found it to be the most successful way of fishing. It also seems to be a big fish tactic too. Spreading the bait with the catapult entices the fish to move between each bait. This sort of fishing has been really kind to me and I have had some great success.
