Scott Lloyd reveals his top ten most important aspects of his angling, which have led to the downfall of some of the UK’s largest carp
Scott Lloyd reveals his top ten most important aspects of his angling, which have led to the downfall of some of the UK’s largest carp
LOCATION
Obviously rule number one in fishing – don’t be lazy, go and find the carp! I spend most of my time looking for fish; a lot of people forget they have tails. It is about having that motivation to go and find the fish. When you find them, don’t rush into a decision. You may see one from up a tree, scarper down and grab your gear, but that fish may have just been caught and is sulking in the weed. Observe them for a while and then make a plan.
LOCATION
Obviously rule number one in fishing – don’t be lazy, go and find the carp! I spend most of my time looking for fish; a lot of people forget they have tails. It is about having that motivation to go and find the fish. When you find them, don’t rush into a decision. You may see one from up a tree, scarper down and grab your gear, but that fish may have just been caught and is sulking in the weed. Observe them for a while and then make a plan.
PATIENCE
Knowing when to dig your heels in is something I have had to do at times. I get bored easily and want to go looking for them, but at times it pays to sit on your hands. If you are in the zone and the fish have drifted off, wait and see if they come back. If it is a spot that they are visiting regularly, they will often come back. Knowing when to sit on your hands can be hard but is something I have learnt in the last couple of years. Depending on the venue you’re fishing as well, you sometimes don’t have a choice as there could be no room to make the move.
PATIENCE
Knowing when to dig your heels in is something I have had to do at times. I get bored easily and want to go looking for them, but at times it pays to sit on your hands. If you are in the zone and the fish have drifted off, wait and see if they come back. If it is a spot that they are visiting regularly, they will often come back. Knowing when to sit on your hands can be hard but is something I have learnt in the last couple of years. Depending on the venue you’re fishing as well, you sometimes don’t have a choice as there could be no room to make the move.
BLEND IT IN
Once you have found the fish it is all about that last six-foot. I have always fished clear pits and after seeing my tackle from the boat, I religiously change my leaders, hook link and so on, depending on the bottom of the lake.
Unless I really know what the bottom looks like, I prefer to use something dark coloured, like a weed or silt colour, as it blends in better on most lakebeds. If the water is really clear, I have found myself using fluorocarbon leaders a lot more in my fishing. By using large blobs of putty on the leader it allows the leader to sit perfectly on the lakebed, the last thing you want is a fish to come into the area and get spooked as it’s touched part of your line/ leader which isn’t sitting as flush as it could.
BLEND IT IN
Once you have found the fish it is all about that last six-foot. I have always fished clear pits and after seeing my tackle from the boat, I religiously change my leaders, hook link and so on, depending on the bottom of the lake.
Unless I really know what the bottom looks like, I prefer to use something dark coloured, like a weed or silt colour, as it blends in better on most lakebeds. If the water is really clear, I have found myself using fluorocarbon leaders a lot more in my fishing. By using large blobs of putty on the leader it allows the leader to sit perfectly on the lakebed, the last thing you want is a fish to come into the area and get spooked as it’s touched part of your line/ leader which isn’t sitting as flush as it could.
TRAVEL LIGHT
I have trimmed my gear down as much as I can, but still make sure I have everything I need to face a variety of situations. I may need to use zigs, solid bags, fish off the top; I need to have it all. I am always sorting my gear so that I don’t carry any unnecessary items with me. I can fit pretty much everything I need in my rucksack and it is neatly arranged so that I can tackle any situation I am faced with. Using a brolly instead of a bivvy is something which I’ve always done too. It’s light, protects me when it’s raining and that’s all that I need!
TRAVEL LIGHT
I have trimmed my gear down as much as I can, but still make sure I have everything I need to face a variety of situations. I may need to use zigs, solid bags, fish off the top; I need to have it all. I am always sorting my gear so that I don’t carry any unnecessary items with me. I can fit pretty much everything I need in my rucksack and it is neatly arranged so that I can tackle any situation I am faced with. Using a brolly instead of a bivvy is something which I’ve always done too. It’s light, protects me when it’s raining and that’s all that I need!
DO YOUR OWN THING
I don’t fall into the trap of the going method on certain lakes. I use what I am confident in and if it doesn’t work, adapt to change your fortunes for the better.
I have been told all sorts in the past, but it is worth just taking it with a pinch of salt and learning for yourself your own interpretation of the situation. By observing the carp as much as possible and seeing their behaviour, you can make the decisions which you think are the correct ones for the time. If you have a pre-conceived idea before you’ve seen evidence to suit that method, you’re heading down a one-way street which may not be the right thing to do.
DO YOUR OWN THING
I don’t fall into the trap of the going method on certain lakes. I use what I am confident in and if it doesn’t work, adapt to change your fortunes for the better.
I have been told all sorts in the past, but it is worth just taking it with a pinch of salt and learning for yourself your own interpretation of the situation. By observing the carp as much as possible and seeing their behaviour, you can make the decisions which you think are the correct ones for the time. If you have a pre-conceived idea before you’ve seen evidence to suit that method, you’re heading down a one-way street which may not be the right thing to do.
GOOD BAIT
I have been lucky enough to watch the carp from both boats and trees and their reaction to The Krill Active, especially after spawning, is nothing short of mind blowing. This bait is like nothing I’ve seen before, I’ve had masses of success using the standard Krill, but in terms of an instant reaction once on the lakebed, this stuff really does raise the bar. It’s like The Krill on steroids! The fish have to eat to gain back their weight, so they seek food that it good for them and that’s certainly the case for this. Whilst we’re on the subject of bait too, another vital bit of advice is to keep it quiet where you’re baiting. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll be some instances where it’s impossible to hide it, but if you can, keep your spots to yourself.
GOOD BAIT
I have been lucky enough to watch the carp from both boats and trees and their reaction to The Krill Active, especially after spawning, is nothing short of mind blowing. This bait is like nothing I’ve seen before, I’ve had masses of success using the standard Krill, but in terms of an instant reaction once on the lakebed, this stuff really does raise the bar. It’s like The Krill on steroids! The fish have to eat to gain back their weight, so they seek food that it good for them and that’s certainly the case for this. Whilst we’re on the subject of bait too, another vital bit of advice is to keep it quiet where you’re baiting. Don’t get me wrong, they’ll be some instances where it’s impossible to hide it, but if you can, keep your spots to yourself.
LOGGING SPOTS
I log it all, from spots to captures. I even try and log other angler’s captures and include the weather and moon phases. You can build a picture of what particular conditions seem to be best, what time of year certain fish tend to get caught. If the lake is quiet, have a walk round and lead up some areas. It has saved me doing it when I move on to fish as I already have the clips for certain areas that I found previously.
LOGGING SPOTS
I log it all, from spots to captures. I even try and log other angler’s captures and include the weather and moon phases. You can build a picture of what particular conditions seem to be best, what time of year certain fish tend to get caught. If the lake is quiet, have a walk round and lead up some areas. It has saved me doing it when I move on to fish as I already have the clips for certain areas that I found previously.
BRAIDED MAINLINE
I have to say that I am a massive convert. It does everything that I want, helping me get drops, receive those twitchy bites and it is bulletproof. The amount of times that I have had a bite that I wouldn’t have known about with mono is scary! Fishing braid with a fluoro leader is in my eyes the perfect setup.
BRAIDED MAINLINE
I have to say that I am a massive convert. It does everything that I want, helping me get drops, receive those twitchy bites and it is bulletproof. The amount of times that I have had a bite that I wouldn’t have known about with mono is scary! Fishing braid with a fluoro leader is in my eyes the perfect setup.
AGGRESSIVE AND BALANCED RIGS
I always use the ‘Noodle’ rig for my fishing on the clean bottom. It is extremely aggressive; I have watched fish from trees get away with all sorts in the past, but they find this rig very hard to deal with.
It needs a balanced bait for it to work properly, which is either a Krill wafter or a plugged tiger nut. It catches the clumsy ones and the tricky fish that feed very subtly too. Observing the more ‘cautious’ carp from either the edges or up a tree, you can see how each individual feeds, and it soon becomes apparent why certain fish are far trickier to catch!
AGGRESSIVE AND BALANCED RIGS
I always use the ‘Noodle’ rig for my fishing on the clean bottom. It is extremely aggressive; I have watched fish from trees get away with all sorts in the past, but they find this rig very hard to deal with.
It needs a balanced bait for it to work properly, which is either a Krill wafter or a plugged tiger nut. It catches the clumsy ones and the tricky fish that feed very subtly too. Observing the more ‘cautious’ carp from either the edges or up a tree, you can see how each individual feeds, and it soon becomes apparent why certain fish are far trickier to catch!
SPOTS IN SPOTS
I have watched carp come over large clean areas from the trees. They won’t just harvest the whole spot, they do prefer certain parts of it. Being able to identify those from a boat or tree is easy, but not so with a leading rod. I like to find the spot with a marker and then have a cast around it with a bare lead, to see if I can get a better drop around it. Finding those sweet spots has certainly helped me catch more carp I’m sure of it.
SPOTS IN SPOTS
I have watched carp come over large clean areas from the trees. They won’t just harvest the whole spot, they do prefer certain parts of it. Being able to identify those from a boat or tree is easy, but not so with a leading rod. I like to find the spot with a marker and then have a cast around it with a bare lead, to see if I can get a better drop around it. Finding those sweet spots has certainly helped me catch more carp I’m sure of it.
