General

Too Cold For Stalking? Think again… (Barry Davis)

You can catch big carp in the edge no matter what the weather; all you need is stealth and a bit of patience.
Being a specimen angler I get to spend a lot of time observing carp in their natural surroundings. It doesn’t take long to realise that even on large expanses of water carp frequent the margins more often than you may realise.
I’ve come to Horseshoe Lake in Lechalde for today’s feature to try and prove my point and hopefully give you some inspiration to get out there and sneak a big-un out.

Bait, Bait, Bait
When it comes to fishing baits speci-carp style with buzzers I’m a massive fan of a boilie-only approach and big double boilie hook baits fished over the top.
However, when I’m stalking I’ve noticed that margin fish feed in a different way. They’re well aware they can be seen by any potential dangers when they feed in shallow or clear margins, so particle baits like hemp, corn and pellets are unquestionably better. Carp can quickly hoover up a bed of boilies, but hemp and small pellets need meticulous attention from carp to ensure they pick up each and every morsel.
This helps to divert their attention to feeding as opposed to worrying about any surrounding dangers. I also like to incorporate PVA bags into my feeding approach too. PVA bags help to ensure the rig is presented perfectly and they create a target spot for carp to aim for – right where your hook bait is.
Looking more in-depth at my bait selection the hemp I use is the ready-cooked, tinned product from Dynamite Baits.  Pellets are a mixture of different 6mm ones including the Dynamite Swim Stim Betaine Green, Amino Original and Amino Black varieties. However, I also mix in a liberal amount of salmon fry crumb, which is basically just tiny broken up high-oil pellets. This is highly attractive to carp because of its oil and protein profile.
The sweetcorn I use is the Dynamite XL variety and I also like to feed crushed up boilies with my preference being for Dynamite’s latest Fresh Fish Mussel & Oyster, which is unique because it’s made with fresh liquidised fish instead of egg. Hook bait is a single 15mm Fresh Fish pop-up tipped with a piece of yellow pop-up imitation corn, but more of that in a moment.

Barry’s Alternative Stalking Rig
I always take great care to conceal my set up by ensuring it’s pinned to the lake bed. Here at Horseshoe the water is very clear anyway, making rig concealment of paramount importance.
With that in mind I don’t adopt for a freeline or float fishing approach, instead I use the same lead and pop-up rig I use for fishing with buzzers at range.
The hooklength is made from 25lb Sufix Stealth Skin, which is a coated braid material. I strip back a couple of inches of the coating off one end to reveal the supple inner braid and tie the hook on with a knotless knot set-up.
Before I tie a loop in the end of the hair to take the boilie stop I tie on a micro-sized Korda rig ring with a single overhand knot. This allows the bait to run up and down the shank aiding hooking.
A small piece of Korda Shrink tubing over the hook eye helps it to turn in the carp’s mouth and the BB shot just below the tubing anchors the pop-up hook bait the desired distance off the lake bed.
The rig is finished off with a Korda Lead Safety Clip, which holds my preferred 1.5oz Korda swivel lead in place. The Safety Clip allows the lead to be released once the fish is hooked making for a very safe set-up. Finally I use a couple of small blobs of heavy metal sinking putty material to pin the hook bait to the bottom.

Having arrived at the lake early I set about finding a few different swims to feed. I’ve chosen four areas that I hope will remain un-fished by other anglers throughout the day – fingers crossed, hey?
All of the swims feature bank-side vegetation, but the swim that’s really got me feeling hopeful is one with good reed cover in the margins. I’ve already seen a couple of big fish quite close to the bank here, so I’m hoping my hemp, corn and pellet feed will divert them from their patrol route and into the margins where I can think about presenting a bait.
I like to feed several swims to keep me active throughout the session. I’ll spend up to an hour in each swim with a bait in the water before I think about moving if I’ve not seen any fish or caught one.
This tactic is based around a more mobile approach, but by the same token patience is crucial. I’ve also found that if you can position your hook bait while the fish are not in the swim then you have a far greater chance of catching one than if you drop a bait on feeding fish.
With the four swims fed I’ve made up a few PVA bags of 6mm pellets and salmon fry crumb ready to put on the rig when I drop it in over the feed.
I’ve kept a watch on all the fed areas, but as they’re each set several swims apart I can only spend so much time at each. On closer inspection the second swim, which I’ve fed under a tree, has been completely cleaned of the free offerings but there are no fish visible. My adrenaline’s rushing, so I waste no time in hooking on a PVA bag of pellets and dropping the rig into place, followed by two more handfuls of hemp and corn over the top.
I can see the lake bed, so I’ve slack lined the rig and checked it’s all laying on the lake bed. I leave the clutch relatively loose and any bites will be indicated by a screaming reel as the fish bolts against the weight of the lead.
Laying as far back as possible with only the tip ring over the water’s edge I keep a close watch on the swim for signs of fish.
As if from nowhere three big shadows approach and pass my bait. Just as I thought my opportunity had come and gone in a flash two of the three fish turn and head directly for my feed. Tailing up they rip the lake bed up as I take hold of my rod’s butt section ready for action.
Four intense minutes pass before the big shadows vacate the swim. How can one not have picked my hook bait up I question to myself? I can barely see the lake bed any more because of all the bottom debris that’s been kicked up by the feeding fish. I leave the bait in for a further 15 minutes in the hope one will return, but no luck. Time to move swims and two more handfuls of bait prime the spot ready for another look a little while later.
A look around the other swims and the one with the reeds looks a good choice. One of my other swims is now occupied by another carper too anyway. As I approach the reed swim stealthily I can see two carp, one that looks about 30lb and another smaller mid double making light work of my feed.. However, I have to pick my time carefully to avoid spooking them.
I’ve hooked on a PVA bag and am waiting until they drift away from the feed until I place my rig. Twelve frustrating, but adrenaline-packed minutes pass until the big one drifts off, followed by the smaller one. Now’s the time, so I carefully lower the rig in, check it’s all laying on the lake bed and throw a handful of hemp and corn over the top.
Lying low with rod in hand I position myself way back from the water with only the tip ring over the reeds. Thirty minutes and no signs later I begin to think I’ve missed my chance. I can see my pop-up hook bait tipped with a piece of floating corn is presented just as it should be, so I continue to scan the water.
I notice three or four fish cruising much further out in the lake until a big shadow out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. The two fish that were there before are fast approaching the swim again– what did I say about them returning to the same spots!
This is it I think to myself as they both make a b-line for he feed. Heads down like pigs troughing in a feed bowl the smaller one rips the lake bed up, but the bigger one seems far more cautious. All of a sudden all hell breaks loose as both fish bolt and my reel starts screaming in the blink of an eye. As a split second passes I realise what’s happening and watch my 15lb Gardener GT80 mono being stripped at an alarming rate from the spool. Have I got the big ‘un or was it the smaller one?
I apply pressure to the spool to slow it down before locking it tighter and playing the fish. My 21/2lb test curve ESP Vertex rod takes the full strain as the fish slowly makes its way back towards me. I catch a glimpse of the fish and I can see it is the smaller of the two that were feeding on my bait.
The fish makes me feel every pound of its weight as I slip the net under a perfectly conditioned mirror. I estimate the fish at roughly 19lb, but with the scales zeroed and the fish in the sling it pulls the needle round to 22lb 1oz – what a result and what a superb way to catch it. That leaves one burning question in my mind – just how big was the other one?
As the afternoon passes I try the other swims but to no avail. Time to call it a day, but if you’ve got the time it’s worth noting that sunrise and sunset are two exceptionally good times for stalking carp. If you can get fishing at your local lake throughout that time you really can experience some fantastic fishing.