Where to find carp this Spring!

Spring is my favourite time of year, by a mile. The carp are willing to feed, they are moving, and are very catchable. What’s more, they get in close to the bank which can be the most exhilarating, fun style of angling. In this piece, I want to give you an idea of where to pinpoint them, this isn’t set in stone, just my experiences of spring carp habits.

Always check the snags

This is just for spring, but they are particularly susceptible to visiting the snaggy areas of the lake during spring, for cover. Check out overhanging bushes, dense trees and branches because there is likely to be a carp air two nearby. When you fish up against snags, use a line clip to edge as close as you dare. Braided main line can help because it has zero stretch.

One little tip is to ensure that you are fishing locked up so the fish can’t gain an inch on the take.

Weed beds

Carp love to search and spend time in or around fresh, new-growing weed beds.The weed contains huge amounts of natural food which is also waking up and coming to life at this time of year. Weed beds also provide sanctuary, just like snags do. One little tip is to find holes in the weed. Keep baiting these spots regularly and you could be onto a winner. If the weed is heavy, make sure your you can detach the lead on the take.

The Margins

The warmer the weather gets, the more they will be seen visiting those lovely looking edge spots. Check out little glowing gravel areas, drop offs and marginal slopes. A typical session will see me baiting up 4 or 5 different marginal spots, returning to each to see if the carp have visited.

Point Swims

Swims that give you access to large amounts of water are always a good bet. They allow you to keep an eye of what’s going on around the lake. Carp are on the move and so it gives you the chance to spread your rods around. Use single hook baits to roam the areas!

Shallow areas

As the weather warms the water and the sun begins to beat down onto the surface, the shallow water rises in temperature the quickest. Consequently, such areas can be very rewarding particularly in the daytime. Waders can help in the shallow areas, they allow you to position your rig with pinpoint accuracy. One little tip is to fish a slack line and keep it on the bottom out of the carps way.

Gravel Bar

A gravel bar is basically a huge ridge on the bottom, a raised area if you like formed by massive scoops that extracted the gravel at some point. They are shallower areas. Carp will treat them like underwater motorways particularly in spring when the weather warms up. Pinpoint such areas using a marker float because they will be shallower in depth. Sometimes you can even see gravel bars glowing in the clear water. If you climb a tree they can be very obvious. Be careful hen fishing bars though because some can be sharp. A leader of some sort; tubing or lead core, is advised.

Open Water – Mid Depth

A HUGE edge this time of year is fishing mid water. You will often find the carp off the bottom moving in shoals. As a result, a zig-rig can be a real winner. Try a mid-depth zigs, three quarter zigs, experiment off the bottom because they aren’t always there!