The other evening – work done for the day – I sat down for an hour’s relaxation with a cup of coffee and the latest issue of a carp magazine. In one of the articles I came across the following statement, " I realise that in this day and age there aren’t all that many waters where you stand much of a chance in the margins."
Luckily I had just swallowed a mouthful of coffee, otherwise I might have spluttered it over the magazine! How the writer of the article managed to arrive at such a bizarre conclusion, I do not know. Margin fishing is effective in most waters, as is evidenced by the fact that I catch approximately two thirds of my annual total of carp within a couple of rod-lengths of the bank.
Fishing the margins of a big Kent gravel pit
I don’t intend doing a "sales pitch" for margin fishing – if you agree with the aforementioned unnamed author and reckon it is unlikely to work on your waters, you’ll get no quarrel from me… even though I think you are almost certainly wrong! Instead, I shall summarise my findings and give a few tips, which, hopefully, will imbue margin "virgins with sufficient encouragement to give it a try.
CALENDAR
In some waters carp can be caught from the margins all year, but generally I wait until spring. Early fishing tends to be somewhat erratic, but it usually gets well underway mid to late April – at about the same time as I hear the first cuckoo and see the first swallows. May is the best margin month of them all, with June a close second. July is also good, so too is early August. Mid-August there is a tendency for carp to slip away from the margins. September onwards, in most waters, margin fishing can be somewhat hit-and-miss.
GOOD TIMING
Gently lowering the bait in the margins of a marshland dyke
I have lost count of the number of times I have started fishing at dawn or shortly after, and sat behind silent Delkims all morning, only to make a good catch during the course of the afternoon. You will not be surprised to learn, therefore, that my favourite time for margin fishing is 1.00pm through to teatime.
The next best period is mid to late morning, from about 9.00am to 11.00am. The evening is usually disappointing; I have caught very few margin carp after 8.00pm.
BEST WEATHER
A warm, gentle onshore breeze is perfect. Mild, drizzly weather – what the Irish call ‘a soft kind of a day’ – can be productive, too. In deep pits and irrigation reservoirs, red-hot sunny flat-calms are good.
A cold wind can kill margin fishing stone dead. If, however, the cold wind occurs on a high pressure sunny day, it is worth trying the sheltered upwind bank – especially if the wind is a northerly because the upwind bank faces south and so gets the full benefit of the sun.
SWIM CHOICE
Tucked behind cover while fishing the margins of an Essex gravel pit
Talk "margins" and most anglers think in terms of reeds, lilies and overhanging trees. While such spots are always worth a try, I have caught most of my margin carp from seemingly featureless stretches of bank. And given similar looking places – whether they be classic "feature" spots or lengths of bare bank – carp show a noticeable preference for some rather than others. Why they should like one overhanging tree better than half a dozen apparently similar ones, or favour one particular 10-metres stretch of bare bank above others, I do not know. But while I can’t explain such paradoxes, I have noticed that experienced margin anglers develop a sort of sixth sense, which enables them to identify the best spots. Pending the development of this subconscious knack, I suggest that shallow water – just a metre or so – be chosen in late April and throughout May, with progressively deeper swims selected as the summer wears on.
CARP FREE ZONES
When the wind blows directly onto a reed free gravel or sandy bank, the waves will dislodge particles, which remain in suspension and colour the water. Often I have read that carp are attracted to coloured water, but such has not been my experience; I suspect the particles clog or irritate their gills.
Sand particles are too heavy to remain in suspension for long, so coloured water in gravel pits rarely extends for more than a few metres from the bank. Clay pits are a different matter, the micro clay particles are held in suspension for a considerable time and can create a long milky "slick", which may extend way out into the pit. I have never caught a carp from wind-blown milky water – bream, yes; tench, occasionally; carp, never.
This lovely leather took the bait literally inches from the bank in a marshland dyke
But here’s a paradox. Cloudy, or even milky water, which has been created by fish activity (carp roofing in the bottom, for example), does not put them off. So while windblown coloured water is a no-no; self-stirred cloudy water is an excellent bet. Funny things, carp!
HANG LOOSE
Many, if not most carp anglers like to have their lines harp-string tight. But a tight line can spook carp, so whenever possible, I prefer to let mine hang slack – I mean really slack, too, with loose loops hanging between the rod rings. If the lake-bed is littered with mussels or flints which might sever a line which lays on the bottom, I settle for what I term a "droopy line".
QUIET PLEASE!
Be quiet and stay out of sight. Yes, I know it’s been said a thousand times – but the fact that it has been repeated ad nauseam in no way detracts from its value. Surprising, then, that so few anglers heed the advice. Carp are wild creatures – they have an instinctive fear of alien shapes, shadows and noises. We intensify that fear by constantly pursuing and hassling them. We are not likely to catch them close-in, therefore, if they know we are there.
Margin Whacker!
If possible, I sit well back from the water’s edge (at the limit of the ’20ft from the rods’ maximum allowed by statute). If the configuration of the bank makes that impossible, I like to sit behind cover. If no cover exists, I may create it – a few willow fronds, perhaps. If that, too, is untenable, then it is necessary to sit very still – drab clothing helps (please, please leave the white T-shirt at home!).
READY FOR THE "BURN"!
When a carp is hooked in the margins it has but one objective in life – to put as much distance between you and it as possible, so this is not the time to be fumbling with the clutch adjuster knob! The clutch should be pre-set to a tension which will yield line fairly readily – but not so readily that no control can be exercised. The first run is likely to be 20 metres plus – when it stops or slows, the clutch may be tightened and the fish played through the gears ("backwinding", as it’s termed).
KEEP THE FAITH
In many waters margin fishing has developed a sort of self-fulfilling negative dynamic in that everyone believes it to be an ineffective technique, so no one tries it. Because no one tries it, no carp are caught from the margins. The fact that no carp are caught from the margins reinforces the belief that the tactic is unproductive… and so on. It is easy to lose confidence and quit when faced with that sort of thing – but those who "keep the faith" and persevere will eventually succeed.
Despite having caught innumerable carp from the margins, I still experience momentary panic when my rod tip stabs round to the accompaniment of a heart-racing "Beeeeeep!’ from my alarm! And no matter how often it happens, nothing diminishes the thrill of hearing the clutch scream in protest in response to a carp taking off as though all the banshees in hell are on its tail!
Experience such a moment, and I promise you, you’ll be as nuts about margin fishing as I am!
POSTSCRIPT
This lovely linear came, unusually, right at the tail-end of the day
If this article has fired your enthusiasm for margin fishing, you can learn more about its technical aspects in the "Margins", "Weedy Waters" and "Deep Waters" chapters of my latest book, "Gravel Pit Carp" (Laneman Publishing: Tel. 0171 703 6512).
Jim Gibbinson
