Possibly the most visually exiting method of carp fishing, I have spent many an hour trying to catch a wily old carp off the surface.
Carp will feed off the surface as readily as they will feed off the bottom, if the right conditions exist.
If you have never tried this then give it a go, and I am sure you will love it.
How do I do it?
Slide a surface controller up your main line, followed by a leger stop. The leger stop is there to hold the controller in place, and create a “tail” of line to your hook, where your floating bait awaits. Strong line is needed for carp fishing, with rods reels and hooks to match.
Why does it work?
Carp will feed from the surface generally during warmer months (not that we seem to be having many of them at the moment), and careful presentation of a floating bait might just catch you one.
It is extremely important to grease your line between the leger stop and the hook, to ensure that it is floating clear of the water. This not only aids striking, but stops the carp being spooked should it brush the line before it gets to your bait.
Controller floats generally allow you to cast floating baits further, but if fishing in extremely close try freelining. You would be surprised how far you can cast a well soaked chum mixer. Freelining in the margins has often produced me fish when other methods fail, especially if you stalk the carp.
ADDITIONAL NOTE: a simple way of using a lighter breaking strain hook-length than your mainline would be to replace the controller float in this rig with a bubble float.
