Carp Centre

Everything you need to know, all in one place. Touch up on the essentials or learn about a new technique to add to your carp game, it’s all here.

The Essentials

Everything you need to know to get started catching carp. Baits, rigs, techniques and more all explained.

Carp Characteristics – Habitats, Diets & More

Originating from West Asia, today carp can be found across the globe. In fact, they have been introduced into every continent (excluding Antarctica) and are found in 59 countries worldwide. This makes carp the third most…

Angling Photography: A Basic Guide to Taking Better Shots

I want to start by saying I am by no means an expert in the world of photography, I guess you might call me a keen amateur. My interest in photography stemmed from wanting to take great catch shots and from being around anglers who really knew their stuff, seeing...

Points Mean Prizes – Get More from Your Hooks

Hook sharpness is quite the hot topic at the moment, and for very good reason. The hook serves as your primary point of contact between you as an angler and the carp. It’s importance should not be underestimated. When I think back to some of the hooks I've used in the...

Canal Carping: An Overview

When looking across all age demographics, it’s no secret that carp fishing is one of the most popular outdoor activities. However, with a finite amount of carp lakes out there, where should you as an angler turn when you don’t want to fish overcrowded waters, a common...

Lengthen the Life of Your Bait

Air-drying boilies… What’s it all about and why do anglers swear by the value it provides? There are a number of different reasons why air-drying your baits can be of benefit, let me begin with the most important of them all. To put it simply, air-dried boilies are...

read more

Canal Carping: An Overview

When looking across all age demographics, it’s no secret that carp fishing is one of the most popular outdoor activities. However, with a finite amount of carp lakes out there, where should you as an angler turn when you don’t want to fish overcrowded waters, a common...

read more

Advanced

If you’re a seasoned carp angler looking to improve in specific areas, this is for you.

How to Make Your Own Cork Ball Pop Ups

There are plenty of off the shelf pop ups available on the market, and a visit to any tackle shop will certainly present the angler with a wide array of colours, flavours and sizes to choose from. There are occasions however, where something a little bit different is...

Battle of the Carp Lakes: Top Tips for Taking on Crayfish

What are Crayfish? Crayfish are present in many waterways across the UK and Europe. The smaller White Clawed Crayfish (pictured right below) is native to the UK and sadly under threat from the non-native American Signal Crayfish (pictured left below) due to a disease...

A Basic Guide to Freelining for Carp

Like many, my fishing is frequently governed by a limited amount of time. Plenty of us have busy lives and simply slot in fishing where we can. For me, this means travelling light, staying mobile and moving around lakes and rivers trying to find fish and only then...

Why I Love Spod Fishing for Carp: Spod Braids & More

Spodding isn’t the easiest way of baiting up, but as with anything if it’s difficult it’s often worth doing. And trust me, if you find a venue that response well to spodding, you will agree. I utilise spodding in my angling more than most, including in the winter...

A Basic Guide to Freelining for Carp

Like many, my fishing is frequently governed by a limited amount of time. Plenty of us have busy lives and simply slot in fishing where we can. For me, this means travelling light, staying mobile and moving around lakes and rivers trying to find fish and only then...

read more

Catching Carp in the Margins

Catching carp in the margins is one of the most exciting and productive methods, perfect for the short session fisherman. I've arrived at lakes in the past, carefully baited up a few marginal spots before catching some fantastic fish in a relatively short space of...

read more

The Big Carp Paradox

Last year I started fishing a brand new lake… Unfortunately, this article isn’t the one I was intending to write when I first set out my new fishing adventure, as I sit down to write this it feels as though this venue has well and truly kicked me in the proverbials....

read more

Seasonal

As the seasons change, so should your carp fishing tactics.

Spring

Spring can provide some fantastic sport, particularly as angling pressure is relatively low. Get out there and take advantage of it!

Carp Angling in Early Spring: Some Great Advice

Spring is my favourite angling season, as the long awaited thaw begins and snow drops start to pop up through the frozen ground, bringing with them a sense of optimism and excitement at the year ahead. Days get progressively longer as the sun’s angle increases across...

Make a Quick Start: A Guide to Starting on a New Fishing Venue

Starting to fish on a new venue can be intimidating; each water will present a new challenge, which keeps things interesting but also forces us to learn and improve as anglers. In my article on selecting a venue, I discussed at length the things I consider when...

Seasonal Carp Angling: The Best Rigs for Spring

Spring is my favourite time of year to be fishing; I am always incredibly keen following the winter period, which coincides perfectly with improving weather and the carp being at their most catchable. In this article I will cover my rig approach to the spring period,...

Surface Fishing for Carp: Spring Fishing

At the time of writing this, we’re witnessing the very first signs of spring. It’s early March, and a mild spell of weather has made everything happen sooner than expected. Each year mother nature decides exactly when the season starts and ends but one thing you can...

Surface Fishing for Carp: Spring Fishing

At the time of writing this, we’re witnessing the very first signs of spring. It’s early March, and a mild spell of weather has made everything happen sooner than expected. Each year mother nature decides exactly when the season starts and ends but one thing you can...

read more

Seasonal

As the seasons change, so should your carp fishing tactics.

Winter

Don’t be a fair weather fisherman. Get out there with our tips and enjoy some of the best sport possible, even if it is a little chilly!

Clothing for Winter Carping: What You Need

To some, winter can seem like a rough time to be out on the bank, I’ve had countless people (usually not anglers) express confusion on my love of being out by the water in the cold. Preparation is the key to good angling and this is even truer in the winter months....

5 Tips for Locating the Carp in Winter

So it’s now officially winter. The nights are drawing in, you had to scrape the frost off the windscreen of your car this morning and your surface fishing exploits are quickly becoming distant memories. Whilst plenty of anglers are now packing away their gear for the...

Liven up Your Winter Fishing by Using Maggots

Maggots make for an exceptionally effective carp bait in winter. Here we run through exactly how to make the most out of them. As the temperature drops, the carp’s metabolism starts to slow. This has two consequences; they eat less and are far less active. Despite...

My Winter Thoughts: Take Advantage of Winter Carp Fishing

In anything I do in life, goals are a must. Perhaps it’s a character flaw, but if you too have this desire to measure everything, you’ll understand that achievable goals are important and that carp fishing is no exception. This winter I’ve decided to target a new...