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.

A Brief History of Carp Fishing – Why Is It So Popular?

For centuries, carp, and particularly carp fishing, has enthralled and captivated anglers throughout Europe and Asia. From the supernatural beasts lurking in holiday lakes across France and Thailand, to the mystical enigmas, residing within…

Plastic Fantastic: Using Artificial Baits

Recently, I’ve been chatting with some very successful artificial bait specialists and trust me, what they’ve shared makes for some interesting reading. Let’s get started… Just a trend?Anglers have been using artificial baits in some fashion for plenty of years now;...

Carp Baits

Forget fancy rigs, rods, and reels. If you don’t have appropriate bait to compliment your setup and the swim conditions then you’re fighting a long, slow, losing battle. Generally, the higher quality the bait, the more effective it will be. This often will require...

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...

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...

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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...

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Advanced

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

The Need for Change: How I Learnt to Continuously Improve My Fishing Game

I was a few weeks into trying out a new syndicate water not far from Merseyside but something didn’t quite make sense… I’d only had a couple of bites and nothing on the bank yet. At this point into a new water I was expecting more. Whilst my limited success had both...

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...

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...

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...

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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...

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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....

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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!

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,...

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...

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...

Locating Carp Through Spring: Top Tips & Tricks

As the spring season develops the changes are dramatic both above and below the surface, the world comes alive before your eyes and swims that were open and barren become lush and green. The fish’s activity levels begin to increase significantly, as the water...

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...

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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!

Winter Carping on the Maggots: Stay Warm and Keep the Bites Coming

The winter can be a majestic time to be out on the bank. Especially those bright, sharp days when it takes forever for the sun to come up, when it does, it lights up the surroundings with a magical glow. It’s common knowledge that carp fishing can be very tricky...

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...

A Basic Guide to Day Ticket Waters in Winter

As summer turns to winter, most day ticket fisheries find far fewer anglers flocking to their waters. This is a result of both the weather and the theory that carp do not feed in the winter or the cold. However, this is not to be believed. Admittedly, carp do not feed...

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...