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 Care: Keeping Carp Safe on the Bank

Take a look across the internet and you’ll find plenty of articles and videos dedicated to carp baits, rigs and methods, but very little on the topic of carp care in comparison. This is a huge shame as carp care is vital to the upkeep and maintenance of our sport....

Five Top Tips for Fishing Day-Ticket Waters

As a carp fishery owner, I've seen a wide range in day-ticket anglers. In fact at this point I've pretty much seen it all, crazy baits, frankly stupid rigs and weird and wonderful techniques. Here's my top five tips to being successful on a day ticket water when it...

Locating The Carp

They say that location is key when it comes to carp fishing, no matter how big or small the venue is, if you’re not on top of the carp you could be waiting hours for a bite. For larger venues, it’s typically worth leaving the gear in the car and doing a few laps around the lake, keeping your eyes…

Five Tips to Improve Your Carp Fishing Game

When I sat down to write something on top tips for carp fishing, it became apparent to me that it was not going to be an easy task. The truth is that there aren’t really any secrets to help you catch more, so instead I am going to talk about elements of my approach...

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.

Opinion: Carp Sacking

Sacking is a contentious subject that is often discussed by carp anglers. In my opinion, when done correctly and when several different factors have all been appropriately considered, sacking is a useful technique which is beneficial for the carp. First of all, you...

Two Killer Float Fishing Tactics – Floater Fishing Setups & More

"It’s cheating, they don’t count… I would rather catch them on the bottom. It never ceases to amaze me when anglers discount surface fishing either based on its merits or because it’s something they don’t understand. Surface fishing provides an opportunity to turn...

Surface Fishing For Carp

In my opinion, surface fishing is one of the most exciting methods of carp angling. Not just for the fact that it allows you to travel light and stay mobile, but it grants you the ability to get up close and personal with the fish. Before discussing…

Playing, Cleaning, or Feeding: What Does a Crashing Carp Mean?

If you’ve been carp angling for any length of time, you’ll know that location is the most important aspect of watercraft. This is drummed into you everywhere you go for information, with this website being no exception. Simply put, finding the carp makes catching them...

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!

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...

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...

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...

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...

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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!

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...

Fishing Winter Edges: Clear Winter Waters, Pop Ups & More

Last week I was online taking a look at some catch reports and the number of UK forties that exist and were being really caught me off guard. It seems as though forty-pound carp are coming through all over the place, even in my local area there are one or two very...

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...

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...