Clear - Water Carping

Darrell Peck offers his thoughts for targeting a venue with clear water. Does it make it harder or easier? We want to find out .

- Elliot Gray

As always, location must come first. Spend time searching for your quarry before you attempt to fish for them. Clear waters offer you the chance to actively hunt and spot the carp. Use things like the trees, carefully, to your advantage. Once you have found the fish, by whichever means necessary, only then should you think about casting out. Of course, it’s not always possible to see signs of carp, especially in winter.

When fishing a water that boasts great clarity you need to think a little harder about the end tackle you’re going to use. Always think carefully about what you use and change things about to suit the venue and the spot that the rig is fished on. This is very important, especially on the more pressured venues where the carp are constantly on edge. A lot of people underestimate quite how good a carp’s eyesight actually is – it’s very good. Sometimes, what seems like the smallest of things can make all the difference. One thing is for certain – paying attention to rig camouflage won’t do you any harm.

Something that I always pay special attention to is my main line. This can be the biggest giveaway of them all, and in clear water it’s even easier for it to do so. Your main line has to travel a long way from the rod tip to the spot and it is important that as much of this line is concealed as possible. While carp are relatively simple creatures in the grand scheme of things, they are not always as stupid as we sometimes think and they may well be put on edge if they are to notice the lines in your swim.