Back Down Burrows 'Dreamy Summer Days'

In this Blog I will be accounting for three short sessions.

Every so often you come across a water that really connects with you, Burrows is one of these places for me. I have done a lot of blog entries about the water and no doubt I will continue. The stamp of fish is pure quality, I have never come across such clean looking carp. I have mentioned before, carp fishing isn't a numbers game for me, it's all about the process.

I haven't fished it for quite a while because I was focusing my efforts elsewhere. Since the fish have spawned all the waters seem to have slowed down, I have suffered a fair few blanks of late and with the extreme increase in temperatures I knew things were going to get harder. 

I have literally been scratching for a bite, fishing for a bite at a time. I did have some success the other week down on the stock pond, I managed to tease a fish out before it got to hot, I will be writing that session up shortly.

I arrived at the water mid morning and the sun was already beating down, for the first time in ages I noticed shoals of carp just under the surface. I was actually surprised to see some really big lumps, I think there are still a few secrets swimming around in the depths. The bank side was so different to my last visit, everything was overgrown, insects buzzing and the water was an amazing green/blue color, instantly I felt back home.

The bowl end seemed to be showing a lot of activity so I chose to fish the first double swim on the lake, this commands a lot of water and some great far margin features. I was planning to fish a 5ft zig on one rod and whack a bottom bait over to the far margin making sure it was tucked nicely in the shade. 

Regarding my bottom bait rig I kept it pretty simple, the hook link material was Rig Marole 'skin full' stripped back just behind the hook eye. My chosen hook was a Nash Fang X size 6, I was fishing a blow back rig with a medium length hair and a Fox rig ring pear. The pears suit a thicker hook and give the 'blow back' effect a nice little kick. I was using a 'carpy chris' black inline weed lead finished off with carp craze 'translucent green' tubing.

Business End

Rig Presentation In The Water

My chosen bait was Raspberry Ripple topped off with a small piece of imitation sweet corn. To help the hook-link blend in I used some rig pens, matching the colour to the lake bed. I am a huge fan of rig pens, they're a bit of a confidence booster for me.

Before I got my bottom bait rod out I put around 200 baits spread in about a 4 meter radius of where I was planning to fish my rig. From past experience when the fish move down this end of the lake you can get a big hit if you keep the bait going in and get your rig back out quickly. The approach I've adopt is pretty systematic, I unhook the fish in the net and then cast the same bait out. Many times this has produced before I even managed to get the first fish back.

I cast my zig rig over tight to the far bank, there was a nice scum line developing and I could see a few fish groping around just under the surface. To be honest I wasn't expecting a quick take, I felt I stood the best chance late afternoon when it started to cool off.

View From The Swim

On my bottom bait rod I was using a 2oz back lead tightened right up, this was to make sure the line was nicely out the way and I was in complete contact with the bait, when fishing so close to the opposite margin you have to be on your rods very quickly to stop the fish from driving through the snags.

After a few hours the sun really started to beat down and it became very hot, luckily I was able to sit in the shade but it didn't help on the confidence front regarding a bite. There were plenty of signs of fish in my swim. After a few hours I decided to recast my bottom bait even closer to the opposite margin because fish were showing tucked underneath the marginal growth.

Burrows Carp Showing Themselves Which Is Rare

Interesting To See Them Grouped Up

It was really interesting for me to see the carp grouped up, I always thought that they moved around in shoals. The bigger fish seemed to be in ones and twos, seeing this made me understand why big beds of bait can work well. It's obvious the fish move in and start competing against each other, quick takes can occur after a recast if the group are holding over the baited area. Also the wind seemed to play a big role in which direction the carp were heading, I will log all these points and bare my findings in mind when I fish the lake in the future.

The hours were ticking by with no real action, I had a few liners which was promising. Come late afternoon the far margin was now in complete shade and fish were starting to top and jump very near my spot. Late afternoon came and went, come 7:30pm my bottom bait rod took off at lighting speed breaking the silence with a scream. I lent into the fish, steered it out of the impending snags and held on for dear life, she tore around left, right and center. Eventually she tired and I slipped a lovely looking common over my net, scales sunk to 16IB, I was very happy, this fish had broken my run of blanking and I felt really inspired again.

16IB On The Raspberry Ripple

I had about an hour or so left before I was going to pack up so I got the rod straight back out. This time I didn't put anymore bait in, I was thinking that if fish had moved in and munched what I had put out, there may be a few milling around which could produce a quick take.

The remains of the day passed with no more action, I was pleased with the common, she was a beauty. I can't wait for the temperatures to drop a little and for things to stabilise, it's been a tough year for the carp with the extreme cold, then crazy heat.

I planned to come down in a day or two and try to fish the same swim, a lot of bait had gone in and I was hoping the fish might pick up on it between now and then.

Second Session, Breaking Through

I arrived at the lake at 2pm and was really happy to find the same swim free, before casting out I got a good amount of bait back in the water. This time around I had modified my rigs slightly. I was using a longer hook-link and a longer hair, I changed my lead to an inline pear 1.75oz and added a heavy flying back lead to my setup. This rig arrangement really sat well on the bottom and the braid and lead were pretty much undetectable.

Modified Rig

Gardner Flying Back Lead

Again, I was fishing Raspberry Ripple on one rod and Bio CP2 Amino on the other, both were topped off with imitation corn. Starmers Bio CP2 Amino is a very effective bait, it's a green lipped mussel base mix with a natural high betaine level combined with vitamins and amino acids and it does the business everywhere I take it.

Starmer Bio Cp2 Amino

The spots were pretty much the same as the previous days session but this time I really concentrated on getting the baits as close to the opposite margin as possible. I had opted to move both my spots slightly over to the left, these areas seem to be free from underwater snags and I seem to land fish from these spots without any problems.

View From The Swim

So my traps were set and the bait was out, it really was just a waiting game now. It didn't take long to get my first fish, the right hand rod tore into life and I soon had a little mirror staring at me from the net. It was only small but a real joy to catch. It was around 6IB, spotless and obviously had 'big fish' potential, every small fish has 'big fish' potential. I unhooked her and cast the same bait out back on the spot, topped the swim up and took care of the fish, this tactic can work really well in this specific swim. 

I put the fish back in the net to lower her into the water and set free, when all of a sudden the same rod tore into life literally two minutes after being cast out. This felt like a better fish, it was heavy and powering around like a nutter. Eventually I slipped the net under a lovely looking mirror, I now had two fish staring at me, scales sunk to 22IB.

Mother And Daughter

I really enjoy catching smaller carp, it shows the lake you are fishing is progressing in the right way, all the new scamps coming up our the future of all the waters, never disregard a carp just because it's not a big one. Like I have mentioned so many times before, it shouldn't be a numbers game. It's all about the process and where there are small fish there's usually big girls hanging around somewhere near. 

Taken On The Bio Cp2 Amino

22IB Mirror Taken On Bio Cp2 Amino

I got both fish back and cast the baits straight back out, I had another take on my right hand rod but unfortunately this fish took me into some snags and came off. The day evaporated into evening and the swim went quiet. I had in mind coming back the following day to fish the same spots, before I left I put a good kilo of bait out covering a vast majority of the water in between were I was planning to fish. Hopefully the swim wasn't going to get taken before I arrived tomorrow.

Third Session, Coming Clean

I arrived at the water just after midday and was happy to see the swim I wanted was vacant. Before setting my rods up I got another load of bait back on the spots. I was hoping the fish might have moved on to what I put in yesterday. The wind was blowing nicely down into the bowl and whilst I was setting up fish were showing themselves all over the swim. Just like the day before, I was fishing Raspberry Ripple and Bio CP2 Amino, both topped off with imitation corn. 

I got my rods out both on the first cast, it didn't take long for me to get my first run, roughly about 45 minutes in. The left hand rod tore away and before I knew it I had a nice carp in the net.

A Quick Take

The fish couldn't have been much more than 6IB but it didn't half put up a fair scrap. All the commons in this water fight a lot harder than the mirrors. I slipped her back, got my rod back out and topped the swim up with a load more bait, I wanted to keep it going in. If the fish were here I wanted to keep them here.

Again, it was only about 30 minutes before the same rod went ripping off, this fish was heavy and was kiting around in the open water like 'there was no tomorrow'. I caught a glimpse of a long dark mirror, it looked like a good fish. Once in the net I was pretty sure I'd landed another twenty, scales sunk to 22IB. I was very pleased. The fish was a nice long shape and had a lovely dark color to it.

22IB On The Bio CP2 Amino

I slipped her back, got the rig out quick and again put at least half a kilo of bait back in. It couldn't have been in the water more than twenty minutes before my right hand rod ripped into action. This was a very powerful fish, I instantly thought it was probably a common due to how aggressive the fight was, she just didn't want to come in. Eventually she tired and I found myself looking at a long lean common, bang on 18IB.

Long Lean Common

Awesome Torpedo

I got her back and repeated the procedure, the fish were obviously really on the bait and holding nicely on the spot. Things started to slow down a little. I did get a screaming take on my right rod and it felt like a really good fish but after a long fight it kited down to my right and tethered my braid on some rock. Evening came and whilst I was in the process of packing up my left rod gave out a  battle cry which resulted in a lovely looking mirror and one of the prettiest fish I'd caught for a long while.

With Last Knockings Comes A Bonus Fish

This fish signaled the end my session, and what a session it had been. I think fishing the same swim for a few days can really payoff, especially when the lines come out the water at nighttime. I was really pleased with the results considering we are still coming out of a real warm spell.

Every so often things come good, everything seems to fall into place, I have learnt from past experience that you need to make the most of these spells because they can be fleeting. There are so many variables in carp fishing, so many reasons 'why' and 'why not'. It's this process that keeps me interested, once again I'll say, it's not about numbers or size, it's about consistency, and furthering your understanding, and of course 'enjoying'. 

Never let the chase ruin it for you. 

Chase Lakes 'Summer Days'

So much can change in a few days, this session was the first time I felt like summer had finally arrived. After my soaking last time it's as if everything accelerated, the bank side is buzzing, almost everything in the water is doing their business and I have received the first mosquito bites of the year. 

Arriving at the lake I could see some carp in the reeds thrashing and throwing themselves around so I knew this would be my last session for at least a few weeks so they can be left in peace to do their thing. I avoided all spawning fish and opted for the quieter spots.

I was on the water earlier than usual today, my rods were out by 9:30am and it felt good to know I had at least 12 hours ahead of me. That was plenty of time to make something happen, when looking at the lake for a while it struck me that it was quieter than other days, no fish were showing and nothing was jumping, apart from the few spawning it was pretty desolate. I decided I'd fish the swim that is on the point of the bottleneck, well it was a good place to start, I'd play it by ear throughout the day.

As I have stated in previous blogs, the spots in this swim are very clear so I made a few more minor changes to my rig to try and make it really sit on the bottom in the best way possible. Firstly I changed the lead, their are two that I feel really confident using in these situations. One is 'Carpy Chris's' inline weed lead and the other is his inline pear 'ballast' finish. Both look awesome on the bottom and I think they're very tricky for the carp to detect.

 Inline Weed Lead 

I know there's lots of speculation over how effective camo leads are compared to all the generic shapes and colours, I personally think they work better.  Anything that blends naturally into the environment is a winner in my book and I pay close attention to all the components I use, making sure that I have the rig looking the best it can for any fishing situation that I find myself in.

Inline Pear 'Ballast Finish'

In regards to my hook-link, I was using Krystons Supernova, I really rate it because of how supple it is. I took a small amount of mud and wiped it thoroughly into the braid until it had dulled the finish. When I checked this in the margin it really made a big difference, this only really works on uncoated braids because the mud/dirt has something to soak and grip to. 

As stated in earlier blog posts I have really taken a likening to Carp Crazes 'Translucent' green tubing, it's very easy to thread and with a little bit of friction and heat it straightens and molds itself to the contours of the bottom. I am an avid 'tubing user' I never use lead-core or any type of leader like that, I don't think they're safe. Through the years I have caught many fish trailing meters of the stuff.

Carp Craze Translucent Green Tubing

Get Your Hands Dirty

I was feeling quietly confident and I had three solid spots to go at. The only niggling feeling I had was with my right hand rod, directly opposite there were three anglers constantly casting in and out, with lots of casting going on I didn't think the swim was going to have the chance to start working for me. 

Both left and right rods were a simple underarm flick out, the middle rod, I decided to fish it directly in the middle of the channel, I was hoping to pick off a few as they made their way through. I was using Starmers Coconut Fish and Pineapple CSL, I have great confidence in both of these baits and have done well on them in the past.

Right Hand Rod Spot

The carp do seem to respond well to a fair bit of bait, for a change I decided to try three different approaches. My right hand rod had a generous scattering of bait around it, my middle rod was a PVA mesh bag containing crumbed boilies and my left hand rod was a single hook bait popped up and topped with yellow, two handfuls of free offerings were thrown directly on top of it. 

Because the bottom is very 'uniform' in this swim, I was fishing 2oz back leads on all three rods, fishing very tight to the lead. I feel this tactic used in conjunction with a tightened clutch, helps to aid hooking. All fish caught when using this method have been completely nailed.

Middle Rod Spot

My middle rod was positioned in slightly deeper water, it gradually shelves up into the margin directly underneath my rod tips. My bait was in the deeper part of the channel, because I had two rods covering the margins I thought it would make a nice change to target the open water and during past sessions I have seen a fair few fish show in the centre of the bottleneck. 

Since my last blog entry I have done some marker work and I am very surprised to find out that in most of the swims I have fished in, there really isn't much going on in regards to underwater features. Surprisingly it seems to shelve up really close in though. 

I personally love marker work, sometimes I will dedicate a good few hours to it on days when I am not actually fishing. In recent years the magazines and on the DVDs, marker work is almost being shunned with the overused term 'thrashing the water to a foam'. This to me is bollocks, you can learn so much finding out about what's going on below the surface. I actually have two marker rods so I can really pinpoint the more subtle features. 

Very rarely will I throw it around before casting out at the start of the day, more times than not I'll dedicate half an hour or so after reeling in at the end of a session to check out the movement on the bottom. Without making an effort to understand what's going on in front you, you're really just 'chucking for luck', and for me that isn't fishing.

Carpy Chris 'Donk Kit' 

Left Hand Rod Spot

With all three rods now in position I sat back from the waters edge with my eyes firmly set on my rod tips. I had made the decision that I was just going to sit on my hands and wait, I knew the spots produced, it was just a case of seeing if the carp were up for it.

The morning came and went without any positive signs of fish in my area, the buzzers remained static. Midday approached and the temperature was really starting to kick out some heat. Again, it was dead, a few fish were starting to show themselves in the middle of the channel. Come mid afternoon it was baking hot, my confidence level was dropping pretty fast. Then out of the blue my left hand rod arched round and the bite alarm gave out an almighty scream. I rushed up and lent into the fish, line spewed off the spool at a crazy rate and I could feel I was into something heavy.

I really started to give the fish a fair amount of pressure but it wasn't having none of it, it was a good fifteen minutes before I even got a glimpse of it, it was a big fat mirror that was easily pushing twenty pounds. It slowly started to tire and after a good thirty five minutes or so I teased her over the net, scales sunk to 27IB 6oz, I was over the moon to say the least.

27IB 6oz On Starmers Coconut Fish

She really was one hell of a fish, she was clean and her mouth was perfect. It still surprises me how close in you can catch and it seems that the better stamp of fish stick pretty close to the reed lines and margins, I personally think, specifically in this lake they tend to shy away from the main features. I got the rod back out on the same spot and topped it back up with a couple of handfuls of boilies.

The hours crawled by and before I knew it evening had arrived and it was time to reel in, nothing else happened, everything stayed quiet with not even a liner. I was more than happy with the result. I kind of made my mind up that I was going to knock the fishing on the head for a while so the fish could spawn, rest and have the chance to adjust back to normal. 

We have to respect our quarry and I feel this is very important for the future of the sport and our waters. Going down to the lake when fish are spawning can be as equally exciting as fishing for them. I always use this time of the season to consolidate my results and approach before getting back on the waters after the spawn.  

Birds Green 'A Testing Session'

With the weather being so erratic it's made the fishing pretty hard work of late, on a fair few lakes it's looking like the carp are up for a second spawn. I decided I'd go to Birds Green for the last time in a while, I've got my sights set on other waters now. When I turned up to the lake it was really busy and talking to most of the anglers nothing had been coming out. After my blank down there the other week, I went back with a whole new approach in mind and still felt I could get a few out.

I managed to tuck myself in an island swim, I was hemmed in between two other anglers so I felt pretty limited. This time around I decided that I wasn't going to put any freebies in and just fish a single hook-bait with a small PVA bag, all three rods were on the blow-back which I have to say is becoming my favourite setup.

My Swim

I decided to keep my baiting to a minimum because over the past few weeks I have been watching other anglers and it struck me that so much bait goes in the water, the fish have got a constant supply of food. On this lake especially I don't think the fish will sit feeding on big beds of bait solely because it's such a pressured water. 

The morning came and went without any action, by this time the sun was beating down on my back and I could see fish milling around in the top layers of the water. The weather was playing havoc with the fish. First it was mild, then it was hot, then pissing it down, it came as no surprise my rods had stayed static. As the afternoon came I was thinking a change of approach was needed. I reeled one of my rods in and decided I was going to try some surface fishing. 

I started to introduce small floater pellets into the swim to see if I could get the carp going. There was pretty much an instant response, a good few fish started to come up and slurp them up. I continued to introduce more pellets little and often. The carp were responding very well. I decided I'd try my luck, my surface fishing setup is very simple, I use a Korda surface float and a fake dog biscuit hair-rigged, I cut a line in the biscuit so the hook can slip nicely into it.

Fake Dog Biscuit Setup

After casting out my bait was taken within about a minute of it hitting the water, the fish raced off peeling line from my spool, I was using my 9ft Greys stalker rod loaded with eight pound line so I had to be really careful. The fish was kiting from left to right, I managed to tease her my way, she really woke up underneath the rod tip so I just had to be patient waiting for her to tire. She eventually did and I slipped an amazing golden looking common over my net. Scales sunk bang on 16IB.

A 16IB Bar Of Gold

Off She Goes

The fight had spooked the fish off and all the carp that were still on the surface had moved further down the lake into the bowl end, I couldn't get to them because there were other anglers fishing.

By now time was ticking by pretty fast and it was approaching five o'clock, I decided I'd recast all three rods in hope I could bag a fish off the bottom before I left. I decided to cast the baits a little further back off of the island. There were carp fizzing and jumping all over the place and I was certain that another fish was on the cards. 

A couple of hours went by and as I was starting to pack up, my middle rod flew into life, I lent into the fish and it raced tight to the left along the islands edge. I gently applied the pressure and she started to steer my way, it was a real hard fighting fish and really gave me a run for the money. After about 10 minutes I slipped another perfect looking common over the net, she weighed in again at 16IB, I was very pleased because the fishing had been really hard and most anglers had packed up and gone home due to how quiet it had been all day.

16IB Common Caught On Starmers Coconut Fish

All in all I was happy with the result, like I said before, it really has been hard work this week with the weather conditions. It shows you don't have to cake the bait in to get results, if anything in the future on any pressured day ticket water I fish I am going to concentrate on location and keep the baiting up to a minimum.

Back Down The Farm 'Rooting For A Bite'

I made the decision to take a trip back down to Bax Farm Fishery again. I am very determined to get some of the big girls out, I know I've hooked at least one but haven't managed to land anything over 16IB. The lake is tricky, it's really not that big and has so many channels and features for the carp to hold in. The stocking is pretty impressive with an estimated 300 carp in the water. 

I find this pretty amazing considering you can go down for 24 hours and only bag two fish. I have fished it a lot now and I am convinced that the carp shoal up and patrol around the lake in groups, they definitely have a path they follow and can be located on this route through certain times of the day. I've always had most my action mid to lake afternoon, especially around the right hand side of the second island, they seem to move in around 7:30pm onwards.

Getting My Control Station Prepared 

Because the wind was hammering down into the bottom right hand corner I decided I would fish one rod off a small island, my spot was at the bottom of a steep shelf that dropped from 1 1/2ft down to 3 1/2ft, my next spot would be in a channel in between two islands and then the third down to my left underneath a willow tree.

First Rod Spot

There was a nice calm spot off of my island rod, I spodded out my mix tight to the marker and carefully spread it in a three meter radius of my hook bait, my mix was Starmers 'Red Carp' mixed with their 'Green Lipped Mussel' method mix, I added some corn and hemp with Starmers 'Chilli Hemp' glug. There was a lovely slick on the surface of the water as my mix went in. 

Mixing It Up

My Business End

My Second spot was in about 3ft of water, I baited the whole channel with Coconut & Halibut, I was fishing a bottom bait topped off with fake corn with 10 large spombs full of hemp and corn all around the baited area. I cast my bait just off of the baited area. I feel fishing off of a big bed of bait can tempt the fish that aren't comfortable sitting in one place scoffing. I had never fished this channel before and felt very confident that I was going to get a take.

Second Rod Spot

My third spot was just to the left of me fished in the margin tucked under a willow tree, it was near the bridge that divides the lake, I was hoping I could intercept any carp passing through from my side of the lake to the other. I was fishing a popped up Coconut & Halibut boilie also topped off with fake sweetcorn.

Third Rod Spot

I spent a while getting my three spots sorted so it felt good to take a seat and wait to see if my effort would pay off. I felt confident in the positioning of all my baits, now it really was just the waiting game. I sat watching the water and as expected no carp where showing themselves, they always seem to give themselves away around 4:30pm onwards. 

I decided to get a 'fourth rod spot' going, I chose a set of reeds tight down to the right of me, I introduced tutti frutti boilies throughout the day every 45 minutes. Every so often I would crawl over to see if I could see any movement or reeds banging, I deliberately threw my baits in the reeds, this way I'd know if the carp had moved in because they'd been banging the reeds around whilst seeking out the bait.

A good few hours passed with no sign of any carp in or around my spots, I decided I'd continue to sit on my hands and just wait it out, I knew at some stage a group of fish would move through the channel and around the islands, I believe the areas I'd chosen were definitely within their usual patrol route.

Third Rod Business End 

The hours were still passing without any action, the positives was the fact I was getting a few liners, I decided I'd go for a quick wander to see if I could spot any carp elsewhere on the lake. I left my wife with my rods. I only walked a few meters away, it was very windy. As I was checking a few other spots out I thought I heard my alarms but didn't take a great deal of notice, as I headed back to my swim I saw my wife struggling with my rods, apparently the two island rod has gone off at the same time. My right hand rod had tore off and the fish had slipped the hook which was very annoying, my middle rod was still rattling. I lent into he fish and managed to guide it out of the channel, the fish put up a good scrap, after a short fight I slipped a lovely looking common over my net, scales slipped to 13IB

13IB Common

I was really pleased, but slightly annoyed with the fact that I'd gone walking off. First rule "Don't Ever Leave your Rods". I got both my rods back out on my spots, topped the swim up with my mix and free offerings. Two takes at once shows that the carp really do move around certain areas of the lake in a group, this is not the first I've had a double take out of the blue on this water.

My Mix In The Margin, It's Perfect.

The hours ticked by and I started to feel that the fish had been and gone, there were no shows over my spots and my 'fourth rod spot' wasn't giving out any positive signs of being investigated. Late afternoon I decided to reel my rods in and take a walk around the lake to see if I could find any feeding fish. 

I was lucky because by this time most other anglers had packed away and gone home. This gave me a lot of options, I managed to find a group of feeding fish in a small bay on the back of the wind, this surprised me because a fair few lines had been in that part of the water earlier in the day, once the lines had gone they'd obviously moved in. I rushed back and got my gear together with the plan to just lower all my rods really close in the margin.

My Swim After The Move

Before I even managed to get all my rods out my left one had shot off at great speed, I lent into the fish and tried to guide it towards me without disturbing the other carp that were obviously feeding in the swim. I got her underneath my rod tip and let her circle until she was exhausted, then all I had to do was quietly slip her over the net with minimal disruption. It was another common, scales slipped to 11IB.

A Very Long Lean 11IB Common

By the looks of things there were still fish feeding in front of me so I walked the rod back round to the same spot and lowered it gently in. All my rods were now out and I stayed low to the ground, the fish were slowly moving around the channel in front of me. 

Before I knew it my right hand rod rattled off again, I made contact with the fish but there was a big reed stem on the hook-link which unfortunately dislodged the hook. This was something totally out of my control, I felt this could of spooked the swim because the carp darted towards the other feeding fish, I saw a few vortexes from where they all bolted. 

Putting the rod back in position I sat patiently but felt like the moment had passed, also a couple of anglers turned up and started casting close to my spots from the other side of the island which wasn't helping the situation. By this time it was getting pretty late so I decided to call it a day. The move paid off and I am thinking that I will do a mid-week day where I can move swims every hour to see if I can start to figure out the carps patrol route and what spots work at certain times of the day.

Before I left I had an idea, I pulled my sleeve right up and put my arm into the water right in the margin, I could feel that the margin actually goes a good foot underneath the bank, theoretically under your feet. Next time I go back I am going to take my rig and bait and place it underneath this ledge by hand, pretty much burying it into the side, I am very curious to see if this is going to work. I've seen carp moving so close in and this tactic might end up tricking one of the special fish.