The Clutch And Fish Welfare

In this blog I am going to touch on my feelings about the use of the clutch and certain aspects of general 'fish welfare'. Fish welfare is the main priority for me and it starts from the moment a carp is hooked. There is no excuse for lip damage or any other kind of injury to a fish. Obviously there are so many factors involved in hooking and landing a carp, there are times when however careful you are, small damages can occur. If I felt I couldn't treat the fish I catch with the respect that they deserve, I would give up fishing all together.

The Clutch, maybe a lost art?

I started my quest for carp back in 1990, there was no YouTube, DVD's, Korda etc, and very limited magazines on sale, I have never been one to read the carp mags anyway. I had to learn everything through immense trial and error, Graham, who use to own Crowborough Tackle showed me a knotless knot and the rest I had to explore myself, it took years before I started to grasp things correctly. The beauty of this process was the fact everything was learnt on the bank, it was understood gradually so through the years you developed a broad understanding. 

With the way the carp fishing industry has developed through recent years and with the explosion of the Internet, it's almost like the work is being done for you. Someone else gets out on the bank, films themselves, talks you through what's working and what isn't, how to find the fish, how to apply the bait etc. All from the comfort of your front room.

I feel this puts a hold on your own learning journey. You can't learn watercraft or how to handle a fish by watching YouTube, and you can't develop your own fishing knowledge by sitting at home. The only way you learn is by doing, a boxer can train and train but he only knows when he's ready for the fight when he steps into the ring, on his own. A band can rehearse a song endlessly but they only know if it's any good when it gets released. The best experience is your own experience and that is something that can't be bought.

I remember when I had a little float rod and I'd go fishing with a pot of maggots and my little landing net. I could sit and catch roach, dace, rudd, perch amongst others and I would be so happy. The feeling when that float bobs under was an indescribable sensation. From this style of fishing I learnt how to handle and carefully unhook what I'd caught. The first time I float fished for carp was on a private lake on the grounds of someone my Dad knew. When I hooked into my first carp from the water, the owner would guide me, telling me how to play the fish safely, slowly, and to treat them correctly, carefully unhooking them and placing them back to fight another day.

From that point onwards I felt what I was being shown became inherent within me, the care and attention I gave each fish I caught, resulted in them swimming back with no real harm done. Through the years I can't really remember ever catching a carp with bad lip damage that I'd caused, that might sound crazy to some, but it's the truth, I don't bully the fish, I savour every moment of the fight, we wait long enough for it. There have been a few occasions when the hook hold was weird or when my braid might have made a tiny incision, but that's about it, and all damage was carefully treated. I use a combination of "NT Labs Wound Seal & Propolis", I find both these products to be very effective and I wouldn't go fishing without them. There has been a few instances when I've had a recapture and the carp have been in good shape, the products had done their job.  

Keep It Clean

I stopped fishing most commercial waters a while back because on a lot of them the condition of the fish I was catching was unforgivable. I found myself coming up against the statement "Well What Do You Expect On A Day Ticket Venue". I am sorry but that is no excuse, a fish is a fish, be it a huge pit, a syndicate, small water or a day ticket, they all count and having a blase attitude towards day ticket fish was something that just didn't rub with me. There is no prize for yanking a fish in quickly, bullying it and putting it under unnecessary stress. The fish will signal when it is ready to be netted, you can see it and feel it. And this now brings me onto my point about "THE CLUTCH".

Quick Drag

I have always been an avid user of the clutch, it's one of the most important elements for me along with the line clip. For many years I used bait-runners, I loved my Shimano 6010's and was very reluctant to change, I think it was the 'old school' in me. Through the years they got battered, the clutches were tired and as my fishing progressed I decided to invest in my first set of big pit reels. This would be the first time I was dealing with a front drag. I have to say the difference between the two was light-years, having a front clutch was a dream and it really seemed to put you completely in touch with the fish. You could cater for any tug and lunge, accommodating accordingly. 

When I play my fish I get a sense when the clutch needs to be loosened, it all comes from the tip of the rod, once the tip is bent round, if the carp starts to drag the tip down violently, I will loosen off so the pressure from rod to fish is relieved. Obviously there are times when you have to give them a fair amount of pressure but I keep these to a minimum. Finding a fine line between being gentle but also keeping control is the key. With the ever increasing range of rods that are appearing on the market, test curves seem to be going up and up. With the correct use of the clutch you can still fish comfortably using stiffer rods without the worry of pulling the hook out. It is possible to find a sweet spot between reel and rod that is perfectly balanced. If your reel has a "Quick Drag" facility then you can fine tune even more.

Away She Goes

Up until around last year I have stopped fishing to bad snags or near any feature where the fish could get tethered, the idea of really heaving them out of branches has evaporated, this alone keeps the carps welfare at the forefront. The "fish at any cost" approach only puts the carp at greater risk. Nothing is achieved from dragging a fish through snags, lilies etc other than unnecessary damage, if you can't cast to the spot due to obstacles then you shouldn't be fishing there. I'd rather fish a spot knowing I can land the fish safely rather than a spot that poses the danger of a tethered fish. Again, there are some lakes were you can't see the snags and obviously there is always going to be those days where the fish seem to get away with it or lock you up, that is the nature of the beast.

It's pretty clear to me that as the carp fishing industry grows so does the demand for venues to fish, more pressure on fishery owners to stock bigger and better carp, imported or not. It's as if newcomers to the sport want to bypass the process of growing as an angler and developing both their skills and understanding. There's a hunger to just step straight into the realms of "needing to catch a thirty" - "disappointed it was shy of forty", this attitude alone devalues any fish caught that isn't 'a monster'. Where's the magic gone? and more importantly where has the respect gone?, not just for the fish but for your fellow anglers that share both your waters and this amazing pass time. 

I believe there has to be a certain level of educating, be it in the mags or on the FREE '5 hour' promo DVD's, that educates everyone that's new to the sport about the importance of fish care and using your tackle correctly. A solid message has to be spread that todays big fish will one day be gone and the scamps or 'pasties', that some people seem to call them, will eventually be tomorrows monsters. It is our job as anglers to make sure the carp and the waters they live in are looked after and nurtured so the magic of this 'other-worldly' pass time can continue for years to come.

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. 

  

Bax Farm 'Head Banging Session'

I decided to do another session on the specimen lake at Bax Farm on the Sunday just gone, it was the only day I could get out on the bank last week. I'm always a little dubious about weekend sessions because of how busy the banks can get. I gave the farm a call the night before and they said the specimen lake was pretty rammed, I thought I'd try my luck for a good swim on arrival. After arriving there was an awful lot of people packing up having done a night, instantly I got a feeling that the carp could be on high alert due to the number of lines being in and out the water, I didn't feel very confident. I have a firm belief that when a water is pressured the carp can switch off.

I Need A Bigger Car

I managed to get in my usual swim, already I was starting to think that I'm stuck in a mode on this lake because I have been fishing the same swim each time I go. Next session I'm going to try a different one, I've started to see other spots that interest me. I was fishing my grange & monster squid pop up combo on two rods and a bottom bait on my third. My Starmer order will be with me on Wednesday so, for the last time I was using Mistral on the bottom bait rod. I halved one of their new FM boilies and a banana tutti boilie and then combined them on the hair. I like topping my baits off with yellow, it's a colour that proves to be a great attractor. 

The Usual Spots

I had a really potent mix for my spomb, I decided to make the overall mix a little stiffer this time so it breaks down slower on the lake bed. I put five mini spombs over each rod and sat back to wait for bite time. My mate Aid who I met on my club water was coming down to fish the swim up from me, there was a lot of bubbling going on in the back channel where he was going to fish. I felt this was due to the fact so many anglers were in the main section of the lake, I think the carp were grouping up in the quieter part of the water.

The Control Center

My rods had been out for about an hour or so before I got a screaming run off my middle spot, they'd taken the grange & monster squid combo again, they love it down there. The fish was ripping line of the spool like a rocket, Aid was around to take some action shots.

Giving It Some Stick In Stealth Position

Nicely In The Net

She's In Good Hands

A Lovely Proud Little Lady

Not the biggest of fish but that doesn't matter to me, any carp is a beautiful carp, it's the science behind it and the thinking that I love the most. I put my rig back out on the same spot, I didn't feed the swim anymore, I was thinking enough bait had probably gone in the water in the past 24 hours. I decided to make up a few funnel web PVA bags, the presentation would be tidy with the pop up perched in the middle of a little bit of ground-bait.

My Little PVA Land Mines Release A Controlled Explosion Of Flavour

Things went quiet for a while and then the middle rod bobbin pulled up and stopped, at this point I had lots of thoughts racing through my mind .....'Have I Been Done', 'Is The Hook Blunt', 'Is The Rig Sitting In A Snag'. This very rarely happens to me, when I reeled the bait in there was a reed stem through the hook. I put a PVA nugget on it and re-cast. A few hours went by and I got the same sort of run. I reeled the bait back in again, everything seemed fine but then I started to realise that I wasn't fishing a blow-back rig this time around and maybe the carp are picking the bait up and spitting it out. I didn't have any 'blow backs' on me, I used them religiously but stopped a few weeks ago for a while replacing the rig ring with a small section of silicone tubing. After these two weird runs I'm going to stick to my 'blow back' setup because of its anti-eject properties. I am 100% confident in the rig combined with tying a figure of eight knot on the swivel, I feel this makes it very difficult for the carp to do you over.

A Slightly Stiffer Mix For Slower Breakdown 

The day continued with very little action, come 5:30pm the fish usually start to show and move in and around the islands, it seemed quieter than usual, I still put this down to angling pressure. The evening came and went without any more runs. My mate Aid had a run but it took him around the island so he didn't manage to land it. 
Thinking hard about the situation I've decided that I am going to find some margin areas that rarely see a bait, there's three known thirties in the lake that haven't been out for ages. I think that they avoid all the obvious features. The beauty about the farm is that it has so many nooks and crannies it's hard to make up your mind where to go. When you fish a lake, nine times out of ten you nearly always head for the main features, I'm going to go for the unassuming spots, even if it means fishing directly underneath my rod tips.

The Willows Are Tempting Me

As mentioned before, next time around I'm going to try a totally new swim and I think I'm going to stay mobile, any signs of feeding fish, I'll move, I think it's a lesson for all of us, you have to find the fish, it's too easy to just sit in one spot all day thinking the carp aren't feeding.