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Top 10 Spring Carp Fishing Tips

29 Dec 21

3

Spring Carp Fishing can be one of the best periods to catch several carp.

In the following article, we are going to run you through our top 10 spring carp tips to ensure you have a bumper season.

Does that sound good? Then let’s get started…

Increase the bait

As the air and water temperatures begin to rise, the carp will be starting to feed more heavily due to their metabolism increase, lack of feeding over the winter and their preparation to bulk up for spawning. During the winter we would always suggest you bait carefully, but spring is the time to start increasing your baiting and start to spod again. 

Mainline carp fishing bait

Start off with a few spods of bait and see how the venue is fishing. If you are getting bites, you can put out some more bait. As with any time of the year, you need to find that sweet spot of enough bait to get the carp in your swim and feeding but not too much that will go to waste and left on the lake bed. I tend to get through a couple of kilos during a spring session.

Fish with Particles

Particles are a must when spring carp fishing. I usually add these to my spod mix which would include boilies, hemp, maize, tuna, salt, chilli powder, sweetcorn and tigers nuts. Please check with the venue if you are planning on using particles as many do ban ingredients such as tiger nuts. All of these particles will add lots of attraction that the carp will struggle to resist.

spring carp fishing

Look in the Margins

Carp will be looking for the warmer water and will often be feeding in these areas. You will find that margins and shallow water will be the warmest part of the lake. I like to place a rod in the margins with a very tight clutch and if you do hook a carp you need to be on the fish straight away to avoid the fish finding any snags which could result in losing the carp.

Locate the Carp

During the spring as the temperatures are rising, the carp will be more mobile and are much easier to spot. Looks for any signs of carp that will give you a good idea where to fish. I like to arrive at the venue at first light where I find the fish are very active and will give you a good idea of their location in the water.

Zig Rigs

During spring the carp will be also be located in the middle to upper layers of the water and zig rigs can be a deadly method to lure a carp or two. I like to fish an adjustable zig which allows me to easily adjust the depth of water I am fishing with a simple turn of the reel. I fish with a piece of black or yellow foam, which have both provided me with excellent results over the years. You can buy adjustable zig rig kits from the likes of Korda which offer you everything required to get started. This is a must-try method if you haven’t already done so!

Smaller Boilies

From experience, I like to fish using 10mm or 12mm boilies during spring. I believe that as the carp are starting to feed more heavily they are still waking up from winter and tend to prefer these smaller baits compared to the larger 14mm or 18mm boilies that many anglers use as their go-to boilies. 

Add Liquids or Glugs

I will always add liquid enhancer or glugs to my bait and spod mixes to add that extra attraction. The carp will be looking to feed and any kind of attraction should lure them to my swim.

Sweetcorn

As the carp are still waking from winter their metabolism is still increasing, based on this I like to fish with sweetcorn which is easy for the carp to digest. I have found sweetcorn to be a very successful bait during spring carp fishing which I also think is based on that fact it is highly visible in the water. You should always carry a tin in the tackle bag and is a bait that I like to add to my spod mixes.

spring carp fishing

Bright Hookbaits

I like to carry a pot of white and pink pop-ups which are highly visible to the carp, especially during the spring. Try various different colours until you find which one works, it is all about confidence and often using a tactic that is different from other anglers. White and pink are my go-to colours for pop-ups with Mainline offering these in their excellent Cell flavour.

Simple Rigs

During the spring I like to keep my rigs very simple and will use a KD rig or simple snowman setup. You will get bites during the spring as the carp start to feed from their winter slumber, so try not to focus too much of your time worrying about which fancy new rig to use.

Summary

As the temperatures start to rise the carp will begin to feed more heavily and this offers a fantastic chance of landing several carp, use our simple but effective spring carp fishing tips for success on your next session.

See you next time.

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3 comment(s)

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    Kev

    17 Feb 19

    Great tips, I'll be using some of these when I get back out on the bank this spring!

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    anonymous

    09 May 22

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    anonymous

    01 Nov 22

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