How to Get the Most Out of the Bare Minimum
Short sessions, a quiet bank, and carp that are closer than we often think. Radek Švec shows that sometimes there is no need to look far; all it takes is to slow down, look right under your feet, and make the most of a few hours by the water.
One of my favourite fishing disciplines is short sessions close to the bank. The edges of waters are often unfairly overlooked. Yet this is exactly where you can find big carp almost under your feet. My fishing theory is therefore often based on tracking and watching fish feeding right in front of my eyes.
They are there
Places close to the bank are natural holding spots for fish, and these are the very first places where it is worth trying your luck. They are very often full of lush vegetation and offer fish an ideal environment where they can spawn and search for the abundant natural food found there. As a result, fish come unusually close to the bank, making them easy to spot and catch. But even margins without vegetation can be highly productive.
Choosing the venue
The basis is to choose a venue that is relatively close to you and not too large in size, which is ideal for shorter sessions. On short trips, it is usually better to avoid fishing large expanses of water, because unless you have spent many hours on them, you can hardly hope to find the carp quickly. A great advantage is good knowledge of the location, especially the areas favoured by the local carp. Always look for places with suitable cover, such as aquatic plants and various snags. If you are not sure where the fish are, it is better to spend a certain amount of time actively searching for them after you arrive.
Fishing time
Of course, the best option is to try to get to the water at the quietest possible time. When there is peace and quiet by the water, carp also roam places where they would not show up during busier periods. If you head out for carp early in the morning in the middle of the week, the chances of encountering big carp along the margins are very high. Night sessions are certainly not to be dismissed either. The worst time is understandably usually the end of the week, when venues come under pressure from weekend anglers, who are unfortunately very often noisy, and the chances of a possible catch are therefore reduced quite considerably. On the other hand, most anglers often try to place their rigs as far from the bank as possible, so a hookbait positioned along the margins can catch even wary fish off guard.
Locating fish
Fishing tactics
The absolutely essential thing is to keep quiet by the water, especially when the hookbait is close to the bank. The whole point is to find the carp and offer them the hookbait in such a way that they are not spooked. If, for example, you can tell from the bubbles that the carp are feeding in a spot roughly 50 metres from the bank, cast the hookbait about 20 metres beyond that spot. As soon as the lead hits the surface, close the bail arm and, with the rod tip held high, quickly wind the end tackle back just under the surface towards the carp’s feeding area. Once the rig reaches the right spot, let it sink to the bottom. This way you avoid the heavy splash that would scare the fish. Then pick a spot where you think the fish may head in the next few moments and cast your second rod there. If you read the carp’s route correctly, you will be able to quietly spoon in a little boilie without alarming the fish, which is a considerable advantage. Once your hookbaits are in the water, do not try to recast them unnecessarily. If the fish remain in the spot, you can calmly stay there as well. If they move off, of course, you have to react.
Baiting and hookbaits
I attach a very important role to the baits and hookbaits used on short sessions. With this style of fishing, we do not carry out any large baiting campaigns that would only create unnecessary disturbance in our swim, so a limited amount of bait is enough. I usually take no more than a kilogram of boilie with me per day. The feed has to be truly very attractive to the fish, which is why in this case I usually reach for boilie containing a quality blend of fruit essences and essential oils, which for me is the best choice for getting a quick bite. I then pour a booster over the prepared dose of feed, which is gradually released into the whole area around the bait and also into the water column. As the hookbait itself, I usually use one 20-millimetre boilie, which I soak in a liquid dip and then coat in a powdered dip for maximum attraction and stimulation. After it lands in the water, there is literally an explosion of taste and scent around the treated hookbait, one that will not leave the carp in peace. With this tactic, I have managed to catch a truly large number of fish during my short sessions, including big carp.
A successful method
Although it may not seem so, this way of carp fishing can sometimes be more effective than fishing with long baiting phases and rods placed several hundred metres from the bank. The method of short, few-hour sessions can be very exciting, effective, and bring a number of beautiful fish. What is more, hooking a fish at the closest range, when on its first run it tries quite literally to rip the rod from your hands, is a truly unusual and thrilling experience.
Two dream fish in one night
On one of my favourite lakes, during a shorter trip planned in a hurry, I fished as usual on my favourite open-water spot. Unfortunately, despite a great deal of effort, I managed to catch only two smaller carp between 10 and 15 kg. On the last night before leaving, I heard two fairly decent carp jump in a nearby bay, so I did not hesitate for a moment and, in the cold, dark night and heavy rain, decided to change swims for the final few hours and moved into the bay, where I lightly baited the new spot where the fish had shown earlier with a few attractive boilies. As hookbait on all rods, I used my favourite neutrally balanced dumbbell in the 20 mm version.
Around midnight, I was done. In my head, I was cursing myself for getting into something like this on the night before leaving and facing a long journey home. But you know how it is, you must never stop fighting until the very end, whatever the outcome! I found out that my seemingly crazy decision had been the right one just three hours later, when after a lovely run I landed a nice 18 kg mirror carp. But the real moments of fishing happiness came only just before dawn, when within an hour I managed to get two incredible fish into the landing net! A beautiful, plump mirror carp weighing 27 kg and an imposing common carp with an unbelievable weight of 31.8 kg! The joy was immense; after a long 7 years, it was my new personal best! Well, tell me yourself, could anyone wish for a better end to a trip?
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