Wednesday 9 July 2014

Following the Herd

 As any angler will tell you a carp that feels pressured will shy away from any fishing line. A slack line is one way to try and overcome the problem but the best is through education. Spend a few days using unabaited lines so the fish no longer feel threatened, then go in for catch at a later date. Although being effective there is a problem. Time. The technique only works on a week-long session and not many of the keenest anglers could or would give up a week for the technique but there is a solution, herding.

The technique involves three rods, two with a tight line and another with a looser baited line. The idea is to entice the carp into a false sense of security using the tighter lines. The first step is casting your tight line, I recommend using a bright coloured line to exaggerate it, cast it near a bank to ward off any carp at the edge. The next tight line, again in a bright colour should be thrown at another position, like the edge of an island. The point of the second line is to herd the fish into a more centralised point. Place these two rods on a stand to keep them in place. Then the fishing can begin.

The yellow lines indicate the position of the tight line. 

With your two tight lines on a stand moving the carp into position cast your loose rod at some point in between them and wait for the catch. This is an advanced technique and requires some setting up and getting used to but if done correctly it can lead to some good catches. 

The arrows show the direction the fish will travel, the green line shows your loose line.