Here Jan reveals how easy it is to catch bigger carp than your mates...

Chances are your local commercial water contains carp. Chances are it will contain carp of different sizes too. And chances are you want to catch a larger carp than your mates, your dad or even the angler on the next peg. It's simply that competitive, hunter-gatherer instinct that we anglers possess!
This month I visited Manor Farm Leisure, on the outskirts of Evesham, to show how to do just that - catch the larger carp. This multi-lake complex is home to lots of carp of varying sizes, with the vast majority weighing 2lb and under. There are lots of carp over that weight though, and these were my target for the day.
I wanted to show how to catch these larger fish without using boilies. Boilies are banned on many commercial carp waters across the country, so my choice of bait was critical. Here's how I got on...

A deadly technique
I decided to fish the Method. It's an absolutely deadly technique that works on almost every commercial carp water in the country, providing rules allow it. It's almost foolproof too, providing you hit the same spot on each cast and use the correct consistency of groundbait.
The Method involves the use of a frame or coil feeder together with a sticky groundbait mix and a short hooklength. I wholeheartedly advocate the use of an in-line Method feeder because they are fish-friendly and safe, should a breakage occur. Your hooklength and mainline can pass straight through the feeder if the line were to break upon the cast or while playing a fish.

How the Method works
Carp are inquisitive fish. They can smell groundbait from long distances and if they are hungry enough they will soon home-in on the scent and investigate it. And carp are determined fish too. Once they find a ball of groundbait lying on the bottom they will nudge it, nose it and knock it around until they find any substantial food items. This is the key to successful Method fishing.
The Method is, basically, a ball of sticky groundbait moulded tightly around a frame or coil feeder. The bait is set upon a short hooklength so that it is always in close proximity to the groundbait. The carp will sense the groundbait moulded around the feeder, attack it to find food and eventually find the hook bait. When this is sucked in the short hooklength straightens, the fish will feel the weight of both the feeder and the remaining groundbait and it will bolt off, hooking itself in the process. Job done!

Jan's rigs
Robust tackle is a must when fishing the Method. You simply cannot afford to take risks and use any old hooks and lines.
The minimum mainline I would use when fishing the Method with a match rod would be 6lb. The ideal breaking strain would be 8lb. When fishing the Method using powerful carp rods I wouldn't step lower than a 10lb breaking strain mainline. As the hooklengths used are so short you must pick a strong one simply because a short hooklength has very little stretch and therefore very little shock absorbing properties. I would advise using six to eight inches of 0.16mm to 0.20mm high-tech hooklength line (5.5lb to 8.5lb).
I fished with two rods. The first was a 12ft Shimano Beast Master medium feeder, and the second a 12ft Beast Master 2.5lb tc carp rod. There was no need to step-up the test curve or the power of the rods because a gentle cast was all that was needed to reach the fish in the middle of this popular lake.
Both rods were coupled with Shimano Baitrunner reels and the feeders used were a modified Nisa In-Line Method Coil upon the feeder rod, and a modified Richworth Method Feeder upon the carp rod.

Modifying Method feeders
I take great steps to ensure that my rigs are completely safe. In doing so I have a lot more confidence in them. Both my Method feeders were modified by slipping a Korda Tail Rubber over the front of the in-line tubing to help protect the mainline, while a Korda Buffer Bead was pushed over the tube at the base of the feeder. A swivel fits neatly inside the Buffer Bead to create a semi-fixed set-up. Although The Nisa In-Line Method Coil features a short strip of silicone tubing and swivel that enables a semi-fixed set-up to be created, I personally prefer using the Buffer Bead with round-eyed swivels; they do the same job, but better!

Use the right groundbait
There's one rule that you must follow when it comes to selecting the right groundbait for fishing the Method, and that is to use a sticky mix that adheres to the frame of the feeder. Ideally, when you retrieve the rig, there should still be groundbait stuck to the feeder.
I have two mixes that I use. One is really very simple, the other is a more complicated mix. They both work very well and achieve the same goal.
The first consists of scolded pellets. I use Richworth Active Sinking Carp Pellets and simply pour hot water, from a flask, over them. Just enough water to coat the pellets is all that's needed. They soften, swell up and become sticky in minutes, then they can be pressed around the frame of a Method feeder and hurled into the swim.
The second groundbait I use consists of Richworth Lake groundbait, a sprinkling of desicated coconut, some crushed trout pellet and a generous dollop of liquidised sweetcorn. I don't add too much water because the pulverised sweetcorn is damp enough to mix the groundbait. This also helps to make the groundbait sticky enough to adhere to the frame of the feeder. The coconut particles gradually break free from the groundbait and drift up in the water, helping to attract more fish, as does the crushed trout pellet. This additive is vitally important; you've got to use some sort of trout pellet-based mix or you'll end up with a dry net!
The reason for using two different mixes is simple; the carp will find one more attractive than the other, so as the session progresses I will find out which mix the carp prefer, then use that mix on both rigs, increasing my chances of catching.

My hook bait
Maggots, sweetcorn, worms, luncheon meat and casters are all great baits to use in conjunction with the Method, but today's session was all about catching the larger carp in the lake, so I had to use something a little bit special. Those baits will catch carp of all sizes, so I picked a more selective bait that smaller carp don't find so appealing. And that bait was sliced Peperami.
I have used this bait extensively and found it to work particularly well for picking off bigger carp. I simply side hook small chunks of the hard meat, ensuring that there is plenty of hook protruding from the bait.
I cut 3 or 4mm slices of Peperami, then flip the slice over and cut it in to quarters. The strong, size 14 hook is passed through the tough outer skin; it's as easy as that!
The choice is yours when it comes to how you hook this bait. It can easily be side hooked or it can be hair-rigged. Either way, this tough bait will remain on your hook even through a very powerful cast.

Presenting the bait
There are two trains of thought when it comes to presenting your bait when fishing the Method. Some anglers prefer to leave the bait dangling so that it sits alongside the ball of groundbait and in full view of the carp, while others prefer to press the bait firmly in to the groundbait so that the carp find the bait as they attack the groundbait. I prefer the latter technique.

Ball it in
There's one way to ensure that you remain one step ahead of other anglers setting up at the same time as you, and that is to fire four or five balls of groundbait where you intend casting. I learned this from fishing the world championships. There is a five minute baiting-up period in the world champs, when an air-horn blows and every angler is allowed the chance to introduce their groundbait. If the anglers on either side of you throw in their groundbait first - and it can be as little as seconds - they will attract all the fish in your swim, putting them streets ahead immediately! So, make mixing your groundbait your first priority and introduce a few balls as quickly as you can and you'll stand a higher chance of catching.

Don't ignore the margins
Too many anglers think that the Method is a technique that only works at range. This is completely wrong. Most commercial fisheries have only one feature and that is the margins. Carp patrol the margins because that's where food gathers - it rolls down the slope and settles there, so why not try lowering a Method rig at the base of the marginal ledge? I know it works because I've done it many times before, and caught some very big carp doing it too!
So, the next time you're out for a spot of carping, and you want to catch a larger carp than your mates, rig yourself up with a Method feeder. Use a slice of Peperami, a stiff groundbait and keep hitting the same spot on each and every cast and your rod tip will soon have those carp queueing up.



This article appeared in the October issue of Improve Your Coarse Fishing and reproduced with their permission.