you can definitely keep wild carp in really big lakes (500+ acres) in an area for extended periods of time by constant prebaiting with particles however your results will drop off over time - especially with bigger fish.
I have managed to keep fish in an area for 5 months from July to November a couple of years ago by baiting with approx 40kg bait a week - maize, hemp, tigers & boilies. A few fish were caught multiple times & the action remained steady throughout all this time whilst other anglers in the area struggled however the same tactics in the same area dropped off when I tried it in the following years.
Also worth noting that big fish came very early on in the campaign & dropped over time so that now there are no big fish being caught from the spot at all. This is similar to other areas on the lake - heavily fished spots tend to only provide smaller fish.
TCarper is correct about fish not wanting to be in places they don't want to be & in the spring, food is the last thing to be keeping them in an area - they want warmth & easy life & I have found they will only be in some area's for a very limited amount of time - sometimes just a few weeks before they head off elsewhere.
with respect to the meshed hemp - I suspect they aren't eating it because it doesn't look like the rest of the hemp. try it with a small bit of yellow plastic on top & I bet they'll start taking it.
I have managed to keep fish in an area for 5 months from July to November a couple of years ago by baiting with approx 40kg bait a week - maize, hemp, tigers & boilies. A few fish were caught multiple times & the action remained steady throughout all this time whilst other anglers in the area struggled however the same tactics in the same area dropped off when I tried it in the following years.
Also worth noting that big fish came very early on in the campaign & dropped over time so that now there are no big fish being caught from the spot at all. This is similar to other areas on the lake - heavily fished spots tend to only provide smaller fish.
TCarper is correct about fish not wanting to be in places they don't want to be & in the spring, food is the last thing to be keeping them in an area - they want warmth & easy life & I have found they will only be in some area's for a very limited amount of time - sometimes just a few weeks before they head off elsewhere.
with respect to the meshed hemp - I suspect they aren't eating it because it doesn't look like the rest of the hemp. try it with a small bit of yellow plastic on top & I bet they'll start taking it.
In reply to Post #32
Tried it with a grain of maize with no results. I gets the toughts about the meshed hemp isn't the same as the seeds around, but during the dark hours don't think they'd found differences, almost all the tench got caught at night.
To keep carp on my baited spots should be well over my expectations, I hope they will start to visit the area soon.
Tried it with a grain of maize with no results. I gets the toughts about the meshed hemp isn't the same as the seeds around, but during the dark hours don't think they'd found differences, almost all the tench got caught at night.
To keep carp on my baited spots should be well over my expectations, I hope they will start to visit the area soon.
Finally arrived the carp. I'm well chuffed, the last session is been something that happen rarely from the lake, but let's start with order.
Last Saturday I got there in the afternoon and fished up to Sunday mid morning: blanked. Neither a tench. but in the early night I heard a big carp crashing the water few meters from where I was, close to the bank in front of a poplar tree, and another carp (not big as the other) on the left. I had one rod very close to both but in deeper water. And another rod not so far on the right in deeper water as well. Don't move any of the rods in the hope they'd go down or move toward one of the rods. Blanked but I was happy to have had carp's presence in front of me.
Yesterday I got there after work, arrived in late afternoon and when I was due to cast the second rod in front of the big poplar, I saw a carp swimming slowly in front of me. Pendulum cast quietly I can manage, followed by three little spoon of particles and a dozen of boilies scattered around. About one hour and a half later the rod in front of the poplar tree gone off and I had the first carp of the year from the lake, a little (for the lake standard) common of something between 18 and 19 lbs. Recasted the rod in position with the same 24 mms boilie, baited in the same way as before and come back to bed in the hope of more action during the night. At around 3:30 the same rod had a take and after a hard fight I netted another common carp, only this time more on the lake's standard than the previous, just under 50 pounds (in kilograms 22,4). One hour later the right hand rod went off and caught another common, the little of the three.
Finally the plan start to come together and I hope that the carp will continue to visit the area in the months onwards. Finger crossed
Last Saturday I got there in the afternoon and fished up to Sunday mid morning: blanked. Neither a tench. but in the early night I heard a big carp crashing the water few meters from where I was, close to the bank in front of a poplar tree, and another carp (not big as the other) on the left. I had one rod very close to both but in deeper water. And another rod not so far on the right in deeper water as well. Don't move any of the rods in the hope they'd go down or move toward one of the rods. Blanked but I was happy to have had carp's presence in front of me.
Yesterday I got there after work, arrived in late afternoon and when I was due to cast the second rod in front of the big poplar, I saw a carp swimming slowly in front of me. Pendulum cast quietly I can manage, followed by three little spoon of particles and a dozen of boilies scattered around. About one hour and a half later the rod in front of the poplar tree gone off and I had the first carp of the year from the lake, a little (for the lake standard) common of something between 18 and 19 lbs. Recasted the rod in position with the same 24 mms boilie, baited in the same way as before and come back to bed in the hope of more action during the night. At around 3:30 the same rod had a take and after a hard fight I netted another common carp, only this time more on the lake's standard than the previous, just under 50 pounds (in kilograms 22,4). One hour later the right hand rod went off and caught another common, the little of the three.
Finally the plan start to come together and I hope that the carp will continue to visit the area in the months onwards. Finger crossed
Well done Sauro, the Carp have arrived and you've earned it 
let us know how it goes 
let us know how it goes
In reply to Post #36
Tanks mate I'll do it when there's something interesting, don't want to bother you more than I've done 
Tanks mate
I'll do it when there's something interesting, don't want to bother you more than I've done
Nice to hear a plan come together
In reply to Post #38
even better after a long spell of blank
even better after a long spell of blank
In reply to Post #35
Well done.
Now they have finished spawning and have turned up to eat, feed them and they will stay there for a good while. Now is the time to really start filling it in with bait. When you eventually stop catching, don't sit there on your hands hoping that they will come back... Go and do the same thing somewhere else. You will find them.
Fishing a bigger wild lake, is nothing like fishing a smaller angler pressured venue. Even though the fish are exactly the same, they behave completely different when under constant angler pressure.
Well done.
Now they have finished spawning and have turned up to eat, feed them and they will stay there for a good while. Now is the time to really start filling it in with bait. When you eventually stop catching, don't sit there on your hands hoping that they will come back... Go and do the same thing somewhere else. You will find them.
Fishing a bigger wild lake, is nothing like fishing a smaller angler pressured venue. Even though the fish are exactly the same, they behave completely different when under constant angler pressure.
In reply to Post #40
Thanks mate.
The carp have not spawned yet, I know for sure they don't have any spawning behaviors at the moment, in my opinion they have at least 3/4 weeks to go. The water Temps it's less than 17 degrees in the upper layer close to the bank when I checked it Saturday morning. We have had a lot of rain and cold weather recently. I'll take in mind your hints.
The most important thing is that they had visited the swim and they started to eat on my baits and the catch say that. I've no idea how much they'll continue to visit the spot but, I must say that, at the moment, it's been a pleasure to see the spot growing.
Thanks mate.
The carp have not spawned yet, I know for sure they don't have any spawning behaviors at the moment, in my opinion they have at least 3/4 weeks to go. The water Temps it's less than 17 degrees in the upper layer close to the bank when I checked it Saturday morning. We have had a lot of rain and cold weather recently. I'll take in mind your hints.
The most important thing is that they had visited the swim and they started to eat on my baits and the catch say that. I've no idea how much they'll continue to visit the spot but, I must say that, at the moment, it's been a pleasure to see the spot growing.
In reply to Post #41
The water Temps it's less than 17 degrees in the upper layer close to the bank when I checked it Saturday morning. We have had a lot of rain and cold weather recently.
That's crazy, are you in the Alps, is your lake fed from the mountain snow
I just did a search for latitudes and incedently a quora Q came up, 'why does Italy have warmer weather then the rest of Europe'!
The fishings only going to get better, then again if they haven't spawned maybe not....I give up, this is like the Technium thread
The water Temps it's less than 17 degrees in the upper layer close to the bank when I checked it Saturday morning. We have had a lot of rain and cold weather recently.
That's crazy, are you in the Alps, is your lake fed from the mountain snow
I just did a search for latitudes and incedently a quora Q came up, 'why does Italy have warmer weather then the rest of Europe'!
The fishings only going to get better, then again if they haven't spawned maybe not....I give up, this is like the Technium thread
In reply to Post #42
That's right, the lake is fed by mountains snow, there's brown trouts swim about in it as well, it's very deep as well and that don't help to warms the water.
Surely there'll be though times when they start to spawn and for a few after it, but just the last success give me the ease that I needed, since I came from the longest blanks spell from the lake.
That's right, the lake is fed by mountains snow, there's brown trouts swim about in it as well, it's very deep as well and that don't help to warms the water.
Surely there'll be though times when they start to spawn and for a few after it, but just the last success give me the ease that I needed, since I came from the longest blanks spell from the lake.
congrats on your capture sir.
I wouldn't give up on the spot yet - they know it is there & a place for food - keep it going in & I am sure you will get many more fish throughout the summer months.
I wouldn't give up on the spot yet - they know it is there & a place for food - keep it going in & I am sure you will get many more fish throughout the summer months.
In reply to Post #44
Thanks mate, I won't give up.
The plan is to continue to bait up all the summer and part of the autumn even if the catch will dry up (as I know they will, maybe right from the next one) and see what I'll catch and compare it to the previous years.
Thanks mate, I won't give up.
The plan is to continue to bait up all the summer and part of the autumn even if the catch will dry up (as I know they will, maybe right from the next one) and see what I'll catch and compare it to the previous years.
In reply to Post #35
Well done mate , keep the faith.
Well done mate , keep the faith.
Just an update regard my baiting campaign.
I blanked the last three sessions, but I've done very well indeed.
The week later the caught of the three carps i'd already tell, I had another take during the night and landed another beautiful 42lbs chestnut common.
The week later I had another carp, this time an upper 20 mirror .
After a blank I had another red letter session with a couple of mirrors, the first a late evening takes bring me a 55lbs big framed mirror that I had already caught few times in the past, and after the big mirror I had a mid 20 mirror during the night. This is the last carp I had from the swim.
The carp seems disappeared from the area, my thought is that they have moved to the spawning areas. The arrive of the hot weather here in Italy has rises up the water temp very quickly from 19 degrees in late June to the nowadays 25.
I think I will have a break in the baiting for few weeks to let rest the swim for a while since I didn't have any activity from the nuisance fish as well as the carp and don't want to pile up the fishing areas with baits.
Anyway, I 'm really happy with the results even if I struggle in april/may and been pestered by tench, I had 7 carps (7 are the total of the carp I had last year) in a little more than a month, that is a good achievement from the specific lake. Next year I'll try the spring/summer baiting approach again, maybe in other places of the lake (not so far from there, because I target a couple of carp that got caught in the past around that area).
Meanwhile, at the end of August I want to take up again the baiting of the area and see if it brings me other fish.
I blanked the last three sessions, but I've done very well indeed.
The week later the caught of the three carps i'd already tell, I had another take during the night and landed another beautiful 42lbs chestnut common.
The week later I had another carp, this time an upper 20 mirror .
After a blank I had another red letter session with a couple of mirrors, the first a late evening takes bring me a 55lbs big framed mirror that I had already caught few times in the past, and after the big mirror I had a mid 20 mirror during the night. This is the last carp I had from the swim.
The carp seems disappeared from the area, my thought is that they have moved to the spawning areas. The arrive of the hot weather here in Italy has rises up the water temp very quickly from 19 degrees in late June to the nowadays 25.
I think I will have a break in the baiting for few weeks to let rest the swim for a while since I didn't have any activity from the nuisance fish as well as the carp and don't want to pile up the fishing areas with baits.
Anyway, I 'm really happy with the results even if I struggle in april/may and been pestered by tench, I had 7 carps (7 are the total of the carp I had last year) in a little more than a month, that is a good achievement from the specific lake. Next year I'll try the spring/summer baiting approach again, maybe in other places of the lake (not so far from there, because I target a couple of carp that got caught in the past around that area).
Meanwhile, at the end of August I want to take up again the baiting of the area and see if it brings me other fish.