Between snags and a significant amount of carp in many ways, you can put an equality sign. But fishing in this conditions is involved and not always useful. Jan Russell shares the tricks of snag fishing carp, thanks to the use of which you can catch in snags more effectively, efficiently and confidently.
I catch carp in snags (snag-fishing) is often considered only as a winter tactic, and at this time it certainly plays an important role. But I’m still concerned, that carp regularly visits snags during all the year. This places can be productive with food, because here in a variety of different water animals like snails, shells and larvae of insects. Carp spend time among snags for one more, perhaps more obvious reason – under their cover they feel safe.
You can find snags in almost every water. They can stick out the water from 70 metres from the shore, but in 99,9% of the time, snagged places of other underwater obstacles will be in the coastal zone. These sites are particularly well suited for catching using visual tracking. If the conditions are right, you can climb on trees surrounding the water, to see better.
That information will allow you to reject areas with no fish quickly, and to identify places that you will probably want to ignore due to the high risk. To efficiently hunt on the snagged regions specific precise actions are vital not only when throwing, but also regarding locating the bait. It may seem that most fishers throw the rod next to snags, lock the line and wait for the bite. Well, in the end, you want to achieve just such a scenario. But, from the first time it usually does not work out – most likely, your rod will get caught.
To accurately and right place the rod near the snags, it is better to use the successive approximations method. For a start choose a spot on the shore and tie the direction of throwing with the explicit reference to the line of the visible horizon. Make your first throw in the side of the snags so, it will lay closer, and then attempt the throws adding a meter of line and holding it in the clip.
That way it is better to carefully sneak to the snags than throw the rod randomly and then cut the line after it’s stuck. Also, I always start with throwing weights without a leash – if you accidentally overthrow it and get into the snag, the chances of releasing it will be much higher.
Do not think that safe snag-phishing is possible only in the daytime. With the help of a powerful flashlight and the landmark mentioned above, you can quickly get to the right place at night, but you should always throw from the same position. So, you’ve thrown the weights near the snags, and, let’s hope, found a right place.
Of course, depending on the season, the bottom can often be covered with fallen decomposed leaves, but I found that the most productive, as a rule, are permanently clean areas. They are clean not merely because the carp feed here regularly, but also because at each passage through this place the fish creates turbulence that sweeps the garbage away. So keep this in mind when looking for a suitable location with the help of exploratory throws of the sinker. In 99% my rod is the same – sharp and robust hook №6 with microbrewed on a leash of plaited with a coating.
From my experience, I would never use neuron of fluorocarbon line, because it shows very little stability when encountering an underwater obstacle. I this hard situation I use the material alike to the Avid Captive Coated Hooklink with nominal of breaking load of 15 lb or 25 lb. Make the gear stronger; if you feel you are losing the fish, we can’t give her chances to get in the snags. In that scenario, I always use weights On the safe clip, but it is essential to set it weak so that it will snap off during the bite. At the same time, I set it so that it will snap off under a little effort – in case the fish still sit in the snags. I like it, and it works successfully.
Because the sinker does not leave the clip at the moment of bite (or during the panic escape) of the carp, it will stay in the lower layers of the water. It is great when you are fishing under overhanging trees or bushes, which branches fall beneath the surface of the water, creating additional obstacles. I strongly recommend that you use a leader, along with a secure clip, if it is allowed by local rules, and if it is forbidden, install protection.
No matter how carefully you examine the zone, you can’t be sure that there are no obstacles with dangerous edges, such as shells, sharp knots or old metal structures, so protecting the end of the main line can make your session genuinely fantastic. I use pre-made leaders Avid Pindown, in two versions of colouring and two variants of breaking load. I prefer 45 lb Silt/Weed, because of its strength is more than enough for those conditions that I usually encounter. Every leader has a 1-meter length, which is enough, to guarantee my preparedness to handle the surprises of underwater.
As for the lure, I would recommend keeping it to a minimum. Prefeeding can positively transform any session, but never, in any case, don’t it blindly in the stump. Carps are already here, so if you throw the lure among the snags, you’ll never get them out of there. Instead try to lure it with 10-20 boilies or large granules, placed, about half a meter from the snags or a little bit further. Your gear, of course, should be closer than this bait.
But in the snags, which can be approached and visually describe the situation, you can pre-feed, because you monitor the fish’s food activity and monitor the events that occur, you can regulate the feeding of the bait, and such an inspection, of the entire water, is likely to allow you to find places of carp habitat more easily. Being confident in the systematic presentation of my bait at snags, with every cast I nevertheless accompany the nozzle with a small PVA bag with pellets or crushed boilies. It helps to protect the hook from sticking if the rigging in the flight accidentally touches overhanging branches, but the main thing is that you create the maximum attraction with a tiny amount of bait.
We do not want to feed carp – we want to catch it! That way, by adding a strong flavour signal, we create a visual beacon, helping to lure carp from a comfortable shelter among the snags. At last, you have to place your gear correctly. I like using a cone holder JAG Lockdown Rear Grip. It suits well for my rods, holds their broom firmly and minimises the possibility of slipping, of course, provided that the rear rack is tightly seated in the ground. Friction stop of the coil should be fully clamped.
If you fish using a monoline, it will stretch, so don’t be afraid of clamping the brake really to the limit, so that when carp bites it could not take away your extra centimetres of fishing line. I always set the hanged signalised with slight a half-gleam, which invariably provides me with a good indication of the bite, which, of course, is just what I need. When it strikes the blank, it is necessary to raise the rod immediately and, if necessary, step back.
It is important to immediately take a few dozen centimetres of fishing line from the carp to show him who controls the situation, but mainly to prevent him, as usual, from going back to snags. I recommend not sticking to the small group of fishers, that think leaving their rods alone is a good option.
When catching snags should always be right next to or as close to their fishing rods. The loss of fish due to your carelessness and loss of it is just unacceptable. I hope that this article helped, and you are ready to hunt carp near the snags. It sometimes can give excellent results and a handful of adrenaline. At that moment, when your indicator rises in the float, – you have to hold the fish, not giving it even a centimetre!
Catching near snags by Jan Russell.