Kodex Consumer Catalogue 2021 2022 compressed (1) - Flipbook - Page 36
ADVICE
MAKING THE MOST OF IT
KODEX CONSULTANT DAMO LEE EXPLAINS WHY AUTUMN IS DEFINITELY NOT A TIME TO BE MISSED…
A
utumn is many carp anglers’ favourite time of
year, especially mine. With the fish on the feed
and getting ready for winter, it means that there’s
usually a good chance to put a fish or two on the bank.
As with any time of year, there are always things you
can do to put the odds a little more in your favour.
In my opinion the most important aspect of fishing
during the autumn is watercraft and being able to
locate the fish. This alone can increase your chances
of getting a bite. During this time of year I’ve found
the fish tend to show more in the last bit of darkness
into early morning. I always make sure I am awake
and ready at least an hour before first light so I know
I haven’t missed a chance of seeing them. For some
lakes I have been on previously, this would be the only
chance you’d get at locating them and if you missed it,
it would be a constant guessing game as to where they
would be held up.
If I am unable to get to the lake at first light I like to
keep an eye on the weather and what it’s doing.
I always keep an eye out for new weather fronts
coming in, especially after long periods of settled
weather and air pressure. There have been many times
I have turned up at the lake knowing a fresh wind and
air pressure drop is coming in at some point during my
session and decided, therefore, to set up on a peg with
no fish in sight. By doing this I know I can get the rods
out before they turn up and put myself in the perfect
place for when they do. This has paid off massively for
me, many times.
Not all venues are the same though and this can be
caused by many reasons. The only way to guess what
the fish in the lake will be doing on a given day is
knowledge of what they have done before in these
conditions. Something you can also find out by asking
the locals that have experience of said venue, if they
are willing to offer advice... Or you can learn through
experience. My own fishing lately has been on a local
club water in Worksop. By concentrating on one venue
at a time I feel this helps keep me ahead of others and
gets me in a zone where I’m fully confident that I’ll
know where to locate them all the time. I always keep
note of where and when the fish show, to help locate
them on future sessions.
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During recent years, I have noticed is that the fish seem
to become really active in the last hours of darkness into
early morning at this time of year. I always stay mobile
so I am able to move onto them when I need to, even
if that means moving swims in the dark. That can be a
troublesome if you aren’t prepared right and are carrying
a lot of tackle, but my big Karp-Lokker barrow bag really
comes into its element at such times.
Now on to the type of spots I’m looking for at this time of
year. The lake I’ve been fishing is full of weed most of the
year and it can be a nightmare as to where to place your
hook baits, but when it comes to autumn the usual spots
in and around the weed beds I’ve fished in the summer
aren’t the ones I’m after. The fish will now be on whatever
naturals are available and the softer areas of silt are where
there’s going to be plenty of grub. It’s all well and good
fishing in these areas as it will get you bites, but the one
for me is the harder spots within the thick silt. I find these
spots by casting a bare lead around my swim until I feel
the right drop through the rod tip. What I’m looking for
is an area of firmer silt, which is usually like that because
it has been cleared off by the fish. Once I’ve found the
harder areas I then make sure I pull the lead over them.
I’m looking for my lead to glide across the silt rather than
being dragged into it.