Which Swim Should I Choose To Fish On A New Lake?

The importance of choosing the best swim on a lake in order to catch the fish you want!

If you’re fishing a new pool or lake then it can be a challenge to decide where to fish for the carp in that lake. Unknown waters can throw up many new difficulties so it’s always best to try and gain some knowledge from those who have already fished the lake in order to gain some tips.

Firstly, try the internet, especially the forums to find out any tactical fishing methods for the lake you’re going to. It is surprising at how much information you can gleam from the net. If you’re really stuck and you cannot get answers from a bailiff once there, then here are some tips to use when fishing new waters for big carp.

Tips When Fishing For Carp On Unknown Waters

If the new lake has a point, where the bank protrudes further into the main water than any other bank, then fishing this spot may prove a good choice. Time and again I have found a point or pier to be a very effective place to fish for carp on many lakes in the UK. On the majority of waters, angling pressure tends to force shoals of carp further towards the middle of the lake. The longer distance means they can relax a little without rigs flying in front of them every five minutes. A point or pier-type peg can allow the angler easier access to a large number of carp in the centre of the main water mass.

There is another theory as to why a pointed bank swim, or indeed any other top swim fishes so well, this is that most anglers tend to favour the peg, and thus more bait goes in regularly. The result is that regular food draws more fish to visit the spot frequently. Now I do believe this theory has some weight to it, however it brings me to another tip:

Look at the actual pegs themselves and assess how worn they are.

The ground on a much worn peg that has no overgrowing tree branches around it could suggest that many carp fishermen have fished the swim in the past. Frequent anglers mean regular bait and a possible HOT SWIM!

So check out some of the worn pegs for possible places to fish.

The weedy areas are other possible areas to start fishing for carp on new waters. If you only see weed in certain parts of the lake then choose one of those pegs. Carp love weed because it provides oxygen during the day, and natural food is always present within the weed. Carp will always be in, and around the weed so it’s one of the best places to fish for them. If you don’t like fishing in weed due to the problems it may cause to rigs then simply find the edge of it and place your fishing rigs before the start of the weed. Carp fishing in weed can be difficult, but perseverance will pay off big in the end!

Probably an obvious tip is to fish the bank where the wind is blowing to. This can be an obvious choice, but remember carp may not follow ALL winds. At cold times of the year when water temperature is lower, the carp may not follow a cold wind blowing from the north. If oxygen levels in the water are sufficient then temperature becomes more of a priority for carp and therefore, they’ll more than likely move to a sheltered area or warmer part of the lake. Also, many believe that the bigger carp tend to stay in their own preferred areas of the lake. These can be referred to as residential fish in the lake.

Bait Choice On New Lakes

If you cannot get bait advice from any of the locals, then I would say keep it simple. Don’t use any of the super-duper types of new, big-fish boilies, as you won’t know if these have been introduced effectively or if they have been used to death on that particular lake. It’s hard to assess the life cycle of a particular boilie without prior knowledge from the lake regulars. For this reason, I would recommend using the basic, and the good old baits like corn, maize, bread and maggots.

These baits have stood the test of time on most lakes as anglers have used these for years. This means they have been introduced on a regular basis, but the best part is, many carp fishermen use these particles as part of their spod mix yet they often won’t fish with them on the hook. They probably prefer to use those super-duper boilies I mentioned earlier. The result is that carp can easily become used to eating the basic baits without capture. Thus, they are often a safe bet to fish with, and another good point is they’re quite cheap!

Whatever carp fishing tactics you decide on when fishing a new lake, just remember to cross your fingers. As it doesn’t matter how we fish, we still need that bit of luck!!

Good luck!

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