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river carp fishing

River Carp Fishing 101: Techniques and Gear for Success

If you fancy a new carp fishing challenge, why not switch from lakes to rivers? Carp fishing in rivers is becoming more and more popular, and it’s easy to see why: the combination of relatively untouched locations and the amount of skill needed to river fish successfully make it an exciting prospect. 

Before you begin, though, you’ll need to understand how river carp behave, the best locations to choose, and which gear, bait and feeding strategies will be most effective. 


Understanding River Carp Behaviour 

River environments pose some unique challenges. Varying flow rates and differing levels of water clarity can influence carp behaviour - and your chances of success. 

They tend to be drawn to unique features: things like sewage pipes and inflows, marinas, back channels, jetties and bridges. While they tend to prefer slower-moving water, you’ll also find them in faster rivers with a more streamlined body shape. 

Essentially, river carp live wherever they want to live, which is why it’s so important to scout for the best spots before you begin.

Scouting for Prime Carp Locations

The first step when scouting for carp locations is to identify some of the features we mentioned: back channels, bridges, jetties and other areas that could be potentially appealing to carp. You might need to scout the area multiple times in different conditions to see if carp are a regular feature - and there are tools that can help. 

An aquascope can give you a clear underwater view, helping you understand whether carp are present as well as establishing the nature of the bottom and whether there are any obstacles. If you don’t have an aquascope, a pair of polarised sunglasses can also help you to get a clearer, more detailed view of the depths of the water.

Selecting the Right Gear for River Conditions

When carp fishing in rivers, you may find that the river’s flow and the sheer power of the fish can be higher than when lake fishing. Because of this, you’ll want to ensure that you’re using a rod with maximum durability and strength - like the Free Spirit Helical Carp Rod 10ft 3lb 40mm. You’ll also want to ensure your reel has the power and performance needed to get the job done: choose something like the Nash LR 8000 Reel, which is versatile enough to use for a range of fishing situations. 

Heavy mainlines and strong snag leaders will help you tackle obstacles, while you’ll need hooks that are size 6 or larger, with coated braid hooklinks to avoid abrasion. In some places the river can flow faster beneath the surface, calling for big leads to keep your bait in place.

Baiting and Feeding Strategies

Carp tend to be nomadic - they won’t stay in the same spot all the time. That’s why a prebaiting strategy can often help when carp fishing in rivers

Using maize, boilies or particles, prebait your chosen area every other night to attract carp to the area and give them confidence in feeding - but remember you’re also likely to attract bream, roach, chub and more, too. Choose bait that’s visually appealing enough to stop carp in their tracks, and don’t be disheartened if they aren’t instantly held in your chosen spot: this can be notoriously tricky. 

While groundbaits and particles are good for prebaiting, boilies are an effective bait method to keep bream and other fish away, allowing you to focus on the carp. River carp enjoy moving bait, so bear this in mind when making your choices.

Rigging for River Carp

Running water generally brings with it plenty of obstacles and snags, so you’ll want to ensure that your rig is strong enough for carp fishing in rivers. You’ll want a tough braided mainline, strong snag leaders and tough hooklinks and hooks to get the job done. 

Larger hooks (size 6 and up, as we mentioned earlier) will make it easier to handle bigger carp - but they’ll also help you to avoid the ‘nuisance’ fish that will also be attracted by your bait. 


Practical Fishing Tips for River Carp

Cast around upstream to find the right spot: somewhere calm that’s relatively free of debris. Make sure your reel drag is fairly tight to give the carp less of an advantage, and stay close to your rods so you can react instantly. Keep your rod tip low to keep the line down and avoid spooking the fish, and be prepared for a fight! Move smoothly and keep low - and remember that carp feed quickly, so be prepared for them to dart into tricky weed patches. 

It’s important to take safety into account when river fishing, too. Avoid steep banks, be aware of potential water level changes, and ensure that you are wearing appropriate footwear. 

Finally, enjoy yourself! Carp fishing in rivers can be extremely challenging - but also extremely rewarding in return. 


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