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Spring is probably my favourite season to be out carp fishing for a multitude of reasons – the fish are at their biggest weights, they’re still carrying their darker winter colours and they like to put on quite a show while they’re cleaning all the parasites off. I implement a few things throughout the spring that I’m sure help me put extra fish on the bank.

Location, Location, Location
As at any time of year, getting your location right is absolutely key, but in the spring the fish can be more active than normal. What I mean by this is exploring areas of the lake that they’ve ignored through the colder months, whether that be shallower bays, snaggy areas or even sometimes the deeper water.

A lot of people have a mind-set with winter fishing that the fish are just going to head to deeper water and sit there throughout the cold months but that certainly isn’t the case, they often seek out areas where they feel more comfortable, which could be an area that sees the sun most predominantly during the day or even around higher beds of sunken weed.

First and last light is one of the best times to see them show, so keeping your eyes peeled during them times is a must.

But when those daylight hours start to lengthen, and the sun begins warming up the layers, those carp know; it may only be a temperature rise of a couple of degrees but that’s enough to kick-start them again and get them back on the move.

When arriving at the lake I will always walk it first, looking for any signs of fish. Now this could be shows, seeing them up in the water, finding them in the snags or spotting some subtle fizzing – these are all great factors to look for.

Although they do tend to show a lot at this time of year, obviously you cannot guarantee you’re going to see something, so looking for other, subtler signs is key. I’ve watched them flanking in the weed to remove any leeches or argulus, and depending on the lake bed they can often send up plumes of bubbles where they have disrupted the substrate.

Areas of reeds can be a great holding point throughout the spring as the water is generally shallower and the reeds retain heat.