Snaggy Venue Advice Needed

[peakoverload]

A lake I fish is absolutely packed with Carp (average size of 5lb going to 15lb) species like Common, Mirror, Wild and Grass. The trouble is that for every Carp in the lake there must be at least 10 snags!

The entire lake is surrounded by over hanging brambles and the Carp spend much of their time underneath them sucking at floating natural baits (seriously the noise is deafening at times). Not only that but there is an island in the middle that is also covered in overhanging brambles. Then there are the sunken trees, there are at least 3 which visually break the surface in places but I think there are another 4 or 5 that are either completely submerged or are limbs that have fallen off the dozens of trees that completely surround the lake. In short, this lake is a death trap for tackle!

In order to get bites you need to cast as close to the island or right in close to brambles as you can, open water just doesnt seem to get many results. Casting isn't the problem but stopping Carp from charging into one of the snags when you hook them is!

Because it's so snaggy fish safety is obviously a major concern and I started off using a running ledger but was finding that I wasn't really getting any runs with fish sucking the bait in and the spitting it out before I can really strike. Switching to a semi fixed rig definitely produces strong and often incredibly violent runs that even on a baitrunner nearly pull the rod in (the Wild Carp fight amazingly hard). However by the time I hit them they frequently are into one of the snags and then it's usually 80/20 in the Carp's favour of getting them out. I've tried hitting them as early as I can and then doing all I can to hold them out of the snags but invariably this seems to pull the hook free.

On Saturday I went to this lake and landed 5 or 6 Carp but lost about the same again and got smashed up 3 times. On 2 or 3 Carp I pulled the hook in trying to (maybe too hard) stop them getting into the brambles and on the rest they took me into one or more snags and I couldn't get them out.

How would you tackle such a venue?

I use:
Carp Rod with a 2.5lb T/C
Shimano Baitrunner
16lb Mainline
15lb Braid hooklink

I tend not to use a Method Feeder because there are thousands of Roach and grounbait is like a magnet. With no exaggeration if you chuck in a ball of groundbait the water turns black with tiny Roach a second after it hits the water. Even casting a bomb of small open end feeder causes a similar reaction. Therefore I tend to either just use a bomb or a small open end feeder packed with pellets with a groundbait bung but because casting can be restricted in many swims due to overhanging trees I often find I get tangles with the hooklink wrapping around the feeder. Is there a better, less tangle prone, semi fixed rig I could use?

[NICK R]

Do you use the bait runner facility ?
if so turn it off , have a tight clutch , sit on your rods .Dont give them a inch

I would also feed clear spots to bring them away from the snags , this may take time but eventually they will start to hoover the baits up .

[peakoverload]

Originally Posted by NICK R

Do you use the bait runner facility ?
if so turn it off , have a tight clutch , sit on your rods .Dont give them a inch

Eek! Some of the runs I get are so violent that even with the baitrunner on the rod practically leaps out of the pod (you can't easily use rod rests as the swims are wooden platforms). I did think about trying this on Saturday but to be honest I chickened out. Also I tend to also float fish at the same time which wouldn't be possible or safe if I didn't use the baitrunner. I will give this a go though the next time I go as it does sound like the best/only chance I have of getting more Carp into the net!

[NICK R]

Even with small fish like that they go like stink

giving them nothing is the only way to get them out .

If your fishing to you right put a bank stick against the right hand side of the alarm . like ways if fishing to your left , this will stop your rod bouncing out

[excarper]

get a chainsaw hack down the snags then some dynamite to blow up the island job done!

[NICK R]

Originally Posted by excarper

get a chainsaw hack down the snags then some dynamite to blow up the island job done!

well there is always that