Possibly this is the question that all carp angler ask themselves. We all know that there is no miracle formula, bait or rig that is going to bring us the success that we strive for. There are however plenty of actions you can do to increase your chances of breaking your personal best catch.

Pick the correct venue

Make sure the water you are fishing has a sufficient stock of fish at or above your target weight. There is no use fishing a low stock water with only a handful of big fish if your time is limited or fishing a venue with a high stock of fish below your target weight.

Your ideal venue will depend on your time commitment, but the majority of us will try to get out for at least for one session a week. Therefore look for a water that is of manageable size, with a good stocking level above your target weight, that you can get to easily quick access to.

Do your homework

Crucial to getting the most out of a venue and therefore catching your target fish is doing your homework. Make sure you get to know the venue features, depths and feeding patterns this info is essential to cracking your personal best.

Record all your catches and findings

An accurate plan of everything you have learned while exploring the venue and fishing it will give you great insight into the keys to landing your target fish.

Plan your sessions

Many anglers put little or no planning into their sessions, in stead using watercraft and conditions to determine what, where and how they are going to fish. However I am a great believer in having a plan and sticking to it. This does not mean that I do not respond to conditions but it does let me narrow down and focus my approach to getting the best out of a water.

Baiting

Where possible I am a big fan of pre-baiting and establishing a bait on a water before jumping in and fishing straight away. This approach is very hit and miss with some waters responding instantly to pre-baiting others not at all. Which ever you try first make sure you vary your approach at first fishing a mix of bait styles from singles through to large beds of bait. This way you can see and record the response.

Location and positioning

As always location of where you fish, at what depth is essential to your success. However I feel there is a close relationship on how you position your baits within your swim and location that can often give you better results. Pay close attention to where within you position you hookbait, perhaps just off a baited area, or on the very edge of a clear spot. Often success of picking up a larger fish can come down to these fine margins.

Hookbaits

I strongly believe that any bait is a big fish bait, however I have to say that increasing my bait size has brought me larger fish success in a lot of instances over the past years. I have to add that nearly all of my biggest fish have come from a small bait such as maize or maggot. I therefore tend to mix up my hookbaits on different rods, changing depending on the style of fishing I am doing.

In conclusion

If you are catching regularly from a water you are not doing anything wrong, without doubt you will hit big fish if you can get enough on the bank.