Any advise for first specimen session

C

Cobus969

New member
Hi Everyone,

So i recently took up specimen fishing, i'm busy converting from conventional to specimen fishing. My first session will be at rodeplaat just because my gear like fishing line is not yet ready for any other dam. I don't really have anyone to show me the ropes so everything i know is from reading the forum or youtube. I'm going on the 1st of april to the 4/5th. I'm taking a small boat to make feeding place and i'm thinking of fishing on tiger-nuts boilies and kaboom mielies. I have the basics for carp care because i learned quickly that its very important for specimen fishing.

So any advise would be appreciated.
Tanks
 
M

MadCarper

Sealiner
Hi Cobus. It would be abit difficult to answer everything in one post. Its abit of a process to get into specimen carp fishing, and your patience will be tested. But its worth it! Read up and Youtube as much as you can and ask as much as you need on forums etc. I also had to start on my own and only after about a year or so did I get abit of guidance from experienced anglers. Myself and my old fishing partner both converted so we sort of learned together. The first videos we watched was "Fox Guide to Advanced Carp Fishing 1 & 2". The full videos are on Youtube. They are abit old but still cover the basics pretty well.

Have you got any specific questions? Might be easier to answer...
 
C

Cobus969

New member
Hi MC,

I've noticed that because you target bigger carp the wait is a lot longer but for me that's fine because I've had my share of small fish its time to go bigger. i also know roodeplaat quite well so i'm positive to get some results for my session. tanks i'll definitely watch the videos for help.

For the questions i think after my first session i'll have better questions because then i'll have a better idea of whats going on.

But for now i'll stick to the basics and then work from there.
 
M

MadCarper

Sealiner
Yes I would say dont worry about boilies right now. tigernuts definitely and maize too.

You dont have to wait longer for a bite, the trick is to get your location right. It will take time to get to grips with locating carp but once you have it you will find that once you are on the carp you will get bites much sooner.
 
C

Cobus969

New member
The thing is i already bought the boilies so i'll only try one rod(12mm ground boilie with a 10mm pop-up boilie) and the rest would be maize and tiger-nuts.

I also had a look at the contour lines so i have an idea where to go look for the fish so with a bit of luck i'll pick the right spot and land some nice fish.

Tanks allot for all the advice really appreciate it.
 
F

Fishpaste

Sealiner
Cobus, good luck with the specimen venture and please keep us updated on your progress. MC is right when he talked about location...you can have everything spot on but if you are in the wrong location you will struggle. Regarding rigs, don't get caught up on all the different rigs. Stick to 1 or 2 that is easy to tie and build from there as you get more experienced.
 
C

Cobus969

New member
Hi F1%hpa%te,

Tanks allot, i'll post some pictures if have any luck. Okay i'll take my time on selecting the right location and i'm gonna stick to the basics for now till i get a better feel for the specimen thing.

Tanks again everyone.
 
L

Lance R

New member
Hi,

There is a Docks starter specimem rig kit You can purchase at around R260. It has most of the components you will need to construct basic rigs and are of reasonable quality for the price. It comes with instructions and a ready made rig which you can copy, which is good practice and a platform for you to work from.

Once You have mastered the basics of rig construction and understand the mechanics you will soon be making adjustments to suite the conditions and structure of the venue you are targeting.

In the beginning you will make errors but be patient. Once you land that first trophy carp and return it safely to the water to live another day all the initial frustration would have been worthwhile.

::tight:
 
V

VinceM

New member
VinceM wrote:
Simple rig.. not complicated and catch fish.::tight:
Click to expand...


Peace of braid size 6 wide gape shrink tube and a split shot.Nothing fancy , when I started out, made all kinds of funny rigs to catch a monster.. And you know what ended up blanking and losing money. Lucky I had some guidance from quality and kind specimen anglers, just changed just my rig and location and stopped blanking.

All you have to do I do session after session and the rest will come. Always good to make a respect full friend along the way.

Just enjoy fishing, its a gift from God to fish for these clever creatures.
 
D

DocPhil

Senior Member
Cobus,
Welcome to specimen fishing, one of the hardest but also most rewarding ways to fish.
I started on my journey about 4 years ago. About a year ago I nearly gave up after many blanks.
I had  actually started to catalogue my gear for sale when I gave it one last shot. Over the following months I broke my pb 4 times, and it seemed as if I could do nothing wrong.
Something had clicked and suddenly I'm an intermediate specimen angler and not a novice anymore.
If I can give you some advice, find someone who knows the game and who is patient, go with him and listen, take it all in and take small steps. Following someone closely is by far the quickest way to learn.
Make sure your foundations are solid before moving on.
And yes that word Patience. You see I spell it with a capital P. This is not a game for the angler who wants constant action. This is a game for the angler who is willing to wait days for that special fish. And if he blanks, he is willing to do it again and again and again.
When that fish comes along it burns into your mind to become a treasured memory.

Best of luck and be sure to update us with your progress.
 
V

VinceM

New member
DocPhil wrote:
Cobus,
Welcome to specimen fishing, one of the hardest but also most rewarding ways to fish.
I started on my journey about 4 years ago. About a year ago I nearly gave up after many blanks.
I had  actually started to catalogue my gear for sale when I gave it one last shot. Over the following months I broke my pb 4 times, and it seemed as if I could do nothing wrong.
Something had clicked and suddenly I'm an intermediate specimen angler and not a novice anymore.
If I can give you some advice, find someone who knows the game and who is patient, go with him and listen, take it all in and take small steps. Following someone closely is by far the quickest way to learn.
Make sure your foundations are solid before moving on.
And yes that word Patience. You see I spell it with a capital P. This is not a game for the angler who wants constant action. This is a game for the angler who is willing to wait days for that special fish. And if he blanks, he is willing to do it again and again and again.
When that fish comes along it burns into your mind to become a treasured memory.

Best of luck and be sure to update us with your progress.
Click to expand...


Very good way of putting it !!((goodp_
 
V

VinceM

New member
Cobus.. Take a look at this , this is nr 1 tip in carp fishing location.

http://www.korda.co.uk/masterclass/volume-2/?id=4
 
H

HennieB

Sealiner
DocPhil wrote:
Cobus,
If I can give you some advice, find someone who knows the game and who is patient, go with him and listen, take it all in and take small steps. Following someone closely is by far the quickest way to learn.
Make sure your foundations are solid before moving on.
And yes that word Patience. You see I spell it with a capital P. This is not a game for the angler who wants constant action. This is a game for the angler who is willing to wait days for that special fish. And if he blanks, he is willing to do it again and again and again.
When that fish comes along it burns into your mind to become a treasured memory.
Click to expand...

Well said!

One learns the most from anglers that have been practicing speci angling for a couple of years. They've also gone through the motions of seeing what works and what doesn't, what you need to buy and what not.

Speci angling to me is about catching a quality fish and spending time away from my busy job and the city.

I recently had a 6 day long trip at Tzaneen, the fishing was tough and slow. In total I managed to get 5 carp, but the one that stood out the most was the biggest one. In a way because it was the biggest but also the fight the fish put up, the condition it was in and the effort I made to catch it.

When it comes together on the day, there are few more special feelings.
 
I

IWyk

Sealiner
F1%hpa%te wrote:
I almost want to be inclined to say...leave the boilies for now and stick to particles...tigers, hemp and maize.:welcomesea:
Click to expand...

Excellent advice, stick to tigers and particles when starting out. Plain, scopex or sweetcorn(plainer flavours) have always produced. Practice patients and don't fall into the trap of buying too many different baits.

Start off with the basics and experiment from there.

Good luck.
 
C

Cobus969

New member
Tanks allot everyone,

I'll stick to basics's for now and work from there on.

Tonight is packing and tomorrow i'm off for my fist session super excited.

And i'll let everyone know how it went.:)
 
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