Mouse trapping carp success

Carp

Last week proved a tad tricky for some anglers, due to high wind speeds inland. Fishing was productive, but most anglers were deterred by the conditions, which made angling uncomfortable for most of the day. Anglers at Shongweni and Nagle Dam mouse trapped their way into some lovely specimens of around 10-14kg. Mouse trapping is a method used mainly in clear waters where anglers have spotted carp patrolling the shallows not too far off the banks, but has recently become an extremely effective method of targeting carp at night as well as in bad conditions. Feeding spits or "swims" are created only a few metres off the banks, generally in an area which is knows to hold fish, or an area which would be assumed to hold fish. The reason for this is mainly due to the fact that the fish are spooked less because the wind or rain breaks the surface, rendering visibility to almost zero, therefore allowing the anglers to fish close to base without being detected. The second advantage of having the lines close by is having the sensitivity that would normally be lost in strong winds. Lines tend to be dragged through the water when the wave size increases, setting off alarms unnecessarily. This is also avoided by having the lines closer in. This technique will more often than not get the angler surprisingly good results and will have them going back for more. Quality 10ft rods would be ideal for this approach due to the lack of need for large line capacity or casting ability. The Daiwa Emcast range should work wonders.

Bass

Bass anglers were luckier than carp anglers over the last week and were able to travel to the protection of bays around the dams, in search of some flat water. By positioning the boat on the flat water of the bay and casting bait into the rough water on the opposite side of the point, the bait can be easily detected as it moves into the calmer water. There will more than likely be an exaggerated colour line off the point, in which the bass will position themselves preparing for an ambush. Anything coming over the point into bass territory will be severely dealt with. Light penetration will be lower due to the rippled surface, so the ultimate bait in this situation would be spinner baits or stick style baits such as Senkos or Flukes dragged slowly across the point on a drop-shot rig. If there is a fair amount of hard structure such as a rock pile, timber or similar, then crank baits will do the trick. If the points of the bay have not produced many fish, as Inanda showed on the weekend, then head into the bay and make use of either Horny Toads or any hollow-bodied frog, working quickly down the shoreline to cover as much water as possible. In a dam such as Albert Falls where the amount of bays available is far less than that of Inanda for example, the best option is to hug shoreline as close as possible, casting ahead of the boat to any structure with Spinner baits, or to head to a drop-off and use a 1oz Carolina rig with braided line. This will ensure a decent bite detection and constant contact with your bait.

(File Photo: Wikipedia)

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