WORLDCARPCLASSIC.COM
STEVE HOWARD LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
A few facts about Lake Bolsena..
n Professional Fishermen: In Lake Bolsena there are many professional fishermen. Consequently, carp have become accustomed to the long nets used by fishermen even though, only few of them fish specifically for carp. This causes limited carp activity during the night. For this reason, we go where we notice some movement. Those areas where you find the “martavelli” (a kind of net specifically used for eels) are very interesting too: it often happens that Atherinae get stuck in them, thus becoming a great food source for carp.
n The ichthyofauna: The species of fish in the lake include: tench, pike, black bass, European perch, lake whitefish, atherinae, eels, carp and catfish. Most of the carp population consists of common carp of a large size,
Floater
fishing..This fish is just one of several surface caught carp during a week when eight anglers caught only four carp on the bottom. If there is a more exciting way to catch carp, I haven’t discovered it yet!
exactly the same manner. Bear with me here, this is still adhering to the theme of location, believe it or not. Being different isn’t nearly as
important as location, but it follows that location in terms of where carp will be inclined to feed within the water column often offers you your best option to be different! Okay, whilst zig-rigs and surface fishing isn’t for everyone, they are nonetheless accepted tactics that have accounted for many good carp. Just why it is that these methods - which demand further, supplementary watercraft and location skills - are overlooked, I really don’t know. For my part, I guess that I think of
myself as a hunter of carp, and in line with a hunter’s mentality I am more inclined to adopt a variety of methods. After locating which area carp are in, I will often hunt/stalk them in the margins or in the water column, wherever they are happy, comfortable and prepared to feed. So
multitude of reasons, but environmental aspects largely dictate where they are naturally inclined to locate themselves within the water column. Barometric pressure, oxygen levels, thermoclines, wind and light etc, can all play an important role and largely and most importantly, when some of these factors are in play, carp will not be searching for food on the bottom. It is then up to us as anglers to locate where they are. Whilst zig-fishing with a variable
may I politely suggest that it may be prudent to revaluate ‘location’ and cover all of the options?
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many anglers, who are not fairing well in a session, miss the opportunities on offer. They may be angling in the right area – but they are not angling in the location where the fish are sitting, regarding the depth. We are all aware that carp will react and relocate to other areas of a lake for a
depth controller may not be to every anglers liking, it can be extremely effective in such situations. Surface fishing too, has its time and place, and yet, how many anglers will actually recognise and capitalise on these situations when they arise? Not very many, I’ll wager. The point to remember is that location, being the ultimate key to success, is not defined purely by areas within a lake but also by the depth at which carp are present throughout the water column. It remains a fact that carp are much less of a problem to catch if they can be targeted where they already are, no matter where that might be. Surely, it is therefore in the individuals’ best interest to adopt the necessary tactics to capitalise on the opportunities as the situation dictates? It remains clear that some anglers
are seemingly programmed to blank as, at certain times, they will catch nothing if they only consider bottom fishing. Whatever your personal choices are, may I politely suggest that it may be prudent to revaluate ‘location’ and cover all of the options and not only bottom fishing? Good luck to all at this year’s event,
and please remember to utilise every square cubic meter of your allocated swim!
STEVE HOWARD Editor, World Carp Classic Magazine
Be aware... Lake Bolsena is vast – even an average wind can create choppy waters
whereas mirror carp are quite rare and the few which have been caught were swimming in an area near Capodimonte known as “la mergonara”. The average size is about 14/15 kg in the period preceding spawning and, after spawning, it is about 12 kg. The lake record is over 30 kg, but we are confident that in the future the lake will produce some nice surprises.
nHow to reach the lake: To reach Lake Bolsena you have to drive along the A1 motorway (Rome- Florence) and turn off at the junction of Orte; then, take the clearway (Orte- Viterbo) and turn off to Montefiascone. Once there, you can decide whether to go to Marta, Capodimonte (left shore) or drive along the scenic road bordering the lake towards Bolsena (right shore).
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