Gaz Fareham explains why the Soft Boom Hinge aka 'The Cobra' is his go to rig - sharing his vast knowledge on the most effective set up to catch bites.
We ask Marcus Clark - Moon phases have been a hot topic for some time now. Whether you believe in the moon's effects or not, many anglers do and with the banks being busier than ever, an increasing number of people seem to be planning their trips around them. But what is it about moon phases and how do they play a role
in your angling, if at all?
We ask Marcus Clark - Moon phases have been a hot topic for some time now. Whether you believe in the moon's effects or not, many anglers do and with the banks being busier than ever, an increasing number of people seem to be planning their trips around them. But what is it about moon phases and how do they play a role in your angling, if at all?
I believe moons play a massive part in a carp’s behaviour and feeding patterns. I think the fact that more and more people are planning trips around moon phases, as you mentioned, show that on certain waters there are definite patterns. With carp fishing becoming increasingly popular, it’s natural that many anglers are looking into things that give them that extra edge and ensuring they are on the bank when it matters most on the seemingly busier waters of today. But what is it about moons that appears to affect the carp?
For me there are a multitude of reasons, firstly I find that more often than not the big weather fronts such as low pressure, winds and even the “named” storms coincide with the peak moon phases, such as the new moon, first quarter etc. With each moon cycle being roughly 29 days, you’ll have prolonged periods when the peaks will fall on the weekends or midweek and so will the big weather systems. I’ve found this to be particularly prevalent during the colder months, for mid-September to mid-April. I’m sure we’ve all heard anglers who fish the weekends moaning because majority of the fish are coming out mid-week and vice versa.
The moons also play a role when it comes to the carp’s natural food with fly hatches being massively affected. One particular spring a few
years back I can remember there being an 8-week period when 95% of all the bites came on zigs and 36 hours either side of the peak moon phases, if you weren’t there on those days you were more than likely blanking. Unfortunately for me I was doing shift work at the time, working four on, four off and typically my days on the bank were landing off of these phases and I was royally blanking along with everyone else fishing those days. Eventually though, my days fell on the peak periods and I managed six bites in very quick succession. I believe the reason for this was the hatches were happening around these peak times, provoking a predatory response from the carp, making them easier to catch.
The best thing about the moons for me though is that certain fish can prefer certain moon phases and utilising this information has aided me in targeting specific fish such as White Swan’s ‘Son of Triple Row’. When I set my sights on a target fish, I’ll go through years of capture dates and times (which can sometimes be tricky to obtain) and look for patterns to see if there’s a particular moon phase and time of year that fish prefers, and I’ll try to be there for these periods. I’ll even take in to account previous weather, swims and armed with that, it becomes easier to single out the fish you want. It may sound crazy to some but believe me, certain carp are that predictable.
I believe moons play a massive part in a carp’s behaviour and feeding patterns. I think the fact that more and more people are planning trips around moon phases, as you mentioned, show that on certain waters there are definite patterns. With carp fishing becoming increasingly popular, it’s natural that many anglers are looking into things that give them that extra edge and ensuring they are on the bank when it matters most on the seemingly busier waters of today. But what is it about moons that appears to affect the carp?
For me there are a multitude of reasons, firstly I find that more often than not the big weather fronts such as low pressure, winds and even the “named” storms coincide with the peak moon phases, such as the new moon, first quarter etc. With each moon cycle being roughly 29 days, you’ll have prolonged periods when the peaks will fall on the weekends or midweek and so will the big weather systems. I’ve found this to be particularly prevalent during the colder months, for mid-September to mid-April. I’m sure we’ve all heard anglers who fish the weekends moaning because majority of the fish are coming out mid-week and vice versa.
The moons also play a role when it comes to the carp’s natural food with fly hatches being massively affected. One particular spring a few years back I can remember there being an 8-week period when 95% of all the bites came on zigs and 36 hours either side of the peak moon phases, if you weren’t there on those days you were more than likely blanking. Unfortunately for me I was doing shift work at the time, working four on, four off and typically my days on the bank were landing off of these phases and I was royally blanking along with everyone else fishing those days. Eventually though, my days fell on the peak periods and I managed six bites in very quick succession. I believe the reason for this was the hatches were happening around these peak times, provoking a predatory response from the carp, making them easier to catch.
"The moons also play a role when it comes to the carp’s natural food with fly hatches being massively affected"
"The moons also play a role when it comes to the carp’s natural food with fly hatches being massively affected"
The best thing about the moons for me though is that certain fish can prefer certain moon phases and utilising this information has aided me in targeting specific fish such as White Swan’s ‘Son of Triple Row’. When I set my sights on a target fish, I’ll go through years of capture dates and times (which can sometimes be tricky to obtain) and look for patterns to see if there’s a particular moon phase and time of year that fish prefers, and I’ll try to be there for these periods. I’ll even take in to account previous weather, swims and armed with that, it becomes easier to single out the fish you want. It may sound crazy to some but believe me, certain carp are that predictable.
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