It will come as no surprise to many of you that the tide has turned and life has become financially tough for some. Huge companies are closing and workers are being laid off. Small businesses are folding, houses are being repossessed and for many, the sudden change in financial climate is hitting hard. Granted, not everyone has lost their home, business or job, but the price of nearly everything has gone up recently and everybody is feeling the pinch in some way or another. Welcome to the credit-crunch.

In recessions angling businesses suffer like any other businesses. With less money to go around sales drop but angling as a sport has the habit of being different, often seeing growth in times of economic difficulty. Anglers are adaptable creatures and will work out a way to get a line in the water somehow, and with more time to spare, many will often find a way to spend more time fishing! With less money to spend on luxuries and frivolous days out, many others also turn to the great outdoors for its cheapness and because of this, angling wears recessions quite well.

Because of our current financial problems I thought I would theme a few of my blogs this year around fishing on a budget – Credit Crunch Angling - just some cheap and simple ideas of how to get out there and catch a few when money is tight. From cheap holiday destinations and value-for-money charter fishing, to collecting bait yourself and taking advantage of your nearest coastline; or even cheaper still – taking advantage of that pond, river or canal just up the road. Times are tough but if you are an adaptable angler, you can always find a way to get out fishing regular.

Jim settles down to do a spot of credit crunch carping...

SIMPLE CARP FISHING
There will always be a natural divide between fly, coarse and sea fishing because each discipline is so different, but as they say “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it” so the best way to look at all angling disciplines, and all the more now, is as a whole – a chance to be outdoors, next to the water, with hopefully a fish or two coming to the net, fishing wherever for whatever.

The credit crunch may mean you cannot afford to travel miles to your favourite beach, to get out on a charter, or use your small boat as often as you would like, especially for those landlocked sea anglers. This doesn’t mean you can’t get out fishing somewhere for something. For my first instalment of credit crunch angling I thought I’d start by pushing a few boundaries.

The scourge of many other angling disciplines is carp fishing. For an angler that likes to be on the move fishing a great expanse of natural water, fishing a small manmade lake or pond for a fish that has been hooked so many times it has a name, can seem very unappealing. Carp fishing also has the reputation of being very difficult and time consuming. I enjoy a spot of carp fishing and over the years I have fished some tough waters for big fish, where bites can be days between, but big carp fishing is somewhat specialist and not all carp fishing is like this. A day on the right pond can provide some exciting action and a great day out for all the family - kids love it.

There are two types of carp fishery – tough waters with big fish (20lb plus) or easier runs waters stuffed with lots of smaller fish (generally 2-12lbs). There are small old estate lakes and commercial fisheries all around the country that have a healthy stock of smaller carp and these venues provide easy and exciting fishing for fish to over double figures, with almost guaranteed results. These are called ‘runs’ waters because runs, takes, bites or whatever you call them, are frequent. The high volume of smaller carp in these fisheries encourages these fish to feed more frequently, hence their reliability to provide easy action. Local lakes near you can be found in yellow pages or online – have a look at www.go-fish.co.uk. Do call fisheries prior to arriving to check availability and book if needed. Fishery prices vary from £5 upwards per day and are often charged by how many rods are used, not anglers fishing.

Most fisheries will require the use of barbless hooks (don’t worry, you won’t lose fish) and some may require an unhooking mat to give complete protection to fish that are to be returned. A landing net can be handy too. Budget unhooking mats and landing nets can be bought very cheaply from fishing tackle shops. It would be wrong of me to say where, but after a Google search I found I could get both online for under £30! Now that’s not a bad investment seeing as they give good millage and be used for other types of angling too.

If you’re an angler that has in the past snubbed carp fishing, look at it like this... Carp fishing (excluding specimen carp fishing) is cheap, reliable and in these hard times where the cost to get to the coast to boat or shore fish may be tough for some, your nearest ‘runs’ water carp fishery is likely to be only a few miles down the road.

HOW TO
Bottom fishing for carp is a specialist subject, but surface fishing for carp is simple, cheap and effective if you know how. Sight fishing for surface feeding carp is also packed with excitement – there’s nothing like watching any fish take your bait!

Carp fishing baits...

During the warmer months of the year, spring through to autumn, carp will often feed from the surface in the morning and evening, sometimes during the day if you are lucky. For bait all you will need is a couple of loaves of bread and/or some Chum mixer dog biscuits if you have any. Bait and tactics couldn’t be simpler and this means that carp fishing is great for all the family. A spinning or plugging rod is the most versatile rod any angler can own; having multiple uses for sea and freshwater fishing and will do the job of hooking and landing a carp just fine. Clear monofilament line or low-diameter braid is essential to fool a carp which has outstanding eyesight.

Tackle for carp fishing...

Pay your fishery fees, and before you start fishing take a quiet walk around your pond or lake to see if you can spot any carp feeding or bathing on the surface. Polaroid sunglasses are essential. The simplest way to catch these fish is to free line. Tie a size 6-8 hook directly to the mainline and bait it with a good size chunk of bread crust. Next tear off a few more chunks of crust and throw these to the feeding fish. As soon as the fish are confident and feeding on your free offerings, lower or cast your bread bait to them and get ready... here comes the difficult bit.

Many carp will be weary and will sense your hook and line the second they mouth the bait, so as your carp approaches, hold your breath and get ready... the second it closes its mouth around the bread, strike to set the hook. Sight fishing like this is simple, yet magic to experience; most carp fight pretty good too. When you finally land your carp, you may need a pair of cheep forceps to help remove the hook. A catapult can also come in handy to bait-up at greater distances.

Another simple way to fish for surface feeding carp is to use a carp-controller float set up. A controller or bubble float added to the line will add casting weight and enable you to fish at greater distances. The weighted float is threaded up the mainline, followed by a bead and swivel. To the end of this swivel is tied your hook length and hook and you’re ready to go.

Carp-Controller float set up...

To fish with other baits like dog biscuits, you will need to learn to hair rig (and knotless knot). A hair rig is where the bait and hook are kept separated from each other, with the bait mounted on a short length of line (a hair). Fishing a hair rig increases hook-ups for this weary feeding species. Find out more about hair rigs here.

Catapults are handy to build up baits far off	A hair-rigged bait

CONCLUSION
The tackle required for surface carp fishing is minimal – a sea fishing spinning rod and reel loaded with 10-15lb clear mono or 15-20lb braid. End tackle couldn’t be simpler too – some controller (or bubble) floats, some 10lb fluorocarbon, a handful of beads, swivels and some size 6-8 freshwater specimen hooks and you’re ready to go. A pair of scissors, some forceps, a catapult and a landing net will be handy, and an unhooking mat may be essential at some fisheries. These can all be purchased online very cheaply and will give good mileage for their cost.

The cost for a day’s carp fishing is minimal too. I found many lakes within 10 miles of our home and the one I chose to fish was only 4 miles away, so fuel was negligible. The cost to fish this fishery was £7.50 for the day for two rods. For bait I took two loaves of bread @ £1.26 per loaf and stole some Pedigree Chum mixer from the dog! I lost no tackle and what’s more, we managed to combine a day’s fishing with a family picnic (or was that combine a family picnic with a day’s fishing!) keeping all happy (!!)

A whole days fishing for the family for less than twelve quid.... I call that credit crunch value-for-money!

Jim O'Donnell with a typical "runs" caught carp...

Jim and family enjoying a cheap days fishing...