Tips on Carp Feeding Times, Triggers, and Habits

As you probably know, there’s a lot more to carp angling than just casting out into the water and hoping for the best. If you educate yourself about the feeding times, triggers, and habits of the fish you’re trying to land, you stand a much better chance of success. The good news is that, armed with a little knowledge and some liquid additives, you can really increase your results.

In this article, you'll find some useful tips about carp feeding times, triggers, and habits, so you can be more prepared as you head to the bank and cast out into the swim. 

Understanding carp feeding times. 

Fishing for carp is much easier if you understand their preferred feeding times and the conditions in which you’re likely to get a bite. Most anglers will agree that carp feed all year round, providing you use the correct bait and employ a strategy that works. Here are some of the factors that can impact a carp’s feeding: 

• Wind: Wind plays a big part in locating carp. For example, if a new south-westerly wind arises then you're likely to find fish on the end of the wind, where it's warm and everything caught in the wind collects. Conversely, if a new north-easterly is blowing a "hoolie" then you're far more likely to find fish sheltering on the back of it, where the temperature is more comfortable. Either way, after a few days of the wind blowing in any one direction it may be less significant. Really, it's a new wind you're looking for, so when planning your trip, check in an advance to see if there's a change in the weather forecast.
• Air pressure: Carp feeding is also impacted by air pressure. High air pressure equates to hot sunny days, where carp are more likely to be seen basking on the surface. In these conditions you might want to employ floater fishing or zigs to target them in the upper layers. On the other hand, low air pressure often brings rain which oxygenates the water and washes bugs into the lake to create natural feeding conditions. When it's like this, the carp will more likely be found occupying the lower layers of the water column, so fishing on the bottom should yield better results.
• Venue: Bite times commonly vary from venue to venue. Some venues fish better during the day and others at night. It's best that you get to know your venue and make a note of the most common times when fish are caught. If you don't know, looking at the catch photos on social media could provide some insight (ie if all the capture shots are at night, then it's obvious this venue fishes better during the night!).

What about carp feeding triggers?

As you can see, carp are likely to feed in most conditions, so it’s up to you to get the most out of the body of water that you’re fishing. As such, experienced anglers like to use feeding triggers that stimulate carp and make them more likely to take their bait. 

Below, we introduce you to some of the most popular carp feed trigger igniters, which are likely to improve your chances of success out on the lake: 

Carp flavour additives 

Adding flavour to bait has long been a tactic of anglers, with most additives being in the form of liquid.

An all-time classic carp feeding trigger is amino acids, which have a substantial impact on a carp’s sensory system. A carp is essentially a swimming taste bud, with buds located in the mouth, barbules, fins, and lips. As a result, carp are extremely capable of picking up on the scent and taste of chemicals, which plays to the advantage of anglers. 

One of the best liquid additives in recent times is the Goo offered by Korda. Korda Goo is available in a huge range of flavours including Perfect Peach, Corn Twist, and Raspberry Plume. These are available in two different viscosities; Bait Smoke and Power Smoke.

You can even take this one step further by adding powders, such as Sticky Baits The Krill Powder, after you've applied your choice of liquid, giving your bait an extra boost!

Can you influence carp feeding habits? 

It’s clear to most anglers that carp feed at all times of the year, although it’s widely agreed that they’re perhaps most easily caught in the Spring and Autumn months. While there’s no hard and fast rule that enables you to influence carp feeding habits, adapting your approach to the conditions is vitally important.

One of the best ways of influencing carp feeding habits is to keep a catch log and journal of what you've tried and where. This enables you to rule out approaches that don’t work so well while capitalising on those that are successful. It would help if you kept a note of your bait choices, weather conditions, air pressure, swim conditions, as well as any bait additives that you’ve used. 

You can then chart your various successes and try and identify any patterns that emerge. Then, by doing more of what works, you will be able to tune in to the carps habits at your chosen venue. And remember when it comes to carp fishing, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it! 

Once you’ve found a carp feeding method that works for you, then stick with it. If you’re not having any luck, don’t be afraid to try something new to trigger carp feeding, and remember to keep a journal documenting your successes and failures. 

A summary of carp feeding times, triggers and habits 

The best thing an angler can do is to adapt to the conditions that they’re fishing. By taking note of the weather and changes forecast, gaining a basic understanding of carp feeding times and using triggers to try and influence carp feeding habits is a recipe for success that any angler can follow, regardless of their experience. By documenting your successes and failures, you can methodically do more of what works and try new approaches when things aren’t going your way.

If you want to browse our range of additives to help your catch rate, or have any questions then get in touch.