Fishy corners are one of my favorite places to fish. Do you ever choose your swim partly based on how you are feeling, or who is fishing with you?

For example, sometimes it is great to be in a big open swim, to be able spread your gear out, and have plenty of room for spodding, casting and landing fish.

Perhaps you even bring a guest chair or two and relish the opportunity to have mates pop around for a chat and a cup of tea.

 

 

There are other times when we would prefer to creep into a fishy corner…

There are other times when we get in tune with our hunters instincts…

… Perhaps we cut a fresh swim by chopping away at undergrowth and vegetation…

… We make it just big enough to fit an umbrella…

… Then we poke our rods out through the reeds very quietly…

The fish have no idea that we are there because of the stealthy way that we have set up and positioned ourselves. If the situation allows, perhaps we are lucky enough that other anglers do not know that we are there either.

We lie back in our bedchairs dreaming that we have found a new hotspot. There are other times when we are walking by the water, and one particular bay, inlet or corner captures our imagination. Perhaps we see fish, perhaps not. But we can almost smell them.

Some spots just “stink of fish” Do you know what I mean?

These quiet corners go unnoticed by other carp anglers.

 

The average carper likes to fish in social swims…

… Or in conventional “cut out” swims or on decking platforms.

Perhaps the fishy corner is too restricted for overhead casting. Perhaps we need to cast underarm. This alone might put other anglers off. Maybe the swim isn’t wide enough for a 2 man bivvy, or perhaps your rods have to be positioned next to your bivvy rather than neatly in front.

On most waters there are top swims and hotspots that have earned the reputation. Sometimes the larger fish tend to get captured from the same place frequently.

Other popular swims have plenty of features in front. Other than the popular swims and hotspots, where else do we look when deciding where to fish?

The obvious answers are everywhere, or where we actually see fish that look willing to feed.

Where else?

The least popular spots!

The very fact that they are the least popular means that they are more likely to be good places to fish. Carp move away from disturbance and noisy places. These fishy corners might not hold a large head of fish, but very often there will be one or 2 of the most prized fish.

These are fish that have learnt that they get caught less often in the quiet places. By fishing in these un-fished corners, you are more likely to find a new lake record, or a fish that has not been on the bank for a long time.

Or possibly a beautifully coloured ”original”. A fish that does not have a name and was not caught by someone else last month (at a slightly higher weight :))

These fishy corners can feel intimate and magical. It is easy to lose track of time and go into a meditative trance like state as we relax deeply. No spodding or using the throwing stick.

No catapults and marker floats, just peace and relaxation.