Scott Sweetman - Overnighter Tips

With the majority of my fishing being overnighters between work, there are a few things I do to help put more carp on the bank.

Firstly, making sure my kit is always super organized, having everything I need to hand so when I’m battling against the light to get the rods out, it can be done as smoothly and quickly as possible. I always have a handful of D Rigs and a few Chod sections & booms pre-tied ready to attach.

I like to travel as light as possible, only taking what I need for the night. I’ve been using the 30ltr rucksack and this is a perfect size, allowing me to fit all my essentials in neatly and organized for a night’s fishing. Using a rucksack helps keep the barrow that much lighter and combined with the electric barrow (Mk 2 Fat Boy) makes moving and barrowing much easier. I just think this helps mentally and physically; it doesn’t feel like a mission to do whatever needs to be done to put yourself in the best position for the night. Taking the smallest amount of kit, means even when at home, I can quickly sort and load the van. When getting to the lake, it’s literally a case of wheeling the barrow out of the van, putting my rucksack on and I’m away.

One thing I won’t rush is deciding what swim to go in. I put as much effort in as I can to make sure I’m making the best choice possible, with only having the night in front of me I can’t sit there hoping they’ll arrive, I need to go to bed knowing that I’m on them. Even if this means walking through the night or even moving in the hours of dark, I need to know that I’m on fish.

When I work out the swim I’m going to fish, I’ll be as quiet as I can. As soon as I approach the swim, I’ll walk as quietly as I can, keep a low profile, keeping low and quiet. When it comes to getting the rods out, again I’ll try to be as discrete as possible, using light leads and making minimal casts.  Ultimately, I’m doing everything in my power to get fishing without the fish knowing they are being for.

The areas I tend to target are often the quieter, more neglected zones. When doing the nights only, you need to anticipate and accept, the like hood of getting in the popular swims is low, so planning to target areas I’m likely to get back into is a big part of my approach.

I’ll often watch for hours, sometimes and when logistically possible, I’ll try and spend a few mid-week dawns before work at the lake, just watching. Just an hour or so at first light with a flask will help point you to the areas you need to be. I’m looking for showing carp, patches of fix or milked up water, any signs of feeding activity.

Once I’ve established an area I know the carp are spending their time and feeding, I like to give my full attention to this zone. It may begin by lightly leading to find spots, using a small castable weed rake to clean the spot and help with line lay. If the rules allow and I think it’s on, I’ll start pre-baiting, usually with hemp and boilie on the lead up to the trip. Hemp will help clean the area and will occupy the carp on the spot for longer feeding periods, and boilie will give me hookbait options and ensure it’s not just getting eaten by other species such as roach and rudd.

If you can get these areas working, it really does make the overnighters feel easy, dropping rods on areas you have already prepped, you’re instantly fishing quicky and effectively on spots the carp already feel safe eating. It really can be a devastating method, done in the right way in areas without affecting other anglers.