Using a fishing boat to catch carp. Part 2: what equipment and tackle do you need to boat fish for carp

Having already covered in detail exactly how to use a boat to find spots, drop your rigs, and to bait up, in Part 1 of this article, the second part takes in in-depth look at all the equipment and tackle you need for boat fishing.

How much of it you need will depend on the type and size of water that you’re fishing, as well as whether the supplies any of the boat kit you might need – some will have a boat, motor and echosounder that you can use as part of the deal to fish there, or can hire separately, such as at our Embryo Carplantis lake in Holland.

Others might just have the boats and you bring your own motor, batteries, and fish finder. And if you are going to a public lake then you will need to take all of it with you, and which involves significant financial investment, or borrowing it from friends who already have it. Always check the local rules and respect other anglers already fishing.

So, before you dash out and buy everything you will need to fish big public lakes in Europe, and potentially spending thousands of pounds, make sure you are going to be going often enough to justify that cost.

If you do fancy trying your hand at using a fishing boat to catch carp, and have never fished like this before and don’t have any of the kit you need – such as an actual boat! – then it can be a good idea to book a trip to a venue that allows boat fishing and supplies or hires everything that you need, as this is much more affordable and you will quickly find out if you actually enjoy this style of fishing.

It isn’t that different on the public lakes, just that they tend to be bigger and sometimes you can be fishing much further out, or having to contend with really bad weather conditions – which is another good reason to at least have some idea about using a boat before you venture onto anywhere like that.

Different types of carp fishing boat

When it comes to the type of boats that are suitable for carp fishing there are pretty much two choices.

You can go for a hard plastic model, such as something like one of the Bic Sportyak style ones or similar, which tend to be incredibly durable, as well as very buoyant as they usually have double skinned hulls.

Obviously the big disadvantage with them though is when it comes to moving or transporting them, and especially so with larger models that are not only bulky but also heavy, and where you really need a trailer to be able to sensibly move them around. There are some smaller, more manageable models of hard plastic boat, but these tend to be of a size which isn’t really suitable for very large lakes or for use in windier conditions where there could be sizeable waves.

Most anglers opt for an inflatable, which tends to be much easier to transport around as it folds into a relatively small bag, and is of a weight that is manageable if loading or unloading it from a vehicle.

On smaller waters you really want an inflatable of around 2.6m long – you can get away with a smaller one potentially if you are paddling it rather than taking up space with an engine and batteries – and for big windswept lakes something of at least 3m, and ideally one of the wider types of inflatable, is ideal, and even then in really bad weather you won’t get out in it safely.

When it comes to inflatables there are various designs, such as the Jochym catamaran style boats versus more traditional design ones like the Gold Baits models that we use for filming shows such as Monster Carp.

Whichever type of boat you go for, if using it on big lakes where the weather can change quickly, it is important to make sure the chambers are high enough that it sits well above the water, and has a tapered nose which rides high, as this will reduce the danger of it becoming swamped by bigger waves.

Not all boats of the same length are equal, and some of the cheaper models designed to be used as dinghy tenders for bigger boats, tend to be quite narrow and also sit quite low in the water.

The material which they are made from is also important, and the thicker and more durable it is, the less chance there is of getting punctures. Some of the new materials even have a special coating, such as the latest Gold Baits boats, which won’t delaminate over time, as most of those types of boats eventually do (due to moisture which stays inside the chambers – any air we blow in always has some moisture content), and at which point they become useless and need changing. Inflatable boats with multiple chambers are safer as they remain buoyant if one chamber fails.

You also need the boat to have some sort of a keel to it to help keep the boat pointing in the right direction, as this is what determines how easily it grips the water and stays on course, rather than being blown sideways by crosswinds. This usually comes in the form of an inflatable chamber in the bottom of the boat and running the length of it, and generally under the floor.

All inflatable boats will have some sort of floor, which helps provide rigidity to varying degrees by reducing the amount that the outer chambers can flex, as well as providing a firm stable platform for you to stand and walk around on.

The lightest type of floor is an air deck, which is basically an inflatable layer at the bottom of the boat, which when blown up fully is rigid enough to stand on, although still feels less stable than any sort of solid flooring.

Marine plywood is another option that many boats come with, and this provides a solid floor, with pieces of plywood that slot together – usually between two metal rails running the length of the boat, so ensure the floor is rigid and pieces of it can’t lift up (such as when hitting waves). Although heavier than an airdeck it still tends to be lighter than a metal floor, although not as robust or long lasting.

An aluminium floor is by far the most robust and built to last, although is also often the heavier option, but if you are going to be using the boat a lot, on big waters, then this is the one to go for. Many makes of boat actually offer you the option of what type of floor you would like.

You will also see some boats with slatted aluminium or plywood floors, where that only covers sections of the floor, and these tend not to be as stable to walk around on, and especially when you tread on one of the areas with no slats across it.

Whatever type of inflatable you choose, you need to look after it if it is going to last and that means washing and drying it at the end of each session – you can do this at home rather than at the lake. Plus of course storing it somewhere that mice or rats can’t get to it – if you don’t clean the boat and it has bait inside, then this will attract rodents.

Boat fishing hardware

On most waters the use of a petrol motor is banned, so in the majority of cases the only option, if you aren’t going to row – which is possible on smaller venues – is to use an electric outboard.

There are lots of different companies who make electric outboards, with plenty of choice when it comes to how powerful the motor is in terms of thrust – usually measured in pounds.

Anything up to around 80lb usually will run off of a 12V battery, whilst 80lb thrust and upwards motors tend to be 24V.

On large waters it makes sense to have a more powerful motor to combat the wind, as well as allowing you to drop your rigs on your fishing spots more quickly at longer distances – it isn't uncommon for anglers to fish in excess of 500m, and it can take half-an-hour or more to drop each rod at that sort of distance and get back to the bank!

A more powerful engine also makes sense if there is a lot of weed, and especially stuff that is on or near the surface and will get caught around the prop of the engine – a powerful motor is able to keep on going through the weed, whilst a low power one will quickly come to a halt and become clogged with weed. Brands such as Minn Kota are popular for any boat anglers using an electric motor.

The disadvantage with higher powered motors is that you will either need to buy 24V batteries, which are a lot more expensive, and not to mention heavy as well. Or connect up two 12V batteries, which means having quite a few of those if you are going to have a set or two of spare ones with you.

When it comes to batteries, lithium ones are far superior to traditional lead acid style models, both in terms of their weight – they are much lighter for their capacity (usually measured in amp hours) – and also how quickly they can be charged up. The downside though is that they tend to be a lot more expensive, although that cost is coming down every year.

Lithium batteries are far superior though, and for anyone regularly using them, they make the most sense to buy.

You will of course need spares – how many will depend on how much you are using the boat, and also whether you are able to recharge batteries during the session, such as via solar panels which are useful to keep them topped up, but do require decent sunlight. It is a good idea to carry a small multi meter with you to check how charged your batteries are -although some lithium ones have this built into them.

There is of course also the option of a pair of oars and rowing your boat, but this is only really practical on smaller waters or when fishing at shorter distances, and can be very difficult to get the hang of and takes practice, when it comes to dropping a rig and bringing your rod back in dead straight line, against any wind or tow.

Anglers should always have an oar on the boat, even if they have a motor, for emergencies.

Most anglers also want some sort of fish finder or echo sounder on the boat as well – unless fishing a smaller venue where you can see the bottom to find spots and place rigs – and there is a massive choice when it comes to these and how advanced they are.

For carp fishing the main criteria is one that identifies structure and creates a contour map. How good the sounder is at identifying structure on the lakebed will come down to how much you’ve paid for it – on a cheaper model a tree stump will show up as a raised blob, on a top end one you will be able to see its exact shape, roots etc. That is of course useful, having that amount of detail, but comes at a much higher cost.

Fish finders will all show you what is under the boat and what you are passing over the top of, but these days most of them also have side scan modes, which scan the bottom either side of the boat for a set distance (it could be 50m or more) and help you to spot features such as bars or snags.

The mapping feature is also fairly essential, not just for creating a contour map, but also for being able to store you spots (way points) and create routes that will allow you to easily navigate back to them, as well as returning to your swim in a straight line whilst avoiding wiping out your other rods!

What type of sounder you opt for really comes down to how much you want to spend on one, and you can pick them up relatively cheaply, but still having all the really essential features that you need. All fish finders tend to run off of a 12V battery, and so can be connected to the same one that you are running your engine from (obviously unless it is a 24V battery!)

They do of course also have the ability to find fish, and whilst most carp anglers rely on them to locate features, on really big waters they can be useful for not only finding areas where the carp are, but also for seeing what depth they are swimming at, and then trying to find features to fish on in a similar depth.

Fish finders rely on a transducer which sends out a signal, and this needs to be mounted onto your boat. The easiest way to do this is via a special bracket which can be flipped up easily to prevent the transducer from being damaged when you come into shallow water. Some sort of mount for your fish finder screen is also useful.

You will of course also need a pump if you are using an inflatable boat, and whilst most come supplied with some sort of foot pump, you can buy electric pumps (which run off of a 12V battery) which make the whole job of inflating your boat a lot quicker and less effort.

You are also likely going to need some sort of anchor for your boat so that you can leave it moored up in the margins, rather than having to keep pulling it up the bank, which not only increases the risk of punctures, but also means the boat isn’t ready just to jump in and go when you need to.

There are various special attachments designed specifically for this, with a quick release clip to your boat, some sort of bungee material, and then a heavy weight – it can be up to 20kg or more in really bad weather, and most systems allow you to easily add more. This should be enough to hold the boat, but in very windy conditions you may need two anchors to hold the boat securely and stop it being blown around and potentially into the bank.

If you are using an anchor system like this, and it is windy, you need to regularly check the amount of water in the boat, as waves breaking over it can quickly fill it, and you run the risk of batteries becoming submerged. In this sort of weather it often does make more sense to pull the boat up the bank to secure it.

Rods, reels and line for catching carp using a fishing boat

Whilst there is no reason why you can’t just use your normal rods when fishing from a boat, and especially so if you are only going to be doing this type of fishing very occasionally, a shorter rod does make things much easier.

For boat fishing 10ft rods are far easier to use than 12ft or 13ft models, not only for playing and landing fish, but also for dropping rigs and just generally being more manageable in a small boat.

Since Korda launched the 10ft range of Kaizen Green models they have proven to be incredibly popular with boat anglers, both in the UK and across Europe. There are even models that have guides specially designed for using heavier braid.

They have been designed with the perfect action for playing fish from a boat, especially when the carp gets close and is trying to dive down under the boat, and offer fantastic value for money.

Your reels don’t need to be anything different either, with the main criteria being that the spools have a large enough capacity to hold enough line to enable you to be able to drop your rigs at the sort of ranges that you need to.

On most waters any standard big pit reel will do that job, and it is only really when you are fishing at really crazy distances that you will even need to think about changing to a big pit that has more line capacity.

When it comes to what line to put on your reels, braid is by far the best for boat fishing, as it tends to be thinner for its breaking strain (meaning you can fit a lot more on your reels), plus isn’t anywhere near as susceptible to twist as monofilament is, and of course the lack of stretch makes for much better bite indication, as well as helping to keep the line straight to your lead from the rod tip.

A neutral buoyancy braid like Korda Apex is ideal for this type of fishing, but there are also some waters where you are using boats to fish at shorter ranges and where our sinking SUB Braid is a great option.

The use of single bank sticks can really help to make things easier, so you are able to spread your rods out and make it easier when coming back to the shore by boat, especially when dropping the rigs on your middle rods. Longer bank sticks are often necessary as your rods might need to be out in the water or your tips could need to be high. If you're fishing at long range then you will need some heavier bobbins as well, as even with braid bite detection can be difficult.

Terminal tackle and rigs

Your rigs don’t need to be any different to what you normally use and have confidence in, and popular presentations like Ronnie rigs and combi rigs are just as effective for fishing from a boat.

You might well need to tweak things a bit though if fishing for large carp on snaggier waters, by beefing up your hook size or using a higher gauge of wire – such as a Wide Gape X or XX – as well as possibly a higher breaking strain of hook link material.

You might also want to use a larger hookbait, and one that is durable, as if you are potentially towing out 500m, you want it to be robust enough to leave out there, and also try to avoid it being picked up by smaller fish – catching bream or tench at that sort of range isn’t much fun.

You will also need to up your lead size compared to what you use for casting, and could be using anything up to 10oz to ensure your rigs stay in place and aren’t dragged around.

Lead shape is also very different to the streamlined designs we use for casting, as for this type of fishing you want something which clings to the lake bed better and can’t roll around, such as a Korda Grippa, or the COG leads in the larger sizes are also a popular choice for some boat anglers.

These big leads can still be mounted on a safety clip if fishing over cleaner bottom – the Hybrid Lead Clip is great for this type of fishing – or a Heli-Safe if dropping rigs into silk or sparse weed. Having either set so that the lead can come off if it needs to can vastly improve your chances of landing a fish, especially on waters where you could be fishing at very long range and the lake bed is littered with tree stumps or rocks.

You are also going to be using some sort of leader, not only to protect the carp from damage from contact with your braided main line, but also to help pin everything down, and even more importantly give you a lot of abrasion resistance above your rig, where it is most likely to come into contact with snags.

A lot of anglers opt for either a Dark Matter fused leader or a metre of two of Kable leadcore directly above their rig, as both are brilliant for pinning everything to the bottom. Then a second leader above that which tends to be made from either a heavy, tough mono or fluorocarbon, such as our XT Snag Leader or Kamo Kontour, and this can be 10m or more, depending on what you are fishing over. Or in some situations a longer leader of a very tough braid, such as 50lb Arma-Kord, although if there is any woodwork then mono is better as it is less likely to cut into the snag and become stuck.

Depending on the type of lakebed, plus other factors like boat traffic, you might also want to drop at least one backlead - such as the Korda Intelligent Backlead - on the way back to the bank, or sometimes several, to keep your line pinned down, and in addition to using some sort of captive backlead off of the rod tip.

Safety for carp anglers when using boats for fishing and life jackets

Anglers tend to focus on how the use of a boat will help them to catch more, but just as important, is that you use one safely, as no carp is worth your life.

Whilst using a small boat is never going to be completely safe, there are things you can do to reduce the risks, and the most important is that you always wear a lifejacket. This needs to be a proper one that will actually support your head – should you knock yourself out when falling out of a boat – and not just a floatation aid used for some water sports.

Lifejackets tend to come fitted with a gas canister, which is either triggered manually by pulling a cord in order to inflate it, or via an auto-inflate system which triggers when it gets wet. The latter is the safest option as it will always go off automatically, but is also prone to triggering accidentally as a result of the trigger mechanism getting damp, so you should always carry a spare canister and recharge kit.

Obviously it is best if you avoid going in the water in the first place, and especially in colder conditions, as the lifejacket might save you from drowning but not from hypothermia or a potential heart attack due to the low water temperature!

Life jackets are essential for safety when using any boat, and self-inflating life jackets are recommended for emergencies.

You should always make sure your boat is properly inflated and doesn’t have loads of water inside it before you even set off – from rain or waves – plus that your engine batteries have enough charge, and you also have a set of oars onboard just in case. Also make sure that you have something with you that can be used to bail out the boat if you do end up with any amount of water in it – such as a wave splashing over it.

If you have any doubts, or your inflatable boat has developed a slow puncture, don’t take the risk as it isn’t worth it.

The same applies when it comes to the weather, as on these big European lakes the wind can really get up and create waves in excess of a metre, which these small inflatable boats aren’t designed to deal with and could easily become swamped and sink. If you have any doubts about the weather or it feels unsafe when you are going out in the boat, don’t take the risk and return to shore.

On these types of big lakes it is also a good idea to fish with somebody else, so at least if you did sink or fall out of the boat, there is someone to come and help you, or raise the alarm with the emergency services. Especially if something were to happen at night when nobody else would even know about it.

If you are sensible about the safety side of things though, you are unlikely to ever have any problems.

Transporting fishing kit in a boat

On some lakes, especially where access is limited, you may well end up using a boat to transport all your fishing tackle to and from your swim.

It is important that your boat is big enough for everything you are taking, especially for a longer session, and ideally you will need something of at least 2.7m, if it is a wide boat, or 3m is even better.

You will need to think about how you pack the boat – in the same way as you would do with a barrow – and you want heavier items to be at the bottom, along with anything that can get damp without it mattering too much.

From a safety point of view, you need to distribute the weight properly – too much in the front of the boat could cause it to sink if it is riding too low and you hit a wave. It also needs to be secure so it can’t move around, and a rope or bungee straps is a good idea to prevent anything from falling over the side.

If it is windy or rainy, then a tarpaulin or groundsheet over the top of all your kit is a good idea, but needs to be tied down. Even if it isn’t raining, there can still be lots of spray that can soak your gear.

You will of course also need to leave enough room for you to get in and out of the boat, as well as being able to drive it.

What should I carry in the boat with me?

When using a boat it is important to be organised and not have loads of unnecessary clutter in the boat – not only does it get in the way but you could also trip over it and fall in.

There are some things though which are essential and should always be left in the boat ready to go, and obviously include things such as a landing net, with a 6ft two piece handle version such as the Kaizen Green net being a great option for boat fishing. You will also need a retainer sling to transfer the fish into once landed, and so you can safely tow it back to the shore.

If you are fishing at very long ranges then it is a very good idea to keep a spare rod in the boat, all ready to go. This means that if anything happens whilst you are playing a fish – or even dropping a rig, such as a big tangle in your braid or losing enough of it that you need to re-spool – you have a spare rod ready to go and don’t have to go all the way back to the bank, then out to your spot again, which in theory could add on an extra hour at extreme ranges! This spare rod can be stored broken down into two pieces and in a rod sleeve, or a Compac Tip and Butt protector is ideal.

Enough bait in a bucket to put a rod back out is also something you should keep on the boat, and top it up each time you use it – rather than having several different buckets and loads of bait, taking up floor space.

It also makes sense to carry all the rig bits you might need to re-rig a rod, including leader material, and keep these in something such as a Compac EVA pouch inside a bucket.

This bucket can also be used for other essentials such as a spare headtorch, and a basic took kit with an adjustable spanner, screwdriver and a knife – just in case you end up with a load of line around your prop, or a problem with your battery connections, or similar – and keeping them in a bucket with a lid on ensures they stay dry, even if a load of water gets into the boat.

It can also be a good idea to have a couple of spare H blocks in the boat – these help when it comes to repositioning a rig and rebaiting – plus some sort of grappling hook or similar on thin rope (or a sea fishing style lead with fixed wires on some line), which can be used to drop over the side and try and catch your fishing line if it becomes snagged under something like a tree stump, giving you a chance to cut and reattach it, and hopefully landing the fish.

Having everything that you need in a boat, but without having loads of extra stuff you don’t really need, will make your life a lot easier!