This technique is deadly and in the summer can work well in the margins of a lake or in the fast flowing run of a river. It simply requires that the hook is tied to the line with no shot or ledger weights. It therefore means the fish is not suspicious of any weights or shot on the line and has more confidence when taking the bait. Moving bait such as a worm or maggots flavoured in curry can work extremely well in these conditions.

I have caught a number of large Carp right under my feet using this tactic. On one occasion I saw the fin of two carp in close below my feet and thought for a while how best to catch them. In the end I chopped up some Spam into cubes, which is deadly for Carp fishing and dropped them in. I could see the fish were feeding as the water swirled and bubbled. It was mesmerising and any Carp fisher will be able to appreciate the adrenaline rush when they see this site. I thought for a while and decided to drop a spam cube direct to the hook and carefully dropped the line over the edge into the water with the rod well back out of view. I then dropped a clump of spam in and the Carp were feeding hard. In the summer there is a real buzz when the carp come to feed as it is a very competitive. They appear to kick up the mud from the bottom of the lake with a lot of energy. I remember waiting patiently then the line started to drift. All of a sudden the line had sliced a line in the water as it speed off. It was a good 16lb Mirror Carp and the largest in this particular farm pond. Carp of this size seem to move very fast through the water and it can be a struggle to land such fish without snagging the line on lilies. I think the best way to secure landing such fish is to use a size 12 hook and 10-12lb good quality line. The hooks I use tend to have a pre tied plastic spike that hooks into the spam bait so it does not sit on the hook. The beauty of this is Carp suck the bait and by having this form of hair rig ensures that the hook does catch the fish.

When playing a fish of 15lb plus it is also an idea to use a real and set the drag so that line can move off the real. Some people chose not to do this as they find the fish falls off the hook. This is not the case and as long as the fish is moving about this is recommended. It takes the strain of the rod and also lets the fish tire quicker so it can be reeled in. It also recommended to move the rod side was left or right to counteract the movement of the fish. This ensures that the fish moves to the nest faster. One other good tip is not to rush landing the fish as this is how many prime specimens are lost. This is where a free lining tactic works well. It is highly recommended to experiment in the summer when the fish will take most baits such as sweet corn, luncheon meat, boilies, dog biscuits, so experiment and you will get a bite. The key thing is to make sure you make as many changes as possible when fishing to ensure you catch the best fish in the river or lake. Also be careful to use the right colour line if the water is clear make sure you use a clear line and if it is green make sure you use a line that blends in well. Anglers underestimate how clever fish can be when they notice these obvious tactics and bait formats. If you want to use more bait to attract fish place a string of bait on the hook with PVA string. This string will dissolve after 5 minutes and leave an attractive heap of bait near the hook bait that the Carp will not be able to resist.