Runs Water

[stikflote]

Hi ,
I know a runs water is to do with carp,
but what the hell is a runs water ??

 

[brian carragher]

Its any water, river or still where you get a lot of takes (runs on the alarms) from carp or pike

 

[Lee Richards]

From a carp anglers perspective "runs waters" are great when you have gone through a lean spell or want to experiment with new rigs or baits.
You will see posts on here sometimes criticising carp anglers for fishing small pools and commercials with carp tackle but what they don't understand (or don't want to at times) is some of us do this as it's a good way to fine tune the rigs and try bait permutations.
Far better to know they work and you are happy with them than to take them onto a low density stocked water and decrease your chances or catch nothing due to your set-ups being wrong.

 

[jay67]

its where you mess yer sen from catching so many fish

 

[smiffy]

From a carp anglers perspective "runs waters" are great when you have gone through a lean spell or want to experiment with new rigs or baits.
You will see posts on here sometimes criticising carp anglers for fishing small pools and commercials with carp tackle but what they don't understand (or don't want to at times) is some of us do this as it's a good way to fine tune the rigs and try bait permutations.
Far better to know they work and you are happy with them than to take them onto a low density stocked water and decrease your chances or catch nothing due to your set-ups being wrong.

I really couldn’t care less about where Carp anglers do and do not fish but how can you come away learning anything from a runs water, especially a commie ? Personally, I would come away thinking that I would have caught on any rig or bait regardless. I think there’s a danger of a runs water giving some anglers a false sense of security.

 

[mickthestick]

I've always learned more from catching Fish , than sitting there biteless

 

[Sam Vimes]

how can you come away learning anything from a runs water, especially a commie ?

Well, you'll learn a lot more than on a rock hard water where biteless sessions are the norm.

 

[Lee Richards]

There are a multitude of thing's you can learn Smiffy such as how the bait reacts on the finned feeder (to sticky or not enough,break off on impact),do mix permutations work (does adding say sunflower seeds put the fish off) does the rig sit correctly and the bait not mask the hook, size of pop-ups and does shaving effect the balance,length of hair,angle of hook shrink tube etc etc
I would rather spend some time playing around with all of the above (catch some fish in the bargain) and have more confidence than spend good money to fish a hard water,not be confident to change from what I know and not be sure what I have experimented with works.
Even subtle thing's like how the rods/pod are set up and the tension of the line through the alarms (I turn mine off on Commies) all play a part in reading bites and if the rig works the way you want it to.

Not all Commies are fish filled,contrary to popular belief not all Carp scream off and a "runs water" may be one where I might get between 10 or 20 in a day session.

I get my angling enjoyment from doing my own thing when I can and am always experimenting with rigs and baits

 

[ukzero1]

There are 2 choices. Sit there bite-less for the day, or tweak end tackle, rigs, depth, bait or presentation and have a decent session. When you start getting bites after altering one or all, then you've learned something regardless of what water you're on.

 

[Arry]

Well, you'll learn a lot more than on a rock hard water where biteless sessions are the norm.

If you don't get a bite how do you know your rig works as it should...?

 

[Lee Richards]

Sam was defending the point that it was beneficial to try your rigs on waters where you will get bites and see if the rigs work than to only try them on hard waters and be unsure

 

[Sam Vimes]

If you don't get a bite how do you know your rig works as it should...?

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[smiffy]

I guess it boils down to how you learnt to fish in the first place.
For me it was a farm pond full of, easy to catch,Crucians. That dried up in 1976 and I took what I’d learnt onto normal waters. I caught nothing because what I’d learnt from that pond bore no relation to the real world.
Thats something that’s stayed with me since I was a kid. That despite doing it all wrong I was still catching lots of these little Crucians.
It’s good for confidence but I still don’t think you can draw any hard and fast conclusions from any water where they are easy to catch.
Interesting thing has happened to me this year. Fished a couple of new,to me,club waters. Both I would consider as runs waters. Not stocked to commercial densities but still quite heavily stocked with Carp. I fish groundbait feeder and worm for the Bream and get pestered by the things when I have the water to myself. Should I take that with me onto some of the rock hard Carp venues? Or,that there’s so much competition for food the Carp will eat anything they can find?

 

[Sam Vimes]

Smiffy,
what seems apparent to me is that you are looking at it through the eyes of a general coarse angler. In that respect, I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you. However, my dim and distant days as a full on carper give me a different perspective. A "runs water" can prove that rigs work in a few short hours in a way that weeks, or months may not on a hard water. There are people out there that spend months, even years, on rock hard waters without a touch. It's not my idea of fun, but it happens. I don't blame them in the least for having the occasional trip to a "runs water" just to prove that their rigs are indeed capable of converting pick ups into fish on the bank. It can show you that rig mechanics are working as intended in the way that fish are hooked (not something I've ever known a general coarse angler to be concerned with). If nothing else, it gives them the confidence to keep plugging away on the tough waters in the hope of something special.

As far as taking things from general coarse fishing into (proper) carping on rock hard waters, yes, you can. I rather enjoy doing just that. There's nothing better than taking beefed up "noddy" methods to a specimen water and leaving the biteless bait and waiters frustrated after a few short hours. You may be surprised just how well you can do on rarely seen methods and baits, on waters deemed to be very hard by the full on carpers. The biggest issue is finding such a venue that actually allows lighter tackle and methods to be used.

 

[smiffy]

Fair point Sam.

 

[Lee Richards]

Both putting across interesting reading and that's the beauty of angling - it can be as restrictive or inventive as you want it to be.

 

[Northantslad]

Can be good on a runs water too, to see what doesn't work, eliminate problems for when you are on a harder venue trying to work things out. The more you are doing right, the less to think about changing.