1.      CHOOSE YOUR BAIT WISELY.  You need a bait that is big enough to avoid being eaten by smaller fish yet is still regularly introduced into the venue. sweet corn and luncheon meat are a good starting point.

2.      CHECK THE MATCH RESULTS.  These results will often show you the best pegs and baits for carp in your chosen lake.

3.      SCALE DOWN.  The average size of fish in these type of venues will not be massive, scaling down your end tackle will often buy you a few more bites.

4.      MOVE AROUND.  Because there are so many carp in these type of venues, they can’t help but give away there presence. Look for signs of feeding carp, if there’re not in your swim and you ain’t catching, MOVE.

5.      PROTECT YOUR CATCH.  Just because the other visitors to commercials may not have an unhooking mat or large net, it doesn’t mean you should neglect your responsibility as a good angler. A wooden staging isn’t the best place for your carp so make sure you have all you need to take care of it.

6.      LEAVE THE ALARMS AT HOME. Not all carp need to be caught using lead set ups. A float or quiver tip will offer far better bite indication than an alarm ever will, just attach your chosen rig to the end.

7.      CAST AROUND.  The average angler visiting commercial type lakes will be using a pole, the longest pole length is 16m. So most fish will get caught between the bank and 16m out, casting beyond this distance will reach fish in an area which they are not so used to being caught in.

8.      DO YOU NEED 3 RODS?  If your chosen venue is busy and you have limited water to cast to, there is no point over crowding your swim with too many rods. Why not try putting 100% effort into catching a carp on one rod?

9.      BE POLITE.  If you are nice, polite and friendly to the venue regulars and the bailiffs, then I’m sure they will be more than happy to pass on a few tips and tricks to help you succeed.