What country are you in?
Lake fishing in the UK, primarily fished for carp, although real anglers like myself fish for anything, carp fishing is like watching paint dry, you just cast out your line, normally with an expensive baitrunner reel, clip your line on an optonic bite indicator, then go to sleep in your specifically designed camouflaged bivvy, (because the fish cant see you then) then wait until you and everyone else as been disturbed by the loud buzzing noise, then strike, if your lucky you will have a carp on your (normally a lethal bolt rig) if not (probably a line bite), then start all over again.
Real fishing.
Grab your self a 13" carbon match rod, a decent feeder rod, normally 11".
A couple of reels, ABU close face for margin fishing, and a feeder reel, mitchell, shimano daiwa etc.
A selection of reel lines ( 3lb - 8lb) floats, shot, hooks (sizes : 12-22)
Plummet, feeders, and a brolly.
Master real fishing tactics first, then probably become a tackle tart, and a crap fisherman (sorry meant carp)
Have a go at the lift method for early summer tench, particularly found lurking around lilly pads or other features, sweet corn, casters and worms all produce good figures.
Silver fish (roach, bream, dace etc) Mainly fall to maggots over hemp and ground bait, red maggots on the feeder produce decent slabs (bream) and although most carpers don't agree, they (carp) will eat anything, but the problem is; the lakes are so full of artificial coloured and flavoured boilies, that the fish are refusing to eat real food, and they gain rapid weight due to it.
If you want some real carp fun, then go fish a river, they are more natural than the hand reared one's on the commercials.
Doble sweet corn (real) popped up with a tiny piece of cork, 30z tip on your feeder, and watch it fly.
Tight lines
PS: The post below mine say's it all really.
