Frank Schmidt carp fishing – public water fishing on big waters
Frank Schmidt is one of the best-known big-fish carp anglers on the scene. Big waters, specimen fish and sessions where you have to earn every single bite have been part of his fishing for decades. That’s why his talk is all about strategies for public water fishing – from finding the fish, location and swim choice through to building a baited spot over the long term.
- Find the fish: Frank shows why location on big waters matters more than the next new rig.
- Read the public water: wind, drop-offs, plateaus, inflows and angling pressure help you narrow down the interesting areas.
- Build a baiting campaign: on big waters a good spot is rarely made in one night – it comes from consistent work over a longer period.
- Big-fish experience: Frank’s exceptional catch record is built on decades of targeting specimen carp on European waters.
Frank Schmidt combines decades of big-carp experience with a public water strategy built on location, reading the water, controlled distance, building a baited spot and staying on the target fish.
❓ What is Frank Schmidt’s talk about?
Frank Schmidt shows you how to approach big, freely accessible waters systematically. The focus is on finding the fish, location, the features of the water, swim choice, distance and building a baited spot over the long term. The talk is aimed especially at carp anglers who want to target specimen fish more effectively on big lakes and public waters.
Who is Frank Schmidt? A big-fish hunter with decades of carp experience
Frank Schmidt specialised in targeting big carp before the big boilie boom. He has been fishing all kinds of European waters since the 1980s, and early on he went looking for exactly those situations where big fish don’t simply sit waiting in front of your swim.
He has been fishing intensively with boilies since 1985. Since 1994 he has also put his experience into product development for carp tackle. In 1998 Frank co-founded the Anaconda brand and has been closely connected with it ever since as a product consultant and brand ambassador.
His big-carp record is exceptional: 136 carp over 30 kg from eight countries and three carp over 40 kg from three countries. You’ll find the individual fish and their stories in the article Frank Schmidt – Carp Records & Biggest Captures.
Public water fishing – why big carp waters work differently
A big public water forgives very little. Carp can use huge expanses of water, find natural food and react to angling pressure. So you can’t assume that a good bait will automatically make up for a bad swim.
For Frank, the fishing therefore starts with the water. Where are the fish moving? Which areas respond to the wind? Where are the drop-offs, plateaus, mussel beds or inflows? Which swims get fished all the time – and which areas see far less angling pressure?
Only once questions like these are answered do rig, bait and baiting strategy really become interesting.
Location in carp fishing – find the fish first
On big waters, the wrong location can mean you fish technically spot-on for days – just in an area where hardly any carp are moving. That’s exactly why searching for the fish and their feeding areas is one of the most important parts of Frank’s strategy.
Wind direction, visible fish activity, underwater features and changes in the water can all give you clues. The key is to put your observations together and be ready to leave a swim again when the signs are against it.
For you, that means: spend less time constantly tweaking small details on your rig – and more time finding out whether your rig is even lying where the carp are moving and feeding.
Long-range casting in carp fishing – control the distance, don’t just cast far
Frank is known for fishing big waters where distance casting counts. But it’s not about simply casting as far as possible. What matters is reaching an interesting area repeatably and with control, even at long range.
If your bait and rig land several metres apart on every cast, even huge casting distance loses its value. That’s why casting technique, rod, reel, line and lead have to work together as one system.
This is where talking to Frank directly gets interesting. Not just “How far do you cast?” but above all “How do I get my rig onto exactly this spot reliably, cast after cast?” – that’s the key question.
Baiting campaigns in carp fishing – building a spot over the long term
Big waters often demand staying power. An interesting area can be there without the carp feeding on it regularly straight away. That’s exactly where building a baiting campaign comes in.
It’s not simply about putting in as much bait as possible. Rhythm, fish stock, the water, the season and the way the fish respond all have to fit together. A promising spot gets watched and developed instead of being dropped after every blank night.
Especially for anglers who have so far mostly fished short sessions in familiar swims, this long-term approach is one of the most exciting sides of public water fishing.
Big carp instead of quick bites – the big-fish mindset
If you target exceptionally big carp, you have to accept that fewer bites can be part of the deal. So Frank doesn’t base his decisions only on where any fish is likely to turn up fastest, but on where the target fish he’s after could realistically be.
This way of thinking runs through all his fishing: choosing the water, narrowing down interesting areas, watching and staying consistent for long enough. The spectacular captures are the visible result – for other carp anglers, the real interest lies in how he gets there.
How far this approach can take you shows in Frank’s catch record: three carp over 40 kg from Germany, Croatia and Hungary are the result of exactly this consistency.
Frank Schmidt & Anaconda – tackle experience from big waters
Frank’s connection with Anaconda goes back to the brand’s early days: as co-founder and long-standing product consultant, he has helped develop many products and tested them on big waters.
That fits his fishing: long-range setups, rods, reels and other carp tackle have to perform in real conditions. Which products and categories Anaconda covers is shown in the Anaconda exhibitor profile.
On the Anaconda stand you can pick Frank’s brains in person – about big waters, casting distance, matching your tackle or that one spot where you’ve been waiting far too long for a bite.
Frank Schmidt’s talk – strategies for public water fishing
Frank brings exactly these topics to the stage: finding the fish, reading big waters, choosing the right swim and building a baiting campaign that lasts. No one-size-fits-all formula for catching, but decisions and experience from decades of big-fish angling.
The talk is especially worthwhile if you fish bigger lakes yourself, want to learn more about public water fishing, or want to understand why some carp anglers work consistently on a few selected areas while others keep moving swims.
You’ll find out which other anglers and experts are on stage in the Carp Austria talks and stage programme.
Meet Frank Schmidt in person – from the talk straight to the Anaconda team
The topic doesn’t end at the edge of the stage when the talk is over. Frank is also part of the Anaconda team and is there to talk about carp fishing, big waters and tackle. On the Anaconda exhibitor page you’ll find him in the “Meet the Team” section.
That lets you go straight from knowledge to comparing products: hear the strategy, ask your own questions and then look at and handle rods, reels and other carp tackle on the stand yourself.
On top of that there are new products, strong show deals and selected products at show prices. So you can not only have Frank explain what he looks for in his gear, but also compare different solutions side by side.
Understanding public water fishing – location comes before tackle
The key message behind Frank’s approach boils down to one simple idea: big waters don’t get easier just because you pack more and more tackle. First you have to understand where the carp move and why they use certain areas.
Location, features, angling pressure, controlled distance and a consistently developed baited spot are the foundation. Rig and gear only come after that.
If you want to understand exactly how these things fit together, the talk is the right place to start. Afterwards, you’ll find the full big-fish page with Frank’s exceptional captures at Frank Schmidt – Carp Records & Big Carp.
See Frank Schmidt live: talk and Anaconda stand at Carp Austria – Austria’s biggest carp show, 5–6 December 2026 at the Arena Nova Wiener Neustadt. → Get your Carp Austria ticket
