Contrary to what many might have you believe, feeder fishing for carp in the cold can be a highly technical business, simply because there are lots of things that you need to consider.
The idea that you simply need to chuck your feeder to a spot chosen at random, and then sit on your hands for an age, is entirely false. Using some watercraft, and analysing your swim at the start of the session is essential if you want to get the right result every time.
Pick your line
If, for example, I am fishing Boddington Reservoir, a venue that offers unlimited open water, it isn’t a case of who casts the furthest wins. Being at the right distance at the right time is the key to success.
If you get the initial distance wrong it will create big problems because, if you’ve gone past the carp, coming back closer rarely works. You’ll have line trailing through where they are sat, which will spook them. If you’ve started short of the fish and don’t get any indications, there’s still time to rectify the problem, however.
This is, of course, where venue knowledge comes in. Normally at Boddington, you start at 60m-70m out. In an ideal world I’ll get a carp first cast, and I’ll then chuck back to the same spot. If I then fail to get a bite, it’s time to start creeping out.
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Relocating the shoal
If I don’t get a bite at a certain distance, I see no point returning to the same spot. Winter carping is all about location, and it’s rare that the carp will come to you, so I will peel off 2m to 5m of line from the clip and move out.
Hopefully this will produce a bite, and I’ll stay there until I fail to get a wrap round. Then I simply repeat the creeping out process. The secret to this type of fishing is to stay in touch with the fish as they spook and move further out from the bank. A typical winter Boddington match could end with seven carp, having had 12 casts, starting at 65m and finishing at 90m!
THE BEST MEDIUM FEEDER RODS WILL HELP YOU CAST EXTREME DISTANCES TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE CARP.
Differing scenarios
Boddington is a winter favourite of mine, but it is an extreme in terms of its size. On venues such as Barston Lakes, where the limit of your swim is the middle of the lake, perhaps 60m on a lot of pegs, you must do things a little differently to keep the fish in front of you.
At the start, I want to leave a safe zone for carp to back off into, but at the same time I still want a chance of catching in the opening stages, as winter carp often feed best early and late. The temptation is to start short and leave a nice big safe area, but the problem is if that if you start too short you’ll miss the boat early.
Equally, if you go straight to 60m you run the risk of catching an early carp or two but then pushing them out of your swim altogether. Therefore, I’d kick off at 50m, as this is far enough for an early bite but at the same time still gives me a 10m buffer.
My first move from 50m will be left and right at the same distance, as opposed to past my initial spot. Without the ability to keep backing off, as they can at Boddington, carp will often move to the side. This gives you more moves, too.
IF YOU'RE FISHING FOR BIG FISH AT RANGE, YOU NEED THE BEST FEEDER REELS TO WIND THEM IN!
