As winter approaches, carp often gather in specific areas of the lake. This means you'll need to adjust your fishing strategy. Instead of actively attracting fish, you'll need to locate them and then target their specific location.
Finding the carp
If the weather is calm, you may be able to spot carp by looking for signs of activity on the surface of the water. Look for bubbles or fish breaking the surface. If you see a group of fish, make a note of where they are. They are likely to stay in that area for a while.
If faced with rougher conditions, and there is a ripple on the surface of the water, therefore there will be very little indication of where the fish maybe. When faced with this try casting a little shorter than your maximum distance and then slowly work your way out. This will give the fish time to settle down and feed. Also try casting to the left or right. Keep moving around until you get a bite.
OPEN WATER MAY REQUIRE YOU TO FISH AT DISTANCE, THE BEST DISTANCE FEEDER RODS WILL GET YOUR BAIT TO THE DESIRED SPOT.
Go mini
This is a great way to present a small amount of bait without disturbing the fish too much. Using different weights of mini feeders depending on how far you need to cast. Try to use the lightest weight possible to minimise disturbance.
The feeder should only hold enough bait for one or two bites. You're not trying to build a big bed of bait, just enough to attract the fish to your hookbait.
If you get a bite, be sure to clip your line to that spot and keep casting to the same area. This will help you stay in touch with the fish and increase your chances of catching them.
_FEEDER CHOICE IS CRUCIAL IN THE COLDER MONTHS, CHECK OUT OUR BUYERS GUIDE TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING THE BEST FEEDERS** AVAILABLE._**
Keep searching
It's inevitable that bites will slow on the initial catching spot, If you don't get any bites after a while, it's time to move, hopefully they will continue to give away their new position, but if no visual signs try casting a few meters to the left or right of your original spot. You can also try casting further out or closer to the bank. Keep moving until you find an area where you get another bite.
OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST OPEN WATER COMMERCIALS WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST VENUES TO TRY
Groundbait or micros?
2mm wetted down micros will always be the first choice to put on the feeder, if fishery pellets aren't required, a mix of method micros and a sweet flavoured micro is the go to choice. Carp prefer a sweet taste and scent in colder conditions. The go to hookbait in this situation will always be a wafter, a flouro pink in a 6mm, but ring the changes and try different colours.
PELLET OR WAFTER? OUR EXPERT GUIDE WILL ENSURE YOU ALWAYS MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE
Dont be afraid to go big
Most anglers associate winter with scaling down, winter carp fishing use a size 10 hook to a 4ins hooklength of 0.19mm mono for carp from 4lb-10lb. I don’t believe they are that tackle shy, and they’ll struggle to eject a big hook once they’ve sucked it in, stacking the odds firmly in your favour.
USE ONE OF THE BEST FISHING REELS TO HELP YOU LAND EVERY FISH YOU HOOK.
Know your timings
You don’t want to be casting all the time, but unless it's really cold where you might wait an age before resetting the trap. Use a stopwatch, and look to cast out and leave the feeder in for a maximum of 10-12 minutes before winding in and looking elsewhere for a bite.
Added attraction
To make your bait more attractive to carp, you can add a liquid additive or glug, Kiana Goo is a popular choice. It can help to attract fish to your bait and encourage them to bite. Experiment with different flavours to see what works best. You can also try adding a small amount colour to your bait to make it more visible.
OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST LIQUIDS AND ADDITIVES HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE TOP CHOICES.
