How To Catch More Fish: Winter Carp Fishing.
Why Is It Hard To Catch Carp In Winter
Throughout the winter months the water is obviously colder than it is through the Spring, Summer and Autumn, because of this the fish are less active and are stationary for longer periods of time. In the summer Carp tend to move around more while feeding and are also feeding more frequently, this is why you may have had more bites throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn. Winter on the other hand can become quite a tricky time to catch Carp specifically, they will not feed very often and when they do it will be small amounts in very short time periods.
It’s said that in the winter Carp tend to have short windows throughout the day when they will move to feed but hitting these windows of opportunity can be very hard especially if you are new to fishing or fishing at venues that you are not familiar with. Been familiar with a certain lake/venue can give you the upper hand due to the fact that if you have fished that specific place before and done so over a couple of years you will have prior knowledge of the spots you have caught at within the lake previously so you would have subconsciously remembered the swims that have netted you fish in the past, so regardless of the season you maybe fishing in you will probably have some go to Swims/areas that you feel confident about and will give you the highest percentage of catching.
If you are new to Carp fishing or fishing in general then you will be oblivious to this and may even assume you are doing something wrong which could be sometimes be the case but if its winter then it takes a lot more perseverance when trying to catch Carp.
Tips On How To Catch More
Rig–Set Up
Having everything set up correctly is a given in any circumstance but I would give your set up even more time and attention to detail when getting ready to fish by making sure that your terminal tackle is as precise as it can be, meaning get really particular with how baits are presented as presentation in the winter months may make all the difference when coming up against stubborn Carp and Making sure the hook you are using is super sharp and that you are using the correct rig for the substrate you are fishing over. Some of the above may seem obvious to some people but in the Summer and Autumn time you may find you can get away with lack of attention in some of these aspects and still catch giving you false hope for the winter.
- Hook Sizes
After you have decided which rig is suitable for that specific spot of the lake then deciding on a hook size will also play a part. You will read later about diversifying with your baits but this can also go for hook sizes to. I would try a couple of different sized hooks. I personally would go for a smaller hook in the winter and I think most people would agree as its less obvious to a weary Carp and will be less noticeable to the fish when its testing your hook bait. Maybe you use let’s say a size 6 hook in the summer then maybe try using the size 6, 8 and a size 10 all on different rods so you have a variety to try out
and see which perform the best.
Baited Area’s
Baiting areas prior to your session is something many Anglers do, you would preferably visit the lake you are planning on fishing the day before your session and throw some bait in the area’s in which you intend to catch from. The whole idea behind doing this is because Carp in the winter do not move around a lot as we mentioned earlier but they also tend to group up in the Winter in certain spots together so if you bait an area and the Carp find that food is around then in some cases they may stick around that spot where the bait is to feed at its own leisure without moving around much.
Now you can imagine in this scenario if you was to return the following day and cast your rig and hook bait to that very same spot then your chances of catching will increase dramatically if indeed they have found that area and have stuck around. This would not guarantee anything as the Carp could still end up shoaling up somewhere else but it definitely is worth a try but do not put too much bait out as you run the risk of over feeding the fish decreasing the chances of your hook bait ever been looked at. The ideal amount of bait used throughout for baited area’s will differ from Angler to Angler so you could try one area with a small amount and another with a larger amount of bait and go from there.
What Baits To Use
When it comes to the winter it may be best to start off with such baits like Sweetcorn, Boilies, Maggots and Particle Mixes considering some of the above will get you started and at least then you will know you have the basics covered as these are very generic Carp baits used by many Anglers out there so you shouldn’t fall to short with having these at your disposal using these types of bait will give you a base to go from.
- Hi Viz Baits
Using Hi visibility baits can help for somewhat obvious reasons, if you imagine a Winter Carp moving slowly around the lake or stationary within its chosen spot then a light colorful bait that is clearly visible and full of attractors will be more interesting to the Carp than one that isn’t, remember that in the winter it will literally come down to percentages and all the little aspects you pay close attention to will make all the difference if you wish to catch during the Winter months Using Hi viz pop ups as a hook bait will always be an option worth trying, you can get these in a whole array of colors, I would recommend trying Yellow or Pink pop up’s but it is totally up to you.
- Own Mix
When fishing under any circumstances you will find that some baits work and some don’t. This as it seems can vary from venue to venue and what works at one place or on one day may not necessarily work on another so this is one of those situations where you would use your initiative and try new baits and possibly mix your own up using multiple baits together to make ground baits suitable for PVA bags and also Spod mixes and other methods of getting bait out here.
- Diversify
A good way to find out what’s working and what isn’t is if you have multiple Rods set up then always use different hook baits on each of them, this will work as a brilliant indicator hopefully showing which baits are fit for purpose and which baits are not producing that day. Also, when trying out multiple baits remember to have a range of small, medium and large hook baits, doing this will also help to decide on which is best.
Carp are not aggressive feeders in the winter so sometimes using smaller baits can pay dividends, on one of my recent sessions I went from using medium-sized baits like 10-12mm Boilies for instance down to a 6mm Pellet as a hook bait and I was catching carp all day, now they were not the biggest Carp by any stretch but Carp nonetheless so it just goes to show that sometimes having multiple options is certainly the way to go.
Finding A Spot To Fish
When you arrive at your lake/venue whether this be pre session when baiting area’s or on the day take some time to walk around the lake and look for promising area’s to fish, what I mean by this is look for spots within the lake that have certain characteristics, I normally choose area’s which have overhanging tree’s and other vegetation, area’s which look like a hard spot to fish from. These spots can sometimes be home to many winter Carp as they will choose a place that they think is the safest to hang out or pass through, some places within the lake they will not go anywhere near which is a mystery really so try to pick somewhere that’s instinctively looks like its likely place that they might be.
I like to look at places in the very edge of the lake where reeds and vegetation has formed, I would try to cast out as close as possible to the edge because this will make all the difference the closer the better in my experience, I’ve had times throughout winter where I have had no bites been 1meter away from the bank side reeds then I have cast out 0.5 of a meter closer and then caught quite regular, this I’m told is due to the fact that in the winter the Carp may not even move from its spot even if the bait is presented in front of them so accuracy is key when Winter fishing for Carp.
Bank side margins (reeds/weeds close to the edge) this is definitely somewhere Carp like to hang out as they do like weeds within lakes as it gives them cover and comfort from the open water but as the water is cold in the winter the deeper water which is normally further out into the lake will be slightly warmer so if you can find a nice spot within the lake that has some kind of feature in it for example lets say a large wooden object man made or not then this will be a place that the fish will definitely like to hang out, Carp are a creature of habit so once you find a spot like this and it produces you some bites then you can assume that this will be a spot to check year in year out.
If you would like more information regarding Casting accuracy then please click here to see our page dedicated to this.
Looking For Signs Of Carp
- Visibility and Snags
Finding where the fish are is very crucial but often a very difficult task in the winter, In the summer this is much easier, at times you will literally be able to see them close to the surface moving around all over the lake and when you have the sun shinning down on the water you can see their underwater silhouette from many yards out so you can imagine how easy it can become to pick a spot to fish, you will also see them break the surface quite often and bubbles appearing letting you know that fish are around feeding in those areas giving away their location.
That’s all great in the summer but you will be hard-pressed to come by the same scenario in winter when they have gone into hiding essentially. You may not be able to physically see the Carp in the winter and if you do its few and far between the amount of times you will so be sure to look out for other spots which are Snaggy and by snaggy I mean somewhere that looks like its almost not fishable or seems an uncommon place to land your rig, if you can get some bait out to these kinds of spots along with a nicely presented hook bait then you may well be in with a chance of catching.
Need more information regarding Casting accuracy then please click here to see our page dedicated to this.
- Ask for Advice
Keep a keen eye on the water at all times in the winter because any signs of Carp is a good sign which you won’t get very often, like I said previously knowing the lake you are fishing at has all hosts of benefits but if you are new to the lake then Be sure to speak with other Anglers about the specific venue you are at, I have gone over this is before but it has helped me ten fold when fishing new lakes, people with prior knowledge of the lake will be able to give you some pointers and if they are a good Samaritan they will hopefully give you the correct info to help you succeed.
On a larger venues where there are not many features within the water such as Pits for example, you may find that the Carp group up out at range where the water is a lot deeper and warmer, in this case you will probably want to try to cast out further into open water unless you have seen the fish in closer proximity. Finding silty substrates in deeper water can attract Carp due to the fact that the silt bottoms tend to hold more heat and can sometimes be home to more natural baits for the fish.
Conclusion
I hope you have found some value from this post, if you are new to fishing then your best bet is to stick to the basics firstly and then build your knowledge and experience from there, Carp fishing can sometimes be over complicated in many of the aspects but it doesn’t have to be, just try something persevere with it and then try something else until you have found the correct method and technique.
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