| Although I have winter fished regularly for | | | | the day. This was 'true' winter fishing! |
| years I wanted a much 'bigger picture' of | | | | Unfortunately I never caught a fish in the |
| winter carp fishing and see all the changes | | | | snow as the lake was totally iced over with |
| in carp behaviours, test winter baits, | | | | very thick ice at this time which was |
| fishing conditions and catch results at this | | | | unbreakable! |
| time. | | | | |
| | | | The fish certainly were more active on some |
| 5 years ago I chose to spend 4 days out of 7 | | | | evenings when temperatures were plummeting |
| (on average,) carp fishing. I did this from | | | | after a clear sunny day during anti-cyclonic |
| late October, right through to the end of | | | | conditions. This was when it was nicest for |
| March and on into the beginning of April. | | | | me during the day and the most uncomfortable |
| (Unfortunately this was a very cold winter | | | | for me at night! |
| too!) | | | | |
| | | | You need very good preparation for winter |
| The lake I chose was small with a deep 'half' | | | | fishing especially at night, and exposure and |
| of around 20 feet in depth and an average | | | | hyperthermia are very real dangers. You |
| depth of 6 to 9 feet, working up to a shallow | | | | absolutely must have many more spare clothes |
| end of around 5 feet to 2 feet in depth. | | | | and footwear than you think you need! There |
| | | | may be nights you end up wearing it all and |
| I was able to observe almost the whole lake | | | | still shiver all night long! |
| to spot fish movements as a part of this | | | | |
| 'learning exercise.' | | | | I was using a reputable '5' season sleeping |
| | | | bag too! I placed a second 'over-sheet' over |
| The average carp in this lake were about 21 | | | | the tent which did warm things up a bit at |
| to 23 pounds, but there were a few fish in | | | | night. You also need to careful and aware |
| the 32 pounds range with a couple up to 36 | | | | that your carp mat and landing net need to be |
| pounds or more. A few years previously I had | | | | off the ground or sheltered - they can freeze |
| caught a 45 pound 'leather' carp from this | | | | to the ground! |
| water and 4 other fish around 36 to 38 | | | | |
| pounds; so there were certainly fish here to | | | | The carp seemed to get into a routine again |
| keep me even more interested and motivated. | | | | in late January and patrolled more shallow |
| | | | marginal areas of about 4 or 5 feet deep in |
| In mid October it became obvious that the | | | | the evenings. Virtually all takes through the |
| fish were being hooked less and less in water | | | | very cold parts of the winter came during the |
| 6 feet deep in the centre of the lake and | | | | evening from around 4.30 pm to 10 pm. |
| more and more in the 9 to 12 foot depth area. | | | | |
| Gradually this changed to more from water | | | | It was obvious the fish were up in the top |
| deeper still at 10 to even 15 feet deep or | | | | water layers too and 'pop-up' buoyant baits |
| more, as temperatures fell, and frosts set in | | | | took most fish, while baits fished on the |
| late October. | | | | bottom produced nothing for weeks on end! |
| | | | |
| At this time in late October going into | | | | These were very refined rigs with a host of |
| November the warmest water left was in the | | | | different baits, colours, flavours, |
| deep water areas and this is where most fish | | | | densities, buoyancies, hook lengths etc. |
| it seemed felt most comfortable were hooked | | | | These had previously caught the carp in |
| at this time. It is where the most natural | | | | warmer periods with ease. |
| food would be left too before dying back or | | | | |
| becoming less active and available to feeding | | | | February had periods of prolonged warmer |
| carp. | | | | winds, and some gales. During this time with |
| | | | increased used of free baiting, catches on |
| But then you may be surprised to know, as the | | | | the bottom were as good as any other time of |
| water really began cooling-off more evenly | | | | year. Between these periods significant |
| all through the lake, the carp fed actively | | | | captures occurred on some of the very coldest |
| in the more shallow areas in water around 6 | | | | frosty mornings with feeding spells around 5 |
| feet deep. | | | | or 6 am. However such catches were not |
| | | | common. |
| It was even more surprising when this | | | | |
| actually happened on the nights with the | | | | Late March brought longer hotter days. With |
| hardest frosts as November progressed. This | | | | increased day-length and longer more intense |
| intense feeding activity occurred during the | | | | sun light penetration, appeared new |
| most rapidly falling temperatures and | | | | occasional mid-day or afternoon feeding |
| quickest increase in water density, producing | | | | spells. |
| the most frantic concentrated feeding and | | | | |
| best catches of this time. | | | | This activity only occurred on the brightest |
| | | | and longest most sunniest days. These spells |
| It even meant that on some of the very | | | | (like the earlier November evening frost |
| coldest evenings that all three rods would be | | | | catches,) produced most of the biggest fish |
| 'in action' almost simultaneously. And some | | | | of the winter and more than once produced two |
| of these fish were the biggest in the lake. | | | | of the biggest fish in the lake within half |
| | | | an hour of each other. |
| I got the feeling, as with the winds | | | | |
| appearing to 'blow-up' in October, that the | | | | The regular feeding spots even moved to those |
| carp could 'anticipate' conditions and where | | | | of late September and early October where |
| to feed before those conditions had actually | | | | carp fed close into the bank even with their |
| occurred. Perhaps this is due to their | | | | tails out of the water inside 'snaggy' |
| sensitivity to rising or falling air pressure | | | | obstructed areas, on the sunny days and 'off |
| effects on water density in combination with | | | | the wind'. |
| temperature changes. | | | | |
| | | | From mid-to-late March the average feeding |
| This effect definitely triggered the fish | | | | depth was under a foot to about 5 feet at |
| into intense feeding activity in very | | | | this time. Obviously the water was warming-up |
| concentrated feeding spots, at this very cold | | | | enough to stimulate marginal or top water |
| time in November. However the best catches | | | | layer feeding far more. A couple of the |
| still came from under or beside safer | | | | biggest fish were hooked in only 2 feet of |
| difficult to fish areas in water of about 9 | | | | water under branches trailing in the water on |
| feet deep near or beside 'snags' or | | | | days where sunlight hit that particular are |
| obstructions in the water. It was apparent | | | | of the lake the longest. |
| there were more fish tightly gathered in | | | | |
| these places than at other times of the year. | | | | In very early April, (only on the warmest |
| | | | days,) feeding spells changed from afternoon |
| The days with warm sunshine and rising | | | | to evening, through to night-time up to |
| temperatures and lowered water density | | | | around 11 pm. Cloudy days with winds produced |
| produced very little at the same period. Only | | | | very little. Just to complete the picture, |
| when longer spells of warmer weather came as | | | | the carp feeding went round to early morning |
| December progressed did catches become less | | | | time between 6 and 7 am by the second week of |
| concentrated in a very short feeding spell of | | | | April. |
| perhaps only 15 minutes. | | | | |
| | | | My 'big picture cut-off' points were from |
| In mid-to-late December milder warmer winds | | | | late October and the beginning of April. This |
| mixed and re-warmed the water and the fish | | | | period would usually exclude day and night |
| fed as well as in the very cold snaps but | | | | air temperatures of up to 10 to 12 Degrees |
| often for longer periods of time perhaps from | | | | Celsius. At around these day and night |
| half an hour to longer. It was noticeable | | | | temperatures following each other I knew the |
| that feeding spells could be timed and | | | | carp would feed far more frequently and were |
| predicted for the following days ahead and | | | | therefore less of a challenge. |
| the swim and baits could be prepared | | | | |
| meticulously in advance of these regular | | | | I ended the exercise in the third week of |
| spells of activity. | | | | April. |
| | | | |
| I had timed these feeding spells in December | | | | The biggest aspect about winter fishing I |
| on another lake previously. They had all been | | | | learnt was the discipline to keep introducing |
| potted on charts along with date, day and | | | | bait no matter how 'pointless' it might seem. |
| night temperatures and catch results and | | | | This definitely kept catches coming and |
| baiting frequency, time of introduction, | | | | bigger fish to the net. I believe it kept the |
| amounts and types of baits. | | | | fish feeding on bait and searching for food. |
| | | | |
| My conclusions were that baiting up very | | | | It certainly produced the biggest fish in the |
| regularly with generous amounts of boilies | | | | lake the moment they became active and really |
| 'particles' and ground baits that dissolved | | | | wanted to feed. Paste baits and paste free |
| quickly to disperse 'attractors' very much | | | | baits worked by far the best as opposed to |
| improved results. | | | | boiled baits and I'm sure that using special |
| | | | homemade buoyant pastes accounted for many |
| So far as to say that very heavy baiting in | | | | more fish than if I'd fished |
| winter seems essential at times for | | | | 'conventionally!' |
| exceptional catches. I feel that tightly | | | | |
| 'shoaled-up' winter the fish are caught more | | | | Most of all, I learnt the secrets of fishing |
| easily and confidently because they are | | | | over dissolved baits and baits that have |
| competing among each other for food. | | | | become sediments. (I'm certain that on |
| | | | 'pressured' heavily fished waters, the big |
| But it must be made clear that some feeding | | | | carp feed far more confidently over |
| 'spots' may be extremely isolated and that | | | | 'sediment' bait. |
| someone fishing only 2 meters off 'the spot' | | | | |
| will just not get a single 'bite' while you | | | | The art of feeding mostly 'little and very |
| catch 4 or 5 fish in half an hour fishing | | | | often' really became refined too as did the |
| only a few feet away. | | | | use of very soluble baits leveraging some of |
| | | | the best attractors and flavours available. |
| This effect can occur in summer too where you | | | | |
| could have 4 rods spaced only tree feet apart | | | | This principle of very regular feeding of |
| in a swim and yet only the one rod will | | | | fast dissolving baits, pastes and ground |
| consistently produce 'takes.' | | | | baits, has caught me as many big fish |
| | | | all-year-round since then, as any other |
| The most intense feeding really seemed to be | | | | method I've ever used! |
| as temperatures fell very sharply in a short | | | | |
| time period. This was in November and | | | | When winter fishing more than at any other |
| December. 'Takes' at this time could be very | | | | time, confidence in your baits is key! I had |
| fast and furious with many takes in a very | | | | designed and made a boilie just for this lake |
| short feeding spell of perhaps only 10 to 20 | | | | and I had 'established' it by the start of my |
| minutes. | | | | campaign by introducing it gradually through |
| | | | earlier sessions in warmer temperatures |
| In January the carp fed very little and the | | | | without fishing with it. I had watched how |
| lake froze over for periods with ice 4 to 5 | | | | the bigger fish rolled and fed on it; and if |
| inches thick at times. This was a very hard | | | | they were confident - then so was I! |
| fishing period with water temperatures at | | | | |
| their lowest! | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait |
| | | | 'edges' up his sleeve. Every single one can |
| January produced the smallest fish, mostly | | | | have a huge impact on catches. (Warning: This |
| being 'doubles' and single figure fish. It | | | | article is protected by copyright, but |
| was interesting to note that the singles came | | | | reprints with a link are OK.) |
| on worm extract paste baits fished under a | | | | |
| float in the margins and I caught no bigger | | | | By Tim Richardson. 'The thinking angler's |
| carp using this method at this time. | | | | fishing author and expert bait making guru.' |
| | | | |
| At times no fish were observed at night, | | | | For the unique and acclaimed new massive |
| morning or evening at all, for many | | | | expert bait making 'bible' ebook / book: |
| consecutive days and nights. At this time | | | | |
| frost was piled on top of frost on the | | | | "BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS! |
| fishing tent and this would not thaw during | | | | |