Winter commercial carp fishing
1 - FISH LOCATION
There is an old saying in angling that it’s better to fish for one hour in the right location than five hours in the wrong one.
In winter this is even more vital as fish tend to shoal tightly together and often group up in areas offering sanctuary from angling pressure, such as dead or decaying weeds, reeds and islands.Lots of anglers automatically target really deep water in winter - this is wrong!
A favourite swim depth for winter fishing is around four feet, but fish will still feed in very shallow water, of 18 inches to two feet, if this offers them a quiet area away from angling disturbance. When the fish are lethargic and are not feeding heavily they often quickly move into areas offering sanctuary,so look for swims that aren’t heavily fished, I feed lightly and create minimal disturbance.
2 - WEATHER CONDITIONS
Climatic conditions, especially the wind, can have a deciding affect on where fish will shoal up in winter. During mild conditions, brought by south-westerly winds, many carp follow the breeze and will congregate near the bank of the lake where the wind is blowing into. However, when the wind turns northerly, or worse still easterly, the carp will group up in the calmer areas of the lake that are less affected by the chilling wind. Unlike many anglers |
who seek the deepest water in high atmospheric pressure conditions (frosts and clear skies), carp feed in very shallow water after a few frosts. However, when low-pressure fronts arrive (overcast, rain and southwesterly winds), carp prefer slightly deeper water where the pressure and temperature are more stable.
3 - WAGGLERS
Choosing the correct float when you’re waggler fishing becomes even more vital as the weather gets colder. There are several things to consider when picking a float for winter fishing. Firstly, always pick a float that is heavier than you think you will need. This the most common mistake made by anglers. If they are fishing at around 25 yards, they tend to select a float that will just about reach. Then, if the weather changes or the wind increases, as it often does when there are no leaves on the trees to act as a barrier you will have difficulty casting back to your spot. Use a much heavier float than is needed to cast the distance you’re fishing. This extra weight allows much easier casting and if you overcast you can always draw the float back. Always use a loaded MAP insert waggler floats, which have around 80% of the float’s shotting capacity built into the base of the float. The float is locked by adding a number 6 shot either side of the float. The main beauty of loaded wagglers is they cast superbly and are very stable in flight. This is because the bulk is at the base of the float, allowing it to fly through the air like a dart. This helps to improve your casting accuracy. Another important consideration when waggler fishing is the length of your float. Floats that are designed to carry less shot are usually shorter whereas heavier ones are much longer. |
The advantage of using a much longer float is that it will be more stable in windy or choppy conditions. Also, as a waggler is attached to the mainline at the bottom end only, the longer the float the further under the water your mainline will be. This will help to stop the float being dragged out of the swim by the heavy crosswinds that we often see in winter. |
4 - FISHING THE LEGER
Fishing with a leger bomb is a great way of getting bites in winter as it allows you to present a single, static hookbait with very little disturbance. The bomb set-up is very simple, consisting of a tiny eighth of an ounce bomb free running on his mainline. This is stopped from slipping down onto the 0.20mm (7lb 7oz) MAP Carptek Hit and Hold Margin line hooklink by a small snaplink swivel. The rig is capped with a size 14 eyed hook, attached via a knotless knot. However, here are some key bomb fishing tips that he believes make a great difference to his results. The hair must be kept short as species like chub become increasingly difficult to connect with. Fish with the bend of the hook just touching the bait, corn is very effective when with the straight lead and a good tip is to use very small grains of corn and a large hook. |
Carp are reluctant to take a big bait at certain times of the day but a small bait will get some attention.
When it comes to spotting and connecting with bites use a very unusual technique- use the quivertip itself to hook the fish. Bites tend to be very positive if you use a small piece of corn, but I always fish with the quivertip bent around as far as it will go without moving the lead on the bottom. This is the most effective bolt rig available and often results in drop back bites from bigger carp. |
5 - JOLLY GREEN GIANT CORN
During winter, start a session by fishing with the waggler float baited with sweetcorn. Corn is one of the best winter baits around as it catches just about everything that swims, even after a sharp frost.
Another huge advantage of sweetcorn is its so cheap. A tin of Jolly Green Giant corn cost just over 50 pence and will last at least four sessions, if not five. That’s a bait bill of less than 15 pence a trip!
When it comes to fishing don’t use something just because it is cheap, the fact of the matter is sweetcorn is also a fabulously effective hookbait. Obviously corn is a visual bait that increasingly stands out as
the clarity of the water increases in winter, but corn is quite lightweight and sinks slowly, it is excellent for fishing over light weed or silt.
Unlike livebaits, like maggots and pinkies, corn won’t bury into the silt after sitting on the bottom for a few minutes. Finally, TINNED corn tends to be extremely sweet, an aspect that all fish, with the exception of true predators, cannot resist.
During winter, start a session by fishing with the waggler float baited with sweetcorn. Corn is one of the best winter baits around as it catches just about everything that swims, even after a sharp frost.
Another huge advantage of sweetcorn is its so cheap. A tin of Jolly Green Giant corn cost just over 50 pence and will last at least four sessions, if not five. That’s a bait bill of less than 15 pence a trip!
When it comes to fishing don’t use something just because it is cheap, the fact of the matter is sweetcorn is also a fabulously effective hookbait. Obviously corn is a visual bait that increasingly stands out as
the clarity of the water increases in winter, but corn is quite lightweight and sinks slowly, it is excellent for fishing over light weed or silt.
Unlike livebaits, like maggots and pinkies, corn won’t bury into the silt after sitting on the bottom for a few minutes. Finally, TINNED corn tends to be extremely sweet, an aspect that all fish, with the exception of true predators, cannot resist.
6 - HOOKING CORN
Hook sweetcorn through the dome of skin at the top of the grain. This makes it less prone to spinning and line twists which can weaken the hooklink and cause the loss of a hooked fish.Always use eyed hooks and I tie them on using the knotless knot. Use a hook with a crystal bend as the corn sits better than it does using a round bend pattern. A further consideration regarding a sweetcorn hook is the gape, use a fairly wide gape hook to prevent the corn flying off on the cast. During the colder months is to only fish single grains. |
There are anglers who swear by double corn but avoid it if you can. It is a bigger bait and you will miss a lot of bites from smaller, or shybiting fish, like skimmers, chub and roach.
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7 - FEEDING CORN
Feeding is the key to any successful approach but it is even more important during the winter, when bites are at a premium. Feed just two grains of corn to begin with (see pic right) and then wait for any indications of fish. It is surprising how quick this method will work but only if you keep the feed to a minimum. Carp will back away from any quantity of bait introduced into the swim and skimmers are even more selective. This tactic of drip-feeding very little will encourage the fish to investigate and just two grains every cast will be more than enough. |
When the swim starts to liven up there is a tendency to introduce more bait and this is usually where the bites stop.
Stick to the very little and often approach and do not be tempted to give them a pouchful of bait - it could instantly kill the swim. |
Once again though, in winter use meat with a twist of garlic: fish meat with a straight lead and hair-rig and a favourite brand is Spam with Stinky French Garlic. Ideally, if there has been consistently high barometric pressure then the most effective area will be the shallow part of the lake, such as tight to islands.
However, if the barometric pressure is low or dropping, then the bottom of the shelf is a better prospect. Open water is always a safe bet but the depth at which the fish can be located will depend on the air pressure on the day.
In low pressure go for swims around the four feet deep mark, if it is high pressure look for the shallower water.
However, if the barometric pressure is low or dropping, then the bottom of the shelf is a better prospect. Open water is always a safe bet but the depth at which the fish can be located will depend on the air pressure on the day.
In low pressure go for swims around the four feet deep mark, if it is high pressure look for the shallower water.
9 - FEEDING MEAT
Feeding is, again, the most important aspect concerning the use of meat baits. If large cubes are used, the distance at which it can be fished gives the angler far more opportunities to explore a wider area of the
lake. Use 8mm pieces of meat that can be fired a fair distance with the catapult. Similar to the corn approach, two pieces of meat, fed at five minute intervals will arouse the interest of patrolling fish such as carp, bream and chub.
It can sometimes pay to feed nothing when the water temperature is very low. Carp are likely to back away from a significant amount of any bait during the colder months.
Feeding is, again, the most important aspect concerning the use of meat baits. If large cubes are used, the distance at which it can be fished gives the angler far more opportunities to explore a wider area of the
lake. Use 8mm pieces of meat that can be fired a fair distance with the catapult. Similar to the corn approach, two pieces of meat, fed at five minute intervals will arouse the interest of patrolling fish such as carp, bream and chub.
It can sometimes pay to feed nothing when the water temperature is very low. Carp are likely to back away from a significant amount of any bait during the colder months.
How to hair-rig meat
Thread a one inch cube of meat onto a baiting needle, being careful not to split
the meat cube. |
Hook the point of the baiting needle over the hair loop.
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Gently push the meat cube off the needle and onto the hook’s hair.
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To avoid meat coming off on the cast trap it in place with a small length of
uncooked spagetti. |
10 - IGNORE MAGGOTS AND CASTERS
There is a common belief that fish do not eat bigger baits when the water is cold and the reason
that some anglers have never had much success with meat and corn is because they have convinced themselves that fish do not eat them.
Maggots and casters will work through the winter, but neither of them can compete with corn. Carp love the stuff and as long as it is fed sparingly then there is no reason why you shouldn’t catch fish all day. Confidence in what you are doing will always play a part, as long as you have the patience to stick it out and keep to the game plan you will usually catch well. Leave the maggots and casters at home and follow my basic steps to fishing corn and meat - you WILL be surprised at the results.
There is a common belief that fish do not eat bigger baits when the water is cold and the reason
that some anglers have never had much success with meat and corn is because they have convinced themselves that fish do not eat them.
Maggots and casters will work through the winter, but neither of them can compete with corn. Carp love the stuff and as long as it is fed sparingly then there is no reason why you shouldn’t catch fish all day. Confidence in what you are doing will always play a part, as long as you have the patience to stick it out and keep to the game plan you will usually catch well. Leave the maggots and casters at home and follow my basic steps to fishing corn and meat - you WILL be surprised at the results.