AnglersCircle
features:Fishing Forums
Fishing Books
Fishing Links
Add Fishing News
Fishing Blogs
free classifieds
|
Winter Carp Fishing
@ :: Carp Fishing ::
Nov 01 2003, 03:25 (UTC+0)
|  DTidmarsh writes: Winter time can be the hardest time of the year to catch carp. The problem being that the colder conditions slows down the fishes metabolism (sp).Therefore the fish doesn't need as much food to survive. Not so many years ago it was thought that carp were almost uncatchable during the colder months.With the popularity of long stay (session) carp fishing and advancements in protective clothing and camping equipment it has been proved that carp are catchable right through the winter months. I have found through my own and friends experience that carp tend to feed for only short periods of time . Sometimes these feeding periods are quite distinct in the same way as dawn and dusk are good in the summer on a lot of waters. Just like in summer , every water has its own feeding times so its difficult for me to estimate feeding times. i have found on a lot of waters in europe , 10-12 am and 1-3pm seem to be good times for action. I do know of one water in England that fished well in winter one hour after dark so there are no hard and fast rules on this . A lot of people think that in the winter the fish are always in the deepest area of water . This just is not the case ! The fish tend to be around snags or areas they feel safe . Don't ignore the areas you caught carp from in the summer as there may be a good supply of natural food nearby which holds the carp like a magnet . Many years ago i caught a 28 pound carp in winter, at night from a three foot deep area of a lake. This lake has areas with depths down to 12ft but the three foot area had some excellent features.
Winter Carp Fishing Baits
When fishing for carp in winter i always tend to fish boilies. Particle baits such as peanuts , tiger nuts and maples tend to lose their effectiveness possibly due the viscosity of the attractive oils these nuts contain (as the temperature decreases they thicken considerably). Also particles seem to work better in bulk. When i am winter carp fishing i use little or no free offerings. All the successful winter carp anglers i know use very little bait. I feel the carp don't feed as hard in winter as in summer. The type of boilies i would use would be a spice bait with a nice spice flavor. The choice of attractors and flavors are very critical in winter. The fish feed inducing oils are prime example , in summer they are a fantastic attractor but as the temperature drops they increase their viscosity and end up going solid . Most spice flavors are made up of natural aromatic spice oils and esters which tend to be somewhat resistant to solidifying to some degree. There polarity makes them mix well with water. Adding a few powdered spices (few pinches) to the boilie mix can only help its effectiveness.
Winter Carp Fishing Tactics
In winter i adopt different tactics when carp fishing. If i am at a new water or i am not sure where the carp are i will usually cast one rod to a likely looking spot. The other i will use as a "roaming" rod. This means i will try lots of different areas for about thirty minutes to see if i can get any indication. Always have the tips of your rods raised , this can register line bites (where fish hit the line). This can tell you if you might be in the right spot but the fish are not feeding yet. Also bites in winter can be very small so its worth keeping an eye on the tips. I put white tape around the ends to make them easier to watch. I always have my rods made up before i leave to the water as this saves me from getting cold setting up and gives me longer to fish ! A good time to visit a carp water is at dusk as sometimes the carp will jump or roll (even in winter). this may give you a clue as to the location of the carp when you next come to fish. The most important thing about winter fishing is that you must have the right protective clothing. If you are cold you will not fish well.You will be too busy trying to stay warm and will miss clues which will help you put that big winter fish on the bank. Winter fishing has some advantages in that the banksides are empty so you can pick where you want to fish without competition from other anglers . Some waters in winter have beauty all of there own , just being there makes you feel good even if you don't catch. Winter carp fishing is without doubt a big challenge but the rewards in beating the odds are great.
Article kindly supplied by Carp.net
|
| |
Dec 05, 2004
 pike 1.jpg / Small Pike caught on perch livebait.
Wraysbury~River Thames.
James |
active for last 5 minutes
registered users:1299
There are currently 0 registered users and 1 guests browsing the website.
Welcome our latest registered user: mexxzoom
|
