I decided to move onto the lake when the bites really started to slow up late autumn. As well as the chance of a winter bite or two, the lake also provides the chance for me to bank a low thirty, the smaller fish are real stunners too so there’s plenty to keep me focussed throughout the winter. So I’m never going to get bored!
for pulling fish down to my baited traps. I know if I can creep up on some winter feeders and then drop in one of my simple rigs without putting the fish on edge, there’s a good chance I’ll catch.
For me, the most important key to my winter campaign is location. A lot of the lake’s stock of carp will shoal up during the winter in areas where they feel comfortable. These areas offer shelter and may well contain natural food at certain times so there’s a good chance the fish won’t need to move around too much. As the carp don't tend to feed that much when it’s freezing, I tend to use small amounts of bait when fishing.
Knowing what baits work best on your chosen water or at the very least using one with a proven winter track record is important, Monster Squid has caught well for me wherever I’ve taken it. Prior knowledge of my chosen water and having a good idea where the fish are likely to spend most of their time also gives me an edge. I’m not saying this will make it easy but it definitely stacks the odds in my favour. Seeing as I'm a full time student I rarely can do nights in between school. I will only do weekday overnighters when its spring or summer and a lot warmer as I'm able to sleep on my unhooking mat and travel light.
I like to keep my rigs simple, a small PVA bag of liquidized bread, normally the size of a 20 pence piece, with a snowman hook bait is one of my favourite presentations. I prefer to use a hook bait with plenty of pulling power in the winter that will leak out lots of attractive food smells. We all have our winter favourites but I’ve found high levels of Strawberry Oil and Sweetener works well for me, it’s a well proven tactic
But during the winter, I do manage to fit in a fair number of short 'after school' sessions. Whenever I’ve planned to go, it’s really hard to concentrate. The afternoons drag and all I can do is look out of the window at the weather and try to think where the fish will be feeding and how I’m going to catch them! I get home as soon as I can, grab my tackle and then it’s just a ten minute walk to the lake and I’m fishing!
NASH E-ZINE
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