The Carp Column

THE FINER POINTS OF WINTER FISHING With winter almost upon us and having received some e-mails and forum postings asking advice on winter tactics, I thought I'd put finger to keyboard and pass on some of my thoughts on the subject. So, as the title suggests, I'm going to concentrate on fining everything down. This can only really be achieved if your venue is appropriate for it. During the summer the weed and lilies, etc, mean that you need to fish with a certain strength of gear to allow you to land your quarry. The line strength and rod will be determined by the size of fish expected and the venue's snags. During the winter, most of the weed and lilies will die off and this gives us the opportunity to fish lighter and finer. If your lake contains snag trees, bushes, sharp bars or other non-seasonal snags, then you shouldn't fine down, for remember, it's only if your venue is appropriate for it. The carp's welfare always comes first. Don't fine down for winter unless it's safe for the fish to do so So if your venue will allow you to fine down these are some of the tactics I use. Mainline strength Although not a major advantage in its own right, apart from allowing you to cast further, balancing the line strength with the hooklink strength is most advisable. Some feel that a finer mainline will be less detectable, but having your mainline disguised is a good all year round tactic. I normally fine down to a mainline of 12lb, feeling this is adequate enough and don't feel that I need to go any lighter. When I say 12lb, I mean it, not lines sold as 12lb. I've previously used Shimano Technium, but this year I'm using Maver's excellent Jurassic Twin Core. This, like the Technium, is a mono/braid hybrid, with a silky exterior, giving good casting properties. It's a naturally sinking line with an honest diameter. The 12lb has a diameter of 0.27mm. Compare this to nearly all the 10lb 'carp' mono's on the market, which have a diameter of 0.30mm Hooklink strength Hooklink strength or diameter is a major advantage during the winter. A finer hooklink is less detectable, allowing the bait to act more naturally and allowing a certain finesse to be employed. This should be balanced with hook and bait size, which I'll cover later. Winter carp Remember to marry the hooklink strength to the mainline. Whereas in the summer, braids of 25lb, or fluoros of 15 to 20lb are used, the winter allows us to use 15lb braids and 10 to 12lb fluoros. These finer hooklinks allow a more subtle presentation, but if you've had tremendous success on 20lb Amnesia stiff rigs, then you don't have to fine down, just continue with what you are confident with. Bait size and type With a lot of the other resident species being less active in the winter we can use baits other than large boilies without fear of constantly winding in fish which aren't our specified target. (I said all that without once using the term 'nuisance'). Smaller boilies of 10mm, sweetcorn, maize, maggots and casters are superb winter baits. Carp will feed less, so a smaller, more particle type approach will mean the fish will have more chance of making a mistake when they're in a pre-occupied feeding state. Mixing these baits with hemp, which is a superb feed at any time of the year, will enable you to create this more active feeding state. Hook size Hook sizes should be gauged to the bait size and the mainline strength. Try to marry these things but lean towards the finer end, always keeping in mind the ability to land the fish. It's no good getting take after take on single corn to a lightweight size 10 hook if every fish straightens the hook as you try to keep its head away from those marginal reeds. Look around and assess your swim and how you're going to play the fish. If you've open water and no snags, then lighter and finer will get you more bites, but not at the expense of the fish. Boilies of 10mm and single or double corn are more suited to a size 8 or 10 hook, allowing a better presentation with a greater chance of a take. If you feel that you need to step up the hook size and strength to be able to land the fish, then make sure you step up your line strength as well. You'll not get much penetration on a heavy gauge size 4 hook and 10lb hooklink. Keep everything balanced and you'll be able to land them. Lead size People tend to bring their lead size down as well as everything else, as I will if the situation demands it. But for me, the lead size is determined by the distance I need to cast as well as other contributing factors. These factors are the same summer or winter If you're fishing a running lead and medium weight indicator (to negate undertow) and you've found that a 3oz lead gives the optimum bite indication, given the conditions, then trimming down to a 1½ oz lead will not gain you any advantage. Keep everything balanced If you've had to use a larger lead to combat things like drifting weed, when this disappears in winter you can get away with a lighter lead. But don't drop lead sizes just because it's winter. For me, the lead is the balance against which my indicators move and as this balance is critical to bite indication, then lead size and indicator weight are intrinsically linked. Bite Indication See above - remember to balance your indicators against your lead size. General Tactics Overview Feed little and often A pinch of maggots and a pinch of hemp, drip fed over your baited rig will probably stand you a better chance of some action. Deepest winter is not the time for piling in 5 kilos of 20mm boilies at the start of a day only session. Always keep a sharp eye on the water, less active fish don't tend to give away their location easily when it's cold. Try and study the water as much as you can. I know it's difficult when the weather is horrendous and the sleeping bag seems more appealing, but what better way to warm yourself up then to be cradling a beautiful winter carp. Bait up between trips We all know we should be well into our winter baiting campaign and we should be trickling bait into all those likely spots If you are, then try and bait as often as possible when you're not actually fishing Bait up when you leave After you've finished your session, throw any surplus bait into those likely spots. Don't take old bait home But don't bait up heavily when others are still fishing, you wouldn't like it done to you! Fish one rod as a rover, ready for expected and unexpected opportunities Keep one rod with either a high attract pop-up or a small PVA bag ready to fish as a rover to any showing fish or keep it moving to any likely spots You may well find that elusive winter feeding spot Employ several different tactics Don't put all your eggs in one basket At certain times the fish may well have a penchant for something specific. Keep your pre-baited gear on one rod, but try another rod on something different, you never know what will be the favoured tactic on that day. Those are some of the tactics I use during the winter, but should not to be read as the definitive article. Use what I've written to question what and why you are doing certain things in your quest for carp this winter. Don't change your gear or tactics unless you know why you are doing it. It's wise to have a reason why and to make sure it's the right reason.