laguna
Well-known member
Its true, but it wasn't me.... honest 
It goes all against normal convention but carp are being caught on our water (not telling where for obvious reasons, clue - its in Yorkshire) - right through winter - with ice on.
Okay not exactly dangling in an ice-hole per se, sheltered from the North Easterly wind sat in a 60's style council workman's shelter, but through broken thin ice patches in the margins wherever a line can be dropped!
Hey! apparently its not so grim up North after all
I must admit I'm not your typical carp angler, quite the opposite in fact, just as happy catching bits and equally happy catching a lump or two of whatever species takes its fancy to my offering. Certainly don't fish for carp in winter (are you kidding?) but obviously some people do, but what are your typical results? You'd be lucky to catch a carp in winter... a lot hang their rods up till the weather improves vastly and the rest of us hardy folk might fish for roach up against the narrow boats on the cut (for those who like them) or the pike, maybe have a go at the chub and barbel.. blue cheese SAC juice flavoured bread is doing it for me at the moment on the Nidd. But Carp in the middle of winter on a half frozen lake... cumon what's that all about?
I had to investigate...
As most anglers already know; a carps digestion and metabolism slows right down in cold water and when they do take your bait, it takes an extraordinary long time to digest what they eat. One of the best ways to attract them I hear is to use a high viz single smelly hook-bait with a low-oil content - with no feed at all. But you need to drop it right on their noses! Now others might have their way and will swear by a different tactic, and I won't argue, as I'm not one of your typical one-species angler, and in any case; I gave up fishing for carp in winter years ago after having no luck whatsoever. But each to their own.
Anyway.... long story short. We heard on the grapevine that two young lads (avid carpers) who I have only met a couple of times, have kept on carp fishing through winter but apparently have "different tactics"? and are now breaking ice and still, as of January 2017 pulling out 3-4 every week each fishing 2 nights on and 2 off. We laughed when we heard but the curiosity got the better of us so we had to go down for a butchers and a pi** take - like you do.
We turned up on the lake yesterday afternoon to have look (Friday 6th January 2017), not really expecting to see anybody else and besides, we had little choice as the local cut was frozen over. The club lake (6 or 7 acres, around 8-9ft deep in parts), was partially frozen but fishable in some margin areas. There hoping to catch some pike and perch with dead baits and lures - using our wobble stik's
We arrived some time after lunch, got our spinning rods out and went for a walk round. Sure enough they were there bivvied up (looked frozen to death sat in adequately sized modern camo canvass) and had a quick chat... "any luck lads"? Billy (not his real name) said "hi Chris Happy new year mate.. "nothing since this morning"! What? you mean you've caught something? "Yeah"! said Simon (not his real name either), "we both caught, mine a common at 4am landed it in me socks in pitch darkness, a double at 13:4onz and Billy caught his, a pastie about 4 hours ago (that would be at around half past nine by my reckoning). Now I've not known these lads long as its a new club we joined last year and lets face it, you never know what to believe but we kept our faces straight as best we could (its a serious business this carping malarkey), and after asking how big his feet are, bid them good luck and a Happy new year.
We toddled off to the other side of the lake and began spinning in the margins between the ice breaks (did I mention our wobble stik's? their brilliant), hop frogging each other covering the far bank down to the bottom and back up a couple of times. We then decided it was time for a nice cuppa to warm our cockles (we fish in our T shirts up here in the North) and we sat on our stools looking to sight some movement of fish... anything to entertain us, including bubbles from decaying matter on the clear bottom! and immediately glanced over to where Billy and Simon were when we heard a beep on their alarm. We looked at each other and said "Liner"? "Probably a pike" said Alan in a low voice, "yeah probably said Mick" and I agreed. "Probably a carp"! said Billy from across the lake! Damn doesn't sound travel in winter we laughed.
Mick eventually caught a pike at dusk, we gave him 12lb (not weighed) on his wobbled dead bait which was safely returned. Thereafter we decided to have another spin around in the dark on another section adjoining the big lake before packing up which we did around 6pm.
Heading to our car we heard a long series of beep beep's and looked at each other and said laughingly... "maybe they're having us on now were packing up and out of sight? or they could just be adjusting the line"? Well we couldn't go without looking so we dumped our gear in the car and quickly headed their way walking around the bend up to the far bank track to see what was happening.
We witnessed it for ourselves. Simon had hold of the net for Billy who was clearly struggling in the dark to pull it free as it had caught on the ice, eventually however the fish was netted... it was another pastie just 4lb this time!
Now these aren't big fish by any means I'm sure you will agree, but to a carp angler they are all very much welcomed I'm sure, I can relate to that and in winter especially!
So what of the tactics employed?
We just had to know. Looking at their setup we couldn't see anything that might give the game away. In fact it was a standard setup from what we could see... alarms with bobbins to the deck, slack lines in around 7 ft of water in the margins. 8lb bottom, single hook bait and apparently no feed!
That only leaves the bait... there lieth the answer to a feeding winter carps desire... unless it was the fancy rods, pods and camo bivvy that reeked of some strange substance?
No it was the home made boilies that worked for them in winter, and consistently too. More specifically, according to these lads - a vital key ingredient is enabling them to catch carp in the depths of winter!
Would you like to know what it is?
No doubt others will copy but here goes... Soy Protein isolate!
What the hell is it?
Soy Protein isolate - not to be confused with common soya flour used in boilie making. Its derived/processed directly from soya meal but soy isolate is a much enriched, very high protein flour (95%+) typically used by body builders to build muscle, a key component in infant milk formula and in their (Billy and Simon's) quality home made chops and boilies... and I commend it to you, the mad carp angler looking to catch a few this winter. Actually (and I confess to not having realised we sell it already), its an ingredient most suited for winter baits as it contains no oil (de-fatted) and is easily digested by carp and other species with low metabolism which the carp otherwise struggle to digest in colder conditions - typically October through March here in the UK.
Soy isolate is a safer alternative to the cheaper soya flour used in base mixes for summer, but it can also be used all-year round where carp and other species are known to feed like on our own lake in winter for example.
You can buy it from us (Laguna) or elsewhere, but in any case, wherever you get it from, I'd suggest one day trying Soy Protein isolate directly as a coating powder for boilies and pellets as a simple attractant, or as a substitute for soya flour at up to 50% (by weight) of the base mix.
Has anybody used it? do you fish for carp in winter?
Happy new year, May all you fish be huge and your net look small..... :w
It goes all against normal convention but carp are being caught on our water (not telling where for obvious reasons, clue - its in Yorkshire) - right through winter - with ice on.
Okay not exactly dangling in an ice-hole per se, sheltered from the North Easterly wind sat in a 60's style council workman's shelter, but through broken thin ice patches in the margins wherever a line can be dropped!
Hey! apparently its not so grim up North after all
I must admit I'm not your typical carp angler, quite the opposite in fact, just as happy catching bits and equally happy catching a lump or two of whatever species takes its fancy to my offering. Certainly don't fish for carp in winter (are you kidding?) but obviously some people do, but what are your typical results? You'd be lucky to catch a carp in winter... a lot hang their rods up till the weather improves vastly and the rest of us hardy folk might fish for roach up against the narrow boats on the cut (for those who like them) or the pike, maybe have a go at the chub and barbel.. blue cheese SAC juice flavoured bread is doing it for me at the moment on the Nidd. But Carp in the middle of winter on a half frozen lake... cumon what's that all about?
I had to investigate...
As most anglers already know; a carps digestion and metabolism slows right down in cold water and when they do take your bait, it takes an extraordinary long time to digest what they eat. One of the best ways to attract them I hear is to use a high viz single smelly hook-bait with a low-oil content - with no feed at all. But you need to drop it right on their noses! Now others might have their way and will swear by a different tactic, and I won't argue, as I'm not one of your typical one-species angler, and in any case; I gave up fishing for carp in winter years ago after having no luck whatsoever. But each to their own.
Anyway.... long story short. We heard on the grapevine that two young lads (avid carpers) who I have only met a couple of times, have kept on carp fishing through winter but apparently have "different tactics"? and are now breaking ice and still, as of January 2017 pulling out 3-4 every week each fishing 2 nights on and 2 off. We laughed when we heard but the curiosity got the better of us so we had to go down for a butchers and a pi** take - like you do.
We turned up on the lake yesterday afternoon to have look (Friday 6th January 2017), not really expecting to see anybody else and besides, we had little choice as the local cut was frozen over. The club lake (6 or 7 acres, around 8-9ft deep in parts), was partially frozen but fishable in some margin areas. There hoping to catch some pike and perch with dead baits and lures - using our wobble stik's
We arrived some time after lunch, got our spinning rods out and went for a walk round. Sure enough they were there bivvied up (looked frozen to death sat in adequately sized modern camo canvass) and had a quick chat... "any luck lads"? Billy (not his real name) said "hi Chris Happy new year mate.. "nothing since this morning"! What? you mean you've caught something? "Yeah"! said Simon (not his real name either), "we both caught, mine a common at 4am landed it in me socks in pitch darkness, a double at 13:4onz and Billy caught his, a pastie about 4 hours ago (that would be at around half past nine by my reckoning). Now I've not known these lads long as its a new club we joined last year and lets face it, you never know what to believe but we kept our faces straight as best we could (its a serious business this carping malarkey), and after asking how big his feet are, bid them good luck and a Happy new year.
We toddled off to the other side of the lake and began spinning in the margins between the ice breaks (did I mention our wobble stik's? their brilliant), hop frogging each other covering the far bank down to the bottom and back up a couple of times. We then decided it was time for a nice cuppa to warm our cockles (we fish in our T shirts up here in the North) and we sat on our stools looking to sight some movement of fish... anything to entertain us, including bubbles from decaying matter on the clear bottom! and immediately glanced over to where Billy and Simon were when we heard a beep on their alarm. We looked at each other and said "Liner"? "Probably a pike" said Alan in a low voice, "yeah probably said Mick" and I agreed. "Probably a carp"! said Billy from across the lake! Damn doesn't sound travel in winter we laughed.
Mick eventually caught a pike at dusk, we gave him 12lb (not weighed) on his wobbled dead bait which was safely returned. Thereafter we decided to have another spin around in the dark on another section adjoining the big lake before packing up which we did around 6pm.
Heading to our car we heard a long series of beep beep's and looked at each other and said laughingly... "maybe they're having us on now were packing up and out of sight? or they could just be adjusting the line"? Well we couldn't go without looking so we dumped our gear in the car and quickly headed their way walking around the bend up to the far bank track to see what was happening.
We witnessed it for ourselves. Simon had hold of the net for Billy who was clearly struggling in the dark to pull it free as it had caught on the ice, eventually however the fish was netted... it was another pastie just 4lb this time!
Now these aren't big fish by any means I'm sure you will agree, but to a carp angler they are all very much welcomed I'm sure, I can relate to that and in winter especially!
So what of the tactics employed?
We just had to know. Looking at their setup we couldn't see anything that might give the game away. In fact it was a standard setup from what we could see... alarms with bobbins to the deck, slack lines in around 7 ft of water in the margins. 8lb bottom, single hook bait and apparently no feed!
That only leaves the bait... there lieth the answer to a feeding winter carps desire... unless it was the fancy rods, pods and camo bivvy that reeked of some strange substance?
No it was the home made boilies that worked for them in winter, and consistently too. More specifically, according to these lads - a vital key ingredient is enabling them to catch carp in the depths of winter!
Would you like to know what it is?
No doubt others will copy but here goes... Soy Protein isolate!
What the hell is it?
Soy Protein isolate - not to be confused with common soya flour used in boilie making. Its derived/processed directly from soya meal but soy isolate is a much enriched, very high protein flour (95%+) typically used by body builders to build muscle, a key component in infant milk formula and in their (Billy and Simon's) quality home made chops and boilies... and I commend it to you, the mad carp angler looking to catch a few this winter. Actually (and I confess to not having realised we sell it already), its an ingredient most suited for winter baits as it contains no oil (de-fatted) and is easily digested by carp and other species with low metabolism which the carp otherwise struggle to digest in colder conditions - typically October through March here in the UK.
Soy isolate is a safer alternative to the cheaper soya flour used in base mixes for summer, but it can also be used all-year round where carp and other species are known to feed like on our own lake in winter for example.
You can buy it from us (Laguna) or elsewhere, but in any case, wherever you get it from, I'd suggest one day trying Soy Protein isolate directly as a coating powder for boilies and pellets as a simple attractant, or as a substitute for soya flour at up to 50% (by weight) of the base mix.
Has anybody used it? do you fish for carp in winter?
Happy new year, May all you fish be huge and your net look small..... :w
