Anything can make a positive difference,then again it can have an opposite effect too,each water is different,all conditions change responses,nothing is written in stone,in spite of what is written by any of us,or supposed stars of our sport,the goalposts are continually on the move....
That's quite right, and why I suggested a careful, light approach with minimal bait in a place where Mike has seen fish caught/knows they are caught. The same water/swims will likely fish differently as temps etc go up and down, but when you go a few times you get better at tuning your approach.
I know this thinking reflects my fishing on non-commercial stills without huge stocks, but watch Jamie Hughes vid's or live matches. Even on days he ends up with great catches, the starting approach is feeding vey small amounts and studying whether, where and how he gets any bites. Patience and not spoiling the peg are vital.
There's a pool half an hour away where I've heard the winter fishing for mixed species can be quite good. I'll drive over on a Sunday and see what's being caught, where and how. I've found that beats trying to guess what will be a killer method or a magic bait.
I'm thinking of where the OP fishes and trying to suggest things relevant to such places. If he were on my favourite winter roach water, I'd advise an "attractant" of a kilo of rich groundbait, and two pints each of hemp and casters. But I'm guessing he will be on the type of pool that can switch off and fish hard in cold weather.