Cracking winter carp fishing tips

RATHER than hanging up your rods for the winter… get out there and do it.

At this time of year, I don’t pay much attention to fining down because the carp don’t suddenly become aware of your rig, even though the water is a little clearer – they just feed less.

As a result, you should pay more attention to the bait side of things and the way that you feed.

Less is often more in winter. Be strategic. If you are into a baiting campaign, feed small amounts of good-quality bait at regular intervals rather than piling it in all in one go.

Try the mighty maggots

Reach for the maggots, sweetcorn and baits that are easily digested. Carp require an easy meal.

Eradicate baits with high contents of oil. Fatty pellets and high fishmeal boilies are too stodgy and the oil will often solidify due to the cold temperatures, which makes it harder to pass through.

In fact, baits with too high a fat content can be deadly and will bung the carp up. In other words, stay away from these when the waters cold.

Stay focussed – by staying warm

Don’t forget to wrap up warm either folks. It mind sound like commonsense but it’s perhaps the most important of all winter carp fishing tips.

Even though it’s currently mild, the sun only needs to drop and the temperatures will plummet. Don’t get caught out, you fish far better and more switched on if you’re warm.

Choose some nice warm socks, complete with a good pair of wellies and wear some under gear. Trakker has some fantastic warm under garments that keep you toasty.

Finding ’em on cold days

Pinpointing the carps’ whereabouts is often harder in the winter but once you find them, they will often be shoaled and stay their until spring. Search for the warmest areas and places of cover.

Snags, dying lilly beds and other sunken features often hold carp. Don’t neglect the middle columns of the water either.

Remember, carp don’t live on the bottom of the lake bed…they just feed there!

Consequently, don’t overlook the zig-rigs because this is prime time for them and as they’re slow and lethargic you can sometimes tempt them into snatching a suspended zig. It’s a myth that they’re only a summer tactic.

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