Most seasoned bait buffs agree that the critical requirement for a winter boilie is that it needs to be easily digestible. Of course, the same could be said for a summer boilie. However, what we need to remember is that a boilie that’s easy for carp to digest in the summer might not be the same in winter.
As the water temperature falls, so does the metabolism of the carp, and at this point the digestibility factor really comes into play, as the carp struggle to cope with baits heavy in fats and oils. Some HNV or heavy fishmeal based baits can contain higher levels of oils and fats, so as a consequence, if eaten in the colder months, the fish may take much longer to digest these types of baits compared to a bait light on oils and fats.
Why is this important? Well, the quicker a fish digests the bait the sooner it will be ready to go and eat some more, and the more it eats, the greater the probability that one is going to pick up your hookbait!
What is important to remember though is that food content is still of great importance. Yes, we need to lower the amount of fats and oils, but we need to ensure there’s still enough quality and goodness in it that when the carp does pick it up it’s going to get something from it! As such, it pays to stay away from the cheap semo baits; you want a bait with a good degree of quality soluble ingredients that the carp are going to home in on, eat, digest quickly and soon be ready for more!
Birdfood based boilies often fit the bill in this regard (excuse the pun!), and there’s no shortage of options when it comes to choosing, but our advice would be to spend a little. It never fails to amaze us how many anglers will spend hundreds, if not thousands of pounds on tackle, only to scrimp on the most important piece of equipment… the bait!
In this piece, we’ve picked out the Dynamite Birdfood Boilie Range as a perfect example. The boilies are made using a quality mix of easily digestible ingredients, which will be well matched to the dietary needs of the carp through the winter months.
The water soluble attractants will leak out of the bait even at low temperatures, and with a range of sweet and savoury flavours, there’s sure to be something to suit the carp in your chosen venue!
Don’t go mad though; even though they can digest these baits easily, you don’t want to over feed them. Feed little and often and play it by results. We like to build the swim through the duration of a session based on activity we see and results we may have. In winter, it’s all about starting off steady!
The Dynamite Birdfood Boilie Range of boilies retail at £4.99 per bag in 15mm; available in Hi-Attract Spicy Scopex, Hi-Attract Pineapple Plus, and Hi-Attract Strawberry & Ice Cream.
Available online from Dragon Carp – CLICK HERE
