I love being out on the bank over the winter and early spring period more than any other time of the year. Yes, the fishing generally slows down and becomes more challenging, however being outdoors on winter days as the environment around you gradually changes and watching how wildlife adapts to climates new is something that for me is hard to beat. This, coupled with the fact the fish are at their biggest weights and sporting their true winter colours…and the better weather isn’t too far away either.
CHANGING TACTICS
Although things tend to become incredibly busy at Nash HQ this time of year, what with all the new 2013 product releases and with the show season, I try my hardest to be out fishing as much as possible during the coming months. However, my objectives, tactics and general approach dramatically differ compared with the summer months.
My late spring and summers are generally spent campaign carping. By this, I mean concentrating my efforts on a specific water and, in some cases, targeting a specific fish. This obviously involves spending as much time as possible at the venue, doing my research and baiting areas that I aim to target, like I say, “campaign carping”. I’m also often found with a floater rod in hand as soon as the opportunities arrive, or stalking the margins for any given opportunity. Admittedly, I struggle to sit behind static rods for days on end, much preferring to stay mobile and hunt them down, if you like. However, when the temperatures begin to drop and the days draw in, my campaign carping ends and I begin to concentrate my efforts on short session fishing, generally on day ticket waters, with the main objective being getting plenty of bites.
Over the last few seasons, I have become more and more interested in short session fishing, not just for carp but all species. I thrive on the challenge of trying to get a bite in a short space of time, often on a venue I have never fished before. Bait choices, rig selection and my tactical approach differs dramatically and these are the aspects I have decided to cover in this piece.
PREPARATION
At this time of the year, a short session/day session usually only consists of roughly 8–10 hours from dawn ’til dusk, or thereabouts, meaning preparation and organisation are the two most important things to consider.
As the saying goes with most things “preparation is key” and when you’re on limited time and the pressure is on, the more effort you put in the greater the chance of success. The best way of aiding this is to do as much research, or as they say “do your homework” prior to your visit to the venue. Knowing what approach to take before turning up to a water will save you a great deal of time and hassle, and give you a realistic chance of a quick bite with the short time you have. Which areas of the lake the fish have been coming from? What baits and tactics have been producing the bites? Are certain colours catching more? Certain flavours? etc….. Each of these aspects represents a piece of the jigsaw and once you can piece them together to form a plan of attack ,you often get the results quickly.
THE FIRST BITE
Whenever I turn up to the venue, I like to be ready to fish from the off. There have been several instances when I’ve turned up to a water and immediately spotted signs of feeding fish, sometimes it’s bubbles or fish crashing. I’ve cast a rig to them and have had a fish on the bank within minutes of being there, whilst others around are still piecing their first rod together. On the winter waters I’m targeting, I’ve found that the carp are more often than not most catchable in the early hours when they are having their first feed of the day before the leads start flying and the day’s angling pressure starts to build. Therefore, it pays to be organised; always have your rods made up and ready to go.
Again, knowing the water prior to turning up can help in this instance, also. For example, if I knew the water was weedy or contained snags, I would set myself up on Diffusion Weed Safe Bolt Beads. On the other hand, if I was fishing a venue that receives a large amount of angling pressure, which is often the case with these commercial type day ticket venues, I would opt for a run rig set up for optimum sensitivity. Whatever the situation, it pays to be equipped and ready to cast should an opportunity arise so early in the session. This is where our ready-made Diffusion Camo Leader range comes into it’s own. With these I can switch set ups in seconds, from a run rig to a safety bolt bead set up, to a helicopter set up should I need it. I carry a selection of these in my rig wallet ready to go, should I need to change my approach at any point, again saving me valuable time.
STAYING MOBILE
Another important factor in my armoury when it comes to winter carping is to stay mobile at all times. Most carp anglers, myself included more often than not, take far too much gear with us. Admittedly, when you’re on a longer session, you need to be prepared. However, on short day sessions, it’s amazing what you can get away with taking, or without taking, should I say? It’s paramount to be able to up sticks and move in minutes should you see signs of fish. I do this by, literally, fishing off my barrow, meaning I do not have to upload my tackle each time. Instead, I have everything to hand. The Barrowlogix panniers make this job much much easier, as I can have all my essentials within reach, without having too offload and search through all my tackle.
ONE BITE WONDER
When it comes to rig choice, I have a few different options tied and ready to go as and when I need them. Again, these are prepared prior to my session. If you’re tying rigs on the bank, then you’re wasting valuable fishing time. I have a few rigs I take with me, all of which are designed to be “quick bite” rigs, as I call them, and all have their own advantages in certain situations.
I have also been a big fan of the Chain Reaction Pellets since their release back in 2011. Last winter, I had great success fishing a small 10mm Rainbow pop-up on a simple knotless knot style rig. As opposed to fishing this rig in conjunction with a small stick or PVA bag, I started experimenting with the Chain Reactions and instantly enjoyed some great results. Don’t get me wrong, I use PVA a lot in my fishing, but with this particular rig I feel the Chain Reactions really come into their own.
They completely eliminate the problem of the hair tangling on the cast, which can be an issue with rigs of this type. One or two fast dissolving Chain Reactions threaded down the hook link onto the hook holds the hair in place on the cast.
When the rig hits the lakebed, the pellets quickly breakdown into a highly attractive pile of feed surrounding the bright hookbait. It’s an irresistible mouthful for a winter carp.
Colour can be an important factor when angling for a fast bite; Monster Squid is the perfect bait for this and now that it’s available in black, red and purple, the bait provides plenty of options. The purple, in particular, has proven particularly effective when the fishing is slow.
GETTING SQUIDGEE WITH IT
Since the release of the 10mm Neon Squidgee hookbaits in the Fish Frenzy range this year, they have become a key component in my hookbait armoury. The Fish Frenzy range has been purpose designed for the day ticket carper and, after using them for the past year, I have the utmost confidence in them when fishing for a quick bite. The 10mm squidgees really are the perfect hookbait and, when fished in conjunction with a small stick, they are deadly.
Over the last few weeks, I have fished a variety of day ticket waters and the Squidgees have accounted for a large percentage of my bites. The Squidgees are available in a variety of flavours and colours, the neon yellow Pineapple and neon pink Scopex being my favourite at present.
I’ve also been experimenting with bright stick mixes of late; I simply crush up some of the 15mm Fish Frenzy boilies and Soluballs, which are also bright in colour. By adding a few liquids, pretty much anything with a proven winter track record, I now feel I have created the ultimate “quick bite” stick mix.
TIME TO GET ZIGGY
Many anglers still seem to think of zig fishing as a warm weather tactic only, when in fact this couldn’t be further from the truth. Don’t get me wrong, I took some convincing, but this winter zig rigs will be my main line of attack. Due to thermoclines in the water during the colder months (and by this I mean trapped layers of warmer water), the fish often spend a large percentage of their time at this depth, more often than not midwater. This makes zig rigs deadly, even in the depths of winter when you think a bite is near on impossible.
I have saved many blank sessions by making the choice to switch over to the zigs, even more so since the release of our awesome Zig Bugs, which really are a revolution. Working for Nash, I guess you’d expect me to say this, but if I had to choose one approach to fish this winter I would choose to fish a Zig Bug without the slightest hesitation.
I’m hoping that by giving you a small insight into my winter approach, I have got the point across that carp fishing is far from just a summer pastime. In fact, the challenge of winter fishing can be even more rewarding.
You may need to make a few small changes to your approach, its also important to fish waters that give you a realistic chance of a bite or two. Use rigs and baits that will get you a quick bite, and most importantly be organised and prepared prior to your session and maximise your fishing time when on the bank.
Do this and the rewards are there for the taking!
Tom Forman, Nash Tackle
