WINTER DAYS SESSIONS: PART 1

Ask any carp angler which two months of the year they are least likely to go angling in, and you can more or less guarantee that January and February will be mentioned the most. I’m the first to agree that it’s hardly the most inspiring period in the carp fishing calendar, with many anglers either hanging up their rods or switching their attentions to other more co-operative species, such as chub and pike. However, it’s not all doom and gloom on the carp side of things. Pick the right water and they are still catchable, and what’s more, you don’t need to spend long periods on the bank to be in with a chance. Long sessions in the winter can be a pretty dour affair, and although I do know a few anglers who actually prefer to fish in the winter, I know a lot more whose carp fishing trips through the colder weather can be counted on one hand....

For a long time now my own winter fishing has mainly consisted of days rather than longer sessions. Why? Well the simple reason is just because I enjoy that style of fishing more. I must admit, that although I have gone through a number of winters fishing right through regardless of the conditions, more recently this has only been when the water I’ve been targeting is a long way from home. If I can, I much prefer to fish shorter sessions. The ability to travel light is just one advantage of fishing days, and if you see some sort of carpy activity down at the other end of the lake, you can be packed up and on the move within minutes – try that with three or four days worth of winter session gear! I find that the more gear I have with me, the less I am inclined to move.  

GETTING ON EM
As we all know, location is an important aspect of carp fishing at any time of the year. For the next few months, however, it really is the key to getting a few bites. Carp will still show themselves in the coldest of weather, although those unmistakable crashes when they heave their whole body clear of the water are likely to be replaced by a more gentle shuffle, and where you’ll often see no more than a few inches of the carps’ head appear above water. In low light and choppy weather this sort of activity can easily be missed if you are tucked away in the back of your bivvy, unless of course, you just happen to be looking directly at where the fish comes up. The Horseshoe carp would often show like this in the winter and you would get to see, at the most, half of their head silently pop up out of the waves.

At the ranges the Horseshoe fish often sat at during the colder months, you really did have to keep your eyes peeled. However, they did show every single day. Personally, I find that I stay far more aware of what’s going on around me when fishing days. If something does show, I’m far more likely to see or hear it. Without doubt the best times so see activity at this time of year is early and late.  When fishing days I do my very best to ensure that I’m on the bank as its getting light, and watching from a swim that allows me to see as much of the lake as possible. It does mean an earlier start than normal, but you only get out what you put in, and I’ve never known the extra effort not to be worth it in the end. In fact, I can remember when fishing Linear Fisheries Smith’s Hardwick back in the winter of 2002 as to how important this was to become. I was fishing the water with my good friend Nick Helleur, and we would always arrange to meet in the car park just as it was getting light. With a 5 am start, I thought I was doing pretty well to get there on time. On nearly every occasion, however, Nick had already been there long enough to have a look round, and more often than not had found the fish. The early morning starts turned out to be a vital part in the success that we both had, and showed that nothing should be too much trouble. Carp activity during the main part of the day was non existent, and considering how much of a winter head banger the 30 foot deep Smith’s Hardwick was rumoured to be, we managed to sneak out a surprising amount of fish through the February, the majority of them coming through the day.

It just shows that if you can find the fish you are always in with a chance. Another important part of location is to always know exactly which way the wind is blowing from, and on many waters I’ve fished in the past this has been one of the most vital things of all. If I’m visiting a new water, working out what wind blows where will be one of the first things I do, and rather than go by what other anglers tell you, I much prefer to work it out for myself using a compass. Also, following the weather forecasts prior to your fishing trips is always worthwhile, and I look for info on temperautues, wind direction and air pressure. The BBC and met office websites are what I usually look at, and both give you a 5 day forecast covering everything us carp anglers need to know. You can’t take all the information supplied as gospel, but I’ve found although there are other sites that look further ahead, these two do seem to get it right more often.

WINTER HOT SPOTS
Despite being at its weakest over the next few weeks, the sun can still have a very positive effect on cold water fishing. Even in the worst weather, a few hours of sun can often have the carp heading towards the shallows to take advantage of the minute amount of warmth it can provide. We can capitalize on this, and it’s simply a case of keeping your eyes open as to what’s going on. Walk around any lake and you’ll notice immediately that certain parts will feel warmer than others, and it will be exactly the same out in the lake too. In particular, never overlook any stretches of bank that face the sun from first light. It’s even better if the same area is also sheltered from any cold winds, and there are a few snags for the carp to lie up in close by. I’ve been surprised on numerous occasions how close in to the bank winter carp will come if it’s quiet. They may only stay for a short time before moving back out into open water, but if you know they are visiting the area then you can act on it, and maybe set up an ambush for the carp the following day.

On one local estate lake I used to fish, sunny winter days would often see the carp congregate around the margins of the only island. The thing was that the other end of the water offered a lot more security in the shape of deeper water and a few snags, yet for some reason the water around the island was a major draw. It was only a couple of feet deep and the fish couldn’t help but give themselves away when there, yet over a couple of winters I lost count of the number of fish I caught from that part of the lake.

Sometimes I really think it’s best to expect the unexpected when it comes to location of winter carp. After finding fish in many odd places in the past, I never rule anywhere out unless I can physically see that the carp are not there. One thing that I haven’t mentioned is the carps’ movement in regards to angling pressure. I think this is one of the main reasons why especially on the more pressured waters, the fish don’t seem to follow the rule book anymore, and head off to areas where you don’t expect then to be.
In part 2 we’ll look at bait and how to fish accurate.

Ian Poole