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Catch Carp In The Cold!
Winter fishing can be difficult at the best of times, but there are a number of ways that your time spent on the bank can be made effective. Korum’s Chris Ponsford rates winter as his favourite time of year for fishing, so we caught up with him to find out how he targets big, day-ticket carp when the cold weather sets in.
“Catching a big carp in winter is incredibly rewarding. Putting a lot of time and effort into banking a fish in adverse conditions really puts a smile on your face,” says Chris as he steps out of his car into the cold winter air.
Where To Fish? Chris knows exactly what sort of venue that he’s going to fish before he’s left the house. Experience tell him that he needs a water with a good stock of carp, making a commercial fishery the ideal choice of venue.
“I’ve wasted time before by trying to target big winter carp on lower-stocked venues. Don’t get me wrong, it’s possible to catch carp from low-stocked waters, but when fishing on short day sessions choosing a venue with higher numbers of carp gives you a much better chance of catching before you’ve even started,” Chris explains.
Commercial fisheries hold large numbers of carp, with most fisheries having them to double figures and even over 20lb. Having spent time looking at various venues and their stock on the internet (in the warm), Chris made his choice.
“It’s only a small lake, which should aid me in trying to find the fish, but it contains a reasonable stock of carp, the biggest of which is nearly 30lb. That would really brighten up a dull winter’s day,” he laughs.
Location, Location, Location!
“Before getting any fishing tackle out of my car I’m going to have a walk around the lake,” Chris tells us. “In summer you can get away with sitting on any peg without checking the place out. During the winter, though, the fish will shoal up in specific areas of the lake, meaning choosing a peg without having a look around first could see you fishing an area with no fish in it!”
He is looking for any signs of carp, which could be as obvious as a fish jumping, or anything as subtle as a few bubbles disturbing the water’s surface. Chris also points out the wind direction. Today the wind’s blowing in a southwesterly direction – a warmer wind – that blows across the length of the lake into a bay.
“This wind could keep the fish moving; a warmer southwesterly is always good to fish in and I think the fish might have followed the wind today.”
He also points out an overhanging bush, big enough for carp to hide under, offering protection. This snag also faces south, so when the winter sun shines it will be the area that gets more sunlight, and warms up quicker. Being cold blooded, carp will sit where they feel comfortable, and warmth is a great attracter.
“Another feature worth noting is the depth of water,” adds Chris. “I like to target the deep water when it’s really cold – it takes longer for the water at the bottom of the lake to cool. Deep water can be a great place to start in the cold months. It’s where I’m going to start my session today.”
Getting Riggy
“Rigs for winter carp are simple,” explains Chris as he pulls a packet of Korum Braided Hair rigs from his bag.
Removing the contents of the pre-tied rig from the packet, the Worcester ace threads on his lead clip, ties one knot and the rig is complete – the perfect setup in less than 30 seconds.
“These Braided Hair Rigs are brilliant and great for anyone who’s not that confident at tying rigs,” he tells us. “All I have to do is slide on the lead clip that comes with the rig, tie one knot to join my line to the rig’s swivel and it’s virtually complete. Then I slide on a lead, and attach my hook bait using the Quickstop and supplied Quickstop needle.”
Chris has chosen to use the size 8 Braided Hair rig to match his hook bait. A small lead of only 1.1oz is also selected due to the short cast needed, and to minimise disturbance.
“One thing that I regularly spot on small, intimate commercial venues is anglers using huge, powerful rods designed for casting large leads to the horizon,” frowns Chris. “These have no place on small lakes and only cause problems when the stiff rod fails to absorb the lunges of a carp at close range and your hook pulls out. I use Korum 10ft 2.5lb rods, perfect for small waters when fishing for carp – they bend right through to prevent hook-pulls as the fish near the net. Coupled with a small KZR 6000 reel they are the perfect match.”
How To… Make A Simple Winter Carp Rig Step 1: Slide the lead clip in the Korum Carp Rig packet on to your reel line. Step 2: Tie on your rig with your preferred knot. Step 3: Pull the swivel into the lead clip until you hear it click. Step 4: Place the Quickstop needle into the base of the Quickstop. Step 5: Push the Quickstop through your chosen hook bait. Step 6: Attach a lead to the lead clip and you are ready to fish!
Hi-Vis Hook Baits
Out of Chris’ tackle bag come two pots: one of Sonubaits Oozing Boilies, the other Sonubaits Code Red Wafters.
“I’m going to start the day with a Pineapple Oozing Pop-up. In the water these hook baits leak off colour and flavour, just what you need to attract the attentions of a docile winter carp.”
Chris selects an Oozing Pop-up from the pot and pushes the Quickstop through the bait using the needle supplied with the Braided Hair Rig. “All I need to do now is place a small split shot on to the rig to slowly sink the Pop-up and I’m ready to cast out.”
On his other rod, Chris opts for a Code Red Wafter. This hook bait is less buoyant than a Pop-up, just sinking under the weight of the hook, and is also attached to the rig via the Quickstop.
“Colour can play a big part in winter fishing. Some days one colour will be the one that the carp prefer, even with hook baits fished only feet apart,” he explains. “As the Oozing Pop-up is yellow I’ve picked a pink Code Red Wafter for the second rod. This balanced bait will easily be sucked into a carp’s mouth with little resistance.”
How Much To Feed?
It’s clear to see that Chris doesn’t want to overfeed. Winter carp won’t eat loads, but if they see a free meal in front of them they’ll grab it.
“I’m not a massive fan of fishing with just single hook baits. I think a small amount of bait around the rig adds more attraction to the general area and helps to pull the carp in. That’s why I like to introduce a little feed into the swim via a catapult.”
A pint of white maggots comes out of his bait bag along with a bag of 4mm Code Red pellets.
“I’ll catapult two pouchfuls of maggots over the top of my rigs; the white colour really stands out on the bottom and no fish can resist a few maggots. Next up is a pouchful of 4mm Code Red pellets. The attraction in these pellets is incredible. They’ll stop a winter carp in its tracks,” Pons grins, as he fires out a pouchful.
Chris’ lines are fished semi-slack with a good drop on the bobbin, but still with some tension down to the rig. He explains that this is his preferred method for any fishing.
“Having a bit of a drop on the bobbin allows me to read the bites. If the indicator rises to the top and doesn’t fall, there may well just be a fish on the end. But should the fish pick up my rig and swim towards me I’ll also be able to tell, as the lines aren’t fished super slack and the bobbin can still drop.”
Winter fishing can sometimes be about having a little patience. Having followed all of Chris’ tips you’ll be well on the way to cold-water success, but the feeding window may be very short in winter, perhaps only for 20 minutes just as the light starts to fade.
“Early morning and sunset are great times for a bite or three in winter. When the action comes it can sometimes be hectic,” Chris explains as he runs towards his screaming alarm as a fish takes off up the lake.
After a dogged fight lasting over 15 minutes a stunning mid-double-figure common carp hits the net. “This is what it’s all about! It’s taken a while for the fish to switch on, but by having confidence in your tactics when fishing in the cold you can end up cradling a stunning fish like this!”
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