A nice double figure Common from September last year, not winter but cooling off for Autumn, an early start for me.
Summer offers many benefits over winter for the Carp angler and I'm not saying I won't fish for them while it's warm but prolonged periods of hot weather like we're currently experiencing really doesn't float my boat. Carp are definitely easier to locate in the summer but I wouldn't say they are always easier to catch... Granted at certain times like after spawning they can be ridiculously easy as they get their heads down to try and regain some condition but to me catching them when they are hungry and out of condition has never sat comfortably... Sitting around in the heat trying to find a bit of cool shade whilst the Carp simply bask in the Sunshine and refuse to feed... Sure I could chase them around on the surface with floaters, and once upon a time this is exactly what I would do but having been there and done that and been quite proficient at it, these days I prefer not to exhaust myself. As I've got older I prefer to have more relaxed fishing sessions, but also most Carp lakes are so busy these days, actually fishing effectively on the surface is near impossible. Most of the time your efforts are scuppered by other discourteous anglers or there just simply isn't the room. I remember having been lucky enough to get a day session on the famous Stoneacres in Oxfordshire many years ago and through a lot of effort had got several fish going on the top until another angler decided to pitch up next to me, go out in his boat to bait and plumb the area and spook every single fish I that had spent the last few hours finding and gaining in confidence! I'm pretty sure that was probably the last time I floater fished in earnest...
For many years now I have avoided fishing for Carp between the months of May and August, normally only tentatively treading the banks in mid to late September depending on the temperatures. This self imposed close season allows me to recharge my Carp batteries as it were, and pursue other forms of Angling that I enjoy, revolving around Salt water which I pursue at night when it's cooler!
October and everything is turning yellow and Brown, with much more favourable temps for catching Carp.
Winter Carp fishing isn't easy, the fish are harder to locate, their nutritional requirements are less, they can spend long periods in no man's land in the water column nowhere near the bottom and more often than not the weather can make things very uncomfortable, be it cold or wet or both! Drops in temperature are the kiss of doom in winter, even a drop of half a degree in the water temperature is enough to switch them off most of the time. Cold North or Easterly winds also are a negative.
So why bother then? As I mentioned Carp are in their best condition of the year at this time, and this is the main reason for my preference of fishing for them at this time of year. Quieter banks are a bonus, especially when it comes to trying to locate them. If it's cold I can put on extra layers, if it's wet I can use a shelter or put on waterproofs, if it's cold and wet I can do both! It's harder to keep cool in the summer than to get warm in the winter.. Rain doesn't bother me as long as I have a good shelter and waterproofs. Rain in the winter often marks a milder spell which means the Carp will be more catchable and therefore I need to be out on the bank when this happens if I'm going to stand any chance of catching some.
Winter fishing can be more 'Technical' than Summer fishing, using bits and pieces in your bait mix, finding the right flavours and additives that will work in cold water, refining your rigs and scaling down to get bites are all part of the fun and something that I really enjoy. I've become something of a light line specialist in the last few years and being forced to use heavy gear such as at weedy water like the Yateley lakes is something I am not comfortable with. Skull dragging fish through weed isn't really very sporting but I understand it is a necessity on many waters these days. Having said that, in winter the weed is often less which means you are able to fish lighter and more refined and if the water is weed and snag free I am not afraid to scale right down to 8lb mainlines and Rods of 2lb test or less. My favourite rods I own are my 10ft Free Spirit Bank Creepers. If I could use these 100% of the time I would. It's very rewarding using balanced light tackle and you actually get to fight the fish rather than 'walk' them in. Most of my local waters offer the chance to fish pretty light but If I need to step up for bigger waters on trips away then I will.
End of December and water and Air temps of less than 5 degrees.
I really enjoy the Technical aspect of the winter fishing and it plays to my strengths as an Angler. PVA bags have always served me well wherever I have been and when I look back over the years I have probably had more success on solid bags than any other method, especially on unknown or new to me waters, Sometimes catching me fish quite quickly without knowing very much at all about the venues. I love tinkering with the mix for bags, bit's of this and that, different liquids and powders, it gives me great confidence, especially when the odds are stacked against me. I take great pleasure in refining the rigs and hook baits for the job too. Years ago, ( here I go again! ) I used to visit Broadlands lake in Romsey as it is just over the water from me ( really must have a go there again.. ), at the time it was known as a PVA bag water and that was pretty much exclusively what the fish were caught on. If you weren't on bags it seemed you struggled. I think the fish were just conditioned to finding little patches of food or even single hookbaits once the Roach and Bream had eaten the pellets. The point is my friends and I learn't how to make up and tie PVA bags well and this stood us in good stead for taking the method to other waters and of course we adopted it as our favoured winter method. PVA bags seem to have fallen out of vogue now , especially solid one's and everyone wants to Spod or Spomb out big beds of bait or use stocking bags which are much easier but don't achieve the same level of presentation.
My friend and I used to fish some of the CEMEX waters before they were sold off, including Kingsmead 1 and Papercourt, both of which were weedy and both of which we fished on the winter ticket available at the time. I found success from both these waters and others using bags and little parcels of food of a technical nature. Finding the thinner patches of weed and dropping a well packed solid bag full of goodies worked well.
It was Snowing with a bitter North Easterly wind when I caught this one in the first week of January this year!
So there are my reasons for my preference of fishing for Carp more in the winter than summer and hence why I start dreaming of the winter in July! I think the pictures speak for themselves.
