January and February are traditionally the most difficult months for angling as temperatures plummet, but there are still plenty of fish to catch if you think carefully about your approach. Here are some great tips to try this weekend…
1.Start on bread
A great way to start a session for match carp and F1s is by feeding nothing at all! If you can reach an island with a bit of cover and depth, or a corner with a big bush for example, try starting with a piece of 7-8mm punched bread on the hook. Fish anything from 4ins to 18ins off the bottom, searching the peg all the time.
Alternatively two or three larger pieces of bread on a hair rig, fished on the bomb, is great for wider pegs too.
We recommend: Guru Punch Kit
2. Light is best
Try to use the smallest bomb you can get away with, one you can just about reach the spot to cast to with. For short casts 10-12g bombs are fine.
Small bombs make much less disturbance, especially when they are feathered down or fished in conjunction with a line clip on the reel. So you’re less likely to spook fish, and with a bait like corn or bread on you’re often able to get a bite very quickly if it lands near a fish!
We recommend: Frenzee Precision Bombs
3. Soft tips, soft rods
Directly linked to using small bombs is using soft 0.5oz, 0.75oz and 1oz quivertips. These mean you can tighten up to small bombs easily without putting too much bend in the tip. A heavily bent tip means the line is very tight and can spook fish which bump into it. Soft tips also help you spot line bites which give a clue as to where fish are shoaled up.
We recommend: Drennan Acolyte Ultra 9ft Feeder
4. Time it
A stopwatch is an invaluable bit of kit for the winter angler. Set it at the start of a cast and see how long it takes for bites to materialise. For example you might find your bomb or feeder is the water 10 minutes, 20 minutes or even 30 minutes before a pull round occurs. Its a lot longer than it seems so if you’re guessing the time and reeling in too soon you might be missing out on a lot of fish!
5. Don’t cast too far to start
The worst thing you can do in winter is cast straight out to the middle of the lake, or to the limit of your swim. Chances are that yes, you’ll probably get a bite, but by fishing too long too early you’ll push the fish out of your swim. Instead start considerably shorter, then work your way out. It’s a much more efficient way of managing your peg.
We recommend: Best casting rods = Daiwa Tournament SLR
6. Be comfortable
It really is essential to invest in a good winter-style bib and brace and jacket, thermals, a fleece, windstopper and thermal boots. If you’re cold on the bank you won’t be fishing as efficiently and you’re likely to be uncomfortable and too active, probably casting or feeding more than you should, trying to keep warm.
We recommend: Winter Suits
Great tips. Excellent advice on not starting out too long.
Put tips into action tomorrow