Ok, got my kit and i`m ready for the off! Gonna head out to South Manchester and see what i can find.

Just a few questions...

What is the first thing to do when i get there...with it being cold, Andy at the tackle shop said the fish will be bottom feeding so guage the deapth first. So is this the first thing i should do ? Find the deapth then add on a little extra slack ?

How much bait should i be throwing in to get the swim, how much and how often?

What should i be looking for when i pick my spot ?

If i`m not catching or even hitting a bite what should i do ?

.....i`m sure i`ll think of some more later so i`ll add them..... i jsut want as much info as possible to try and have a succesfull morning...i understand with the weather i`ll probably catch little but i just want to wet my line really! lol

Chris R

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As it's really cold at the moment most of the fish will be on or near the bottom.

I would plumb the depth and fish an inch or two overdepth to start with. I wouldn't introduce any loosefeed either.

The fish will likely be shoaled up so try casting to different areas of your swim until you find the fish then you can guess? if they want a bit of feed to get them going but only two or three maggots at a time. If the fish come on to the feed you can always add more loosefeed, probably half a dozen maggots after every fish.

Also try different depths to find the fish, they know where they want to be, we just have to best guess.

Enjoy it.

Lol i like that :-

""probably half a dozen maggots AFTER EVERY FISH"

will be happy to catch one!

I slightly confused, what do you class as your swim? Is that the area you are casting to ?
I thought you created a swim by intorducing loose bate, but i understand u dont want to release too much free bait or you`ll end up fillin up the fish! :-)

Also, what exact setup would u use, as line to hook. Deapth of bottom, hook to float and appropriate weights ?

Any suggestions for bait...i have pinkies and some of that tutty fruity putty stuff. anything else i should take with me ? Sweetcorn, bread ...?

Chris

Just to increase your options , feed two areas , if nothings happening in one switch to other , bites are gonna be hard to find in this weather , play the percentage game !

When you get to the venue look for some structure an overhanging bush, a reed bed or such like these act as a holding feature for fish in the winter.
Remember to have a chat with the fishery owner or Bailiff to sound them out for the hotspots, before you start fishing.
Also keep your eyes open for fish moving and be prepared to move swims if necessary, even when its cold they soemtimes still show.

Some good advice here craynerd,welcome to AN by the way! One thing I would add is to fish as light a hook length and small a hook as you can at this time of year.Sixe 22 hook to 1.1lb line is good.Also remember that the weather conditions at the moment are poor so dont worry if you struggle tommorow.Good luck and keep us posted.

Sorry Chris

Your swim is the area in front of you where you are fishing within reason.

Baits I'd go with pinkie, maggot, chopped worm if there are likely to be perch about and a few slices of bread for punch or small flake.

It depends mainly on the venue you will be fishing, if your going to a commercial it might be worth taking sweetcorn.

i know this is probably abit late now but just for future some hemp seed and some good ground bait has always enticed fish this time of year in my local waters. good luck and tight lines

It may be a tad late for he original questioner but I imagine some others who've not tried winter sessions can benefit from the advice.