single hookbaits in winter

[j green]

hi

do you think using single hookbaits in the winter is the best way to approach and where do you fish in the winter(deeper parts of the lake or islands or where abouts)what baits are the best baits(i think pop ups,pineaplle)and do you think shallow lakes or deeper lakes are best for winter.

I think deeper areas of a lake are better but need some more info that i dont no to help me for this winter.

 

thanks

[Guest Josh Iddon]

I prefer to have a small PVA stick or bag than just a single bait and I prefer bottom baits and rarely use pop ups, though when I do I use them I use them on snowman rigs or fish the pop up as a bottom bait and make it so it just sinks extreamly slowly. The snow man rig is my number one winter boilie rig but I find that natural baits work much better in winter like maggots and lobworms.

 

The shallows are the area of the lake that warm up first. Because I dont have that much winter carp fishing experiance I cant go into depth, but at my local common lake the fish seem to be in the shallow silty areas or sticking to features like marginal trees.

Edited February 3, 2006 by Josh Iddon

[edd]

the lake i fish most of the winter carp are caught from tight to the island

[lilypad]

My 2 best carp caught on 22mm halibut pellet with a very small (walnut size) pva bag of low oil 4mm carp pellets.

1st Feb 30lb 9oz and 3rd Feb 31lb 10oz (2005). No spodding or freebies of any kind.

The pellets form a visual "target" with the hookbait in the middle.

All the carp I caught last Winter were caught this way sometimes with a different hookbait.

[j green]

hi thanks for the info and please keep it coming

i know you shouldent have alot of bait in the winter because the fish dont feed as much but what areas of the lake are the best and were do you fish at your local fisherie.(under trees, opendeep water, shallow water) and what do you think of me using double maize on the hair rig and a tiny dynamite stick of method mix and 4 mm pellets.

[fantasticfisherman]

i havent had much experience of winter carp fishing, but that should work. and make sure the pellets are low oil ones

[Guest Josh Iddon]

I would also say thats fine. But I would prefer a mesh bag than a stick and I would also prefer naturals like maggots and worms.

 

I would be abit silly to say 'The carp will be in this part of the lake...' I would just look for signs of showing fish, and just cast the sticks or small mesh bags to them.Double maize should be good. Josh

Edited February 4, 2006 by Josh Iddon

[lilypad]

A good place I did find on my local lake was the remnants of an annual weed bed. All sorts of little stumps and debris from the dead weed. I have found that this particular weedbank gives off a "carp repellent" when it is in it's decaying state. But when the annual growth is completely dead they return. in this mini forest ( nothing over 6") I would use a small pop-up 14mm I found was fine. just pop it up to the level of the dead stuff. Still use the small pva bag though as it is still a good target over almost black debris.( club mix or similar)

I don't know if it is just me, but I have never found that the so called preferred winter fruity baits to be any good. Still use a high attract and even high oil content hookbait always fishmeal based. The fish are not going to swallow it. Are they???? Definitely no freebies.

This is all personal stuff which has worked for me, nothing more.

P.S. If you can use a third rod try something different on it. One that worked for me with fish up to 28lb was crystallised ginger, cut about oxo cube size with an artificial pop-up sweetcorn on the hair to balance the rig.

Best of luck. Isn't it nearly Spring?

Edited February 4, 2006 by lilypad

[fantasticfisherman]

Isn't it nearly Spring?

 

it is nearly spring but a couple of months can seem like a lifetime when you're waiting for it to come

[lilypad]

63 days for me ff