LATE WINTER TACTICS FOR END OF SEASON SUCCESS

Tips on location, rigs and bait selection for catching carp as they rouse from their winter torpor by Jock Downes

The past few winters have been pretty unpleasant, and if like me, you have become disillusioned by winter carp fishing in the ice and snow, then you are probably looking forward to the balmy days of March. The sun suddenly seems to have a bit more power, the air warms a little and the carp suddenly seem to be moving. They still don’t generally want a lot of food, and heavy baiting can kill the chance of a fish, but they are willing to snaffle a PVA bag or stick, or a dozen boilies scattered around the hookbait. Don’t get me wrong, carp can be caught in almost any weather conditions, at any time of year, if you can find the fish and present a bait to them. But there is something about carp fishing in the last week of February and the first two weeks of March that I love.

This is what is possible in the right conditions in late winter / early spring – stunning big carp catchable on simple tactics

What to look out for

Success at this time of year is all about the combination of increasing daylight hours and weather. There are venues where the carp will feed all winter, even in the coldest conditions, but these are becoming uncommon. In general winter carp fishing is becoming harder, quite why is open to debate, but what I do know for certain is that after a hard winter a particular set of weather conditions will get the carp feeding even after a long frozen spell.

Keep your eye on the weather forecast, particularly at air temperatures and wind direction. A weather system coming in to the UK from the west or south west at this time of year usually means warmer air, lower pressure and a good breeze. From about mid-February, a period of 3-4 consecutive days in excess of 12°C will change the behaviour of even the most reluctant carp, even if the preceding temperatures have been very low. If the air temperature hits 14°C you can almost guarantee the carp will be moving and feeding. If the weather change coincides with sunny conditions, this can switch the fish on like a light switch. A weather change like this in December or January rarely has the same effect on carp.

The closer we get to March the better the chance the fish will start moving after this kind of weather change, even if the lake has recently been frozen. In February 2006 my regular syndicate lake, Dinton Pastures, was frozen for much of the month, and the freeze continued into the first week of March. The ice finally cleared at the end of that first week of March, and as the air temperature began to rise, the Dinton carp started to feed. In the space of a few days, about half a dozen were caught, compared to none for 8 weeks or so beforehand. A couple of years previously I caught 3 in a session in February after 3 days of about 9°C and 2 days of 14°C, following a period of snow and ice. In March 2009 Dinton produced about 10 fish in a week, after months of no carp and nothing but snow and ice.

 These conditions get the fish moving and feeding mid-February to mid-March

• Low pressure approaching from south-west or west usually means slightly warmer air

• South or south west winds after a period of north or east winds

• Air temperature +12°C for 3-4 days, or 14°C for any length of time

• Sunshine

Returning an early March 38lb 4oz mirror, caught on the Method in a period of rising temperatures

Location and tactics

During these milder spells in late winter, carp will often move greater distances than at any other time during the winter, although they may be moving slowly. Look for them in their usual summer haunts and anywhere you would normally catch them in reasonable weather conditions. In areas they usually just pass through without feeding, they can drop down and pick up a bait because they are actively looking for easy sources of food.

 The other slightly surprising fact about carp at this time of year is that they often turn up in very shallow water, particularly if the sun is shining. Almost every year the Dinton carp turn up on the shallows at one end of the lake or the other, usually in early-mid March, if the weather is right. They often get caught in these conditions in just 3ft-4ft of water, and it is possible to catch a couple of fish before they move off. I think they just want to get into the warmest water, and feel the sun on their backs.

Keep your tactics simple and the amount of bait small. Straight boilie bottom baits work well, or a 1" pop-up or chod rig if there is crud on the bottom (there always is crud at this time of year – most weed has died off and is decaying on the bottom with reed stems and dead leaves). I have done well at this time of year fishing the Method with Elips Pellets and Blitz Multimix, and also using small amounts of spodded hemp and Blitz multi-mix. Keep the amount of bait low, not more than 10-15 boilies per rod, or ½-1 kilo hemp/groundbait per rod.

As regards rigs, again keep it simple – a straight fluorocarbon or nylon hooklink with a modern turned eye hook such as the ESP Raptor D7 or Korda Wide Gape is usually sufficient. Mount the bait on a shortish hair tied to a sliding rig swivel. Don’t expect screaming runs all the time, the fish are still sluggish and may give no more than a couple of twitches and a slow tightening of the line.

Top catch!

My most memorable end-of-season catch was probably last year 2009. The lake was dead and frozen for weeks on end over the winter, and as March approached and the temperature slowly rose I waited impatiently for the optimum conditions for late season Dinton carping. In early March I was down at the lake and initially dumped my gear in peg 8, one of the better winter areas and a good swim for intercepting fish moving from the deeper swims into shallower end. The conditions were perfect – mild and breezy with a south westerly, plenty of cloud cover and not too many anglers. Having spotted a couple of fish in front of the reeds, I hurried back to move the gear out of peg 8 and into the Long Boards. I quickly packed up the trolley and just as I was clipping on the bungees I glanced over to see the Plumber biking down to his favourite Long Boards. Disaster!!!! Anyway the Plumber caught one that session, a 36lb cracker while I blanked in peg 8.

The next week I was back and again stopped first in peg 8. Conditions were again perfect, and every frog and toad in the park was spawning. I met Glyn Gomersall for a chat on the way round but I couldn’t stop looking at the Long Boards area – it looked ideal. Without further delay I headed over there with the gear and this time beat the Plumber to it.

Suffice to say the fish were there in big numbers. I bagged 6 fish up to 42lb 4oz, most caught just 10 yards from the edge of the reeds. There was a lot of silkweed and chod on the bottom so I fished small pop-ups higher than I would normally, about 2"-3". 4 fish fell to Flamin Squid Pop-Ups in 4 feet of water and 2 fish fell to Nutz Pop Ups soaked in Betalin in 6 feet of water. I used about 50 baits per rod over the whole session.

Paw Print at 42lb 4oz was the top fish in a 6 carp catch in March 2009.  She fell to a Nutz pop-up in 5-6ft of water.  Conditions could not have been better!