Winter Carp Fishing Tips

Winter carp fishing is great, there’s hardly a soul on the lake and we all know the benefits of this. The downside of winter carp fishing is they are somewhat lethargic in the cold water.

This can be tricky to get the carp to bite in these colder months. We have some great tips and advice so please read on.

Carp need less food in the winter as they are less active so getting the bait choice right and feeding tactics are crucial.

Here at Carp Fishing Reviews we will cover the above and more, please read on.

Baits to use in winter months.

Bread is an obvious one, this is especially good in rivers. Roach and Chub love bread as either flaked or punched.

We love using catapults with bread balls but don’t over-do.

PVA sticks with bread compressed into it are an excellent winter carp tactic.

[spacer height=”20px”]Maggots are overlooked when carp fishing but these can be a very effective bait in the winter. Again we use a mesh PVA bag then use maggots and grubs on a hair rig. Even if the carp isn’t hungry how could he resist those wriggling maggots – Killer tactic!  

[spacer height=”20px”]

Spice it up

Spices are great, this may be because the scent of the spices is strong and finds the Lethargic carp in the lake. Some spice fishing tips are things like sprinkling spices on maggots before using the tactic above. Spices in your ground bait is a top idea. You can even make pastes to go round your boilies using spices.

Liquid Attractors

Korda Goo New Flavours

Liquid attractors are an obvious tactic in winter carp fishing. There are so many to choose from but I have to say experiment with spicy and sweet variations to find the best bait to use on your lake.

Chocolate Additives

This is an excellent bait to use. There are a variety of additives available. Mix it up with an egg and make pop-up boilies or, mix into a killer paste.

Now we have a few options for bait how about feed times?

The saying little and often is very prolific here. A lot of people are too cautious when the carp start feeding, you need them to stick around, this is where you can feed them little and often to kick up a stir and keep them there.

Sighting a fish in the winter can make you feel like a kid in a sweet shop. But finding them can be challenging, we recommend Binoculars like these to spot a carp in the distance. Once you have spotted one make sure to move closer or at least close enough to cast to the fish.

Lighter Hooklinks

You should always lighten up your lines in the winter. I don’t mean go too think as to risk losing a fish but definitely, go lighter anything around 15lb breaking strain will do it.

If you’re lucky enough your lake may have an area which brings in natural food sources, like winter berries or worms etc. These make an ideal place to start fishing. I normally use a single hook bait when fishing near natural food sources.

Another obvious place is where the sun is on the water for lengths of time as this will make it slightly warmer, this is especially true when the sun hits shallow waters, carp love the warmer temperatures and when this happens this is an ideal place to locate carp.

If you know where the sun will come up it may be a good idea to fish there before the sun comes up so not to disturb the fish.

Island Fishing

Carp may be searching for warmer temperatures and one great place to look is near islands where the depth of water can vary. Near island, there will be lots of different depths of water in a close area so carp won’t have to go far to find the warmer water.

Deepest Water

When it’s really cold the most obvious place will be the deepest part of a lake, carp tend to stay in these places for long periods of time.

Chocolate Additives

This is an excellent bait to use. There are a variety of additives available. Mix it up with an egg and make pop-up boilies or, mix into a killer paste.

Now we have a few options for bait how about feed times?

The saying little and often is very prolific here. A lot of people are too cautious when the carp start feeding, you need them to stick around, this is where you can feed them little and often to kick up a stir and keep them there.

Keep an eye out

Sighting a fish in the winter can make you feel like a kid in a sweet shop. But finding them can be challenging, we recommend Binoculars like these to spot a carp in the distance. Once you have spotted one make sure to move closer or at least close enough to cast to the fish.

Lighter Hooklinks

You should always lighten up your lines in the winter. I don’t mean go too think as to risk losing a fish but definitely, go lighter anything around 15lb breaking strain will do it.

A great tip

We spend up to a couple of hours on a new lake plummeting the depth, carp will usually spend most of the time in deeper waters in winter months and finding the deep parts of a lake is crucial for fishing success.

What Gear to take?

You will probably have to move around a few times to locate a carp so bringing all your gear may not be the best idea. Just take a bait bucket with gear in and your pod etc, this way you can move around a few times.
When you go to a new lake you may not have a clue where to fish, especially if there are no signs of carp at all. To begin with I usually find a swim where you can view most of the lake, this way you give yourself more chance of spotting a fish and you also have more area in front of you to start fishing while looking for carp.
So what are you waiting for? Get your gear ready and go winter carp fishing today.