Feeder tricks to keep you catching in the cold...
THE first frosts have arrived and the days are most certainly cold now. This will have an effect on the fishing at even the most prolific of commercial carp waters and, in this instance, I bank on the bomb or a small feeder to get the best out of my peg.
This static approach allows me to set a trap and wait for the fish to come along, but it also lets me explore a lot of the peg in a way that the pole can’t. However, there are some things that you need to do in winter that are far removed from the way I’d fish the tip in summer. These may only be little tweaks but they really do make a difference in the cold!
LEAVE THE BAIT IN
In winter, it is important to think about how many carp you may realistically catch. For example, if this is only 10 fish in five hours then that means a fish every half-an-hour. Because you won’t get a bite on every cast, there’s no need to go reeling in the bomb or feeder every few minutes.
Lots of casts means more disturbance in the swim and the chance of spooking the fish. For that reason I’ll leave my rig in the water for up to 20 minutes at a time before winding in.
USE LIGHT BOMBS
It’s important to fish as light as you can on the bomb. This is due to fish not liking the sound of a heavy weight hitting the water, especially on a calm day. Use a bomb that’s just light enough to cast to where the fish are. I normally find that three eighths of an ounce to half an ounce are about right for a short to medium-range chuck.
WATCH THAT TIP!
Using a bomb is one of the easiest ways of finding fish in the winter because the quivertip registers giveaways in the shape of line bites. I begin by fishing short and then creep out further and further into the lake until I start to get line bites.
When this happens I then know that I’ve found the fish.
However, don’t strike at these ‘liners’ because you could end up foul-hooking fish, plus you’ll be bringing the rig in and casting out again, thus creating needless disturbance in the swim.