Winning tips
from Lee Thornton
CARP and F1s are known to stop feeding for much of the winter. Yet a single piece of punched bread can produce the goods consistently, especially in matches, where the fish tend to move around less owing to angling pressure on the bank.
The reason a hookbait sat on its own works is simple to understand. During the colder months carp do not need to eat much at all. Being coldblooded creatures, they do not use anywhere near the amount of energy that they do in the warmer months to get through the day. As a result, these carp become conditioned to move away from any feed being introduced or a bait that is stationary on the bottom. I’m not quite sure whether a reluctance to feed is a response to avoid being caught or not, but I have a hunch this is most likely the reason.
Therefore, a single attractive hookbait can outscore all other methods, and bread is a timeless classic to stick on the hook to get your fair share of fish.
It’s not easy, though. Bread fishing does seem to have got more difficult over the years. Fish which get caught on it regularly will do everything they can to avoid making the same mistake again.
As a result, every aspect of your approach and set-up becomes crucial to success.
Fish a long line
A long line between the float and pole-tip lets me keep the tip well away from any fish, reducing the chance of spooking. A low-profile Ghost top kit along with that length of line gives me flexibility in the rig to change depths quickly or to swing the rig past the pole-tip. I do, though, prefer two sizeable back shot on this to stabilise everything.
loCation
Now we move on to the single most important aspect of bread fishing. A feature where the fish can back off to – be this a bridge, a floating island, the far bank, reed beds, aerators or trees – is the perfect starting point, so long as there’s around 3ft of water. This is the depth carp and F1s commonly like to have over their backs in winter to feel comfortable.
That said, I do set up two rigs, one for fishing 2ft 6ins to 3ft deep and another that can be fished with a good length of line above the float, set 6ins to a foot off bottom in the deepest area of the peg.
Catching a few extra fish in these deep areas has won me several matches over the years, basically by fishing in a part of the peg with no obvious cover or any good reason for fish to congregate there.
EXplorE thE swim
It’s important not to spend too long in areas that do not quickly deliver indications of fish. When you catch on bread, I don’t believe it’s common to catch just one carp. You are targeting a shoal of fish, which means there are a few in the area. Even if a proper bite is not forthcoming, areas where you get small indications and movements on the float are most likely to produce a positive bite.
Depth is important too. I’ve already said that 3ft is a good starting point, but you need to be at precisely the same depth as the fish to give yourself the best chance of a bite. Carp will not follow a piece of bread deeper or shallower from where they are comfortable. It’s the angler who adjusts the rig if no indications are forthcoming that catches the most fish.
When starting a session, I give each area two or three minutes to see if I can get indications. If not, I move around the peg a metre at a time and when I think I’ve located a shoal of fish, that’s the time to start altering the depth.
rEst Each arEa
I have found in the last couple of seasons that once I’ve found a spot with some carp, it pays to not keep going into the same area every time.
I don’t think that this is because the fish have ‘wised up’. It’s more that the milder winters we are having means that even though the fish are still in a non-feeding mood, water that is a degree or two warmer makes them more inclined to move around or swim out of the peg than if it were colder and they were more lethargic.
It’s quite difficult to do this if you only have one area in a swim where it is possible to get bites, but definitely try resting the catching area regularly, even if it does mean fishing where it seems there is little to no chance of a bite.
This ploy can actually produce more fish in the longer run.