USE A PLUMMET
A PLUMMET is the pole angler’s best friend in winter. If I’m ever struggling for a bite I’ll always get one out and explore the swim.
I’m looking to find features on the bottom, such as a slightly deeper hole or any type of depth variation. Underwater features such as these aren’t always easy to locate, but more often than not they will have a fish or two hanging around them. Fish love a structure, no matter how small it is.
If I do find a depth change such as a deeper hole I will target this spot by initially dobbing with just my hookbait, and then feeding a tiny amount of bait to try to set a trap that will bring me one fish.
On the subject of features, obvious ones above the water will also hold fish, so overhanging trees, rush beds, undercut banks or floating aerators are all areas to look at. Don’t think they have to be big features – even a few strands of grass lying in the water can hold a fish.
I remember a winter league match on the Snake Lake at Makins Fishery where, with four hours gone, I was blanking, so I decided to re-evaluate and think about where I’d be hiding if I was a fish!
The only feature I could see was four reeds that had fallen over and gone into the water. With nothing else to go on I replumbed and went to the reeds with a grain of corn on the hook. Two carp later I had a second in section when a blank looked odds-on. I’m convinced that those two carp were sat under the cover, even though this feature was no great shakes to look at.