Winterproof your Method

THE Method feeder is a summer only tactic, right? Wrong! Provided it’s fished correctly it can still catch plenty of carp during the winter. The benefit that the Method feeder has over the more common cold weather tactic of straight lead and single hookbait, is that the feeder offers a little extra attraction which is sometimes what is needed to get that extra bite or two. Of course, if you want to succeed on the Method in winter you will need to slightly adapt the tactic… 1) A trio of winter hookbaits Bread discs are one of the best winter baits. Compress the bread so that it sinks and then fish three discs of 8mm punched bread on the hair. They will swell up and provide an excellent target, especially in coloured water. Punched meat still works well in the cold but rather than using a whole cylinder of meat, try cutting it into a smaller disc. This makes it easier for carp to pick up and is perfect for burying in the loosefeed on the feeder. Small bright boilies also take some beating, with orange and yellow working particularly well in the cold. 2) How often to cast Fishing the Method in winter isn’t about building a peg, it’s more about trying to find the fish in the first place. A good rule of thumb is to fish for 20 minutes per cast. If you haven’t had a bite in this time, wind in and cast to a new spot. Once you start getting a few bites you might be able to see a pattern emerging which will then dictate how long you need to leave your feeder before recasting.

3) Groundbait or pellets?

Conditions will dictate as to what you mould around the frame of your feeder. Most commercials will remain coloured, even after frosts, and carp will still relying on their sense of smell to find the food so a mix of mainly pellets with just a small amount of groundbait will work well. Three handfuls of groundbait are about right for two pints of dampened 2mm micro pellets. In clear water you can ditch the groundbait altogether and just use pellets. If you want to make yours stand out colour them with a pinch of boilie dye.

4) How far to cast

It can be tempting to cast as far as possible, especially on larger waters. Of course, some days the carp will be at range but more often than not you’ll find them feeding a lot closer in. Keep an eye on how far out other anglers are casting and where they are casting from. There’s no point catching the occasional fish from 80 metres if you can get more bites fishing at 40 metres.