Lightening the load

Avid’s Michael Poulter explains why scaling down your tackle and refining your bait choices is crucial if you want to hold up a big carp for the cameras this winter

WINTER may not be the most productive time where numbers of fish are concerned, but when that bite does eventually come, it’s always a great moment of self-achievement and pride. There’s also the added bonus that carp are in tip-top condition and at their heaviest weight at this point in the carp fishing calendar. A big part of my winter plan is taking stock of how much gear I take with me and giving a little bit of extra thought to how I present my traps in the clear water.

Tackle box overhaul

The first thing I do is remove any nonessential items that have found their way into the carryall over the warmer months. This makes the haul along the muddy banks a bit easier and moving swims less of a chore should I see fish in a different area of the lake. Let’s start with rods. Recently, my weapons of choice have been 10ft Tractions in 3lb test curve, as the swims on my syndicate water can be a bit tight. Any extra leads, bait or end tackle can be stowed back in the van but, in reality, if I get two bites on an overnighter I’ve had a right result! So, these extras are rarely required and it’s amazing the difference in weight removing these small items makes. I also scale down the size of just about everything else I use too, including hooks, hooklinks, mainlines and leads. As well as helping to reduce the weight of my luggage, these small tweaks help with being a bit more discreet with my winter rig presentation. The 18lb mono I use to tackle the savage weedy waters of summer is replaced by 12lb Outline