Short session tactics to use over the long run

Fishing short session tactics regardless of how long you plan to stay on the bank will earn you more bites, says Dynamite Baits’ Matt Povey

THERE’S an old saying in fishing, “it’s better to fish two minutes in the right place than two days in the wrong one”. At this time of year, when the water is still extremely cold, this sentiment is spoton. The carp will (probably) feed if you put a bait near them, but they are unlikely to move a great distance to get it. In other words, getting the location right is paramount, as the fish will generally be very tightly shoaled. To help me find this fruitful area of the swim, I tend to fish short session tactics, spread over a prolonged period. This enables me to attack the water, working the peg and actively looking for line bites and eventually a fish or three. Like many of you, I have a full-time job and a busy family life, so much of my angling revolves around quick sessions, although on occasion I do get to fish for longer spells of 36-48 hours. However, at this time of year, regardless of the length of the session I’m planning to fish, I still use my short session tactics. Here’s how...

Eye, eye!

Regardless of the time of year, a carp angler’s best weapon is always their eyes. I spend as much time as possible scanning the water, looking for any signs of fish, no matter how small. When the water is cold, the carp won’t crash out, but they will tend to roll close to the top, throwing up flat spots or even bubbles. All these are worth looking for and, more importantly, casting to. Cold-water carp are less inclined to move to bait, so you have to go to them. This doesn’t mean simply ‘pub-chucking’ the rods out and leaving them all day in the hope of a run. You need to have some clue as to where to start. This could be fish showing themselves but instead, like today when there is little or nothing ‘showing’, taking into account the prevailing weather conditions. Since I arrived a couple of days ago, the wind has changed direction by 180 degrees and is hammering into the opposite bank. With no bites during the last 24 hours, I have decided to up sticks and move around to the other side of the lake, carrying only the minimum of gear, to see if I can tempt a quick bite.

Matt shifted to the other side of the lake to try and tempt a fish following a biteless 24 hours