Improve Your Coarse Fishing (UK)
Tom Maker reveals the secrets to his impressive record of catching big carp in the cold
Sticky’s Tom Maker is one of the most consistent coldweather anglers. Here are the secrets of his success
THE first factor about fishing in the cold is to pick the right venue. I try to fish lakes with a good stock of carp, Linear Fisheries being the main one. There is a healthy stock of fish, especially in the Brasenose pits and there will be a large number of them competing for food. Finding them can be tricky, especially if they are not putting on much of a show. If I don’t see fish, then I try to fish the middle of the lake, or where the bulk of the birds are. The fish will often be close by or beneath the birds, so our feathered friends can be a real giveaway.
Start high and work down
On B1, the majority of the action comes at night over baited spots. That’s not to say that there aren’t ways to tempt a bite during the day. It’s no secret that zig rigs can be incredibly effective in winter, and this is certainly the case at the Linear complex in Oxfordshire. When it is really cold, I have found that starting high up in the water and working my way down is best. In 14ft of water, I put one baited zig at 12ft, one at 9ft and the third at 6ft. If nothing happens, the fish could be sat even lower down – which proved to be the case on this session. I eventually started catching 3ft off the bottom and landed a cracking 38lb mirror. When it is hard to get a bite, instead of fishing plain foam I floss a few maggots on top of it too. This extra movement, colour, smell or whatever it is that attracts carp, works really well and that little extra effort can go a long way.
Catching on the deck
When it is time to fish the rods on the bottom for the night, my favoured mix to fish over is Manilla boilies and sweetcorn with a good helping of Cloudy Manilla liquid. When I arrive at the venue I cover the boilies in lake water in a bucket. I then add corn, including the juice, followed by the Cloudy Manilla. The boilies will soften and become washed out in appearance while at the same time absorbing the attractiveness and natural juices from the Cloudy Liquid and corn. I do this when I arrive so that the mix is ready for baiting in the evening. The amount you put out depends on how well the lake is fishing or the amount of activity in front of you. I always think that 12 accurate Spods is enough bait to get you started and you can build from that. Conversely, there are times where I think there is a good chance of a few fish, so I may go in with as many as 35 Spods. It is important that you bait as accurately as possible and cast the rigs tightly together on the spot too. That way if the fish do hit the baited area, there will be a good chance that when you get a bite, a few more won’t be far away. With the rods being so close together, the last thing I want is for a hooked fish to wipe out my other lines. This is why I fish a fairly tight line, so it doesn’t take on the water and droop down, making it easier for the fish to wipe out the lines. If they are tight, you can easily pass the rods under each other and prevent the dreaded wipe-outs from happening.
Helicopter rigs avoid tangles
With the action often coming thick and fast during the hours of darkness, I am not able to see if the rig is tangled on the cast. This is why I use a helicopter set-up combined with a stiff hooklink. I can be 100 per cent confident that this won’t tangle. I use a 360 rig, but a Spinner would also suit, coupled with a 12mm Peach and Pepper pop-up. I don’t know what it is about those hookbaits, whether the colour or the attractors, but during colder months they are my go-to hookbait. As I have already mentioned, the action can come thick and fast and it pays off to be organised, with plenty of spare rigs tied before you go fishing. I keep a box full of rigs, so that should I need to change, all I need to do is add a fresh hookbait and I am ready to go. As I sit here now, the sleet is falling, a cold northerly wind is blasting into my face, but I have managed to catch 16 fish during a 24hour period. It just goes to show that if you get on the fish, get your tactics right and work at it, the rewards are there to be had. Even in the most testing of conditions!