As we move from autumn into winter, I like to think about how I want to change my approach. Often in winter, less is more and when I say less, I mean fewer food items but not less attraction! My approach changes to use more liquid foods and liquid extracts, in order for me to add teams of attraction to my baited areas. My favourite liquid for this time of year is the ‘Bloodworm and Daphnia’ liquid extract, as it oozes natural attraction while not offering much in the way of large food items.
Now don’t get me wrong if I’m going to a water with a good head of carp in, which in the winter months I like to do, I will still give them plenty of bait as I believe on the more prolific venues you will still need that big hit of bait to create competition and in turn, catch more carp. In previous years I would use ‘The Formula + Arctic Crab’ in the warmer month and change to the ‘Vita-lac’ in the cooler months. For the last couple of years, I have just fished the ‘Vita-lac’ all year round and have not felt the need to change baits. After all having 100% confidence in you bait, is vital to putting fish on the bank, even more so in the colder months.
Another great method that I use through the colder months is a solid bags, now some people will tell you that this is a small fish method but I had my UK PB on one so I don’t believe that at all. That little parcel of attraction can be just enough to nick a bite on slow day, when the feeding windows are very short. The ‘Vita-lac’ range has everything in it to make the perfect bag mix. I like to add further attraction by inject my solid bags with a few mils of vita-lac bait soak just before casting out. I certainly believe this has caught me bonus fish in the past!
Moving away from the bait side of things, some people will scale down their rigs and their hook sizes for winter this is something that I won’t do. The last thing I would want is to lose the fish I’ve been targeting all winter due to scaling down tackle, in turn fishing a smaller hooker and running the risk. Big hooks and strong tackle is what I am all about! As I come from a match / coarse fishing background this is something I would always change but have found no merit in doing so in carp fishing.
Most importantly, get yourself out there and enjoy what you are doing as one thing is for sure you won’t catch them sitting at home.
Just imagine your target fish in its winter colours right there in your album. Sick as ken!
Be Lucky
Si Whittle
