During the cold winter months, carp become less active and stop searching the entire lake for food. One reason for this is that they move to deeper water, where it’s warmer and they become lethargic. Another reason for the lack of activity in carp is because in deep water the temperature between layers is more constant and less likely to change, and as such the carp are less likely to move. When light fades and temperatures drop, all fish species will rest up in deeper water. It’s these concentrated areas of fish which are prime fishing spots to target.
To find the deepest part of the lake you will need to research the lakes depths and locate the deepest holes, since these are where carp will rest up. Using a marker float and plumbing lead, you can get an idea of the lake’s topology. What you’re looking for is the deepest part of the lake, and by getting an accurate understanding of the deep water in the lake you can map out where it’s likely that all the carp will congregate.
Winter fishing is very different from summer fishing. In your hot summer spot you will be fishing in shallower water and in most situations you will cast out to a far margin bank or island. Though these spots can produce carp in winter, but it will only be on bright, sunny days on which the water temperature has risen and made the carp active. One important note to mention is the over hanging vegetation of the bank in this period. As winter progresses, leaves from overhanging trees and bushes will fall into the lake around the edges, making bank-side fishing tricky, due to the lack of oxygen and difficult bait presentation caused by decomposing debris.
As carp are less likely to move around to feed in winter, you need to move to them. Once you have a clear understanding of the carp’s location, you can apply the bait to trigger takes. You should always start fishing high attraction bait with minimum food. Ocean Fresh specifically recommends a boilie or popup and a PVA bag filled with pellets which have been covered with an attractive flavour. This flavour will disperse through the water quickly, attracting carp quickly to the area. When the carp arrives, it will find that the pellet in the PVA bag is too small to feed on, leaving only the boilie available to eat, which is of Coarse attached to your hook. Alternatively, you can soak a single boilie in a highly attractive flavour. Try casting a single hook-baited rig out to new locations every hour or so, to map out the deeper spots in your search for the carp. If this high-attraction boilie lands right in front of a carp, it’s more likely to be taken.
In some cases you can get carp on to a heavy baited area and they will feed hard, especially if they are hungry for it. But rather than baiting up heavily, first try the instant approach, baiting up progressively more when you get a take. Don’t pile the bait in first as you might do in summer; this can only delay your chances of receiving any action at all.
Remember that not all carp will be at the bottom of the deepest water. Depending on depth, some will be hovering around mid-water level. In these instances, you’ll have to change your fishing tactics. Try presenting float bait into the mid-water, using a wriggly worm or maggot; the movement might trigger an instant reaction. And by adjusting the height and depth of the float, you can often locate the carp which are resting up in between the layers.
There’s one thing which is certain: there’ll be less pressure on your angling in the winter. Most anglers tend to hang up their rods until spring rolls back around, and only the more dedicated fisherman continue through winter in search of the big carp. By considering the fundamentals of locations and feed, you can dramatically increase your chances of catching a big lump this winter.