Winter Carp Fishing Location | Steve Hill
When carp fishing in the winter months, location is absolutely all that matters. Move spots, swim and even lake if you have to - just get on the fish! That's the advice of OMC's Steve Hill, who recently caught a winter whacker by doing just that!
Unlike other periods of the year, the winter is a season when the carp spend very little of their time moving around the lake in search of food. For this reason, being on them is more important than anything else, they simply won't come to you unless the conditions dramatically improve.
For me, this might even mean moving venue, which is exactly what I did on my last session before the new year. My original plan was to fish the historic Wraysbury North Lake, where I had managed to find the fish at range, but putting a rig and bait on them in a huge crosswind from the swim I was able to fish was incredibly difficult. Instead of struggling and perhaps fishing a little too far away from them, with obvious signs they were drifting away from the area too, I didn't waste any time and decided I needed to move lake. That's how much location matters in the cold. Don't bait and wait, get on the move!
WHERE TO FIND CARP IN THE WINTER
Location in winter, where do I start? One thing is for sure, if you see a fish actually show itself in the winter, make note of the spot, as it not only could make your session but your entire season too. Keep in mind these fish may be more active at night, so have an ear out for them.
In terms of areas, it really is lake dependent, but deep snaggy margins are always worth closer inspection. In these zones, carp can hold up almost dormant without the threat of predator attacks.
If you have nothing to go on, the birdlife, particularly on clear lakes, can be another good giveaway of a carp's location. With the higher visibility in the water the birds will be more flighty and scatter when carp are beneath them, they also give away spots where left over bait is too - never ignore the birds!
Islands are always a reliable spot to find carp at any time of year, they love going round and round them. In the winter, however, look to fish the back of the island and use it as almost a windbreak - that's where the carp will be sat, in the warmest water.
Whilst we are on the topic of warmth, keep a very close eye on water temperature and try to factor in that some areas of the lake may be warmer than others. A slight rise in temperature in any area can see carp pulled to it like a magnet - a key reason why shallow lakes can often be very good in the cold if the sun is out, where as deep lakes tend to stay a bit more stable.
A LAKE WITH WINTER FORM
If you can, keeping an eye on catch reports and picking a lake with winter form is obviously a massive advantage. That was the case on my last session before the new year, when after a quick call with Paul at Grenville, I found an angler in Peg 12 had caught five fish that day - more than enough info that I needed to move and get on there.
I dropped in Peg 14 as close as I could get to where the fish were and an area where I already knew a couple of spots. Let's put it this way, not long after casting out my favourite rig of all time, I had a carp in the net. Watch the action yourself below... and remember, location is everything!
Steve Hill is one of the faces of the OMC Sponsored Angler Team and an experienced Carp Angler. Alongside OMC's Roo Abbott, he runs Carp Tuition Socials, where he shares his skills and knowledge with beginners to the sport.
