Winter is on its way

Winter time can be the hardest time of the year to catch carp. The problem being that the colder conditions slows down the fishes metabolism.Therefore the fish doesn't need as much food to survive.


Not so many years ago it was thought that carp were almost uncatchable during the colder months and spent most of my time in bars and pubs instead of on the bank, but this time last year i had some great fishing and was rewarded with some stunning carp - Breaking my PB twice in as many weeks. This has changed my mind on carp fishing in winter and if you put in the time and effort you will get your rewards.

PB Commons Slipped up on Classic Nash White Choc's

I plan to do alot of fishing over the coming months in the UK and a few trips to Spain, empty lakes and the thrill of catching a big carp gives me a great buzz. Times have been slow for me the last few overnights I've done only landing one carp since the end of September. I have lost a few due to hook pulls which gutted me a bit but i hope things will change over these coming months.


I have been playing around with alot of different tactics this year and some have worked and alot haven't so i will be going back to what worked for me last winter. Alot of people say fish singles or just light bait that does work sometimes but i found a nice pile of mixed bait got them going when everyone else wasn't even getting a beep.

When fishing for carp in winter i always tend to fish boilies. Particle baits such as peanuts , tiger nuts and maples tend to lose their effectiveness possibly due the viscosity of the attractive oils these nuts contain (as the temperature decreases they thicken considerably). Also particles seem to work better in bulk. The most important thing about winter fishing is that you must have the right protective clothing. If you are cold you will not fish well.You will be too busy trying to stay warm and will miss clues which will help you put that big winter fish on the bank. Winter fishing has some advantages in that the backsides are empty so you can pick where you want to fish without competition from other anglers . Some waters in winter have beauty all of there own , just being there makes you feel good even if you don't catch. Winter carp fishing is without doubt a big challenge but the rewards in beating the odds are great .

Mark with the friendly common that we both had over the winter months

 

 



There are so many factors which influence carp and carp fishing in winter. There is no single answer to being a successful winter carper. A combination of elements must come together for you to succeed. As the average temperature begins to fall through September, October, November carp will often be feeding hard because instinct will tell them that colder, harder times are coming. This time of the year can be very productive. Eventually though, the carp will slow down and head to their winter area, for make no mistake, carp have their preferred holding areas through the winter. On many lakes this holding area will be around the center of the lake, especially if weed is present. This may be different on your lake, but its the best place to start. If I where a carp I would want to be in the quietist area which is less likely to attract attention but also close to a food source and with relatively consistent water temperature. Consistent water temperature means the deeper areas. This is because, through the winter the deeper water is the most stable temperature wise. If I where fishing a big pit where I couldn't reach the center area then I would fish as close to it as I could, preferably around some feature, be it weed, gravel bar, patch or even just a deviation in the lake bed if I could find nothing else.


I cannot over emphasis the importance of weed beds in the winter. If your lake has weed beds, especially in the deeper areas, then you must place your bait in or close to the weed. Carp love weed beds in winter. Weed beds will provide the carp with security, oxygen through photosynthesis and they will still hold food even through the depths of winter in the form of zoo plankton and invertebrates. To find the weed beds, tie a 3 ounce lead on, chuck it out and slowly retrieve feeling for resistance. You will learn through experience the difference between weed, gravel and other features

Beginning of autumn

Autumn or fall this is the start to my favourite time of year with the transition from summer into winter. The dark nights draw in and the temperatures start to drop and the flip flop boys start to pack their gear away till next year.

It was a cold and windy weekend and i had two nights planned for some fishing, Quite a few fish had come out in the week so i knew i had a good chance of bagging one or two.
I got to the lake after work on the Friday around six, The lake was quite busy and not many swims was left so i just jumped in the swim next to bob the bailiff for more of a social.
Bivvy went up and all my gear chucked into it and off i went to see how the lads have been getting on. Bob had been down a night already and not had a thing but across the lake Andy had been down for most of the week and started really well bagging a 35lb+ and a 36lb+ on his first night then had a few mid 20's the next day.

Plenty of chat and banter and the odd few beers helped us pass the night, even got to see a few of Andy's dance moves and that was worth me not fishing for the night

Bob was the only one to get some action that night with a stunning mid 20 mirror, he also had another one in the early hours weighing in at 28lb+ common, Dan also caught early morning so i was a bit gutted i didn't fish that night as i was in the middle of both of them.

Out went my rods for a few hours to see if i could bag one with no joy.
Curry time i thought so the rods came in and the tandoori chicken and lamb biryani was ordered..

The time now was 18:20 the dark was drawing in so i got my rod back out on the spots.

19:27  Screamer time - right hand rod was off

Struck into it and it felt a good fish, after a good fight for 10 Min's the carp was ready for the net.
Didn't think it was that big when i first looked at it, thought it may be a 30lb at a push.
I went to get my scales and i couldn't believe it they had broke - wasn't a happy man but help was here as i had rang Russ to pop over to come take some pictures for me. We weighed the fish and i could believe my eyes when i sore 37lb something on them i said you need to read this as i want it to be right so we span the scales round so he could see them and lifted the carp. 37lb 7oz he said  Happy days
We slipped the carp back into the water wile i was getting my stuff ready for a photo.
What a lump i was over the moon...

This stunning carp was caught on 3 15mm Nash white choc boilies on a bolt rig fished in 21ft of water

 

Summer Time

This time of year i found it tricky to catch

Might be due to my style of fishing as i seem to do really well in the colder months

 

I planned on fishing over the weekend and the lake was a bit busy so i moved up to this end of the lake

 

 

 

 

 

 

I blanked quite a few overnighters and the odd few weekends before this weekend but i got lucky this time after moving swims at 6am as i sore fish crashing on the other side of the lake

 

 

 

 

Ebro Mad Cats

 

Riba Roja D’Ebre is at the centre of an 18 kilometre stretch of river between the big dam at Riba Roja and the smaller one atFlix. This is the “Real Spain” and there is no commercial development on this part of river. Ebromadcats is based about a mile away from this small, friendly village with its range of bars, restaurants and shops – ideal for stocking up on provisions or relaxing after a day on the river. If you can tear yourself away from the fishing, this is a great area to explore with the Mediterranean beaches just a 45min car ride away. Riba Roja is on the main Barcelona line so even if you don’t have a car, you can still get out and about

 

 

 

 

 

Anglers from all over the world come to the mighty river Ebro in search of the famous Wels catfish. Not surprising as these river monsters put up a terrific fight and give some of the best sport possible in freshwater venues.

The mecca for catfishing is still Mequinenza and Caspe where the record catch now stands at around 250lb. It is perfectly possible to spend a day at one of these venues during your visit but, make no mistake, the fishing in our section of the river is fantastic. Muscle-straining takes with the line streaming out and 150lb of cat testing you and the gear – doesn’t get much better.

This stretch of the river has the dam at Riba Roja about 5 miles upstream and another dam about the same distance downstream at Flix. There are plenty of big catfish and carp in the area and these are wild river fish that will give fantastic sport. During the 2011 season the record catch from the bank was 192lb for this stretch of the river – tantalisingly close to that 200lber.

 

 

 

 

It was a special occasion When me and two of my mates came fishing at Ebromadcats. A 66lb catfish as a birthday present – what more could you ask?

All three of us managed new P.B.s and proved are credentials by fishing without a guide and landing over 400lb in are 5 day stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ebro PB 66lb

 

 

 

This was my first ever trip out to spain and i will be heading back out soon to try and bag myself a river monster

 

The Views are stunning and i would say if you have never been cat fishing before you must give this ago you won't regret it

 

 

More pictures can be viewed here and more info about ebro mad cats

 

http://ebromadcats.co.uk/happy-birthday-nick/

 

May Madness

This was a busy month for me catching quite a few nice carp

most of the carp was caught on a small chod rig fished in light weed

with a nash 15mm white choc pop up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat fishing

The long awaited return to the lake, fishing the small lake for the “big cats”.

keen as mustard and desperate to get my first “whiskers” under my belt. And not in a small way either, I sets my sights high, “I want too break the 50lb mark"

I knew it was going to be hard as i only had 24 hours to track these cats down.

with the weather a bit cooler than yesterday and rain forecast for later that afternoon i soon got setup and ready for the night ahead.

I baited my swim with 1kg of halibut pellets then placed my rig over the top of it, i was using a halibut pellet tipped off with a 20mm pink white choc pop up.

The night came with no bites so i got my head down ready for an early morning fish.

6:30am i was awoke by a screamer, i struck into my rod and new it was a bigun as it started to put a bend in the rod straight away and was ripping line off my reel.

After a good 25 min fight i managed to pull the cat into the net which wasn't easy as it was about 4 foot long

I was over the moon to catch one as the weekend before i was so ill i didn't get the chance to fish for them.

It wasn't the one i was after but still 38lb isn't bad, it was the best fight i have had this year and i will defiantly be after these again some time.

A few hours later my carp rod took off with a nice little 20lb mirror

Happy days

Caught on a chod rig - Which im starting to love using

20mm white Rainbow White choc pop up 

 

The clocks go forward

Its that time of the year when the nights get shorter and the days start to get warmer, I was looking forward to my 3 nights fishing and couldn't wait to get back down to the lake to see what life this warm weather had brought.

Forecast was looking good with nice warm days around 16 degrees and mild nights around  6 degrees,
Fish must be on the move i thought.
Upon arrival i checked out the small lake to see if anything was on the move, when a big lump crashed out in the bog swim leaving a big ring of ripples on the water. I should of learnt from what i had seen in this lake but i didn't.

I had a chat with a few guys that had been fishing for a few night's, they said its still been hard fishing but one managed to get a 29lb mirror in the morning and had the white tip common out which normally comes in at 25lb the night before.

I was buzzing with excitement as i walked around the big lake with my stuff, Half way round i sore two fish poke their heads out over the spots i was going to fish (happy days i thought) So straight round to the pads i went (This was a bad move i found out three nights later)
Even though i blanked in this swim the last time i was down i thought i would of had a good chance of getting a bite from this swim.
Due to the warm days i set out to do some zig fishing and only having one rod on the bottom, Ive been dieing to try Nash's new zig bugs but they haven't hit the shops yet so i made my own to try.

All i had in my box to try was Two 10mm black monster squid and a artificial red maggot cut in half  with a hint of yellow at the end

Looks ok to me i thought so i started at around 13 foot about 30 - 40 yards out. No joy with that so i went down to around 10 foot for the night. not a beep. My right hand rod which i had placed in the pads was getting liner's late at night but resulted in nothing.
The next day was the same, i was starting to think that all the fish had moved to the other end of the lake as i wasn't getting any bites at all.
My Bottom bait was placed on a little gravelly spot among the weed, but for some reason it was remaining untouched also.

Alsorts were going through my mind but simply, you cannot make a carp feed where it doesn't want to feed,  regardless of how much bait you put in.
They definitely have their preferred areas and i wasn't on them this time.
I have learnt that they like to feed happily on the large silt gullies that run down the near side of the island and feel safe in the open water in front of the folly, this is were i will be heading on my next trip to try and out smart these carp.

The only fish to come out of the lake was caught by a good mate of mine jimmy who had a new PB at 38lb 9oz

Caught on a chod with a white pop up

Up and downs

Ups and downs would seem to be my theme in this introduction. For example, I've just fished my most unforgettable winter's for many years. This weekend's long nightmare came soon after possibly one of my best winter's ever.

Highs and lows, ups and downs, call them what you like, they are a part of carp fishing.
From the elation as the net is lifted to the gut wrenching feeling as the line goes suddenly slack.
My First visit early march was defiantly a low, 3 nights fishing and resulted in a blank.
I thought to my self "why has it all gone wrong?" Last trip the bait worked, The rig worked, fish showing over my bait. just this trip they didn't want to play ball in my area.
Don't no if it was down to the weather or angling pressure or what.
Perhaps it would be better just to tell my self, "Don't panic, keep doing the basics right, wait and your turn will come. Learn from all your sessions - the ups and downs.
Don't just ask yourself the question "why did i blank" and also "why did i catch" Carp fishing for all of us can be  easy at times but it also can be very hard.
After all, isn't it the bad times that make the successes all the more magic.

On a high note fish did come out of the lake while i was their.
Jason had a 27lb mirror on a short day trip and Mark had a real dark 24lb winter looking common, so good to see the fish were still feeding and moving about.
Even the small lake is starting to wake up, 3 fish out over the weekend - 13lb ghosty on a zig caught by Russ, first ever fish on a zig too so that made his weekend.
Mike did one night bagging a 15lb and a 23lb carp

Winter Action ( Part 3 )

Late February i decided to get back down the lake and have a bit of a social weekend with my mate Craig.

I knew the fish wouldn't be down the side of the lake i had been fishing so i thought it would be best if we moved round to the weedy part of the lake, as i new the fish would be holding up there.

The good thing was i had booked the Friday off so we got to the lake around lunch time plenty of time to put my plan together.

I was just using boilies this time as i couldn't be bothered to boil all my mix up.

Out went around 4 kilo of mixed boilies from 10mm to 15mm before i even got my stuff out the car

I knew the carp have been loving the bait ive been giving them so i thought i would get a head start and let them have a free munch.

After a few hours i thought it would be best to get my rod out, on went the white irn bru pop up again and a few more boilies.

It wasn't long before my winter experience just got better. The rod was only out 20mins before it screamed off, i couldn't believe my luck as not many fish had been out this year and i seem to be in the right spot every time.

Few mins later this second pb of the year was on the bank

36lb 8oz common

My Day got better an hour later when my rod was in action again with a lovely old 24lb mirror

I was over the moon and i didn't care if i didn't catch another fish all trip but that wasn't to happen as in the early hours of the next day i bagged another mirror.

These fish here are the reason I'm writing this blog i want to share my journey with you.

For my hunt for my UK 40lb carp

Winter Action ( Part 2 )

I Returned to the lake feeling very confidant after my last session and moved straight back to the swim i had been baiting. Conditions wasn't looking good again as it had been cold all week and i knew this wasn't going to be easy.

I baited up the swim like i did last time knowing the carp have been moving alone this side of the lake.

Out went the chody again with the same bait, didn't take long before i started to get liners again and i knew i could be in for a good night.

Morning came and the sirens stayed silent through the night, couldn't believe i hadn't had a fish but i wasn't going to be beat as i knew the swim i was in produces fish between 7am to lunch time, so i waited and finally it came a screaming run around 10am.

Nice 20lb+ Linear

The rest of the day passed without action. So i baited up ready for the night.

The next morning came with no results through the night, i had a walk over to mark who was fishing in the steps to see if he had caught anything when i felt my receiver bleep in my pocket, i ran over to my rod and struck and i couldn't believe it i was in again.

Another 30lb+ to add to my winter list  '31lb 6oz'  

I left the lake again a happy man, and knowing the cold was coming in hard i wouldn't be able to fish again for a few more weeks.

After the snow and ice had gone i was back for more.
I went back to the swim i was in as i thought it would be silly fishing anywere else on the lake as ive had 3 fish off this spot, But my first blank came.
My mate mark was fishing on the other side of the lake and he bagged his first fish of the year this gready linear i had the other week

Winter Action

There's no escaping the fact that once winter is upon us, blanking becomes all too frequent on the harder waters. This winter i had planned to spend my time experimenting with various bait and essential oils at my cambs syndicate. 'the folly syndicate'.

The lake i settled on can be hard at the best of times. I knew the lake like the back of my hand, having done a fair number of sessions over the years. The Mascal Carp lake is 7 acres in size, weedy one side of the lake and like a snooker table the other, depths down to around 20ft. It contains a good head of fish over 30lb and a few over 40lb, These are the ones I'm hunting.

My First Winter session was just a few days after boxing day. Conditions didn't look to well as the nights were down to -5 and i knew a few more weeks of this weather the lake would have a lid over it.

So i started baiting up my swim before i even had any of my gear out as i wanted the carp to start moving into my area as not many people was fishing on the lake at the time.

After i had put about 3kilo of boilies out and about 20 spods of my mix I started thinking about my plan to catch these crafty carp. If i caught one fish i would have been happy

Time wasn't on my side as the night was closing in, so i got my stalker rod out and quickly tied a small chody rig and placed a 10mm white pop up on that i had been soaking in irn bru for about a week.

The chod rig was placed in about 12ft of water on top of a small amount of weed and was baited up ready for the night ahead.

Confidence was high as i was getting alot of liners through the early hours of the night. Sleeping with one eye open waiting for the Nash sirens to light up the night.

Morning came without a run, i knew it was going to be hard so wasn't put down by this.

I took a walk over to the small lake to see flash had pulled up in the car park swim doing an overnight with his mate Russ. After having a chat with the guys i went back to my rods to think of a new plan to try and get me a bite. After sitting thinking about what i was going to do the line started to move on my rod, just a few bleeps and i sore that the rod tip was moving so i knew there was a fish on.

So down i went to strike my rod and could feel a fish on the other end, The smile on my face got bigger and bigger the closer the fish came in, as it felt like a big one. After a 5 - 10 min fight the winter carp was in the net.

New pb common at 35lb 10oz  

This was just the start to one of my best winter fishing experience.