Winter and Spring carp busted!

snow in March!

I thought I'd put this little piece together this morning whilst I look out the window on my day off and see over 4 inches of snow sat on my car! In mid March as well! I'm sure the seasons are changing radically each year....wither comes later, we have extremely short springs and autumnal seasons and radically hot summers! 

Is it global warming from greenhouse gases, cows, diesel cars etc or just yet another global shift in temps as has happened throughout the Earths past? I'll let you dwell on that one yourselves as I have much more interesting things to discuss....Carp in winter.....where are they? 

Deep down in holes on the bottom in 15 feet, mid water? Well, I found out where they were in 3 different waters last year and all showed the exact same behaviour, expelling many myths I had heard throughout my angling career. 

Even after 40 years I had never seen anything like what I witnessed last year. So what was so different and amazing I hear you ask....I will divulge now. So my first piece of strange behaviour was witnessed at Orchard Lakes near New Milton in Hampshire last January. 

I used to fish the lakes there as a teenager into my early twenties but they now have a specimen lake called 'Jimmys' as well, which holds some rather pretty mirrors and commons. 

My friends Barry and Chris joined me on two  separate occasions on 48 hr sessions in late Jan and early Feb 2022. The weather was nothing short of bloody brutal on both occasions with bitterly cold Easterly winds and severe frosts down to minus 5 over night. 

It was bitter out there!

Cat Ice formed in the margins and it was tough going. I hadn't used my drone since August at a private venue near London I fished with another good mate. 

I got some incredible footage of carp taking floaters and even hooked one whilst filming! 

I wondered whether the drone would pick up any fish in the colder months and give us an idea where they were sitting? 

Well, to say we had our minds blown was an understatement. 

The next few trips out really changed my views about how I would approach my winter and early spring fishing for carp. Jimmys lake lends itself to the use of the drone brilliantly as the water quality is exceptional and clarity is fantastic. 

I sent the drone up mid afternoon on Barry and I's first day and filmed as I put my first bait out with my Nash Bushwacker pole at around 35M. 

I shipped the pole out to a nice clear area in around 4 feet of water just off an island and watched intently as numerous carp actually came to investigate the pole and then the bait and rig which fell from the baiting cup on the end. 

One fish even went straight down to feed on the particles that had just left the cup! Seeing them so active despite the really cold water, had me wondering where the rest of the stock were in the lake? So, I took the drone up to around 50M and instantly found them all! 

They were packed into just a few spots...but they weren't anywhere near the lake bed, they were literally inches below the surface and even breaking the surface film with their backs. None of this could be witnessed at eye level and it really got me thinking about my approach. 

I've never done well on Zig rigs or to be honest even liked them. I thought they were just a gimmick for the best part, a way to sell products but now I firmly believe they are a very significant step forward in catching winter/spring cold water carp.

The fish were all very active, mooching across shallows, cruising in and out of Lilly pads and bumping each other playfully! We watched them for nearly 2 hours after which my batteries went flat on the drone. 

I decided to try a pair of zigs fished 3 inches below the surface in the area the fish had been seen. That afternoon I had 9 indications but never landed a thing! It really blew my mind. 

My next trip was over to Farlows Lake near Iver in Bucks to see my old mate Charlie and have a little winter social. I fished the smaller of the 2 lakes hoping to bag a winter carp. 

I was met with what appeared to be a lake devoid of any fish! I spent hours with the drone up looking for the fish and placed baits in areas Charly had caught from in recent sessions prior to my arrival. 

On the second morning of my trip Charly and I took the drone over to the main lake behind the Angling Direct shop where Charly thought a few might be sat up sulking in the cold water. 

We were in for yet another shock as the drone took flight to 35M. I rotated the camera 90 degrees to look straight down and there they were....not just a handful of fish but we reckon the majority of the lakes fish stock. Sat there inches below the surface one after another, surrounding each other and on top too. 

There appeared to be no reason for this other than angling pressure, increased daylight surface area and an obvious warmer patch of water. With a rule of no zig fishing in place, it was incredibly frustrating to see them all bunched up like that and no way to fish for them. 

The only real conclusion I can come to regarding this behaviour is that the fish are looking for the warmer layers in the water. The Thermocline. Finding this magical zone is the key to catching Carp during the colder months in my opinion. 

The only issue I have is locating that area exactly as at Jimmy's I had 9 takes and landed nothing. 

I put that down to cruising fish and not having the bait presented exactly at the correct depth. 

I think that an inch can literally make all the difference when it's that cold. 

Anyway, have a look at the video footage and pics and make up your own mind, but certainly give the zigs a go as I really do think it's your best chance of a bite in tough wintery conditions! 

It really did make me rethink my approach during the colder months and now my tackle bag has always got some made up zig rigs in it. 

I purchased a Fox Zig Disc and I have to say, it's excellent! I can store 36 ready tied zigs in there ranging in hook sizes and length of line! Perfect!