| Location location location! | | | | attractive amino acid. Spices, sugar, salt all add |
| First find your fish; they may be indicated by other | | | | different bait benefits. Really take advantage of |
| anglers catching fish, or come from where you | | | | amino acids 'bait glugs', 'dips' etc. Add lobster extract |
| caught previously. Past year's records of hotspots | | | | liquid to add a different alkaloid (betaine) source, by |
| and over - wintering areas can be very useful. But | | | | pre-freezing your baits in it! |
| these can vary according to a season's dominant | | | | The advantages of using sweeteners: |
| prevailing winds directions and temperatures. | | | | Scientifically it has been proven that when provided |
| Also fishing pressure, food availability, changes in the | | | | with two identical fully balanced foods but one is |
| lake bed caused by moving / feeding carp, other fish | | | | sweetened, carp will prefer the sweetened one! Carp |
| present, e.g.; big over - wintering catfish etc can alter | | | | love them! Sweeteners can vary from artificial ones |
| 'holding areas! Snags in the water like fallen trees, | | | | like saccharin to natural fruit sugars like fructose, and |
| rocks etc, silt beds, gravel bars, old water lily beds, | | | | from liquorice extract to 'talin' (an exceptionally sweet |
| dying weed beds, water inflows, overhanging trees | | | | bark extract), to molasses (a great nutritional betaine |
| and bushes can all hold fish and all are worth a try. | | | | source.) |
| Also investigate cut - away banks, undercut margins, | | | | Palatability is a critical factor in carp baits - why do |
| shallow margins in shade or sun where rolling / | | | | you think tinned and pre-packed food producers put |
| bubbling fish may be observed, in winter on the end | | | | so much sugar, salt and taste enhancers in. They |
| of a warmer wind or the back of a Northerly wind. | | | | even add sugar and salt to the brand new 'genetically |
| Reed beds, underwater humps, troughs, 'food traps' | | | | modified 'super sweet' sweet corn in the cans. Sugar |
| along the prevailing winds lanes, dips, smooth hard | | | | is addictive incidentally! And salt is vital to carp |
| areas may well indicate a feeding area as will old | | | | nutrition and balanced physiological health… |
| silted up areas with bloodworm beds, that produced | | | | Using 'single hook baits:' |
| fish previously in warmer times of the year. | | | | Carp seriously 'know' their aquatic environment and if |
| Try places where there are sudden changes of depth | | | | anything happens or changes they are very quickly |
| as many harbour attractive natural food. Especially | | | | aware of it. Putting single highly flavoured / coloured |
| gravel slopes, mud humps and ledges around islands, | | | | baits out to perhaps known feeding / holding spots is |
| and at the edge of weed beds. Casting around to | | | | a productive method at times, especially if fish are |
| find underwater debris and old dying weed can help | | | | wise to beds of bait and may feed on hook baits |
| locate fish too as these areas harbour natural food. | | | | more confidently sometimes when they are 'solitary' |
| Studying quiet, or under-fished areas, 'un-pressured' | | | | ones with no free offerings nearby. |
| areas can be very revealing. Often the biggest fish | | | | Fishing upper water levels: |
| are often caught in the areas where the most bait | | | | Very often anglers blank and don't catch fish, even |
| goes into a lake. I know big fish man Dave Lane | | | | though they may see the odd carp roll in their swim |
| would agree on this, regarding his UK fifties!!! | | | | while fishing. This could be they are fishing hard on |
| Often in winter carp can be located in maybe 1, 2 or | | | | the bottom, where perhaps the fish find it |
| just 3 areas of a lake and will be shoaled up tightly | | | | uncomfortable to feed; perhaps water temperatures |
| together. Casting all around the lake with a small lead | | | | water oxygen content / water PH is not quite right |
| and braided line methodically until you feel 'bumps' as | | | | for carp to feed there at that time. |
| you wind in (that are not there next cast) could be | | | | However, often carp will sit suspended in the mid to |
| fish! | | | | upper layers of the water where it's more |
| Moving your hook baits every hour may be | | | | comfortable for them. Float fishing can work here or |
| productive as you may find this roving approach | | | | try 'zig - rigs'; these are long hook links with buoyant |
| lands right next to a fish or disturbs them into fresh | | | | baits on the hook used to intercept those mid water |
| activity / or 'hearing' your bait land and investigate | | | | carp - it can really work! |
| out of curiosity. | | | | Using poly vinyl alcohol ('P.V.A') bags / stringers paste |
| Some say use smaller baits on the hook in winter, | | | | / boilies mixed: |
| and I agree here. I've had more takes on these and I | | | | How about trying milk powder and powdered |
| use small baits in P.V.A. bags or on stringers, | | | | flavours with sugars in P.V.A bags along with your |
| especially using pastes and par - boiled baits mixed | | | | favourite 'bag mix'. Try coffee powders, cocoa |
| with quick dissolving bait / fishmeal pellets. | | | | powder, or perhaps raw cane molasses for a |
| Bites in winter can be very deceiving indeed and your | | | | different effect. There are so many 'alternative' |
| indicators should ideally be set to maximum vibration | | | | attractors available which can be more effective as |
| sensitivity as often just one or two 'bleeps' could be | | | | the fish may feed more confidently on 'new' ones |
| a hooked fish spinning or shaking it's head trying to | | | | they have not been caught on yet! Always buying |
| spit the hook while just 'sitting' in the water static | | | | those 'fishing shop' baits can lead to a reduction in |
| without running. | | | | your catches! |
| 'Rod knocks' can really produce carp that were | | | | Advantages of using ingredients and attractors that |
| perhaps only lightly hooked; Try quickly 'twitching' | | | | promote a feeling of well-being and health in carp: |
| your rig with a swift pull on your line by hand to hook | | | | Put ingredients in your baits that help the carp and |
| the fish! | | | | they'll reward you by liking your bait more! Such |
| I have found that the old traditional ground bait | | | | effects could include: thinning their blood, helping them |
| composed of broken up stale loaves with loads of | | | | break down glycogen in the liver faster, or speeding |
| extra highly attractive additives and extracts, like | | | | up digestion, improving effective assimilation of food, |
| those containing alkaloid substances you would use in | | | | cleaning the carp's blood, stimulating the nervous |
| your boilie base mixes work very well. | | | | system, stimulating the immune system, triggering |
| This form of ground bait is not used so often these | | | | digestive processes in / around the carp's digestive |
| days in the UK. Added 'live food like maggots / | | | | tract, giving carp an immediate 'high' by using Opiate |
| worms bring much needed activity to the mix, and | | | | Alkaloids e.g., in wheat and milk… |
| often will attract other species to feed first which | | | | Avoid using eggs in winter baits: |
| stimulates the carp to follow just in time to polish off | | | | Because of digestive inhibitory factors in egg white |
| your hook bait! | | | | there are great alternative chemical and physical |
| On that note using a plastic 'feeder cage lead' | | | | binders that are far better for beneficial fast |
| wrapped in fast dissolving / breaking down ground | | | | digestion. Add Lecithin's to baits for cold water |
| bait as in the popular 'method' is a great way to 'build | | | | conditions for when water temperatures drop below |
| - up' and feed your swim with fast acting attractors | | | | 10 degrees Celsius. These help make fats water |
| importantly, without feeding up the fish! | | | | soluble and available as energy to carp. Once inside |
| This so often can produce smaller fish too, e.g., using | | | | carp these have more scientific nutritional and health |
| 'artificial maggots or sweet corn' on the hook, but I | | | | benefits too! |
| was at "Rainbow lake" in France when Martin Locke | | | | Using Paste hook baits and adding pre - digested |
| (boss of "Solar tackle" caught his very first 60 pound | | | | proteins: |
| carp on 'the method'. | | | | In added layers around your par - boiled hook baits, |
| Find your fish and give them some bait! | | | | or normal boiled hook baits for amazing carp |
| While fishing ideally use quantities of fast dissolving | | | | attraction. |
| baits that can really turn the fish onto feeding | | | | Neutral baits: |
| without filling them up or suppressing their appetite! A | | | | Baits made with the minimum ingredients that have |
| period of pre - baiting quantities either while fishing, | | | | ever been tested or eaten before by carp. Try to |
| or introducing bait into areas where warmer winds | | | | create a 'carp friendly' safe bait with minimum 'danger |
| drive into or afternoon sun can heat up, not fished at | | | | reference points' regarding over-used ingredients |
| the time, or while not fishing. | | | | flavours and attractors - the aim is to be original and |
| Or any area that potentially could hold or be a | | | | different to fool those 'angler trained' carp! |
| feeding area or a 'safety area' where fish may move | | | | Changing and manipulating carp's usual sensory |
| to de - leach themselves or bask in top water levels | | | | 'danger reference' points: |
| as sunshine hits the water, or in / adjacent to snags | | | | Regarding your baits, rigs, hooks, leads, lines, baiting |
| etc; I remember one winter finding fish literally | | | | patterns, attractors, bait ingredients used, and |
| 'stacked-up' tightly together in a depression within an | | | | excluding carp the maximum number of danger signs |
| extensive weed bed of dead 'Canadian pond weed.' | | | | from baits, rigs, hooks. |
| at Shotgate reservoir, Essex UK 1984. | | | | Herbs are great in carp baits: |
| These fish were very easy to catch for a half - hour | | | | They especially aid digestion and affect the beneficial |
| period each day and this time was like 'clockwork for | | | | physiological and stimulatory systems and processes |
| a period of about 3 weeks in December. Each day | | | | in fish. Good examples are fenugreek, Dill, Basil, |
| the feeding time changed by about 10 minutes so it | | | | ginger, peppermint, garlic, onion, etc. Winter spices: |
| could be charted and 'kick-off' could be predicted | | | | Use them raw in P.V.A. bags; 'Curry powders' are |
| extremely precisely. It was exceptionally fruitful and | | | | nature's digestive stimulators! |
| exciting fishing and I kept the action going by using | | | | Look at the ingredients in curry powder and discover |
| lots of basic, simple small roughly chopped 'par-boiled' | | | | the richness of these amazing extracts and powders. |
| and paste balls; yeast based milk protein baits with | | | | These promote that familiar 'just one more please |
| added coffee and chocolate drink powders. (For | | | | syndrome' (alkaloids do this - think nicotine!) This |
| extra attractive 'alkaloid' content - they're addictive!) | | | | effect can over - ride the 'I'm full up now' brain |
| I also added "Ultra Spice" and "Chocolate Malt" | | | | signals to the digestive system; to produce you more |
| flavours at 4 millilitres of each per pound of dry mix. I | | | | carp takes! |
| also a liquid protein source additive (Rod Hutchinson's | | | | Creating an exceptionally carp - attractive 'salt hot |
| "Regular Sense Appeal" at about 60 millilitres per | | | | spot': |
| pound of bait. And I used this in dips too) - awesome | | | | Really pull in the carp by using high levels of mineral |
| stuff. Carp stimulating alkaloids are excellent when | | | | rich sea salt in your free baits / ground baits for |
| used in winter baits especially! For example betaine / | | | | freely released, highly attractive mineral salts into the |
| betaine, and others e.g., as found in coffee, corn | | | | water around your baits. (Many minerals are essential |
| steep liquor, molasses, black pepper, cayenne / chilli | | | | in carp' diet) |
| peppers, etc, and similar compounds such as in | | | | The importance of maximising the use of pre - |
| hempseed. | | | | digested 'whole' protein foods and meals in your baits: |
| In winter, keep feeding your bait into your water; | | | | For optimum nutrition in cold water and fantastic |
| feeding the carp regularly is essential. E.g., 2 or 3 | | | | attraction, the properties of these carp foods that |
| kilogram's or more in your chosen swim at least | | | | release those extra soluble 'free amino acids' are |
| every 2 or 3 days. This encourages carp to come | | | | fantastic carp catchers. |
| looking for food regularly and get used to your 'safe' | | | | Maximise the 'curiosity value factor' of carp behaviour: |
| free baits. It also prevents carp from changing their | | | | Use mud or soil, fine ground bait and frozen |
| diet onto natural food, or even stopping feeding or | | | | bloodworm, to cloud up the water to produce so |
| visiting your swim altogether! (Not good!) | | | | called 'slop' ground baits. Try crushed cooked |
| I think regular baiting is the major factor in long term | | | | fermented mixed seeds for maximum clouding and |
| consistent big carp fishing success especially in the | | | | attraction effect for prolonged intensive feeding. |
| winter! | | | | Optimise highly coloured boilies by mixing colours / |
| Fish pulling methods to trigger fish feeding: | | | | even types of boilie base mixes with different |
| Try using dissolving baits, Poly Vinyl Alcohol (water | | | | colours to make your feeding area a bit different! |
| soluble) stringers with baits on or P.V.A. bags. These | | | | Using 'instant baits' for opportunistic carp: |
| are excellent for delivery of larger quantities of bait, | | | | Most carp can live on natural food and low protein |
| maggots and even oil based liquid attractors into your | | | | baits without affecting fish health and fishing results |
| swim, or even fine ground bait or pellets etc. | | | | too much short term. But you may need to keep |
| Add some natural butyric acid to boost your winter | | | | ahead of carp's 'danger recognition' by association |
| baits: | | | | with getting caught on them on 'pressured waters'. |
| For great added attraction, simply add finely grated | | | | Constantly change the flavour or attractors you use, |
| parmesan or blue cheese. These baits have been | | | | in your low protein baits and stay ahead of the fish!) |
| proven fish catchers for years; it's their butyric acid | | | | Of course on a small fish water / 'hungry water' or |
| content, quite apart from their fat / protein / salt / | | | | water where fish feed throughout Winter - time then |
| taste enhancing properties! Adding generous amounts | | | | these cheaper plentiful baits will be part of the carp's |
| of vodka to your hook baits and ground bait has a | | | | 'staple diet' and will be taken habitually anyway. |
| similar effect at times! | | | | Over - flavoured or over loaded-attractor boilies: |
| I'd like fastest to digest bait possible please! | | | | E.g., (Using double the recommended flavour levels.) |
| Why we don't use beef for carp baits much! (It's not | | | | Cheap low protein baits such as the semolina and |
| just cost) And use quality fish / milk proteins instead! | | | | soya flour based ones, (some with added fishmeal or |
| The time taken to digest food and the 'negative | | | | bird foods, are excellent winter baits. 'Attractor baits' |
| energy expenditure' cost of digestion of beef in | | | | that fit into this category mainly exploit one or two |
| contrast to fish, turkey or chicken partly | | | | facets of carp attraction involving flavour smell or |
| demonstrates how fish nutritional bait requirements | | | | bait PH. Some baits may have added attraction e.g., |
| need careful consideration, especially in cold water / | | | | betaine source like corn steep liquor as an added |
| slow metabolic and digestive rate conditions. As a | | | | 'food' source signal,; so fooling the fish that their |
| personal example - you remember that 'constipated / | | | | nutritional reward for eating this bait will be greater. |
| 'full' feeling after a large beef meal don't you? (You | | | | Fishing by 'Stealth' with float fishing tactics in marginal |
| don't fancy much to eat afterwards!) | | | | areas, snags or tricky areas where static |
| Ideally use the most easily digested baits / fastest | | | | conventional 'rods behind alarms' and conventional line |
| dissolving baits / free bait: | | | | angles are a barrier to success: |
| For the most winter takes. NB: Natural baits like | | | | Stalking improves chances by you actually finding fish, |
| maggots are ideal, being already mostly liquids! | | | | finding fish holding features, and actively feeding fish |
| Highlight your baits in winter: | | | | you may have missed! It takes advantage of a more |
| With high visibility 'Day - Glow' powdered dyes in | | | | quieter, subtle fishing approach which also avoids |
| your baits (edible ones only!) Popular examples are | | | | those nasty 'dangerous' tell - tale lines running through |
| white, yellow, orange, pink and red. Charging - up the | | | | your swim at the usual angles to fishing spots. |
| new 'artificial' plastic baits e.g., shaped like sweet corn | | | | (Those pesky carp can turn up in the most surprising |
| with ultraviolet light makes these baits actually glow in | | | | places in winter - e.g., in 1 foot deep margins and mid |
| the dark! They do seem to make some difference to | | | | - water over the lakes deepest 'hole' for example. |
| action in low light conditions, but work well during | | | | Your carp may not be feeding, but at least you've |
| daylight hours too and can be used on a hair in | | | | located fish! I once found a 'common' carp of around |
| conjunction with your boilie bait! Similar style luminous | | | | 20 pounds in weight, only a foot away from the |
| plastic pop-ups, in conjunction with balanced and over | | | | grassy bank, one sunny afternoon. When I tested |
| - weighted boilie baits, can produce extra takes too. | | | | the fish's awareness reactions, I was very surprised |
| Natural baits and 'traditional' baits: | | | | to find I was able to literally lift it right out of the |
| E.g., utilising the effectiveness of frozen bloodworm in | | | | water and onto the grassy bank! Whereupon I |
| a feeder and using artificial blood worm on the hook, | | | | replaced it gently back and it slowly swam away! It |
| and ground bait to really get takes when it's really | | | | was an extremely cold January and the water iced |
| cold and carp seem to have 'turned right off and | | | | over most nights. |
| 'hibernated'! e.g., bagging up flavoured maggots etc to | | | | Using double, treble, sliding hairs, sliding rigs, or long |
| build up a swim - pre-empting known feeding times in | | | | length lead back stops to 'trip - up' slow moving wary |
| winter to prepare the swim in advance. E.g., with | | | | carp in winter: |
| feeding triggers soaks / dips, e.g. luncheon meat and | | | | Using different types of baits on different hairs, using |
| spice oils / aniseed oil, e.g., flavoured worms, | | | | multiple tiny baits on multiple hairs. These are two |
| maggots with "Tutti Fruity" or "Scopex" flavours or | | | | methods many anglers forget when times get tough, |
| "Robin Red" liquid additive etc. | | | | and fish are more 'picky' about the baits they sample |
| Use maximum attraction, high leak off soluble pastes: | | | | confidently. |
| For feeding the swim and moulding on the hook / or | | | | Should you use shorter or longer hooklengths and |
| hook baits e.g., milk proteins, bird foods, high protein | | | | hairs in winter? |
| fishmeal e.g., shrimp, krill meal / shellfish meals / corn | | | | Each and every design has their day, taking into |
| steep meal etc. | | | | account different types of feeding activity / physical |
| Try adding extra high levels of attractors for extra | | | | conditions. For example when fishing in silt, bottom |
| pulling power, e.g.; green lip mussel extract (betaine | | | | debris, old weed, over hard gravel, etc. I have caught |
| source), squid extract (taurine amino acid source), | | | | well on very short rigs (three inches) in winter where |
| kelp powder (highly pungent plus packed with | | | | the lake bottom is relatively hard and clear of debris. |
| attractive minerals etc), corn steep liquor (Betaine | | | | I discovered this length by accident when I kept |
| source), various milk powders and extractions | | | | hooking fish in winter on tangled rigs! |
| (attractive water clouding effects, taste /smell; milk | | | | Adjusting baits of different density, attractor types |
| sugars, fats, free and whole proteins, etc.) | | | | and rates of leak - off, weights of leads, hook sizes, |
| Or perhaps add extra flavours / attractors to your | | | | hair lengths, vary the way the bait and rig move in |
| swim using dissolving pellets soaked in attractors with | | | | water. It's useful to also vary different bait shapes |
| the advantage of not feeding the fish as you would | | | | sizes and bait buoyancies through your session! |
| with whole boilies. | | | | All these things can change a blank day into a very |
| Flavours: | | | | memorable 'red letter day' even when thick snow is |
| Take into account that solubility of flavours is | | | | on the ground; and your only warmth comes from |
| lowered in colder water. So try over flavouring your | | | | the whiskey in your coffee flask!!! Cheers! |
| baits. For example by including raised levels of | | | | The author has many more fishing and bait 'edges' up |
| liquidised liver, or pre - digested liver powder, or | | | | his sleeve. Every single one can have a huge impact |
| yeast extracts, for extra pungent pulling power and | | | | on catches. (Warning: This article is protected by |
| freely soluble proteins for better attraction. | | | | copyright, but reprints with a link are OK.) |
| Adding taste enhancers promote more intensive | | | | By Tim Richardson. 'The thinking angler's fishing |
| feeding and alter the bait taste profile. Yeast extract | | | | author and expert bait making guru. |
| or grated parmesan cheese contain a very carp | | | | |