One More Cast With Francois – Winter time, fun time

Important factors when winter fishing is keeping yourself nice and warm. It’s easy to get frustrated when the bites are few and far between, so the last thing you need to be is cold and hungry. A successful winter session starts with your home away from home, in most scenarios a proper bivvy with a decent quality winter wrap. A winter wrap will help keep the condensation down due to the air trapped between the outer wrap and the bivvy. A good Hydrostatic rating is something to look for when purchasing a bivvy. It’s amazing how a proper meal on the bank can keep the spirits up and your focus on the reason for being on the bank. Prepping meals at home and making up containers with a hearty winter stew, makes for great options, anything from a warm Jaffle to just a nice hot plate of warmed up stew, slowly heating up on your trusty gas stove in the comfort of your bivvy, enjoying the smell of a home cooked meal overlooking your favourite lake. Winter baits also play a huge role in your success; here are few options that have always worked for me: sweetcorn with the colour that makes it stand out, and we all know carp love sweetcorn! Pink and white maggots have also been a game changer - I believe the pink maggots stand out nicely. It is also believed that carp find maggots tasty and easy to digest. PVA bags filled with high attract liquids can work very well in the winter, but just make sure they aren’t too oily. Add them with some crushed boilies to provide that extra attractant around the hook bait. I would always use a brighter coloured hook bait than trying to match the freebies, as I want the bait to stand out and be visible; time on the bank in winter has shown me that it increases the chances of a bite! I tend to go for pop-ups to keep the hook baits above any dead foliage that may be covering the lake bed. Something that should also be factored in, is the fact that our South African waters do not see the major drops in temperature that the lakes in countries like the UK and France experience. So, reading those international articles about singles and less feed might not always be applicable to the water that you are targeting. Most of the time you will find that the water temperature in the deeper areas might vary with only one or two degrees between winter and summer. That is why a proper pre-feeding strategy delivers great results, because during your session you will start with a hand or two of freebies and play it from there. If it delivers results then you know you can deliver a Spod or two of feed in your area every few hours to keep the fish in your swim. Keeping an eye on the weather can also improve your chances for success - high pressure often brings clear still and dry conditions but also means colder air temperatures at night. During a high-pressure day with sunny spells, you may find the carp in the shallower areas of the lake enjoying some winter sun. However low pressure often brings overcast conditions with rain and slightly warmer night time temperatures. During this time, you are most likely to find the carp in the deeper layers of the water. So, this winter adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience!