Fishing in winter can still be a lot of fun and with the colder months quickly approaching we wanted to share with you some advice on how to get the most out of our lakes.
Why Come Fishing in the Winter
- Coarse fish, especially Carp can often be caught at their biggest weights during late Autumn/early Winter as they feed up for when the water temperatures plummet. So, if you’re looking to catch a lake record on our specialist carp waters (Sumners & Betty’s Lakes) then this is a perfect time to do so.
- The lakes are less busy, so you have more options for swim choice. Winter is a great time to enjoy a more peaceful day on the bank with fewer anglers around.
- Chance to catch other species, predator fishing is most productive during winter, so you have the possibility of catching species like pike and perch.
Winter Fishing Baits and Tactics
During winter the metabolism drops in species like carp, bream, tench, and roach so if you’re targeting nonpredatory species you need to understand that they will feed less meaning you will need to change your baiting approach compared to Summer. You’re going to want to start off with minimal bait, a small golf ball-sized PVA bag is more than enough or even single hook-baits can be hugely productive. Maggots and natural baits are awesome winter baits as they a highly digestible.
The location also plays a massive role in winter success, as the metabolism drops the fish move a lot less. They often shoal up so once you have found a productive area, you can catch well during your session. Make sure you are recasting regularly into different areas of the lake to locate where the fish are holding up. A good winter tip is to target the deeper water as it holds the warmth more so than shallower areas.
Predator Fishing Baits and Tactics
Our Pike season starts on October 1st and ends on March 1st, if you are wanting to target pike and are new to the sport, please ask a bailiff for advice as it can be potentially dangerous for you and the fish if you don’t have the correct equipment and knowledge, Despite the teeth and tough scales pike are very delicate and require specific equipment to ensure their safe capture and release. Long forceps and thick gloves are a must for any predator angler.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnAzLxGwGXc – This video is very useful for any beginners wanting to catch pike so please give it a watch.
Sumners and Bettys are our pike waters, and lure fishing and floated dead baits are popular tactics, we only allow sea baits for predator fishing to reduce disease spread so half a mackerel or smelts are what we recommend. A top tip for pike fishing is to give the fish a good few seconds before you set the hook, it can be very exciting when the float disappears, but it pays to wait at least 5 seconds for the pike to properly take the bait.
Perch are another predator species found onsite which also feed aggressively in the winter, float fished prawns are a favourite amongst our regulars. Small jelly lures and spinners can also produce good perch when the weather is nice and overcast. As always our bailiffs are on hand to offer advice on good spots to target and the best methods to use.
Onsite Tackle and Bait Shop
Our tackle shop stocks everything you need for fishing our waters. So don’t worry if you’ve forgotten something or need to top up bait buckets halfway through your stay.
All the products we stock have been carefully selected to work well on all the lakes. Our bailiffs are always on hand to give advice on what’s best to use.
For more information, visit our Tackle Shop.
