Commercial Fishing Tips | Hard pellets for winter carp with Jamie Hughes
When you think of winter pellet fishing an image of fishing small expanders over micros immediately springs to mind.
But while this may be spot-on for catching F1s, for ‘proper’ carp hard pellets are my choice.
These baits are associated with the bagging days of summer, but they can still be effective in winter if you use them correctly.
I think these baits are better suited to commons and mirrors, and a small quantity of 4mm or 6mm baits is all you need for a day’s fishing.
Setting Traps
The way I fish hard pellets is to rotate a few lines on the pole, tapping in just a small amount of 6mm or 4mm baits and holding my rig right over the top.
I’m setting little traps all around my peg and am waiting for the carp to slip up.
And ‘waiting’ is a key word – you’ve got to be patient at this time of year. You may only get 10 bites, but when they’re from proper fish it’s worth doing.
It’s always worth having a good plumb around to find the different depths of your peg, and you can then try these various areas to find where the fish are sat.
Accuracy is Key
When fishing this way, being accurate is essential, and I will feed almost exclusively with a small pole pot.
Catapults are brilliant in summer, but in winter they spread your bait around a bit too much, and when you’re only feeding tiny amounts this isn’t right.
My rigs reflect this pinpoint approach, and I see no place for strung-out rigs that work through the water.
I opt for heavy floats shotted positively. These are very stable and help to keep my bait firmly in place while I await a bite.
On tackle, I never go too light when fishing for proper carp and wouldn’t go below 0.12mm hooklengths and No8-12 elastics.
Last Resort Micros
If the fishing is absolutely rock-hard then I’ll reach for micro pellets, as these can scrape out a fish when nothing else can. But this really is a last resort.
Micros bring small silvers into the peg, and when you’re after proper carp this is the last thing you want to happen.
