Bag up down the edge with Steve Ringer!

With days getting longer and temperatures on the up, carp are waking up and starting to look for food.

It seems they have been looking for shallow water, too, as the margins have already produced some very big weights on several of the venues I fish. That makes sense, as the shallow water warms up first. No wonder the carp are going to be happy feeding there! Fishing the margins at this time of year is a bit different to the summer months, though. Big pots of bait are a no-no. It’s all about feeding for one fish at a time.

While there are carp to be caught in the edge there are loads of them not yet coming in, and so all feeding a lot of bait does is reduce your chances of catching the one or two fish that are there – you can give them too many options other than your hookbait.

The trick is to feed and fish for one carp at a time. That might seem quite negative, but when you realise the carp can weigh 10lb apiece it soon becomes apparent you don’t need many of them for a big weight!

Which baits?

My bait isn’t that different to what it would be in the summer, I just tend to use less of it. To start off I have 1kg of groundbait, and I’ve had a lot of success over the years with a Sweet Fishmeal mix I created with Dynamite a few years back. That’s my ‘go-to’ mix for the margins.

I like to prepare it slightly on the wet side. This makes it heavier, so it sits on the bottom a lot better, something I believe is very important when fishing in the margins. I also have two tins of meat and a tin of corn. The meat is chopped into 6mm cubes, and while some will say meat is better when the weather is a bit warmer, I would argue that big carp can’t get enough of it, and that there’s no better time to use it than now, providing it’s fed in moderation.

Corn is one of those baits that carp go for in a big way, and I like it for edge fishing as it’s heavy and doesn’t waft about once the fish are feeding. Its bright colour also stands out well, as the water in most commercials hasn’t properly coloured up yet. 

Rig choice

In terms of floats I have very quickly become a fan of Drennan Margin Crystals. These are relatively small floats, yet they take plenty of shot. If there are a couple of big carp in the swim I find that a heavier float gives me that little bit more stability and my hookbait won’t be wafted about all over the place by feeding fish.

Bearing in mind that today I’m fishing in 2ft of water I have opted for one taking 0.3g. As I’m targeting carp from 8lb to 10lb-plus, my mainline is 0.19mm Guru N-Gauge and my hooklength is 4ins of 0.17mm. Hook is a size 14 Guru XS spade, which is a strong, wide gape pattern that lends itself perfectly to big baits such as meat or corn.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this column to learn that my shotting pattern is a strung bulk of No9s with the bottom shot 5ins from the hook and the rest of the droppers spaced at 1ins intervals above this.

Go longer above the float

If possible, try and use a slightly longer than usual length of line between pole float and pole-tip, say 24ins minimum. This way, with the water still quite clear, there is less chance of fish spooking off the shadow of the pole. Better still, hide the pole using the bank or even a platform, as I have done today.

With big fish the target my elastic choice is Red Hydro – yes it’s thick and powerful but once bedded in it’s quite forgiving. 

Drennan Margin Crystal float.jpg

depth is crucial

In relatively clear water, when I’m looking to catch big carp, depth is very important. In the summer I would be happy fishing in just 12ins of water, but at the moment I feel a lot more confident fishing in 2ft-3ft, and ideally close to some sort of cover.

Today I’m on the big lake at Meadowlands, and with blank pegs either side of me the empty platforms are ideal to target. They offer the right depth and give cover too. If that wasn’t enough, carp get used to finding food around these platforms so they become a natural feeding area.

How and when to feed

I see no point in feeding the edges until around two hours to go in a match situation. Feeding earlier than this is just wasting bait and could actually lead to overfeeding later in the match. To kick the edge line off I initially feed half a 250ml pot of bait made up of two-thirds groundbait and the rest meat and corn.

Then, unless I see signs of fish colouring up the water, or tail patterns, I will leave the swim to settle for 15-20 minutes. When it’s time to fish the spot I feed two-thirds of a large Guru pole pot of bait, a 50:50 mix of meat and corn with a cap of groundbait to keep the bait in place and prevent the loss of any of it when shipping out. Once the rig is in place I will turn the pole over and tap out the contents of the pot.

Lift the rig out

As soon as I’ve fed, I lift the rig clear of the water for five seconds before slowly lowering it back in again, right on top of the bait I’ve just fed. I remove the float from the swim straight after feeding in order to minimise the chances of line bites and foul-hooking, which is something that tends to happen when feeding over the top of the float.

Once your rig is in place it’s then just a case of waiting for a bite. If there is a carp present in the swim then generally you will get an indication in the first minute to tell you. If, however, there are no signs after five minutes I prefer to look elsewhere to keep my catch rate ticking over.

Resetting the trap

If I do catch a fish, though, it’s simply a case of resetting the trap by feeding with the pole-mounted pot and then waiting. What I am trying to do is feed for just one or two fish, catch one and then repeat the process.

Because I am feeding when I go in, I always know I am fishing on top of bait, even though in terms of margin fishing it’s a relatively small amount. This stops me from worrying about whether I have been cleaned out – I can fish safe in the knowledge that there is definitely some bait on the bottom. 

Vary your hookbaits

As far as hookbaits go I like to keep it to just two. The first is my secret ‘cube-and-a-half’ of meat. My meat cutter is getting a bit worn and the end row is slightly bigger than the rest, which is actually something I like because it creates these slightly larger cubes which are great to use on the hook. 

My second hookbait is double corn. This is a big, stand-out bait that has caught me an awful lot of carp over the years and often produces a quick response.

The top 10 steps to catching in the winter with Phil Ringer

It takes a real leap of faith to cast into a vast water such as Boddington Reservoir in the depths of winter and catch a number of carp – they could be anywhere!

However, there are some very simple things you can do to stack the odds in your favour. It’s true that throwing a bomb or feeder out and relying on the law of averages for a carp to find the bait will work – but that’s no good under match conditions.

Ideally, I want a bite every cast to stand any chance of winning a few quid. My 10-point plan for nobbling a few winter carp has worked time and time again. There’s nothing complicated to it, no herculean casts or fancy rigs needed. It’s all about getting the basics right and then making small changes throughout the day to get the tip to go round.

Step 1 - Set up comfortably

There are no prizes for being the first angler to catch, so take your time setting out your stall so that when you begin fishing everything will be to hand. You could be waiting up to half-an-hour for a bite so when it comes, you don’t want to be groping around for the landing net. Equally, make sure your seatbox is set comfortably. 

Having pellet banders, Method moulds, pellet cones and spare hooklinks to hand is also vital, as is an array of bait and additives. That way I don’t have to get off my box and faff about looking for some pop-ups – and miss the inevitable bite!

Step 2 - Feeder or Bomb

Winter carp fishing revolves around fishing the tip, and the first decision to make is whether to use a bomb or a feeder. I’ll look at how the lake is fishing before I even arrive on the bank so I have an idea in my head as to whether the fish will want a bit of feed or not. 

If they will, it’s a Hybrid feeder (above) in conjunction with my favourite hookbait, an 8mm Chocolate Orange Wafter, but if the water is cold and weights are not brilliant I’ll think about beginning on the bomb with a pellet cone and two yellow 8mm wafters – a great bait when the going gets tough.

Step 3 - The right distance

It’s unlikely that the carp will be at short range, but you don’t need to hit the horizon. Around 50m is a good starting point, so you will need a rod that can do the job – something around 12ft or 13ft. I deliberately begin by casting shorter because I know that the fish will push further out into the lake as the day goes on. 

This means that my final cast of the day will often be the longest. Begin fishing at the range of your casting and you’ll only be left with the option of coming back towards you.That’s no good. 

Step 4 - Clipping up

Accuracy is important when every bite is at a premium, so that means using your line clip and a pair of distance measuring sticks so you can say with certainty where you will be casting to. Often, if I catch a fish, I will throw back to the same spot to see if its mate is about but without a line clip, the cast will never be 100 per cent accurate.

Step 5 - Fish positively

You may only catch six carp in a typical winter session and end up waiting up to 40 minutes for each bite. The very worst thing that can happen in this instance is to lose the fish that you hook by gearing up too lightly with a size 18 hook and a light hooklink. 

I want to be confident that when I hook a carp, I will get it in, so that means a size 10 Guru QM1 hook and a 0.17mm hooklink. Remember, it’s not about getting a bite as soon as you can, so delicate rigs aren’t as important as in summer.

Step 6 - Go left and then right

Not only do I vary how far I cast into the lake – I also change how far down or far up the swim I go. By this, I mean that I will cast 10 or 20 yards to the left or right of my starting point directly in front of me. 

A carp may well be sitting just 10 yards away, but in winter lethargic fish won’t move on to the spot where your feeder or bomb is sat. By winding in and casting down the peg, however, your chances of catching are instantly increased.

Step 7 - Timing your casts

A stopwatch is a vital part of my winter match fishing carp kit as it lets me know how long the rig has been out in the swim. I pay a lot of attention to how long it takes me to get a bite, and I’ve found that between 20 and 35 minutes is the optimum time for a bite to come. Naturally I need to know at a glance when I’m approaching the ‘witching hour’. 

Normally, I will wind in again after half-an-hour but if the lake is fishing very hard then I may leave the bait out another 15 minutes.

Step 8 - Method ball sizes

These are the two Method balls I use – ‘skinny’ or ‘fat’, based on how many micro pellets are moulded on to them. The skinny ball is used at the start as it puts a minimal amount of bait into the swim, working on the assumption that the carp won’t initially want a lot of bait. 

If it turns out that the fish are feeding reasonably well, I’ll change to the fat ball with double the amount of pellets to give them what they want. This change tends to happen in the second half of the match when things have warmed up a little.

Step 9 - Changing hookbaits

Changing what’s on the hook can trigger a big change in what you catch at any time, but especially in winter. You may get no response on a wafter, whereas a stack of three bits of corn can see the tip fly round. We all have favourite baits and mine is an 8mm Chocolate Orange Wafter for starters.

But if I am getting no response, my next cast might see me change to a corn stack, a yellow wafter or a small, highly visible pop-up. Often, just a change in colour can make all the difference.

Step 10 - Using additives

I know a lot of anglers who think additives are nonsense but I think this all boils down to confidence – I don’t think they can do any harm, especially in winter. I always carry a bottle of Almond Power Smoke Korda Goo, which I drape on to the hookbait inside the Method ball. This releases a lasting green cloud as it breaks down. 

Bread can be changed too by dyeing it from its natural white colour, and almost any hookbait on your tray can be dipped in an additive just before casting out.