1) SWEETCORN
Match anglers consider it to be one of the best witer baits and carp anglers include it in their spod mixer. But for some reason very few fish it on the hook.
Carp have seen and, more importantly, been caught on boilies all their lives. By just using corn, on both the hook and as loosefeed, the fish have no reason to fear it. The other major advantage of corn is that you are able to feed loads of it, creating a really big, bright eye-cacthing particle bed in the swim without the fear of filling up the fish.
Corn can be used with confidence straight from the tin or you can flavour it with pretty much anything want.
2) HI-VIZ POP-UPS
The appeal of a bright hookbait can often be too much for a carp to resist, even on days when they aren’t feeding hard. I’d recommend starting with a different coloured hookbait on each rod and then, if one starts producing the most bites, you can switch all three rods to the same colour.
Yellow, pink and white baits are all great at this time of year but, for whatever reason, carp may prefer yellow one day and white the next.
During the winter months I favour fruity flavours such as the Sticky Signature pop-ups and I always give these a coating in the matching flavour spray.
3) ZIG RIGS
During the winter, carp will shoal up and are likely to stay in the more comfortable areas of the lake where they feel content for longer.
Zig rigs are a great way of locating where the fish are by varying the depth at which the rig sits, until you fi nd where in the water column the fish are laying up.
I prefer two small pieces of foam on a short hair–one light and one dark. With the lighter colour on top, the foam will always stand out against the background whether the carp is looking up at it towards the sky, or down on it towards the lakebed.
4) MAGGOTS
Even the most lethargic cold-water carp will find a bed of maggots hard to resist and there are loads of different ways you can fish them to improve your chances of catching.
A big bunch of maggots is about as simple as it gets, but every year loads of carp fall victim to this set-up. Thread 15-20 maggots on to a length of bait floss with a needle and tie them into a tight ball. The movement they create will tempt most carp while nuisance fish will such a dense bait ball hard to deal with.
If you want to add an element of buoyancy to your hookbait simply thread a few artificial maggots on to the bait floss as well.
This can be cast out in conjunction with a mesh PVA bag filled with maggots or a Spombed bed of freebies.
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