Dedicated Winter Range

As from November 1st, Essential’s range of dedicated winter baits will be available. This includes the cold-water version of our highly popular Shellfish B5, commonly known as the Winterised B5. Sitting alongside this we have the awesome

Cream-CSM which is available in 3 different attractor profiles, namely Sweet cream, Pinneapple and Black Pepper.

To complete the attractive cold water line up, we have the ever consistent Cranberry reds. The full range has been specifically modified and winterised for use between November and March.

Winter tips by Mike Willmott

It should go without saying that as water temperatures begin to fall, the carp will become less active. Pin-point location will therefore play a critical role, as will bait application and boosting attraction signals to induce otherwise lethargic carp into a feeding mode. Here are a few of my favourite cold water tips that might just help you put one or two more fish on the bank this winter.

Warm Spots

Carp will very quickly seek out the ‘warmer’ spots during the winter and the sun will play a major role in determine where they might be holding up. Remember that the sun rises from the east, therefore during the morning, particularly during high pressure, sunny conditions, the carp will often be found in the margins (including islands) of the west bank taking full advantage of the sun’s warm rays. Diversely, as the sun sets in the west during late afternoon, keep a watchful eye on the east bank margins. And lastly, never overlook shallow water, this warms up far quicker than deep water and will often be investigated by carp on bright sunny days.

Click on images to enlarge

Bait Application

When it comes to bait introduction between November and March, it can be the kiss of death to introduce too much bait. The amount to introduce will vary between each venue and weather conditions, angling pressure, length of session and of course fish stocks will all play a major role on how much to introduce. During sustained cold spells it’s better to cut back on amounts, maybe even stringers or singles, but during milder spells where the fish can be seen to be more active, you can increase amounts accordingly. Usually just one or two kilo’s per week is enough to keep them switched on to the bait, and using a good quality food source that has been suitably winterised will provide a major advantage.

Boosting Hook Baits

When fishing single hook baits during the winter months I prefer to increase the attraction properties in the immediate vicinity of the bait itself. This can be done in a number of ways, but if using Pop-ups I like to glug up a few in advance to let the liquid soak in. If the pop-ups are permanently submersed, it can reduce their buoyancy levels slightly, so I prefer a light glug (shake around) as opposed to a permanent submersed soak. I also much prefer to use a Dip/Glug to match the bait, ie B5 Pop-up in conjunction with the Bait Dip/Glug. If using bottom baits I prefer to mould a thin layer of boilie paste, usually about 2mm, around the hook bait. This not only gives the bait a different (soft) texture but gives off a nice steady leakage of attraction for several hours. For short session work use 50% eggs and 50% water to make the paste. This will melt quicker and release instant food signals.

Parcels of food

One of my favourite and most successful methods of bait presentation during the colder months is to use very small PVA bags – usually no bigger than the size of a standard tea bag. I often refer to them as little parcels of food and they can prove very effective indeed. I like to include three crushed/crumbed boilies, two whole bolies, a small handful of pellets, and approx 20ml of ‘PVA Friendly Liquid Food’ (preferably matching) with the hook bait (bottom bait) placed amongst it all. Don’t be tempted to pile a load of bait over the top as this defeats the objective! These little parcels of food usually provide a different type of presentation to what they’ve seen before and will leave small piles of food scattered around the lake at different points, but not enough to fill them up too much. They also provide a much bigger visual target and concentration of attraction as opposed to a single hook bait or stringer.