What has the biggest effect as carp wake up from winter?

Question

Although we’ve had a mild winter, in your eyes, what has the biggest effect on carp as they wake up from winter? What signs should we be looking out for and how’s best to capitalise on these early signs?

Lewis Read

"Get out and enjoy the lengthening days"

“The obvious sign, as always, is fish activity and hopefully sightings of carp actively moving and searching and grubbing about. Yeah, seeing blossom on the trees and daffodils flowering is a prime sign that the days are growing longer and that the intensity of its rays will be having a positive effect on the environment as everything starts emerging and developing under the influence of the sun – but it’s also a time when everything can be halted on a cold northerly wind and consistent activity is still largely a dream rather than the reality.

“Spring fishing can be a ball ache and as quickly as they can be up and running, they can just as quickly go into lockdown if water temperatures tumble. Keep watching the birds to spot hatches and then wait for the lakebed to peel if you don’t want to actually fish until you’re on a dead cert for fish activity… For those of us that fish all year it doesn’t matter a jot! Not one iota. Niche!

“Just get out and enjoy the lengthening days (that always seem to most noticeable from the second week of February onwards) whilst piecing together the small hints and clues that the carp offer in the build up to the magic trip that coincides with the fish becoming active and the buzzers singing their merry little tune.”

Gary Bayes

“Start pre-baiting early”

“As the question says, we haven’t had much of a winter this year, however I’m hoping this will mean the spring will kick off earlier. I’m fishing and working on my own lake at the moment and since there has been fish caught recently, I have started to lightly pre-bait. I would like to see fish showing but they’ve gone a bit secret on me at the moment but normally I like to see a few fish showing so I know where they are before I pre-bait.

 “It can be difficult pre-baiting on the quiet once the bulk of the spring anglers dust their rods off so I’m starting as early as possible. Pre-baiting has always caught me fish so the best bet is to get down to your lake as early as possible, try to spot some signs and put a bit of time in. Looking, pre-baiting, fishing and just being there. Most lakes, if fed, will produce early March, so try to catch the first few rather than turn up just because there’s been some fish out.”

Rick Golder

“Go bright and mobile”

“I believe that light levels have the biggest effect on carp when waking up in the onset of spring. I especially think that once we reach 12/12hrs of daylight and darkness, that is the one thing that really starts it off. Once these light levels are reached, even new cold snaps have much less effect than in the actual winter months. The longer days wake everything up, and carp are no different regardless of water temperatures.

“Once awake, I watch for actual shows, as in many cases the fish jump frequently as part of a cleaning off ritual after winter. I look most in snags which have the sun for the main part of the day, as again on first waking, this is where I expect to initially find them. Also any areas that contain clay, as this is a great natural food larder and fish will often be seen covered in clay in early March time.

“My approach is to be as mobile as possible, using high-attract bright pop-ups, casting at these showing fish, or static fishing with strong Covert end tackle in these snaggy areas over foodbaits.”

Nigel Williams

“Give them a solid PVA bag”

“For me, the biggest effect is the sun and day length. I’m convinced spring equinox is a crucial time in the carp’s year. It’s no coincidence around the equinox frog’s spawn. In the Cotswold Water Park, the carp seem to be in the shallow reedy areas enjoying the sun and looking for the easy meal, so for me, activity near shallow areas, reeds and early weed growth are the things to look for. As for rigs, a solid PVA bag is hard to beat. Oh, and add 5ml of hemp oil to give the bag a boost.”

Martin Locke

“Keep your eyes and ears open”

“Once again, we’ve hardly had a winter, with temperatures rarely going below zero, so not many crispy mornings, more often than not, just very wet ones! Captures have been coming to those who have made the effort, so although the fishing is slower, the fish on most waters haven’t gone on the ‘missing list’ as used to happen when we had ‘proper’ winters.
“That said, this is many anglers’ favourite time of year. As spring approaches and the chilly mornings turn into T-Shirt afternoons, activity and action will start to pick up significantly.

“As always, the best thing you can do is to be adaptable in your approach. Obvious places to start are shallower, reedy or decaying weedbeds areas. The naturals are also waking up and easy pickings for the carp in these areas, as are tree-lined margins. They will also be in the mid- to upper-layers of the water so the fashionable Zig Rig is often a brilliant method as fish come out of their dormant state and the water starts to warm up.

“Bait-wise, it depends entirely on the water and conditions, anything from single, brightly coloured pop-ups to small beds of bait and keep an eye out for what the other lads are doing. Between you, it’s often easier to put the pieces of the jigsaw together than trying to sort everything out yourself.

“With the evenings getting longer, fish in tip-top condition and top weights, what more reason do you need to get back out there? Keep your eyes and ears open, your barrow ready to move and your PVA dry! Come on you, big ‘uns!”

Shaun Harrison

“It’s down to the daylight hours”

“What an incredible winter it has been too. January has always, in my opinion, been one of the most difficult months of the year to get it right, yet this last January I fished four different waters and caught big fish from each including multiple hits from two of them and one really does have a poor winter track record.

“I caught my first winter carp (in the snow) in 1977 and there haven’t been many winters pass by when I haven’t fished for carp. Some of these winters before I began to understand a lot more about what will and won’t make carp feed (bait-wise) were real gruellers, but even then, when the wrong baits being introduced could ruin it for all, come the end of February, regardless of the weather, the carp would seemingly become active again (a lot of nature does).

“This I am sure, is purely down to the extending daylight hours being more important than temperature. My most successful methods during this rise in activity has been small beds of bright bait or even single hookbaits with at least one rod being a rover being cast around the swim.”

Calum Kletta

“Present in the upper layers”

“As the hold of winter starts to loosen, the days get longer and the sun is just that bit warmer, I think it is these two things that have the biggest effect on fish. As cold blooded creatures they strive for warmth, so the warmer surface layers or sheltered sun traps are the places the carp will head to for warmth. This is the time they are most susceptible to a well positioned Zig Rig with some black foam or I have great success with bits of whittled down pink pop-ups Hair rigged tightly to the back of a size 12 Mugga. Generally fishing the upper third of the water column will bring results as fish start to wake from their winter slumber!”

Luke Church

“Light levels are everything”

“I personally think the change in daylight hours has to play a massive part in the carp’s behaviour coming out of the winter months. As spring approaches, instead of long dark nights, we soon have equal daylight to darkness and with each day passing it stays lighter for longer. The sun is rising earlier and setting a lot later – the warmth from the sun also increases penetration through the water layers, meaning the water temperatures will rise resulting in the carp moving around a lot more making them look for food items more frequently. I would certainly say when the warmer, sunny days are upon us, try and look for fish moving around up in the water column and either enjoy some early season surface fishing as they are normally not that shy after winter or try some spring time Zigging as it can be devastating in the right situation.”