February Is For Winter Carp Fishing - Here's Why
Fishing in winter can be challenging but rewarding. There are certainly bites to had when you get location right and fish correctly. February Is For Winter Carp Fishing - Here's Why!
Longer Daylight Hours
Over February the daylight hours become longer which will make the fish a lot more active. For a start the water has more time to absorb heat from the sun which will warm the water up and therefore it will make the fish more active. This will only become more evident as time goes by! On shallower lakes you will notice this a lot sooner than deeper lakes so with this in mind it may be worth targetting some shallower water on the lake as this will be warmer water!
As well as this, the daylight will help wake the fish up. When it is dark for 13/14 hours of the day, the fish are bound to switch off as they're spending more time in the dark. Combine this with cold water the fish are likely to be a bit dormant. As the day light hours become longer the day light will help wake the fish up!
Keep In Tune With The Lake
Keeping in tune with the lake during February can make the difference of having a good winter season or a poor winter season. You'll notice when the fish wake up and when they do you'll start getting bites. Keeping in tune with the lake as well will enable you to find areas of the lake which have recently been fed upon - fishing these areas will give you the best chance of a bite.
The lake I've been fishing this winter in the past couple of weeks the carp seem to have really woken up. I'm noticing more feeding spots are appearing where they weren't 3 weeks ago. These fish are feeding on natural food! Adapting my approach to this last weekend and fishing these spots caught me three fish in a night. Remember, polaroid sunglasses are a game changer for spotting clear spots with the clear winter water clarity!
Enjoy the Quiet Lakes
Winter is a time where I fish most out of any other season in the year. The reason being is that the lakes are usually a lot quieter which is a massive advantage! If you're seeing signs of fish you'll have a greater chance of being able to move onto the fish which will increase your chances of catching! As well as this, quiet lakes are a lot more peaceful and nicer places to fish. When you're fishing a busy lake in summer where you can hear a tablet / phone or radio all night long I find it makes my angling less enjoyable. It is a lot nicer to have minimal noise so you can hear the owls, foxes and general wildlife!