I recall one year when I switched baits in January, it also coincided with a change of lakes as well i might add. Ditched my fishmeal that I'd been catching on on the first lake to try a bait my mate had designed which was a milk/nut bait. It wasn't an ordinary milk/nut bait mind being really high in milk protein and the nuts used will 100% not be used in any nut bait on the open market , it was a nightmare to roll and the process of mixing/rolling it was long winded. I ended up preparing it one evening and rolling the next evening. So started baiting up in January onwards. Didn't catch for a month or so but when they switched on coming out of there winter slumber I caught plenty and wasnt far off top rod even though i only fished 3 months til the end of the season. So my advice is, if you think you can knock up a decent milk/nut bait then go for that.