Is it to cold to fish for carp?

[Tubbytom]

Hi all, I'm new to carp fishing (started last summer) and did my first session of 2025 last weekend. A lot of people I have been speaking to say words to the effect of it's a waste of time in Jan/Feb because its to cold and the fish are all holed up together and not moving. I'm wondering whether people on here share the same view?

Watching some YT videos it seems carp can be caught even in the colder months. I'd like to know when people generally start their fishing 'season' or if you fish 12 months of the year.

Thanks

[kevtaylor]

It's not even cold really is it, not even frosts most mornings - deffo a chance of a fish or two.  I have caught what was a lake record at the time during a very cold January night probably -5 it was a surprise for sure, came at about midnight not long after smashing the rods out on singles.

I have an old friend who only really carp fishes May - Oct but that's not enough for me.

If your comfortable get out there I say, enjoy the quieter banks, any sightings now could lead you to a bumper spring and you could catch a whopper looking prime right now. 👍

[Tubbytom]

@kevtaylor - thanks Kev. Whilst I'm new to carp fishing I'm keen to get out as much as possible on the chance of catching. I fished 10 hours at weekend and didn't have a single bite but defo learnt a lot about the lake. Fingers crossed for a catch in Feb.

[salokcinnodrog]

3 hours ago, Tubbytom said:

Hi all, I'm new to carp fishing (started last summer) and did my first session of 2025 last weekend. A lot of people I have been speaking to say words to the effect of it's a waste of time in Jan/Feb because its to cold and the fish are all holed up together and not moving. I'm wondering whether people on here share the same view?

Watching some YT videos it seems carp can be caught even in the colder months. I'd like to know when people generally start their fishing 'season' or if you fish 12 months of the year.

Thanks

It really depends on the water.

Yes the fish can shoal up tightly so certain swims may be the best place to be for weeks.

On my current water, nothing has been reported for weeks, BUT no-one has been fishing, because it is such a tough winter water, so the circle decreases...

Then on other waters I would know that I would catch. The past few years I have slowed down my carp fishing, normally switching to pike (I've been pike fishing since my teens anyway), with only the occasional carp trip.

1 hour ago, kevtaylor said:

It's not even cold really is it, not even frosts most mornings - deffo a chance of a fish or two.  I have caught what was a lake record at the time during a very cold January night probably -5 it was a surprise for sure, came at about midnight not long after smashing the rods out on singles.

I have an old friend who only really carp fishes May - Oct but that's not enough for me.

If your comfortable get out there I say, enjoy the quieter banks, any sightings now could lead you to a bumper spring and you could catch a whopper looking prime right now. 👍

When I was fishing Nazeing Meads both the Brackens Pool (2acres) and the Lagoons (60acres), I had a fair few winter catches, sometimes just after the lake had thawed. 

 

On the current syndicate I tend to start carp fishing around March, mostly because I know the areas that Chestnut comes out from on her usual first capture of the year. Her capture seems to be when the carp start moving around the whole lake.

 

 

[Tubbytom]

@salokcinnodrog - thanks for your reply. I guess my biggest challenge at the moment is arriving at a swim with little watercraft knowledge and choosing a peg. On the fishery I am going to in Feb they do provide good maps of the lakes but my knowledge isn't there yet. Be interesting to know your thoughts on the map and which peg you would choose if you had to base it purely on the map alone.

Here's the description - 

Sunnyside 1 was stocked with carp and pike back in 1999 and has recieved numerous stock within our stocking programme with last one in 2020.

In November 2015, March 2016 and November 2016 it was stocked up again with Pike upto 19lbs. There is an increase in double figure pike in this water.

The water has a silt / gravel bed and reached depths between 3-9 ft. The lake record is currently ‘ The Captain’ at 32lbs. Other 30 plusses are 'Jake' at 30lbs and 'Parrot' at 30lbs.

I've also attached the map

[kevtaylor]

13 minutes ago, Tubbytom said:

@salokcinnodrog - thanks for your reply. I guess my biggest challenge at the moment is arriving at a swim with little watercraft knowledge and choosing a peg. On the fishery I am going to in Feb they do provide good maps of the lakes but my knowledge isn't there yet. Be interesting to know your thoughts on the map and which peg you would choose if you had to base it purely on the map alone.

Here's the description - 

Sunnyside 1 was stocked with carp and pike back in 1999 and has recieved numerous stock within our stocking programme with last one in 2020.

In November 2015, March 2016 and November 2016 it was stocked up again with Pike upto 19lbs. There is an increase in double figure pike in this water.

The water has a silt / gravel bed and reached depths between 3-9 ft. The lake record is currently ‘ The Captain’ at 32lbs. Other 30 plusses are 'Jake' at 30lbs and 'Parrot' at 30lbs.

I've also attached the map

Not knowing anything about this lake I would apply simple winter fishing logic.  The sun has the biggest effect on fish so with it rising in the East and warming the West bank shallows first I'd be sure to look there or expect them to turn up there as it warms up through the day.  They should follow the sun possibly ending up in the North/East corner - that shallow bay by late afternoon.

Wind also plays a part so they could feel warmer on the back of a cold wind OR just follow it for food, can never really say on that one so have to check both end of the pond for signs.

They could sit in the deepest hole or completely the opposite, you cannot predict 100% so eyes on the water as much as possible and be prepared to move should you see them.

[emmcee]

4 hours ago, Tubbytom said:

@salokcinnodrog - thanks for your reply. I guess my biggest challenge at the moment is arriving at a swim with little watercraft knowledge and choosing a peg. On the fishery I am going to in Feb they do provide good maps of the lakes but my knowledge isn't there yet. Be interesting to know your thoughts on the map and which peg you would choose if you had to base it purely on the map alone.

Here's the description - 

Sunnyside 1 was stocked with carp and pike back in 1999 and has recieved numerous stock within our stocking programme with last one in 2020.

In November 2015, March 2016 and November 2016 it was stocked up again with Pike upto 19lbs. There is an increase in double figure pike in this water.

The water has a silt / gravel bed and reached depths between 3-9 ft. The lake record is currently ‘ The Captain’ at 32lbs. Other 30 plusses are 'Jake' at 30lbs and 'Parrot' at 30lbs.

I've also attached the map

If I had to chose a swim solely on the map alone then it would be peg 4 . Any south westerly wind will blow from your right to left in to the bay in front of pegs 1, 2 and 3 so any fish following the wind will potentially pass through your swim and if they back off the wind then they will come back through your swim potentially.  You'll be on the back of any northerly/easterly winds (cold winds) which the fish tend not to follow but there is always an exception to that rule and any rule for that matter, always have an open mind. You also have a choice of water depths from the shallowest water to the deepest, just a matter of finding the magic depth. You can also see a good chunk of water so if you see any signs and the swims are free you can move. 

[salokcinnodrog]

4 hours ago, Tubbytom said:

@salokcinnodrog - thanks for your reply. I guess my biggest challenge at the moment is arriving at a swim with little watercraft knowledge and choosing a peg. On the fishery I am going to in Feb they do provide good maps of the lakes but my knowledge isn't there yet. Be interesting to know your thoughts on the map and which peg you would choose if you had to base it purely on the map alone.

Here's the description - 

Sunnyside 1 was stocked with carp and pike back in 1999 and has recieved numerous stock within our stocking programme with last one in 2020.

In November 2015, March 2016 and November 2016 it was stocked up again with Pike upto 19lbs. There is an increase in double figure pike in this water.

The water has a silt / gravel bed and reached depths between 3-9 ft. The lake record is currently ‘ The Captain’ at 32lbs. Other 30 plusses are 'Jake' at 30lbs and 'Parrot' at 30lbs.

I've also attached the map

I actually looked at the website last night before I replied, so had an idea of the map.

My starting points if no fish are showing when I arrived would be looking at water on the bank with any northerly wind coming from behind or across me, so i can face the back of the bivvy into it, and a reasonable depth in front of me, say 5-7ft deep.

No fun with a winter northerly wind piling into your face!

That would make my first choice of swims as 4, 5, 6, 7, with 10 or 11 as the next two. Basically I would feel confident in anything other than the shallow water in front of 1, 2, and 3.

 

 

[Tubbytom]

@emmcee - thanks for such a detailed response. Super helpful. So wind really is a very important factor? Amazing how much stuff there is to learn!

[Tubbytom]

1 minute ago, salokcinnodrog said:

I actually looked at the website last night before I replied, so had an idea of the map.

My starting points if no fish are showing when I arrived would be looking at water on the bank with any northerly wind coming from behind or across me, so i can face the back of the bivvy into it, and a reasonable depth in front of me, say 5-7ft deep.

No fun with a winter northerly wind piling into your face!

That would make my first choice of swims as 4, 5, 6, 7, with 10 or 11 as the next two. Basically I would feel confident in anything other than the shallow water in front of 1, 2, and 3.

 

 

@salokcinnodrog super helpful advice. So much to learn from this forum. Thanks for taking the time to respond. 👍

[framey]

 fishing any of the swims  1-7 and hope you got it right lol

basically using same logic as kev.

As I like fishing corners 7 would be my first choice.

2nd choice would be 4 or 5 because of the distance between 4 and 5

but what’s the T between 4 and 5 ? As that looks like it could be a spot the fishery feed and deliver fish to.

 

As an aside,

why did they post a pic with West at the top lol