THE
WINTER
The
lakes are open until the end of November, or just into early December.
From late December it is possible for the water temperature to drop
enough for the lakes to freeze over, and then they can stay frozen
for up to 8 weeks!
Dijon and the surrounding areas are notoriously cold throughout
the winter period, due to their geographical location. Air temperatures
as low as -20 with the wind chill factor have been recorded in recent years, and -10 and less,
are the norm.
The
lake is affected in many ways by the impact of the winter weather,
with the gradual drop in water temperatures, the majority of fish
activity reduces to a minimum, with the only exception being the
Pike.
The weed beds reduce and die off, and the already battered natural
food sources disappear completely. Water clarity is at it's clearest,
and in depths of winter, it would seem that there is no sign off
life under the waters surface.
Above
the surface, activity seems to increase, with all sorts of visiting
birds and other wildlife,
appearing once the last of the anglers are gone.
It's
a beautiful place to be all year round, that's a fact, but there
is something special about the place when it takes on it's Winter
colours, and the undisturbed peace sets in.
It
remains one of the most important times of the year for the carp
too, the "shut down". Time to rest and repair, with no
angling pressure or other inconveniences to them.
THE
ANGLING
Usually
thought of as slower fishing, but not always the case.
I have noticed an initial lull in activity for a few days when that
first cold spell arrives, when's that?......good question!
After this, the carp seem to adapt to the colder water temperatures,
and are prepared to continue feeding up until the temperatures
hit their lowest, after the season is over.
But !...your going to need a digestible winter bait though!
If
your fishing the lakes in the winter months there's no point in
feeding something that's going to be hard to digest! The carp's
metabolism slows down as the water gets colder, as does their ability
to digest food, which makes choice of bait very important!
You
can feed and considerably if you want, there's no problem there,
they could eat everything you give them but, the
real question is,..........how much of it will
they eat ?
A
digestible Winter bait, that has a rapid breakdown in cold water,
say 2/3 days, that the carp can eat, digest, benefit from, and pass easily,
without discomfort, is an essential factor if you want to catch
as many fish as possible during your Winter week. The ingredients
the bait is made from is an evan more important issue....
Any good bait company should be able to advise you on an effective
Winter food bait, that can be used confidently evan in substantial
quantities in cold water conditions.
If you get your bait right, you
have the chance of a feeding carp consuming that bait may
be twice or three times during your week!....if it breaks down and
they can digest it with no problems,.... which in turn gives you
2 to 3 times the chance of catching them!.....agreed?
Where
as, a less digestible bait, that takes all week or more to break
down in the water, or is too high in the wrong types of protein
for example, runs the risk of potentially blocking the fishes digestive
system for a while if they eat enough of it, rendering them a "non
contender" for the rest of your week!.......not good!
FACT;
After the season has ended in December, and if the weather and work
allows, I like to fish for the carp myself for a while if I can,
before I get my Pike fishing head on.
It's one of my favorite times of year, peaceful carp fishing, with
no Mosquito's, or baking hot weather!
But
I also use the opportunity to feed the carp up a bit before they
winter, while I'm fishing.
I bait heavy, 2 to 3 kilos on each rod per day sometimes, and sprinkle
it all over the lake as well!
It
does not affect my catch rates in a negative way, in fact I do pretty
well normally. The reason for that is simply, they can eat the bait,
digest it, and pass it easily....and then go and eat some more,......if
it's there that is.
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