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| I landed this beautiful mirror today, a sunny day in the forties. Carp can still be caught between now and when the ice arrives. |
It seems like winter has arrived early this year. And, while this sudden November chill has really cooled off the carp fishing, there is still opportunity out there to catch a decent fish or two before the ice comes along. Once the ice envelops a pond or lake, it's over until spring.
Today I went out this morning to check out a carp spot and potentially fish there. To my surprise, it was completely frozen with a skim coat of ice. But, by mid day and late afternoon, the temperatures had risen to a comfortable level and the ice departed. Lesson here is that late afternoon provides the best opportunity to fish for carp at this time of year. That warmest part of the day will bring the best opportunity to catch. And, today was a good example as I did catch a few.
Another tip at this cold time of year is to focus on small spots like small ponds and small rivers. There's just no place for the carp to go in these places, and these places (if they are shallow) can warm up nicely when the sun is out even on a cold day. That will up the activity level of the carp there. Big bodies of water are so much harder to find the carp in winter, and they are slow to warm.
Finally, go small with your bait offerings. Today I just fished a hair rig with a kernel of maize and a white artificial corn on the hair. I used no method ball. They just don't feed as heavily at this time and going small is often better.
So long as there is no ice the carp will continue to hit though not at the same pace as the warmer months. Still, there is something special about catching a carp in late November and even December when most fishermen have given up thinking that carp can no longer be caught.
