Not For The Faint Of Heart...

by

Dan Ketterman

I’ve quickly learned over the last few months that fishing for carp in the middle of winter is not for the faint of heart. Things I’ve took for granted during the warmer months, like watercraft, proved quite difficult. As more and more swims locked up with ice, scouting missions to hunt for open water had to be incorporated into my normal commutes.

Whether I was driving to work or the grocery store, I make it a point to see what swims are still open with the hope of catching a winter carp. Up until the beginning of January, I still had a few options of places to fish. I was even lucky enough to catch at a new location I had never been to before. As January grew colder, by February, only one of my regular swims was left open for me to fish.

I am extremely lucky to be able to fish at this spot. Located less than an hour from my house is an electric power plant with a warm water discharge. At full capacity, this power plant runs 3 turbines to make electricity for the surrounding area. This would typically keep the water around 70 degrees Fahrenheit all year round, making the surrounding waters a haven for all different kinds of aquatic life. Because of budget cuts, the plant is now limited to running one of it’s three turbines so the warm water output has been reduced to a third of what it historically was. Although this power plant is just a shell of its former glory, the water is still warm enough to keep from freezing, sitting around 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the coldest months.

I would describe my angling as fairly simple. I usually fish a simple short-hair rig with a semi-fixed 3-ounce inline lead. My go-to hook baits are a few pieces of maize or sweet corn, a couple of pieces of artificial pop-up corn or boilies, either homemade or anything from Munch Baits. To tie everything together I use a simple panko bread crumb and cream corn pack bait. I have had great success at this swim using this simple approach. A typical 9 or 10 hour session will produce on average 15 carp. As the temperatures started to plummet, I began to notice that those 15 carp sessions were dwindling 5 or 6 carp sessions. Bites were becoming harder to come by, so I knew it was time to switch tactics.

I started to experiment with using the Ronnie rig. I wanted to see what would happen if I was able to present a neutrally buoyant pop-up just off the bottom to entice those weary winter carp. A quick Google or YouTube search on the Ronnie rig will yield several opinions and articles from anglers more knowledgeable than myself. In my limited experience I felt the Ronnie rig would be a great rig for beginners like me who lack confidence in their knot tying abilities. With a few bits and bobs, a novice carp fisherman could have a handful of Ronnie rigs ready to go in no time. I love the way the Ronnie rig presents a pop-up on a hard bottom, which I was fishing at the warm water discharge, and even over silt. It’s hard to find fault in the utility of the Ronnie rig over many different types of substrate I’ve fished. I decided to continue using my panko pack bait with the Ronnie rig and a 14mm Sweet Stim pop-up from Munch Baits. This seemed to do the trick and my captures started to climb back up into the double digits, despite the freezing temperatures.

Coming off of a few successful sessions and armed with a new approach, three buddies and I set out to the discharge for an all day session at the beginning of February. With snow on the ground and the coldest temperatures of the year, we were feeling pretty confident going into the day. Conditions seemed perfect, even though it was cold and the wind was gusting at 25mph. The early-morning confidence started to fade as we had received no bites by mid day. We fought our pack bait all day trying to keep it from freezing and packing the way it was supposed to. As the hours passed and only four fish were landed, I was left confused and a little disappointed. I realized it was time for me to go back to the drawing board.

I love using pack bait, but with the frigid temperatures, that did not seem like an option. How could I lure in those elusive carp with a small mouth full of bait? I decided that a PVA stick might be the answer. The base for my mix was going to be my leftover panko pack bait. Then I decided to throw some Munch Baits Citrus Blend boilies into my food processor. I blended those until I had a good range of large and small boilie particles. My last dry ingredient was baking powder. The baking powder, when it comes in contact with the water, starts to fizz and hopefully grabs the attention of those lazy winter carp and lures them in. I used a splash of vanilla to bind everything together and achieved the consistency I was looking for. Each stick was around 2 inches long, just enough food to get the job done.

Nearly a week after our lackluster session, I once again found myself making the half-mile trek out to the swim, pulling my gear in a sled over the fresh snow. I was excited to see if my PVA sticks were the key to a more fruitful day. Upon reaching the swim, I was greeted by waterfowl as far as the eye could see. The swim is probably the only open, unfrozen water for miles and it seemed like every bird was aware. It was fun to watch them chase the schools of shad all over the bay. Everyone loves walking into a swim that has been baited beforehand. The thousands of waterfowl eating and passing the shad were my own personal pre-baiters. I had a good feeling that this session was going to be special.

I decided I would throw a smorgasbord of baits at them this session and planned to switch based on what the carp were biting. Because the swim is located on Lake Erie I was able to fish three rods. On my left most rod, I tied on a Ronnie rig with the 14mm Sweet Stim pop-up. In the middle, I decided on using a simple hair rig with two pieces of artificial pop-up corn. My last rod was fished with an 18mm Citrus Blend boilie topped with a piece of artificial corn. All three rods were cast with a PVA stick that I had tied up the night before. Almost instantly, the alarm of my right hand rod with the boilie started to scream. After a short fight, I had netted my first common of the day. With a quick unhooking from it’s lower lip, the Ronnie rig was too much to resist and the alarm was off. I placed the first fish in a retaining sling and went to fight the next one. In the middle of that fight the third rod sounded and I had myself a triple. With 3 fish in the slings, I decided to recast the rods with fresh PVA sticks. I never would have thought that after my last cast the first rod was off again turning my triple into a quadruple!

After the pandemonium I was able to catch my breath for a bit. The downtime gave me an opportunity to take some photos and enjoy the peace and sounds of waterfowl in the distance. Just as I began to zone out, the Ronnie rig was off again. I could tell this fish had a little more weight to it. This would be a proper fight. As I started to gain the upperhand, that all-too-familiar sound of another alarm started to chirp. I had another fish on the line! Upon landing the larger fish, I could tell it was the best one of the day, but I couldn’t help but think about the fish on the other line. After I placed it safely in the sling, I was certain that the second fish had flung the hook. To my surprise it was still there and I was in another battle.

I couldn’t have imagined the session going as well as it did. I got to the swim later than normal because I had to get my sons off to school. Because of this, I had four hours on the bank. The end result was ten fish consisting of a quadruple, a double, and fish weighing in at 20 and 25lbs with a few nice mid-teens sprinkled in. It didn’t matter what bait I put before them. They were all working. Not too shabby for a 6 degree Farenheit day.

In reflecting back on some of my winter sessions, I feel I’ve learned a lot that I plan on carrying into the rest of my angling. If you’re fishing and things are tough or they’re not going as planned, don’t be afraid to switch things up.

Try new tactics and push yourself. Tie new rigs if you think rigs are the issue. Switch up your baiting strategy or presentation. Experiment with new flavors, spices or smells. Even when the winter session results may seem bleak, get creative and don’t give up.