11 replies to this topic

[RebelCarp]

After working and being busy for the past 4 weeks, I can only think about cold weather coming. With that in mind I have no experience on the water with fall-early winter carp fishing patterns. Can large carp still be caught in these hard conditions and what areas should you be fishing? Do carp go into wintering holes like catfish or do they continue hanging out in the shallows because of the warmer waters? I do know a few warm water outlets I will be trying when it gets really cold but they are last resort. Any tips would be great. Im guessing low amount of "chum" or prebaiting and move to single hookbaits. The only problem I will have is all the bass and walleye fisherman hogging all the river holes (if they are deep)

I'm ready for long hour fishing with the gear that I purchased so I'm all ready for that.

[barbelfloat]

After working and being busy for the past 4 weeks, I can only think about cold weather coming. With that in mind I have no experience on the water with fall-early winter carp fishing patterns. Can large carp still be caught in these hard conditions and what areas should you be fishing? Do carp go into wintering holes like catfish or do they continue hanging out in the shallows because of the warmer waters? I do know a few warm water outlets I will be trying when it gets really cold but they are last resort. Any tips would be great. Im guessing low amount of "chum" or prebaiting and move to single hookbaits. The only problem I will have is all the bass and walleye fisherman hogging all the river holes (if they are deep)

I'm ready for long hour fishing with the gear that I purchased so I'm all ready for that.

My friend, not only can large carp be caught in the fall/early winter.....IT IS THE TIME for large carp. Fishing for large carp is all about optimizing your chances and your chances are arguably the lowest during the summer and highest during the fall/spring (depending on who you talk to). During early and mid autumn, both rivers and lakes are good. But as it heads towards winter, tidal rivers are typically easier because tidal fish still have to move and feed.

[RebelCarp]

My friend, not only can large carp be caught in the fall/early winter.....IT IS THE TIME for large carp. Fishing for large carp is all about optimizing your chances and your chances are arguably the lowest during the summer and highest during the fall/spring (depending on who you talk to). During early and mid autumn, both rivers and lakes are good. But as it heads towards winter, tidal rivers are typically easier because tidal fish still have to move and feed.

Thank you for the confidence booster. Im looking forward to the nice views of changing leaves, comfortable weather and hopefully big carp! Im ready for it! I'll tell you what, I am sweating my butt off sitting in my bivvy right now lol!!!

Attached Files

•  IMG_0514.JPG   153.96K   1 downloads
•  IMG_0518.JPG   121.57K   1 downloads
•  IMG_0521.JPG   124.03K   0 downloads

[Mr. B.]

I fish below a few lowhead damns in the fall and winter the fish seem concentrated and very willing to bite. Really high numbers at my spots but not alot of really big ones.

[Captain Carpy]

Hey Adam havent heard from you in forever.. thought you left the site man. Nice bivvy bro... Goodluck on your fall adventures man!

[RebelCarp]

Hey Adam havent heard from you in forever.. thought you left the site man. Nice bivvy bro... Goodluck on your fall adventures man!

Well like I said before I worked for 4 weeks and before that I got 6 straight skunks so thats why I really didnt post much. Hopefully next weekend I can shake off them skunks and get some gold.

[Skammer]

The fall to me is probably the best time to catch the big ones. The spawn is over, the nights are cool & the fish are more co-operative more active & hungry & the daylight hrs. seem to be the best.
Nice bivy! Looks like you are prepared for the long haul. I put in 14 hrs yesterday & only ended up with 2 fish. It was pretty hot all day & hopefully with the cooler days comming, things will change for the better.

[Captain Carpy]

Well like I said before I worked for 4 weeks and before that I got 6 straight skunks so thats why I really didnt post much. Hopefully next weekend I can shake off them skunks and get some gold.

Yeah i hear ya.. i have been catching some carp but deffinately has slowed down! Summer is the worst... i hate it! Il be glad when its over....

[Hopeful]

I started fishing for carp this summer, so I'm glad to hear that I can look forward to better fishing in the fall!

[barbelfloat]

After working and being busy for the past 4 weeks, I can only think about cold weather coming. With that in mind I have no experience on the water with fall-early winter carp fishing patterns. Can large carp still be caught in these hard conditions and what areas should you be fishing? Do carp go into wintering holes like catfish or do they continue hanging out in the shallows because of the warmer waters? I do know a few warm water outlets I will be trying when it gets really cold but they are last resort. Any tips would be great. Im guessing low amount of "chum" or prebaiting and move to single hookbaits. The only problem I will have is all the bass and walleye fisherman hogging all the river holes (if they are deep)

I'm ready for long hour fishing with the gear that I purchased so I'm all ready for that.

Here's some tips for late fall/early winter fishing. It's difficult to generalize stuff in carp fishing because many variables effect what will happen. It's probably safe to say that there are no absolutes in carp fishing except that there aren't any absolutes. But I'll give you some general tips.

Anglers love casting far (especially beginners) because it makes them feel cool (I'm guilty of this ) but carp actually like shallow water (if there isn't any angling pressure or human activity) because that's where most of the natural food are. But as the weather temps start to drop, the shallow water starts to get really cool, food is not as abudant, and it becomes very clear. It's really amazing how clear my lakes and rivers get during the late fall/early winter (sediment and particle retention is inversely proportional with water temp).

Here's a pic I snapped for an article I wrote in November. This was taken at a depth of 4-5 feet and you can clearly see the submerged bicycle even at those depths. The pic really doesn't do it justice, if you were there with me - the water was so clear that you could see every detail on the bottom.
 water clarity.jpg   47.26K   2 downloads

So during the fall because of water temp and water clarity, it's probably not a good idea to fish in shallow flats (but for spring and summer it's good for the reasons I stated above). But I still like to look for places with lots of depth flucuations so I can try different depths. But definitely deeper areas should not be ignored. Coincidentally though, swims with lots of depth variance are always good spots (not just during the fall).

There's a little tip for you and hope it helps. Good luck and remember, fall/early winter is some of the best fishing so don't stop once the cold fronts start to move in.