Coldwater Bread Tactics
Coldwater Bread Tactics - Commercial Carp in Spring
Whenever I’m heading to a new venue or one that I haven’t fished for years, especially if I’m competing in a future match then I will always head out beforehand for at least a walk round, if not a few hours practicing.
First impressions
Just that initial glimpse of the lake will tell me loads as if the water is gin clear then I know that the fish are probably shoaled up tightly together, not moving or feeding much and that a stand out target bait will probably be best such as bread, especially if its carp dominated. The clarity of the water also tells me that if I’m not pegged on the fish then I will probably end up scratching around for a few silvers. Clear water also means in most cases that carp will be under or very close to any cover such as overhanging trees and bushes so straight away I get a good idea of the water even before wetting a line.
Logical swim choice
Today I find myself in such a situation, a lake I’ve only fished twice in the past and that was in the summer and one that I have a match on the following week. A quick look at the lake and as expected its gin clear and there are no signs of fish but two thirds of the way down the lake there are lots of bushes on the far bank so this is where I’m going to set up.
Leading around
First job is to get a rough idea of the topography of the lake so all I do is set up a light feeder rod, attach a small bomb and have a cast around. The time the lead takes to hit bottom gives me a rough idea of depth and by dragging this slowly across the bottom reveals not only what the bottom of the lake is made up off but also if there are any snags to avoid. This only takes a few minutes but it reveals so much and is worth doing on any new venue before fishing.
If you can find some cover the fish won’t be far away.
First line of attack the pole and a bit of dobbing.
Xitan ex-s top kits 1 piece top kits, great when you need to try different approaches.
What’s going to work?
Although I have maggot, expander pellet, corn and caster as bait, first out of the bag is going to be bread as knowing this venue is carp dominated a bit of dobbing on the pole shouldn’t go unnoticed if there are any carp around. I’m also going to set up a feeder rod and will try both the straight bomb and a small cage feeder filled with liquidised bread as I need to work out what works best. Presenting the hook bait on the pole couldn’t be easier and using a small punch I press out a few 4mm discs at a time and pass the hook through one. On the feeder I will be placing two or three of the punched bread discs onto a hair and securing these with a Quick Stop.
Instant action
First tactic to try is dobbing half way across to the far bank cover which is the deepest part of the swim. I’m using my trusted Sphere Zero-G F1+ Pole teamed up with Xitan 2ex-s 1 piece Top Kits loaded with no10 Stretch 7 Elastic. The float for dobbing needs to be light with a slim body and mine today is a 4×12 which is shotted with no12 shots placed at equal intervals between float and hook. This gives a natural fall of the bait and as each tiny shot settles it registers on the float producing a very positive but delicate rig. At the business end I m using a light size 16 hook attached to 0.12mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono and the mainline is the same but in a 0.14mm diameter. I’m not expecting too much action as I’ve not seen any fish top whilst setting up so when the float sails away seconds after settling and the elastic extends from the pole top I’m taken back somewhat. Lifting and dropping as well as trying different lines in the swim produces a couple more quick carp before this tactic dries up, I’m guessing they have spooked in the clear water. Can I get them back by introducing some liquidised bread, no, as all this does is attracts small silvers.
No 10 Stretch 7 Elastic, my choice today.
Cenex Hybrid Power Mono, reliable line.
Strung out micro shot creates a natural drop of the hookbait.
"The trend today seems to be a couple of fish from each area."
Time to switch
Time to head over to the far bank with a straight bomb and once again this tactics produces straight away. I’m using is a Sphere 10ft Bomb Rod which is great as being two piece it can be carried ready made up which saves time on the bank. I’ve teamed this up with a Black Magic MSF 340 Reel loaded with 0.19mm (6.6lb) Black Magic Gold mono and the rig itself consists of a 10g bomb attached to a small Quick Change Swivel coming to rest against a Connected Bead. Attached to this is the hook length created from Hybrid Power 0.14mm Mono which has a size 16 hook tied knotless knot style leaving a short hair that has a Quick Stop attached to it. Unfortunately as with the pole line after a couple of carp this dries up so time to attach a small feeder and introduce some crumb. A couple more carp follow before the feed attracts some decent skimmers showing at least I know that if I’m not on carp in the match I can at least attract the silvers and hopefully build a half decent weight of these.
Alternating the lines
For the next few hours I hold back on introducing any feed and simply alternate between dobbing on the pole and casting a straight bomb at different spots along the far bank features. The trend today seems to catch a couple of carp on either tactic before it dries up and a tactical switch is needed to keep them coming, so the practice session has revealed loads for the coming match and at least I now know how to approach it on the day in a positive manner.
Colin Sheppard
Feed for the feeder, fine liquidised bread.
Pass this through a fine riddle to remove any lumps.
Discs on the hair will pop up straight off the bomb/feeder.
Colin’s Tackle
Sphere Zero-G F1+ Pole
Xitan 2ex-s 1 Piece Top Kit
No 10 Stretch 7 Hollow Elastic
0.14mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono
0.12mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono
Light Size 16 Barbless Hook
4×14 Slim Bodied Pole Float
Sphere 10ft Bomb Rod
Black Magic MSF 320 Reel
Black Magic Gold 0.19mm (6.6lb) Mono
10g Bomb
Small Quick Change Swivel
Connector Bead
0.14mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono
Light Size 16 Barbless Hook
Quick Stop
Instant action on the dobbing rig.
Proper weight makers if the carp don’t turn up.
NEW VIDEO - Bread Fishing for Spring Carp
In this weeks new video Colin Sheppard enjoys a productive practice session in search of match carp on bread.
Watch now by hitting the play button below, or watch in HD on the Browning Europe YouTube channel here.
Popped-Up Bread Rig
Rig it Right - Popped-Up Bread Rig
Fishing a popped-up bread rig is a brilliant tactic in the winter months for carp and big F1’s, because the fish spend a lot more time a little way off the bottom than we might imagine.
The blatant bread bait should be popped up straight off the lead, right in the face of any passing fish. It is essential that the bread is as buoyant as possible, so always leave the punched bread to expand before casting out. It can pay to make up a few hooklengths to allow a quick change between casts. I use a Warburtons sliced loaf, which is quite tough and nice and buoyant.
There is no need for a big hook when fishing with bread, in fact the lighter the hook the better. I use a Sphere Beast in a size16, which is plenty enough to tame the biggest carp I am likely to hook.
I have found that a 20 gram bomb is about right, creating enough resistance to prick the carp, and not making too much disturbance when I cast out.
Because we are not introducing any feed try casting around the swim looking for fish. Once you have caught one, or had an indication it can be worth trying that spot again and the chances are more fish will be around.
I know it can take a bit of confidence to fish with just popped-up bread, but believe me it is a brilliant tactic when the conditions are cold and the carp are not responding to other tactics.
Tight Lines!
Jim Hall
- I use Cenex Hybrid Power Mono in 0.14mm diameter for my bread and corn hooklengths.
2. Tie a Quick Stop onto a 40cm length of Hybrid Power using a small loop knot.
3. Tie on the size 16 Sphere Beast Eyed Barbless hook using a knotless knot. Make sure the hair is long enough to easily take three bread disks.
4. Tie a small overhand loop in the other end of the hooklength, giving a total length of about 30cm. Use a figure-of-eight loop for maximum strength.
5. Thread an inline bomb onto the end of the 0.20mm main line.
6. Having experimented with different weights, I find 20 grams is right, with enough weight to set the hook, without making too much splash.
7. Tie a Quick Change Bead to the end of the main line.
8. On most venues the rules dictate that the rig is free-running, with the bomb resting against the Quick Change Bead on the cast.
9. Punch three 10mm disks of bread. It is very important to leave them in the punch for a few minutes to allow the bread to expand.
10. Thread the bread disks onto the hair. There should be room on the hair for the bread to expand once it is cast out and becomes wet.
Popped-Up Bread Rig components
0.20mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono main line
0.12mm Cenex Hybrid Power Mono Hooklength
Size 16 Sphere Beast Eyed Barbless hook
Quick Stops
20 gram Inline Bomb
Big carp like this can be your reward for fishing popped-up bread in winter.
