| Locating Tips, Part 6 |
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The Effects of Day and Night Carp are scientifically considered to be diurnal feeders, which means that both day and night length have an influence on their feeding habits. Whether or not they use day length as a clock no one knows, but it is strange how they frequently seem to know when to start or stop feeding. There are countless venues that we have fished over the years that seem only to switch into gear when a certain hour strikes. Birch Grove in England is a great example here, especially in the winter. Over the four years that we have been in the winter syndicate, only three of our fish have ever been caught in the night. Most have fallen between the hours of 10am and 2pm. Carp will also use the daily cycle as a trigger to determine when to move to certain areas of the lake. Shallows are a good example here: the warming of the sun's rays may inform the carp of where the most comfortable areas of the lake may be. In the summer, the carp may all head to the shallows at noon where it is much warmer and a good supply of food can be found. As soon as the sun starts to go down the carp may all start to head back into the deeper water. It is all a matter of trying to fathom out the movements of the carp. If you are targeting a water on a long-term basis then there is no substitute for watching the water. Ask the more successful anglers on the lake and they'll tell you the same. The Effects of the Seasons Depending on the water, you may find that the carp are located in different parts of the lake depending on the seasons. There is an old saying that carp go into the deeper water in the winter and, whilst this may be just a saying, it is often the case in England. Deeper water tends to stay at a more constant temperature than shallower water, so always bear this in mind. At Birch Grove we are convinced that some of the carp spend most of their winter life in the deeper water, and we'd even go so far as to say they spend it stationary in mid-water or at least a few feet off the bottom. This is a very difficult topic to generalize on, because there are also fish in Birch that spend a lot of their time in the snaggy areas of the lake, which are much shallower. Carp have a habit of splitting up into shoals, more so in the warmer months, but you will still find segregated groups in the winter also. Normally in the winter you will find carp huddled together a lot more, usually for safety, but also perhaps for the comfort of the water. Some people refer to oxygen levels to explain why carp are in a certain area, and whilst this can be a factor, it doesn't tend to apply in the winter as the water is usually much more oxygenated due to the slowing up of the aquatic environment: there is less consumption of the oxygen because everything has slowed down. You the refore tend to find what is known as a saturated oxygen level, when no more oxygen can be absorbed by the water. In the summer the opposite is the case, so locating a fall pipe or a stream inlet may be a fabulous tactic to employ at that time of the year. Another important seasonal consideration should be the spawning areas of the fish. Carp usually spawn in the same area of the lake/river year after year. If the water is a small venue then you won't have too much difficulty locating the fish. For bigger venues, however, carp will frequently spend days, weeks or even months in a particular area of the lake as the build-up to spawning approaches. They may also stay in the area for weeks afterwards, a good example here being the west arm at Cassien. This area of the famous lake is always a good bet in spring, and each year you will hear about some terrific catches from it. |
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