A lot of anglers abandon their edge fishing antics in winter, but Tom Edwards reveals his tried-and-tested tactics for catching in the cold at close quarters
TARGETING the margins is seen as something of a gamble once winter is just around the corner.
The vortexes caused by carp going tails-up and gorging on freebies in shallow water are but a distant summer memory, and many anglers don’t give their edges a second thought now cooler weather has arrived.
However, watch top commercial expert Tom Edwards set up on a fishery and you’ll soon notice that he still plumbs-up down the margins.
“Fish and feed the edges like you would when it was warm and you’ll struggle, that’s for sure. But if you make adjustments to your approach, you’ll find that it can still be a brilliant area of your swim to get bites from,” explained Tom.
“When carp are your main target, there’s no doubt that the action is a lot slower. But the margins are a place that you can bank on to produce a good proportion of the bites that you get, even at this time of year.”
Depth is king
According to Tom, the first thing to do when you arrive at your chosen venue is to pick an appropriate swim.
Plenty of space is crucial, as the fish won’t venture close to the bank if there is too much commotion and other anglers crowded nearby.
“The water is getting clearer by the day and that allows the fish to detect what is going on above the surface,” he said.
“Big fish aren’t willing to venture into very shallow water in winter and you won’t get a bite if you drop your rig in the 1ft-2ft spots that were brilliant in summer.
“You need to be looking for around 2.5ft-3ft down one margin and 3.5ft-4ft on the other.
“Having this variation on each side allows you to rotate in the early stages of trying the margins to work out what depth they are most comfortable sitting in on the day.
“Once you’ve sussed that out, you can find the best depth on the other side and then keep rotating, while using the same rig.” Although fishing close to cover such as reedbeds is a bonus, it isn’t essential, Tom believes. You may find that you have to come a metre or two away from the bank to find a sufficient depth, but this won’t hamper your chances of drawing carp in.
Time it right
This isn’t an approach that is going to work from start to finish, and you need to make your move at the right time.
Feed and fish it from the off and you might get the odd rogue carp having a nosey but catching it will cause disturbance that will ruin your chances of a late flurry.
“The aim is to prime the area so that the carp come in, start grubbing around and drop their guard. It’s at
