Winter Zig Fishing Haul at Linear Fisheries

I arrived at Linear Fisheries on a cold frosty morning. Scraping the ice of the window screen is usually a sure sign that it’s going to be a struggle when it comes to carp fishing. I pulled into a very cold St Johns car park. Grabbed the bucket and went on a walk round the lakes I had in mind. The complex was extremely quiet compared to normal. I guess it was just down to the way most of the lakes have been fishing.

One lake I was yet to fish is Hardwick and Smiths and rumour has it that it was doing lots of bites. Unfortunately all from one swim on a certain raised area that no one else could fish from any other swims. The swim in question was already occupied as to be expected. After a chat with the angler in question I decided to brow in opposite and hope that he would push some fish over every time he got a bite. After a long walk with the barrow I finally arrived by the swim I had in mind. It felt much warmer in the chosen swim. On the back of a biller north westerly.

The ground was solid as I stuck the banksticks into the frozen ground. I decided to flick the marker around and locate some likely looking areas. I front of me dropped down to depths of twenty three feet. It was on the fourth flick with the marker that the I felt a couple of bumps on the rod as the lead dropped through the deep water. I knew I had just found some fish and I guessed the fish to be around half depth.

So my plans had instantly turned to zigs. Before long three zigs where spread along the margin shelf around thirty to forty yards out. Each zig being boosted in Betalin and Black. I made up zigs of eight, ten and 12ft as my starting point. I decided to get the brolly up to keep the wind off my back. A fish crashed out twice over the area of the zigs and in turn my confidence was sky high of a bite.

By two pm I was all set up and having my first cup of tea. It was absolutely brass monkeys outside and the wind had strengthened. I managed 3 fish by 4pm I couldn’t believe my luck after all it was January. The next day I managed a further five fish topped by a cracking scaly twenty six pound mirror. The betalin soaked zigs was certainly the edge I needed for a freezing January day.

Five twenties, three upper doubles and four fish lost was the final tally. Hookbait soaked in betalin and black with a few squirts of the betalin booster was the tactic.