Hi,

So, I'm admittedly a fair-weather angler. I do not enjoy my fishing in the colder months and usually start mid-May until the end of September. This year I'm doing my first session tonight. I'm a little lost regarding baiting approach. In April have they woke up and start moving and feeding a bit more?

Thanks

Marc

In reply to Post #1
Imo they're still looking for temps rather than food for the greater part of the 24 hr period. For sure there'll be feeding periods but for me you're better off with zigs.

In reply to Post #2
100% agree, only exception is a shallow bay or sheltered sunny bank, but even then they're only there for the temps imo, but can be caught over a little bait.

Can only reiterate what has already been said. We have longer days and they're definately moving but nights are still really cold.
I have done ok so far in shallow, sunny bays but im still only putting out a solid pva bag and a small handful of boilies. (less than a dozen freebies).

In reply to Post #1
Hard to generalise, have a good look and punish a few, if in doubt less is best, had 9 fish in 2ft 8 inches of water in silt where the sun hits the water firs light recently, plenty of options, don't put all your eggs in one basket then regret it, good luck

In reply to Post #5
I keep a record of catches anyway also got dates and times on photos on phone of catches so use this as a rough guide,at minute I'm off 9th may for a week so my plan is 2 weeks before is to start a baiting up plan basically every few days pop down to canal and prebait gradually increasing the amount.
As I'm on lakes at the minute till later this month or next month it's single pva bags put out as I find this the best way at the minute.
I had a good may in 2019 on the canal I had 6 fish in 2 sessions lost 2(3 days at a time) from 5lb to 32lb(end of may)but last year done a week on the canal and it was raining and windy totally different situation to 2 years before(dates roughly matched 2 years previously) and yep I blanked not a single bleep or any sign

In reply to Post #1
Bright pop ups over a small scattering of boilies has always done me well early spring.

As the water temps increase you may find different areas of the lake will do bites in the daytime (shallows) than night (deeper areas)

All lakes are different however, and the best advice is to fish to the conditions, and what you see.

In reply to Post #1
Always used to do OK on stringers or a small PVA mesh bags March / April time.

In reply to Post #1
50 to 100 baits mate fish for a bite they still have leeches on and are just waking up

I'm an ex match angler. Perhaps not the best to ask. But the old saying is, you can put it in but you can't take it out.

So little and often if you get a bite.

Dont pile it in build it.

In reply to Post #9
50 to 100 baits for a bite, dont pile it in. 100 baits is a pile lmao.

In reply to Post #8
I'd agree with that

The key is looking out for the fish and putting the smaller amounts where they are.

Never been one for the mountain of bait and wait for them to find it approach

In reply to Post #11
🤣🤣🤣 5kgs of pure boilie is piling it in 10kgs of spod mix with it to go on to.

100 baits I did that 10 times over this last few days on a 35 foot clay pit mate it is piss in the wind... oh and caught fish too....

Totally dependant on where you're fishing. Some venues are zigs ( more and more places banning them though ) I like single full hookbaits pumping out hydros, or a small mesh bag personally however some people are doing really well by upping the levels now. If you take the average lake as 5 acres, and in one is 200 fish and the other 20, 5kg of bait is going to get very different reacts most the time

In reply to Post #13
Yeah but this time of year with a hundred baits on a spot you've fed ten fish to every one you caught. I'm surrounded by 11 lakes in walking distance of my door so walk round and watch them, they may come in and pick up two or three baits then move off. When temps come up they will be more active and need more fuel unless the spawning urge takes hold.

I put in around 3kilos of soaked and boiled birdfood on 1 rod at the start of a 3 day session.

The other 2 rods were fished with a hookbait over just a PVA bag of crumbed boilies and ground Vitalin.
The rod that produced the fish was the birdfood baited rod.

Not saying it is the right way to go as it was the only carp caught between all the anglers on the lake.
Saying that, the lake is very rich in natural food, we regularly reel in bloodworm, patches of weed full of snails and other food.

The fish I can find on my waters have been fairly active since February, not eating too much and small amounts of particles & broken /crumbed baits has got a reaction.
Some have had lice.

Far too many variables to say on a forum... Size of venue, stocking density, depth, weather conditions, angling pressure, amount of overall bait going in, what's being caught by others, how the fish are behaving, can you get on ‘em, length of trip, what's permitted in the rules, just loads and loads and loads of factors... Only experience, prior knowledge built via time, and the ability to read the situation on the day can tell what's best to do on a particular venue... A good spring starting point is don't put much out.