Twelve months of carp fishing: Awakening in March

The time has finally come! March is here! The crocuses and snowdrops are starting to appear, the toads are beginning to spawn and the migratory birds will soon be returning. Most of the winter is already over! After many years of spending almost the entire winter in southern Europe and enjoying the sunshine there, this year I can once again feel how beautiful March can be once you have survived the cold and dark months of winter at home. Yes, on 21 March it's equinox again and the days are already getting longer than the nights.

This year, March is starting off with fantastic sunny weather in southern Germany. However, I don't really know where to start yet. I have to admit that I have completely neglected my fishing in Germany in March for the last decade. Before that, I was successful in Belgium (where I lived for 5 years) and in Germany, especially on small and shallow waters in March. It starts much quicker there than in deep gravel pits. But if you know where, you can have success even on a gravel pit in March.

 

Fishing in shallow spots close to the shore is the key to success. You don't need a lot of food. The location is the be-all and end-all. By shallow, I mean really shallow. Two metres is often a bit too deep. Of course you can also fish deeper, as it is often the smaller carp that become active in the shallows. The big roach are already reluctant to mingle with the lively and probably soon horny bunch. A little deeper, the chances of catching a fat lady can be better. So if you don't want to miss out on this opportunity, it's okay to lay a rod a little deeper.

 

However, as I have mainly been travelling in Spain and France in recent years, I am happy to share my experiences at the large reservoirs in March. March is the really hot time in Spain to catch a fat lady - or a handsome gentleman - before spawning. As a rule, you look for them in the spawning areas, where many carp are already present a few weeks beforehand. Shallow bays, river inlets, reed and herb fields: It is never easier to find carp than in spring. Nowadays, drones are often unpacked for this purpose, but an inflatable boat with a quiet electric motor or a banana boat (with hammer siz) and strong rowing arms are usually sufficient. And the best thing about it: because the carp are now feeding so shallowly, you can easily recognise where they are feeding with polarised glasses, an aquascope or an underwater camera. To do this, look for freshly stirred up areas with feeding holes in the mud between half a metre and four metres deep.

 

Don't forget the pop-ups! Especially in spring, the upturned Rogner can't simply swim past a pop-up. My experience has been that you either fish a pop-up that is identified as food (e.g. homemade with a cork or polystyrene ball and good boilie dough kneaded around it and then briefly boiled) or a pop-up that visually attracts them. The colour yellow has proved to be the most attractive for me. I think this has something to do with the upcoming spawning season. Because almost all fish eggs are yellow and they either attract the milkers to milk them or they are on the menu of other fish. Try fishing for a yellow pop-up near spawning bream, for example. Fat carp are never far away.

 

So enjoy the singing birds, the sprouting plants and the search for already hungry carp. It's best to switch off your mobile phone and just enjoy what you like doing best: fishing!
Peace
Alex