Twelve months of carp fishing: Magical October

The initially hot September, with temperatures of over 30 degrees, turned in southern Germany in the second week of September, becoming wet and windy and giving us the finest fishing weather instead of warm late summer days. As expected, the carp were feeding like crazy and fishing was never boring. I observed it in two waters and also heard it from other anglers: the carp are still quite slim and ‘empty’ for the time of year and it seems as if they haven't eaten very much over the summer. Accordingly, they are currently eating like barnyard gobblers.

 

 

And that's how we enter October: with fishing weather, lows moving across the country again and again, and good conditions for getting lots of bites. For the time being, nothing has changed compared to September. We've already had two nights with temperatures almost touching 0, but we still seem to be weeks away from real frost. Nevertheless, the wind and the cooler temperatures are enough to mix the water further and make the carp search for food deeper and deeper in the water.

 

Now it's all about the beloved bloodworms, which could not be eaten over the summer because they were in water areas where there is too little oxygen for carp. This is because bloodworms have so much haemoglobin that they can survive on very small amounts of oxygen. As a result, they deprive the carp (and white fish) of oxygen over the summer. However, from October onwards, when the water column is completely mixed again, they really start to get the better of them. Soon, even in the deepest parts of the water, above stinking mud, there is enough oxygen for the carp to greedily dig for the protein-rich larvae. Now you no longer need to be afraid of black mud. Over the course of October, they seek out ever deeper areas of water. And this is not only the case in Germany. In the reservoirs of southern France (as well as in Italy and Spain), you can now fish a few levels deeper than you are used to throughout the year. This is because the autumn winds and colder weather also mix the water there.

 

A few years ago in a reservoir in the south of France, I observed how carp kept jumping over the deepest areas (30 metres deep). My rods were already deep and between 15 and 18 metres, right at the transition to the muddy areas. At 15 metres there was still rocky ground, while the 18 metre rod was in the mud. I also got some bites at 18 metres, but what was going on further out and how many carp were jumping deeper made it clear that I wasn't fishing deep enough yet. So I worked my way into deeper water and quickly got another bite on this rod. However, when I hooked a big, old fish at a depth of 22 metres, it clearly had problems with pressure equalisation after landing. Its swim bladder was so full of air that it really floated up in the landing net and its back protruded a few centimetres above the surface. It took a long time for him to get rid of the excess air and he was able to dive back down with difficulty. However, the shallower rods simply didn't produce any bites and it was only the deepest rod that produced any bites.

 

To minimise the damage to the carp, I decided to release them immediately after landing over deep water after a quick snapshot in the boat. They then managed to quickly dive back into the depths with their remaining power after the fight. But even that didn't feel good and involved a risk. It took another two or three carp and I ended the session early. It was a strange feeling, because I had understood where I could catch carp, but it just wasn't possible if I wanted to fish properly.

 

 

In no other month than October do carp feed so deeply. And this phase only lasts as long as there are still enough midge larvae in the deep mud. Once most of them have been eaten, carp search shallower for food again. This change often takes place as early as November and carp are usually caught much shallower again in winter. So don't be afraid of the black mud and slowly feel your way into the lower third of the water.

All the best,

Your Alex