First Carp of 2026 | January Session in Wind, Rain & Low Pressure

Trip 1 Carp Fishing - 2026This session was meant to take place last week, but a sick child put a stop to that. After spending two hours looking for signs of carp and finding nothing, I decided to settle into a swim I have confidence in and enjoy a bit of comfort. Starting that way puts you in the right mindset and gives you something solid to build on.The conditions looked very encouraging: 10°C during the day, 8°C at night, overcast with patchy sunshine, and a nice drop in pressure. Unfortunately, I would be home by the time it reached 983mb. For the next three nights it was forecast to sit consistently around 1012mb, which I actually prefer. I like consistency rather than sharp rises and drops over a short period. My own head doesn’t enjoy those fluctuations, and it does make me wonder how they affect carp individually—because, like us, they must all respond differently.I settled on a swim called Gap. I had spent some time the previous week looking for potential new winter spots and had marked a few out, including rediscovering this one, which had produced a good few carp for me many years ago.Tight lines and be lucky!