Autumn is a tricky season. One week the fish feed like it’s still summer; the next they shut down as if winter has arrived overnight. The margins that were alive yesterday go dead, shallow lines fade, and suddenly everything feels half a size too big. Adapting quickly is the difference between framing and blanking.
The rule of thumb is simple: as the water cools, scale down. But the art is knowing how far to go, and when to stop. Scale down too late and you spook fish. Scale down too early and you lose control, miss bites, or get bullied out by bigger carp. Autumn is about reading the peg and reacting, not blindly following a calendar.
Reading the Signs
Autumn fishing is all about observation. Weather swings matter more now than at any other time of year. After a mild spell with warm nights, carp may still feed confidently, even shallow. A sharp frost or a run of cold nights will push them back, often tighter to the bottom and less willing to move for food.
Watch the water constantly. Liners on the pole line, the odd swirl under your float, fish topping down the margins — these are all clues. If fish are moving and showing, you can afford to fish positively. If the peg looks lifeless and bites are slow or delicate, it’s time to back off and tread carefully.
Autumn rewards anglers who notice small changes and act on them early.
Lines and Hooklengths
Summer carp setups start to feel clumsy as autumn progresses. A 0.22 mainline to 0.20 hooklength that felt perfect in July can be too crude by September. I’ll usually drop to 0.20 mainline and 0.18 hooklength, and if bites are finicky or liners turn into missed bites, I won’t hesitate to go 0.18/0.16.
For F1s, the same logic applies. I move from 0.20/0.18 down to 0.18/0.16 fairly quickly. You still need control, but finesse starts to matter more, especially when bites come as lifts or tiny dips rather than proper sail-aways.
Silvers are more forgiving. A 0.18/0.16 setup remains perfectly usable, but I’ll often reduce hook size, particularly when fishing maggot or pinkie. In cooler water, they’re far more willing to sip a small bait than charge a big one.
Elastic Adjustments
Elastic choice follows the same “scale down” principle. As fish lose aggression, heavy elastics work against you rather than for you.
For carp, hollow 14–16 gives way to 12–14. You still have power, but the elastic engages earlier and cushions lighter hooklengths. F1 elastics drop from 12–14 down to 10–12, which helps convert shy bites without bumping fish.
For silvers, I’ll often move onto solid 6. It’s forgiving, smooth, and ideal for small hooks and light hooklengths. In autumn, bite detection and hook-holds matter more than brute strength.
Feeding Plan
If there’s one thing that consistently kills autumn pegs, it’s overfeeding.
Big summer feed dumps stop working. The fish simply don’t need that volume of bait, and once they’ve had enough, they back off completely. Instead, I switch to smaller, regular offerings — a pinch of micros, a couple of maggots, maybe the odd grain of corn. Enough to keep fish interested, not enough to fill them up.
Less really is more. If bites fade, resist the urge to “give them a boost”. Often the right move is to sit on your hands, let the peg settle, and nick the next bite rather than force it.
Float and Rig Tweaks
Autumn often brings tow and surface drift, especially on open lakes. Stepping up slightly in float size — say from a 4×12 to a 4×14 — helps keep the rig stable and readable without sacrificing sensitivity.
Shotting becomes more refined too. Tight bulk shotting that worked in summer can feel too abrupt now. I’ll often spread the bulk slightly or use strung shot, allowing the bait to fall more naturally and giving better indication of shy takes. You’re looking for dips, lifts, and hesitations rather than violent movements.
Autumn fishing is rarely spectacular, but it’s incredibly satisfying. It rewards thought, restraint, and timing. Get it right and you stay competitive while others struggle. Get it wrong and the session feels like pushing water uphill. The anglers who frame consistently through autumn aren’t doing anything flashy — they’re just making the right small adjustments at the right time.