It's getting colder so when is it not worth fishing?

[JV44]

Last winter met a mate at a local lake that we were going to boat fish for the Pike ,Had a recce round it the night before and it was unfrozen but after a minus 8 night we arrived at dawn to this

We then had to change venue to the Thames where i managed this last gasp long lean fish but it was bloody cold out there

Don't think my feet have ever been as cold before but you sure won`t catch anything sat in the warm ,At least thats what i tell myself to justify my winter insanity sessions Steve.

[Newt]

I'd say never. Perch and Pike are always active when fishing through the ice and the occasional blue gill (in the photo) forgot to read they don't like cold conditions.

 

[Kappa]

Here are a few snaps from last winter - tell me it's not worth the effort to spend a few hours in such incredible beauty! The dace and chub were more than happy to nobble a few trotted maggots. At times it was actually warmer standing in the water in wellies than being on the bank

 

I remember that day it was so cold I took a photo of the car thermometer when I arrived at the river:

 

 

I once had a real red letter day on the Thames when perch fishing in very cold conditions. I was fishing where two parts of the Thames rejoin after splitting a mile or so upstream. One stream was flowing the other was slack, the slack stream was frozen over all the way across. I have never seen any part of the Thames frozen before or since. Anyway no-one had told the perch and I caught one after another all day fishing along the edge of the ice on the crease between the two streams. They would come out from under the ice and grab the bait before belting off upstream under the ice!

 

In short, the river maybe too high or too coloured but it is never too cold to bag up!

 

Rich

[Andy Macfarlane]

You can still catch grayling when there's ice in the edges.

 

You can still catch grayling when there's a force 10 gale and a blizzard blowing up your behind. A bit of ice in the fringes never put any grayling off the feed. Let's not forget, grayling like eating trout eggs and now is the time to be fishing for them. Try a bit of sweetcorn soaked in trout or salmon oil.

 

"Winter Grayling" by Andy Macfarlane

 

"When I was a dedicated Trout angler I used to long for the season to commence once more. When the tension became all consuming I would head out to a water near Kilmacolm, somewhere between Glasgow and Greenock.

There is a fine little stream called the Gryffe in Kilmacolm and the winter Grayling fishing is second to none. The scenery is fairly hard to beat for a town not 15 minutes from Paisley.

This stream is quiet during the season for the most part so fishing during the Winter could be a lonely affair. Fair do's...I like things that way.

Armed with a fly-rod set up for light trotting and a 12 foot match rod rigged with the lightest of stick float set ups, I would head out over the frost bitten fields in search of some suitable runs.

The Gryffe is a fairly fast little stream that dips into dark, mysterious plunge pools and swings round corners and under bushes at a decent clip. As long as you fish the fastest bank or the middle of a run, you would always produce at least one of these fine looking ladies.

Maggots would be introduced to a run 2 or 3 at a time over 20 minutes or so whilst keeping well out of sight. Not one single cast would be had until I was satisfied the fish had the general feeding pattern worked out.

Fingerless gloves would help with casting and the dexterous touch required for lifting and lying the bait every couple of inches along the gravelly bottom.

Bites would be infuriatingly shy at first but as the continuous pattern of freebies ensued the bite rate would pick up. I have watched through sunglasses, the Grayling gathering from seemingly nowhere, to the top of the run, jostling for position in a competition to grab the best offerings.

Usually I would try to take as many fish from the bottom as possible using the trotting set up. A flick with a fast sinking fly line and 5 foot of 2 Lb break and 3 BB's was the order of the day. I would get the bait down quick and set the shot so as the lightest of lifts would set the bait on its downward journey again. Lowering the tip would see the maggots wiggling on the spot once more.

Grayling can be notoriously shy at times but once induced on a feeding frenzy, it is hard to see where this reputation comes from when their ability to jump on the hook one after the other in some sort of strange suicidal pact comes into play.

Don't get me wrong. All it takes is for one fish to see you or one noisily landed fish crashing around or for a boot to scrape the gravel at the side of the stream and they would retire to their hiding hole. Once there, it is very hard to tempt them back out and a journey home may seem like the best option.

It was quite possible on a good day to take 12 or so fish from the same pool over a couple of hours, that is, if you sat still long enough with your assets freezing.

When the fish were not willing to show themselves, the match rod would come out to play. Sometimes when the fishing was slow I would use the little clear Carp wagglers used for stillwater fishing as these offered very little resistance and coloured floats can spook fish all day long.

I would again feed the pool lightly, then drop the float straight down into the head of the run with a single maggot on a size 20 hook. More often than not the float would travel all the way to the bottom of the run before dipping confidently under the surface. This action could be performed again and again leading me to believe the Grayling were following the bait from somewhere further up the run. Maybe they wanted to inspect these freebies but gobbled them down once they realised they would disappear into the next patch of fast flowing water. I'm not sure but I couldn't see a dozen or so fish couped up at the tail end of the pool.

I always thought they fought rather elegantly. Hard and determined but without the erratic leaps and misdirected crashes that a hooked Brownie often displays. I think it is when the huge multicoloured dorsal fin stands up proudly in defiance and turns the fish side on into the current that shows the Grayling to be a wise and worthy contender. Even in the Winter they are quite able to string a fight out for what seems like an eternity.

I usually returned all the Grayling I captured but if the numbers reached the teens, a fish would definitely find its way to the dinner table. A fine eating fish I always thought but too rare in numbers to make a habit of.

I have not fished for Grayling in quite a while but all this talk of Winter has me buzzing again. Although I am now a Piker at heart, I find all that tea making a little demanding so the Grayling may see me creeping around again once more when the frost sets in.

Ahhhh....almost makes you look forward to less favourable weather........

 

.....THE END....."

Edited December 16, 2009 by Andy Macfarlane

[Anderoo]

I remember that day it was so cold I took a photo of the car thermometer when I arrived at the river:

 

 

I once had a real red letter day on the Thames when perch fishing in very cold conditions. I was fishing where two parts of the Thames rejoin after splitting a mile or so upstream. One stream was flowing the other was slack, the slack stream was frozen over all the way across. I have never seen any part of the Thames frozen before or since. Anyway no-one had told the perch and I caught one after another all day fishing along the edge of the ice on the crease between the two streams. They would come out from under the ice and grab the bait before belting off upstream under the ice!

 

In short, the river maybe too high or too coloured but it is never too cold to bag up!

 

Rich

 

Wow, I hadn't seen that pic before! That was such a great day

 

I hope we get another really cold spell this year, I really enjoy being out in proper winter weather like that. Cold and driving rain is horrible, but a freezing, dry, crisp day like that - lovely!

 

(Plus then when the mild spell comes, the big chub and perch become a little less cautious and a little more hungry...)

Edited December 16, 2009 by Anderoo

[Rusty]

a freezing, dry, crisp day like that - lovely!

 

Like tomorrow for instance? I'll be out and you'll all be at work tra la la la la la (raspberry blowing sound)

[Anderoo]

Like tomorrow for instance? I'll be out and you'll all be at work tra la la la la la (raspberry blowing sound)

 

I've got a horrible cold and feel rubbish (the price I paid for fishing both days last weekend) so you're welcome to it! I will sit here and drink soup, and await your report and photos

 

(OK, I am still a bit jealous Good luck!)

[Toady]

I absolubtly love frosty days on the bank. When it gets very cold I tend to concentrate on trotting for grayling and fishing bread for chub. However, if the rivers are flooded and the stillwaters are frozen I usually get on with restoring that old motorcycle in the shed or tying up some flies while thinking of summer!!

[Chris Plumb]

In my book you can always get something in the cold - even if its just the odd grayling. So fishing in the cold is about wearing sufficient clothing and keeping warm. (And setting your sights a tad lower perhaps!). Fishing and BEING cold is miserable and soul destroying - especially if the fishing is slow. Never too cold to be not worth it - providing you don't get cold. So wrap up and get out there!

 

C.

[JV44]

Like tomorrow for instance? I'll be out and you'll all be at work tra la la la la la (raspberry blowing sound)

 

PHHsssssssssssssssssssss [tyre deflating sound]