Winter fishing is so hard, do you bother ?

[phil dean]

One of my most memorable fishing days in winter was on a dike leading to hob hole (i think) near boston in lincolnshire.

 

It was a day much like today, cold crisp and clear.

 

I had my first fish, a small roach, within 10 minutes of arriving, by the time the first hour had past I'd had over 2lb of small fish and was into my first pike (size 18 hook single maggot, 2lb line) which by some miracle I landed (hooked in the scissors). Having given up on fishing for bits after another hour and 3 more pike attacks, I swopped to a deadbait and heavier set up. The first decent pike went 16lb and was followed by another 5 smaller fish. The pike went quiet after 2 hours and I fished out till sunset catching roach and perch on pinkie.

 

The total catch for that day was over 37lb, one of my best days fishing, never mind winter days fishing, but don't get me wrong, I was lucky, I'd spent most of the previous day driving around watching others and asking questions about their catch, I had a chat at two different tackle shops and then set off with a mate who knew the area, but there was still an element of luck as I've done the same thing subsequently and never had as much success.

[kleinboet]

As most of you know, I can only fish still waters. I really enjoy winter fishing because those little Roach that were such a pest in summer are gone.................. and the big daddies move in!!

Fishing the same peg as you would in summer, you start to bring in 2lb+ (and sometimes 3lb+)

Roach, Rudd and Perch. Boy I can have fun all day!

 

Sometimes I wonder if I prefer Winter to Summer!!

[zedhead]

Winter fishing can be really hard enter but this is far from the general situation......especially with winters as mild as this! the key to good fishing in colder conditions is swim selection, a good knowledge of where the fish will be stacked up. Traditional winter species like chub, pike, roach and grayling provide good fishing for many but these days many summer species are continueing to feed and are worthwhile targets if you can find them. Carp especially but bream and even tench and catfish have been reported this winter, so dont get disheartened, check water temperatures with a thermometer and use this as a guide to swim choice, both on rivers and still waters.

[Dick Dastardly]

Winter fishing and its differences to summer are great fun! I like having to fish lighter and more delicately.I prefer running water in the winter but its easy enough to find some still water sport if you have to.Just got to scale down the gear and feed lighter.

[jason.p]

Not having the luxury of river fishing in my area, I'm stuck with commercials, however I find winter fishing just as rewarding, and maybe even more so because it is more of a challenge. Unlike a previous poster, who would rather blank on a river than bag up on a commercial, I'm happy catching anything anywhere. I've fished regularly through the winter for quite a few years and cannot recall a blank day, even when the water has been frozen over, and that to me is what fishing is all about.

[lyn]

I love the winters on the rivers, with a mild winter like the one we've been having the rivers have stayed above 45 degrees and therefore the barbel have been feeding. Not being selfish but....... it's great you have a choice of swins as a lot don't bother gpoing. If it does get colder then the float rod comes out for chub and grayling. If the rivers are in flood and Liam wants to fish then we target the still waters mainly for perch and pike.

 

Winter is a great time to get some 'water craft' in and suss out your local lake ready for the summer carp fishing. With not so many people fishing it's a great time to plumb the lake for features. Draw a picture of it and mark out the bars, depths etc. Ok so this part is'nt catching you fish at present but it is doing all your groundwork for the summer when you would be up setting other anglers by keep lobbing a marker float out.

 

Work out when seem to be more prolific feeding times, ie I know the perch & pike feed better 1st & last thing of the day so I would spend mid day plumbing etc.

 

It is harder in the winter but sometimes it is worth the effort and it beats sitting in doors all day

 

lyn

[liamfish]

well i had a pb common river carp on sat. cant say i find anything wrong with winter fishing, oh no....

[Steve Walker]

Have not got grayling around here but yes chub.

Get a tip rod preferably a bit strong such as avon style, a box of lobs travel light and stalk a river.

 

A few years ago, I turned up on a tributary of the Bristol Avon just as a match has finished. There was a bloke in one of my favourite swims, packed up and waiting to weigh in a couple of pounds of hard-won gudgeon and silver fish. I dropped in at the bottom of his swim, lowered a big chunk of flake under the tree roots and pulled out a first cast chub that weighed a fair bit more than his net of bits. He looked gutted! I know how he felt, though, because years before someone did exactly the same to me on a club match on the Dane.

[Anderoo]

It doesn't have to be hard if you pick suitable species and venues. It does depend largely on the venues available to you though. Chub, grayling, pike, perch, zander, roach - all good winter species. Plus winter is the time you'll catch them at their biggest weights.

 

The style of fishing in winter is different to warm-weather fishing. A few hours at either dawn or dusk (and into dark for roach, zander, and chub) is all that's needed. I very rarely go out for a whole day, unless I'm piking and the conditions are spot on.

 

Also, I don't really 'fine everything down' like a lot of people seem to. At dusk and dawn there's little need to really. However, as there's little weed growth you can afford to go lighter anyway.

 

The winter landscape is amazing. Take a camera so that even if you blank you can get some good snaps.

[chevin]

Yes, winter fishing can be some of the most rewarding and the secret of being a good winter angler has been mentioned in several posts. Watercraft! If you learn how to read your river and learn as much as you can about the fish in it you will find that it will be very worthwhile.