Is that it or do you carry on regardless?

[binka]

I bet both the chair and brolly are no longer with us !

Long gone I'm afraid mate

 

[Mark Wintle]

Whilst I may well have the means to keep warm including thermals and the rest for now on it's mild days in winter only for me. In the past we used to reckon it a cold dawn for roach fishing when your fingers were numb by the time you'd threaded the second rod ring those days are over - cold is not what heart patients need! So it'll be roach, dace, chub, perch and grayling on the river, or if it's mild and the river is flooded some mixed stillwater fishing. I'll still be wrapping up properly though.

Funnily enough when I first started fishing with any real keenness I would stop around about the end of November though within a couple of years I was out right through the winter.

 

[maggot_dangler]

Carry on Best as i can .

got the gear so may as well use it , The darker evenings do curtail the lenght of fishing trips the only thing that really keeps me of the water is WIND hate and detest it cant fish in it cant be doing with it .

PG ...

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

and roach in particular don't interest me in the slightest, in fact I think roach are one of the most boring fish I can think to catch!

Philistine

 

[tigger]

Philistine

I know, I know, I knew someone would have something to say .

 

[sam vimes]

No real change beyond sessions getting shorter and visits to stillwaters becoming less frequent.

 

[Philip]

I like winter fishing. The cold can actually help your chances in some cases. For example where I am there is a big head of Cats which become less active as the temp drops which means the chance of a Zander or Perch on a live bait increases.

If you pick your targets carefully there is some great fishing to be had.

 

[markcw]

I certainly don't pack up, but, where and when to go needs a lot more thought,as I'm sure any fellow anglers nursing a few health issues will agree.

I used to find the winter sport much better than in summer, when my local rivers were the Dee, the Dane and the Weaver; the fish shoaled up and we knew where to find them. Nowadays my local river is quite prolific in summer but a mysteriously fish-free desert through winter. Still, there are plenty of other winter options, so I shouldn't complain – I read a post a few weeks back, from Ralph, I think, describing how his choices within a half-hour drive were a borderline-fishable small river and a commercial. That sounds tough!

For me, it's a case of studying the weather and the levels, feeding in calculations of wind direction and length of walk,and going for something that seems viable and not too uncomfortable, eg


Chub and grayling (crispy weather) medium-size river
Roach in marinas or lock cuttings (mild weather/rivers up and coloured)
Bream, roach and perch in deep lake (sheltered from cold winds; fishes reliably, even with low temperatures)
Anything that swims (canal on mild, calm days)
etc etc.

If all inspiration fails, in unappetising weather, I might go and fish 2pm - 4pm on a medium-size river where a peg 10 yards from the car might get you a bite or two from a chub. At least it avoids that feeling of having chickened out and wasted the day.

Even so, I can guarantee I'll end up in the wrong place more than a few times!

That wouldn't be where the Dane went into the Weaver near the car park for the Memorial Hall would it, and the Aerosol length and Hartford meadows?
And where the Alwyn and the Dee joined, that was a brilliant barbel stretch at one time,now no longer fishable due to the holiday home residents complaining,

 

[seth49]

Mild days only, for me nowadays, don’t mind walking, gardening, or a bit of photography and bird watching. When it’s cold I don’t want to be sat in it, worked outdoors all my life, my hands and feet are to painful nowadays, to enjoy being out in it.
Roll on the warm weather again.

 

[nottskev]

That wouldn't be where the Dane went into the Weaver near the car park for the Memorial Hall would it, and the Aerosol length and Hartford meadows?
And where the Alwyn and the Dee joined, that was a brilliant barbel stretch at one time,now no longer fishable due to the holiday home residents complaining,

Both favourites, Mark. The Dee, on the shingle below the Alwyn mouth on the Warrington card, was just coming on as a barbel area when I lived nearby, and I remember being astonished when I first fished it and caught 30-odd small barbel in an afternoon. I'd never seen a Dee barbel before that. I didn't know the fishing had been lost - what a shame.
The Dane mouth on the Weaver was a year-round favourite, but most of all I liked to fish just below the swing bridge in winter, where you could catch no end of roach and a few chub right under your feet in 11 or twelve feet. The last few pegs on the Dane before the confluence were great too. With its mix of canalised and natural rivers, Northwich had every kind of fish and fishing in a couple of square miles.

 

[shane99]

Carry on - now I am armed with with my Baffin Titans, winter has just got a lot more comfortable

 

[rayner]

Good tips, thanks. You might like this video. Old-school stuff from Ian Heaps, with some interesting ideas on preparing the bread, hookbaits and groundbait.

YouTube

Unfortunately my computer can't receive youtube, Ian Heaps though is a brilliant angler.

 

[mike243win]

I generally fish right through the winter, I rarely go if its raining, I really hate fishing in the rain, but other than that I go and target the species and venue that I think on the day will give me the best chance of a few bites

 

[bracket]

I don't differentiate between summer and winter, I just do it. The only thing that will stop me is extreme weather when there is a danger to life and limb. On those rare occasions I will, with great reluctance, retire to the Pub and talk about fishing. Pete

 

[peter crabtree]

The only thing that will stop me is extreme weather when there is a danger to life and limb.Pete

Reminds me of that chilly, wet blustery day I met you on Wareham quayside a couple of years ago...
Paul and I fished the opposite bank for about an hour, that was enough!

 

[puffer_]

I like it frosty

Only time I'm reluctant to fish is heavy rain.

Just a shame it's dark early

 

[edsurf]

The clocks have gone back, we've had a few frosty mornings, it's getting colder.
Do you hang up your fishing boots and wait until spring or do you fish on through the winter months?

Personally I love winter fishing, especially the last two months of the river season.

Best time for chub and Grayling fishing, I like the winter months better than summer.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Definitely one of my favourite times of the year for angling.

With a young family I'm expected to spend most of the weekend mornings as a football coach (very loose term!) or taxi, fitting in some home repairs at the same time.

For me, fishing in the warmer months is something I'd ideally devote a whole (or at least half-a-whole) day to. Fitting that around some of my other home duties can be tricky, and needs something of a long run up.

However, coming in to this time of year, I'd rather only spend shorter amounts of the day on the bank, leave at about 2.30pm and get home around 6.00pm. Not only do you get the unique pleasure of seeing the sunset and the changing of the wildlife guard that dusk can bring, but you're also getting out for what experience tells me will be the most productive fishing time. Added to that is the fact that hardly anyone else is out fishing (at least on the rivers near me) and it all adds up. And generally, the domestic apple cart will rarely be upset by my absence, especially as my 10 year old lad is now coming with me more often than not.


I'm also determined this year to do a bit more lure fishing, I have a canal nearby that really ought to produce. I'd like to learn a bit more about drop shotting...

 

[john step]

Unfortunately my computer can't receive youtube, Ian Heaps though is a brilliant angler.

Can't you do a google search? Just type You Tube and tick it to favourites?

 

[rayner]

Can't you do a google search? Just type You Tube and tick it to favourites?

Well to tell you the truth John I've had a similar conversation with nottskev.
I most probably can get it like everyone else. I have an aversion to clicking onto what I consider dubious links.
I told Kev the exact same thing, I not only keep away from you tube I also stay away from social media sites like Face Book and any others there may be.
I know, I may come across like a plumb I just have trust issues I suppose.