winter fishing day/night

With winter on the way i would like some tips from lad's/lass's on winter fishing my main question is reguarding night fishing is i fish on the float at night does the feeding just slow down or will it be a waste of time going at all in the night time and am on the general belief that winter fishing in day time is really slow thanks in advance


rains

Well winter fishing is slow as the fish tend to wait for food to come to them rather than fly around looking for it. Lighter tackle is required in most cases as the fish have more time to study lines hooks etc. But in the most i feel that most fish still have to eat and will feed ,if you feed them right. Most carp anglers barbel ,chub and perch anglers fish at night and catch fish , so yes you can catch certain fish at night in winter but it will just be a bit harder than summer.As I dont night fish ,that is after around 7 pm i cant realy tell you much more , but my advice is go and try it and have fun, whatever you catch will be a bonus and you will learn something more each time ,but if you never go you will not. I would think there will be a lot of replies coming soon and better advice i,m sure. But i think as long as you can see the float then go and try it , the only time i fished this method was for tench in the 70s float fishing for them with a night light on the float , great fun it was too, but getting too old for staying out all night freezing me watsits off now so go and enjoy yourself. hope this helps. By the way folks i,m back and hope to be here for a good while this time ,sorry i aint been around but i never forgot all you lot out there just had a bad time this past couple of years. But fingers crossed all ok now. Tight lines all.

Fish midday to evening for the best in winter fishing, bear in mind it gets really cold some days after the sun dips behind the trees

Thanks chubbers and welcome back any and all advice is welcome as you say i love just being out and about and falling into a trance with them bloody night lights lol and slime i used to fish lures at night for pike and was cold then walking about i hate to think what it will be like sitting in a chair mind you think i will buy a sleeping bag

All I can think of is when you feel cold and you pack up, and your hands get wet , then seized up fingers , get to the car and your fingers are solid, trying to find car keys when your hands are useless, then after finding the keys you are shivering so much you can't get the key in the lock........
You maybe warm in your sleeping bag , but you cant walk back in it , you have to carry it. blimey I sound like my old dad....................

Hi Rains,

Which species wil you be targeting???

The colder conditions slows down the fishes metabolism.Therefore the fish doesn't need as much food to survive, so put in little or no free offerings.

Also in winter the fish shoal up and stay in one area, so it is important to find the fish, and if your not getting any bites, move.

That's what I've heard anyway.

B&F

noknot said:

Hi Rains,

Which species wil you be targeting???

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Any bud roach bream perch tench

You'll find Tench will "shut down" when water temp drops, as will proper Carp. F1 hybrid Carp seem to feed right through and Bream and Roach do too.

Entirely depends upon venue and species. I've caught most species in the winter. Best time's the hours around sunset in my experience. A good sleeping bag's a must if you're session fishing, as is a good two-piece suit, even for shorter sessions. A Sundridge Igloo takes some beating. Well-soled boots and good gloves are important too. You'll fish better and enjoy yourself more if you're comfortable - that's definitely the most important thing I've learnt over the last ten years....

journo_greg said:

Entirely depends upon venue and species.

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Agreed. A well stocked commercial will produce Carp all year round. As has been said the fish still have to feed, although with our pond we stop feeding in the colder months. It seems the fish eat but can't digest efficiently which leads to problems. I did try a few years ago to catch a Tench in every month of the year. Think I got to December! Might try again this year. Doin OK so far!!

I used to really enjoy and look forward to my winter fishing.
In the times when we used to have real winters, to arrive at the river and the only footprints in the snow are the ones you left on your previous visit, is part of that enjoyment.
However, as has been said, expect action to be slow, but not always. I will always remember the day after wading across my local river having to break the ice covering my swim, I had 19 chub all on stick float fished caster.

Some small Cambrian becks used to come alive after the New Year, if the bottom wasn't visible a hectic days fishing for small chub and dace was almost guaranteed.

As for fishing a well stocked commercial, the only thing that changes is the temperature. Fishing just as predictable (and as boring) as in the warmer months

I absolutely adore winter fishing especially when the temperature stays around freezing point for long periods. If the landscape is covered in snow, then so much the better.

Last year was nirvana for the intrepid!

I think the best species to target in rivers are, in order of conditions and temperature indifference ~

1. Arctic - chub
2. Siberian - chub, pike
3. Scandinavian - chub, roach, dace, bream, pike
4. English - everything in the river, except the tench

The great thing about river fishing in the winter is that the small fish do seem to hibernate so you are selecting from a smaller pot of bigger fish.

My advice is to get the warmest boots you can find, snow boots look ungainly but they will keep the feet warm for six hours in deep snow. Wear thin socks with them to make sure there is plenty of air space to move the toes around in. Wear a thermal base layer from October through to March whatever the conditions as temperatures can drop suddenly. Wear a cotton long armed tee shirt, a thin jumper and an expensive real wool jumper with a zipper neck. Jeans are fine for most conditions. Top the lot off with a woolen scarf, a hat ( the warmest are tweed flat caps) and fingerless mitts.

For when the air is very cold and there is any chance of wind get a one piece thermal suit. You can be naked under these and still be warm as toast!

And always carry four of those instant gel handwarmers. If you land a personal best you are going to need two of them after all the pictures and weighing is done and dusted just to bring your hands back from the dead!

The other two are for warming up your boots when they finally succumb to the cold...

Two pairs of socks long johns trousers neoprene chest waders with thermal booties inside and thermal on top ,thick fleece two coats warm hat neck warmer good gloves .This is my day time gear never dared do a winter night.
Hi attract dipped flavored baits like tutti frutti.

Also if your night fishing make yourself familiar with the swim so theres no accidents once its dark

I absolutely adore fishing in the Winter time. Although I've spent countless nights bivvied up fishing for Predators, I never really felt I was doing myself justice at that crack and rarely were real red-letter days/nights the case (although I managed the odd one or two....). This last few years I've concentrated on being a lot more mobile and fished from dawn til dusk, a shorter session but with maximum effort.

With a warm suit (anything Sundridge is good), some moonboots and the minimum of tackle you can walk miles in a day and visit numerous swims. Once you get away from the access points and make yourself at one with the surrounding nature, you will be surprised at the sights you may encounter in addition to the fishing. As well as catching Pike and Zander in sub-zero conditions, I've enjoyed catching shoaled up Roach, Perch and Skimmers and often in absolutely minging conditions, snow, ice and driving sleet et al. The key is finding where they hide out, where I fish vast area's will seem devoid of fish but then you can find a feature (usually somewhere away from it all) and you can literally walk across the backs of the fish to get to the other side. You'll soon find that under circumstance like this, the fish won't be too shy of biting!

Good luck mate and prep the night before to ensure you don't forget anything. Also, take a torch with you as if (as often is the case) you get a run just before dark, by the time you land the fish, unhook and photograph it if it is a good one, it'll be dark when you pack up your kit.

The winter is a special time of the season with every fish you catch being hard won, you'll maybe find you appreciate each one a little more!

There are rules to fishing in Winter, but it also needs to be taken into account all year round.

Stay warm, Dry, and comfortable at all times, even more so in winter. With this in mind fishing in winter can be as much fun as any other time of year.

Like many have said, the last few hours of light can be best, but good sport can be had early doors if your mobile.

If your on a long session, Greg is spot on regarding sleeping bag, gloves suit etc etc, but you also need a good bivvy.

There is nothing worse than getting wet and cold in winter, and trying to dry and warm yourself up again isn't easy.

David Marrs said:

The winter is a special time of the season with every fish you catch being hard won, you'll maybe find you appreciate each one a little more!

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That sums up exactly what winter fishing is all about to me. There's as much pleasure catching a 6oz Roach in really nobbling conditions as a double figure Carp in the summer (well, almost).