winter fishing

john step · Nov 17, 2017

There has been a couple of posts recently about winter fishing and about how hard it is?
I cut my losses and fish where chances of a bite are greatest. That sounds defeatist I know but I cannot sit waiting for a fish in very hard waters in the winter where a bite is rare.

There have been surprised sounding posts by newer anglers at the difference summer or winter.

Good luck to those carpers who fish all winter for the chance of a fish in difficult waters.
For me life is too short.

My choices narrows and with possible icy roads I stay closer to home on known venues and even known swims.

I would rather go to somewhere where a few small fish are on offer than sit all day for a doubtful specimen.

I choose pike, perch, chub and roach mainly as the most likely to get my string pulled.

What is your strategy in winter? Do you plug away at the difficult places, sit in front of the fire or choose easier venues?

binka · Nov 17, 2017

My circumstances are a little different from previously but I will always get out if I can, the fact that I've generally and previously enjoyed (endured?) dawn to dusk winter sessions is as much about just wanting to be there as much as narrowing down the chances of a few fish.

A bit different for me now though and in general my winter sessions will be aimed mainly towards early afternoon, when temperatures are generally peaking, through until dusk.

Other factors will sway me away from that, such as banker swims in high water but with time now at a premium I'm having to box a bit more clever.

shane99 · Nov 17, 2017

Inviting my Neighbour or a few hours of roach fishing sunday morning on a club still water. Hopefully should be fun however cold it is here in Essex.

Seriously hoping for a few Perch as using red maggot

barbelboi · Nov 17, 2017

Fortunately I've plenty of streams, backwaters and stretches of river that no one else fishes withing walking distance over the fields. Roach, dace, chub and perch will be my main targets (apart from the LIF when the ladies will be numero uno

) - usually on days, if there's been a cold snap, where the water temperature has risen a touch. I then hope that my knowledge of the topography gained during the warmer months when the water was low and clear assists me through the colder times - although it's still very clear now.............

Keith M · Nov 17, 2017

In the depths of winter I tend to choose days when the odds are favourable to me, like days when the temperatures have either remained steady for a few days or have risen a little even when the temperatures are very low overall.
I’ve learnt that fishing in temperatures that are dropping can be fairly useless so in these conditions I tend to stay home or do something different.

I also tend to fish more with smelly or natural baits and stay away from fatty or oily baits and I feed much more sparingly; often doing away with feed altogether and using a bait coated in a soft paste which provides a flavour trail leading up to my baited hook (hopefully).
I also tend to fine down my line strengths a little and my hook sizes whenever I can.

On my local rivers I also tend to be quite optimistic when the water levels have started to drop after a flood or have remained fairly steady for a day or two even during really cold weather.

Of course I’m lucky that being retired I don’t have to restrict my fishing to specific days of the week like I did when I used to work so I can choose to fish whenever conditions are right.

If I need to fish when conditions are wrong; because I don’t have a choice on the day; like when I’m fishing with a friend that works; then I will either fish one of my local lakes that has warm underwater springs, or fish deeper water, and I will tend to choose a sheltered bay whenever I can.

Keith

seth49 · Nov 17, 2017

Probably not fish much now till March, if we get a mild spell I will have a go, probably for the roach, and I would like to have a go for the perch were I fish, seen some good ones chasing fry in summer,

And a few days trotting on the river would be nice as well,but it’s all down to the weather, after fifty odd years working outside I’ve had my fill of being out in bad weather, don’t need it anymore.

shane99 · Nov 17, 2017

Keith M said:
Of course I’m lucky that being retired I don’t have to restrict my fishing to specific days of the week like I did when I used to work so I can choose to fish whenever conditions are right.

Still working Keith unfortunately so have to go when I can go

ian g · Nov 17, 2017

Must admit I enjoy my winter fishing , mainly on the river but also the cut. Don't usually catch as much but the fish always seem fitter and fight harder.

sam vimes · Nov 17, 2017

Winter is the time for being selective with your target species, venues and the times you go. Some waters and some species are just too much like hard work once winter starts to bite. Even decent winter venues and reliable winter species can be a waste of time when conditions are against you. Plodding on with the same old tactics, on the same old waters, for the same old species, as you did in the height of summer is generally asking for a fairly thin old time.

There are good reasons as to why many an older angler fished for different species at different times of year. Same with some fish being widely regarded as winter species and some venues being virtually abandoned after the first frosts. It's not entirely down to there being plenty of, eminently sensible, fairweather anglers out there.

peterjg · Nov 17, 2017

I still go fishing three times a week, it's a compulsion (I have a very patient wife). I still fish mainly for roach unless it is just too cold or too bright.

Water temperatures are carefully monitored using my own water thermometer and a couple of websites. I also keep a close watch on the weather forecasts but I don't trust or rely on them. If the water temperature is less than 42F I usually fish for chub, pike, perch or grayling.

As already stated a rising temperature (although normally considered too cold) is better for fishing.

Still water roach in winter feed so much better if it is windy. If there is no wind fish a river or a flowing pound on a canal.

barbelboi · Nov 17, 2017

I certainly wouldn’t go fishing if there was very little chance of getting a bite. After a freeze up I’d assume the deep pits are the best option once the ice begins to melt. The rivers are going to be suffering from snow melt or thawing frost and are usually pretty much deoxygenated and carrying a load of sh1t and sediment. Also the temperature in the river is the same from top to bottom as the water is continually turning over and over so, if it’s low in once place, it will be low everywhere else. When the weather is quickly becoming milder after a very cold spell I’d go for the smaller rivers and lakes, or shallows in larger pits.

laguna · Nov 18, 2017

john step said:
There has been a couple of posts recently about winter fishing and about how hard it is?
I cut my losses and fish where chances of a bite are greatest. That sounds defeatist I know but I cannot sit waiting for a fish in very hard waters in the winter where a bite is rare.

There have been surprised sounding posts by newer anglers at the difference summer or winter.

Good luck to those carpers who fish all winter for the chance of a fish in difficult waters.
For me life is too short.

My choices narrows and with possible icy roads I stay closer to home on known venues and even known swims.

I would rather go to somewhere where a few small fish are on offer than sit all day for a doubtful specimen.

I choose pike, perch, chub and roach mainly as the most likely to get my string pulled.

What is your strategy in winter? Do you plug away at the difficult places, sit in front of the fire or choose easier venues?

Time is in short supply for me John, so it pays to fish wisely and that means travelling short distances roving on the river for chub, barbel and roach.
Yesterday I could only manage 3 hours, and to be honest I was tempted to join a few mates of mine on one of our lakes for the perch and pike, but it can be a bit of a waiting game so I ventured alone to the river instead and dropped in a few known swims trotting a lump of cheese/bread and managed to land 2 small chublets on a size 4. Later on I learned that none of my mates caught anything at all. Although there was another member who caught 2 carp on boilies!

I tell you what though, wasn't it bloody cold? One of my mates had a quadruple bi-pass a few years ago and he gets cold easily, so can almost guarantee he put his day shelter up and everyone stood around his brazier all day!

But he who dares and all that..

Philip · Nov 18, 2017

Winter usually means a change of species for me and I'll target something thats more likly to feed in the cold.

There is some great fishing to be had when it gets cold and sometimes it can actually help your chances. For example I know in the cold I have more chance of Zander as Catfish will be less active and so less likely to snaffle a live bait.

Winter floods can push large numbers of fish into certain areas...slacker bays or lagoons connected to rivers and some fish can shoal up year after year in the same areas as the weather starts to cool down.

Winters a good time for roving too, what can be better than a frosty morning, a bit of tackle, loaf of bread and go for a wander for Chub ?

The other advantage of winter is that dusk is early so you can grab an hour at the magic "bite time" and still be home at a sensible hour.

mikench · Nov 18, 2017

Selective it is then! Yesterday I was truly bored!

theartist · Nov 18, 2017

Small rivers all day long for me, they always produce no matter how cold, I know quite a few that the weather cant deny, no matter what, if they still have any water in them.

Probably jinxed it now though, but freezing temps - bring it on.

puffer_ · Nov 19, 2017

I must confess, I'm struggling this year now the temperature has dropped. Been a few times to a few different swims and I've blanked on the last two occasions.

I'm at the point where I could do with a productive session to get my confidence back up.

trotter2 · Nov 19, 2017

I fish all year around weather permitting. Once the dace move down to yarm it opens up some good grayling and chub fishing if you can find them out.
Once these leaves have gone it should be improving..

nottskev · Nov 19, 2017

puffer_ said:
I must confess, I'm struggling this year now the temperature has dropped. Been a few times to a few different swims and I've blanked on the last two occasions.

I'm at the point where I could do with a productive session to get my confidence back up.

Where have you been fishing? The T+M canal is tough these days, but there are plenty of grayling in the local river.

winter fishing

john step

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binka

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shane99

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barbelboi

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Keith M

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seth49

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shane99

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ian g

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sam vimes

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peterjg

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barbelboi

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laguna

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Philip

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mikench

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theartist

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puffer_

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trotter2

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nottskev

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