Cold Weather Fishing

Over the past few weeks I've received many e-mails and phone calls asking if its worth fishing in cold weather when there is snow and ice on the river banks. My answer is 'Yes,' but it depends on where you plan to fish and the fish you are targeting. First lets take a look at the sea fishing scene, I have never found the cold weather stopped cod, whiting, dabs, flounders and pouting from taking a well presented bait, in the case of pouting they will take a bait on any rubbish tackle. In fact there are not so many pouting around these days. In winters past, I would spend many hours, often running into several days fishing various Kentish beach venues, Dungeness, Dengemarsh, Deal, Hythe, Isle of Grain, Sheerness, Ramsgate, then on the east coast places like Southwold, Pakefield, Great Yarmouth, Felixstowe, these venues also had the added advantage of being close to some good wildfowling. I could combine both of my interests. Occasionally I would travel to Dorset to fish Chisel Beach, often stopping off on the way home for a couple of days fishing on the Stour or Avon for some winter roach fishing.

A lot of my winter boat fishing was done in the Thames estuary from an eighteen foot dingy with a Seagull Centaury plus engine, should the engine stop, you checked fuel level, then the plug, perhaps resetting the gap. Usually that's what is needed. One pull of the cord usually got the motor going. I was often restricted by weather or tide times how many days I could go afloat. Frank Edmunds a keen sea fisher had a nice thirty six foot cruiser at Otterham Quay on the Medway below Rainham. Frank's boat was ideal for wildfowling and fishing, with the added comfort of a cabin with heater. Another friend Tony Smith then purchased a thirty foot boat with cabin and two bunks, perfect for winter cod fishing sessions. We spent many trips afloat lasting three or four days, cod fishing in the Thames Estuary. Catching more than our share of cod. One day while fishing close to the wreck of the Robert Montgomery off Sheerness we were having problems holding bottom, I remember saying to Arthur Sayers and Tony Smith, "Lets try fishing upstream like we do at Teston Weir pool" It worked, but I don't reckon it was just our idea, there were probably other anglers doing the same. Between the many anglers practising up-tiding as it was known, it become an acceptable way of fishing not just in the Thames Estuary but all around the UK coastline.

Beach Fishing

I loved both beach and boat fishing, One beach venue that attracted me was Dungeness with its steep beaches sloping down onto hard sand, with its famed Dustbin area, caused by the strong tides racing around the point creating what is best described as a giant eddy. Where all manner of marine life would be swept into the area on the strong tides, It attracted cod big and small. Fishing this area, you had to make sure you could cast a hundred yards plus. You needed top quality casting gear. My pair of Penn Squidders, which were probably the top reel casting reels in those days had been finely tuned for me by Bill Watson an RAF engineer were matched with one piece eleven foot rods I built myself. I reckon they were the best beach fishing outfit money could buy in those days. Hooks size 5/0 were baited with several fresh black lug, it cost me a small fortune for bait etc, but I caught my share of cod. The fishing was often best two hours of the flood, three hours of the ebb.

This could sometimes change during a two or three day session. I found once the bites stopped, then that was often the end of the session. By midnight perhaps two in the morning fishing would often be over until the next tide. It was amazing how often we were covered in frost along with all our gear. Sometimes we had a good fire burning on the beach to give the impression we were keeping warm, often there was a big iron pot in the embers full of soup. Occasionally a big wave would crash on the shore covering us in spray which soon froze on our heavy yellow smocks, sometimes it would get through our water proofs. Often with no more bites, we would cease fishing then get our heads down in the van. One session I woke up cold and shivering, then I noticed icicles hanging from the roof of the van. Did we pack in, no we went off into Hythe for a good breakfast then it was back on the beach.

Another occasion we were stranded at Dungeness through a blizzard lasting a couple of days, though the bad weather stopped us going off home for five days, thankfully we had plenty of food also my mate Richard and I were lucky to have permission to shoot rabbits, on the second day we shot and skinned two rabbits, jointing them, they were put in a pot along with lots of vegetables and a small box of oxo's. It was then left to cook in a Dutch oven we had built. Then it was off collecting razor fish for bait, which accounted for some very big flounders, a couple were over 4lbs. When the tide was right for cod fishing we returned once more to fish to the dustbin, other than two guys from Dartford we had the area to ourselves. We all ended up sharing an old railway carriage through the kindness of a local commercial fishermen. Did we care about the cold? No chance we loved the experience. It was good training for me when I went dog sledding in Scandinavia later in life.

Roach, Roach and More Roach

During the long cold winter of 1962/63 it started snowing on Boxing day when the winter lasted into April but we still went fishing. On Boxing Day I was in Martham a small village on the Norfolk Broads where I had gone for a few days shooting and fishing over the Christmas and New Years holiday. I was single with a good job and no worries. It as late in January when I got back home. Stillwater's were not fishable, many slow stretches of the Rivers Medway, Beault, Thames, Kennet, Kentish Stour and the Little Stour near Mersham were also not fishable. But if you wanted to fish there was still plenty of water where you could try and catch fish and be successful. I remember Brian Long and I catching the train to Canterbury to fish a weir pool near the City, By the time we got there, it was packed, including a coach load of anglers from Camberwell. We roamed up and downstream of the pool looking for a couple of swims with out success. We decided to get the train back to Maidstone, then another train to Wateringbury and fish the Medway. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived. In my basket I had a large bottle of Martello brandy which we slow sipped to keep us warm and happy.

Once off the train I reckon we must have walked twelve hundred yards up river pushing our way though thick snow and ice, often stumbling over to eventually arrive at a well known roach swim. Despite lots of ice on the river, our swim had a margin of ice stretching about six feet out from the bank. No problem in fishing this spot. After putting together our float fishing gear, centre pin reels, 14 foot steel Taperflash rods made by Accles and Pollock with cork on crow quill Avon floats and size 10 hooks to 3lb line. We were ready to go, plumbing the depth we found eight feet of water, we set our floats another two feet up the line, before bunching the shot fifteen inches from the hook. Brian baited with a good chunk of flake, I chose to use crust, have baited our hooks we started to fish. For an hour we didn't see a sign of a bite, then as the light started to go the occasional fish rolled on the surface which surprised us.

A few minutes later Brian said "I've got one" soon a nice roach about a pound was netted. I then turned to see my float was missing, a hurried strike was made, I was hooked up to a fish, a roach about twelve ounces. From then until we couldn't see our floats anymore, we caught probably fifteen to twenty good roach , three we weighed Brian had a 1-14-0 roach I had roach of 1-12-0 and 1-14-0. All the time we were taking sips of brandy, getting quite merry. Then who wouldn't when your catching quality roach. Unable to see our floats we had a discussion about packing up and going going off for the train or fishing on into the darkness, we chose the latter. In those day we would illuminate our floats with a cycle lamp.

In the darkness the roach continued to feed, this despite despite the intense cold. Brian had the first 2lb roach of 2-2-0 I followed up with two roach at 2-2-0 and one of 2-4-o, as we fished on into the darkness, my float disappeared out of the torch beam, I set the hook into a fish. As I did so I thought 'This isn't a roach' it was a bream weighing 5-6-0 followed by three more five pounders the best at 5-10-0. Eventually we had to leave to catch the last train, which would connect, with our next train in Maidstone. We were more than a bit merry when we arrived at Brian's house having drunk all the brandy. Brian knocked on the door, a minute or so later it was opened by his five foot Welsh born wife, who was more like a dragon spitting fire with a murderous temper to match, shouting and screaming she threw Brian dinner at him shouting "There's your bloody dinner" I said to Brian you better come back to my place. We made do with eggs, bacon and beans, but it had certainly been a great days roach fishing, with some bonus bream on an extremely cold day.

Other Great Roach Fishing Venues

Those roach we caught back in the 1960's were nothing special, we had excellent roach fishing in many waters throughout England Scot;land and Wales, I mention Scotland, in the 60's roach fishing on the Tweed was good, it was the same on the River Tay in Perth. We didn't realise how lucky we were. The Kennet offered exceptional roach fishing, in those days we didn't bother with barbel. Another great roach river was the Wensum that provided me with some of the greatest roach fishing any angler could wish for, another water was the Upper Waveney above Geldeston lock, where I enjoyed some great roach fishing back in the 1959's and early 60's. What made it more interesting was the amorous affair I had with Janice who owned the local B&B. Today 2010 I and a few other anglers are enjoying some good roach fishing on the River Ribble, I've have had fish to 1-14-0, well known big fish angler Eric Edwards has had roach to 1-15-0.

Chub Are The Perfect Cold Weather Fish

With so little good roach fishing available, I suggest you target the chub for your cold weather fishing , its a fish for all seasons, often feeding avidly on the coldest of days. Even those days when the water temperature have been down as low as 32-34 degrees F you can still catch. I have caught good chub from small ice free areas of the river no bigger than a table top.


Top Chub Bait - Is Bread


If you targetting chub, then use big baits on hooks sizes 2-6's with lines of 6lb matched with an Avon action rod, the choice of reel is down to the individual, both centre pin and fixed spool reel are suitable. You will hear anglers talk and write about gentle bites, I often wander if these people really do fish for chub in winter.

The first choice bait in my book is crust followed by flake, sausage or cheese paste. The bites will often be a small tap then a good pull.

The bites me and my friends get are very positive, often quite savage. I find moving from swim to swim, spending fifteen minutes in each chosen spot then moving on if you don't get a bite. Often you will get a good pull within minutes of casting. Some swims will produce three or four fish, in other spots its one bite one fish, then time to move. Before doing so drop in a chicken egg size ball of mashed bread then return later in the day. The best time is an hour before dark and an hour after dark, there are many times when I am on the river gone midnight. If you have good layered clothing with plenty of hot drinks, then it shouldn't be a problem staying at the waterside for a few hours.