How did you get on?

[Butcherboy]

Thick frost, thick mud and a strong wind.
First time on a box with a footplate, glad i got it.
Only small fish but a good mornings fishing

 

[ian g]

Headed to a stretch of the Severn where the parking is under a big road bridge , it's a decent enough stretch and the bridge offers shelter when getting changed . I started fishing at noon and was huddled under my brolly throughout the afternoon . All this talk of blanks had me fearing the worse but after a couple of hours my tip went around and I was connected to a reasonable sizes fish , not always glad to see a bream but on a cold blustery afternoon with the Severn being a bit too coloured for perch I was glad of anything . Another long biteless wait which made me switch to a maggot feeder and landed a half inch Ruffe , the smallest I can ever remember catching. Gave it until 4.30 for nothing else fish wise.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I remember fishing, once....

 

[Steve Arnold]

Even in the south of France the January weather is cold enough to kill the fishing!

After managing to catch a barbel at the end of December and then another on January 2nd I felt confident I had cracked this winter fishing. I was very wrong!

After some heavy frosts the fishing died

Then it turned cold and dreary, with rain that felt like sleet. But I have fished at least four times since catching that last barbel and have had two bites, hooked one,,,,,but my ecstasy was but a fleeting moment as a good fish was "décroché", as they say here with the customary expletive "merde!"

So some fishless photos, the usual advice during these dour winter periods is to keep moving and you will find the fish shoaled up. So I have tried many swims with a variety of features that usually hold a few fish in better times....

......and there were several more swims, all showing little sign of fishy life!

Apart from getting cold feet it has still been good to be by the river Lot. At this time of year I am unlikely to bump into another angler, maybe the French are not so daft!

Heavy rain this morning, if it continues for a couple of days I know where some fish hole up in the floods. You have to be an optimist to stick at this winter fishing

 

[mikench]

It must be worth a blank Steve just enjoying the view with a degree of anticipation .

 

[Steve Arnold]

It must be worth a blank Steve just enjoying the view with a degree of anticipation .

Yes Mike, so many wonderful "wilderness" stretches of river, just minutes from my home!

I sit looking at those wonderful views, usually with the background sounds of a nearby weir. The memories of battles with powerful fish fire my imagination, the next twitch on my rod tip may not be a leaf pushed down the line by the rivers current......there really do be "Monsters" here!

Oh yes, there is an almost overwhelming sense of anticipation, even on such dour days. It only does need the one bite! .......

and if leviathan does not oblige.....always grateful for a nice chub!

 

[terry m]

My river piking has been hard going of late, with plenty of blanks and nothing bigger than ~9lb since mid December, so a flooded Avon didn’t bode well this morning. But a paternostered smelt chugged off after about 40 minutes and a 16lb 10oz Esox was the result. The damage to the gill cover makes it easy to identify. If nothing else, it restores some confidence.

 

[ian g]

My mate who comes up in his van to fish the Severn had a 20 ,a 15 and a couple of 2 lb perch the other day on his favourite stretch , He stayed 3 days and never had a bite over the next 2 days , that's fishing

 

[Steve Arnold]

Perseverance January - well that is winter fishing!

So, it did rain heavily and the river did rise and colour. An opportunity for me to fish a flood river swim where hopefully a few fish would shelter.

Today the forecast was for sunshine and temperatures of 13c - not bad for January! I decided an afternoon fishing was a good plan, my instincts told me the fish might bite and my fishing ego needed satisfied, January had been a difficult month!

The main river was running hard and even this back-eddy had considerable flow. But this swim can hold all species in these conditions, so I put the 2.25lb rod out with a double boilie on a size 6 spinner rig for carp. That bait was cast close to the bank in the slackest water and forgotten about.

My 1.75lb rod was for feeder fishing using a variety of baits, bread, paste, maggots and boilies. This rod I fished hard and concentrated on, but after two hours no bites, then the heavier rod doubled over and instantly I realised it actually was a carp........

........after a dogged fight in the muddy waters I netted this 28 lb common carp, a really solid, deep bodied fish.

After releasing the carp I fished on, but that was the only bite. No complaints from me, a good carp in January makes up for a lot of blank sessions!

Perseverance!