Arctic Times
Despite freezing conditions this January, anglers from far and wide turned out for a winter league practice match on the Old River Nene in March. There was a heavy frost and I didn’t envy those who had to set up platforms in the icy water, which is necessary in many awkward pegs. Gaining an extra metre or two is also a big advantage when it’s likely to be a fish race. It allows you to use shorter lengths of pole, speeding everything up to gain vital extra ounces – even pounds. The big rudd that provided mega catches towards the end of last season hadn’t put in an appearance yet. They normally inhabit this peg and the one the other side of the Health Centre footbridge, causing passers-by to stop and do a double take at the huge shoals. Last year they arrived much earlier and hung around until just before the new river season began.
Safer Places
The moorings in the middle of March, close to the bustling road bridge and marketplace, are normally a good bet in winter. Fish feel safer from predators like cormorants with all the activity, plus there’s no easy escape route due to the tree cover above. Having said that, the feathered fish guzzlers are getting craftier and bolder. I’ve seen them herding their prey by swimming in packs, covering much greater distances in the water to get an easy meal, even from sheltered spots like this. It’s only when there are lots of anglers about when there tends to be less of the black plague. These are the most comfortable swims in West End Park, with no need for chest waders or portable platforms. They probably get fished more than most due to being close to free car parking, which is another reason this whole area remains so incredibly popular.
The Roadside
This is known as the match stretch on the Fossdyke Canal, which runs alongside the busy A57 Gainsborough Road. When I was a regular visitor, there were no signs of any cormorants along here, where when it gets cold there’s normally plenty of roach, silver bream and bleak to keep you occupied. Big perch can turn up anywhere to boost weights even more, often located close to the deep piled margins. This isn’t the quietest of spots, but it attracts keen match interest throughout the colder months. Once regular feed goes in, it helps to hold the shoals. A well- sheltered and much favoured section is close to the bridge at Saxilby. On the other side towards Lincoln, there’s a small park with boat moorings, which is a top pleasure fishing hotspot. That area is capable of producing mega hauls, including bream and superb perch sport.
Winter Warmers
I enjoyed taking part in winter matches on the Fossdyke, although the draw bag could be cruel at times, with the Bridge Section normally most prolific. I did get on it a few times, but even then, packs of pike could scupper your chances. It was a bit wider along there, so I tended to prefer a waggler attack, rather than laboriously shipping a long pole back over the high flood bank behind. On a good day I framed with a double-figure catch of roach, while on a more difficult one this fine perch made all the effort seem worthwhile. A mate passed by earlier and said that I was the only competitor with a float rod set up. I found with the waggler it was easier to loose feed regularly with a catapult, covering a bigger area of water over towards the far bank. It worked many times on this drain-like canal, which provided lots of pleasant memories.
Priory Lakes
When I lived in Lincolnshire, Priory Lakes at Ruskington became a favourite winter haunt, capable of producing no matter how cold it was. This was the first lake, which wasn’t as carp dominated as the bigger match one. I even broke ice and still caught loads, so whenever it was dire elsewhere, this place kept drawing me back like a magnet. It was roach and skimmers that provided most sport, but occasional big perch, crucians, even stray chub turned up. It was nicely sheltered, with a big overgrown central island and lots of feature pegs. I fished it with pole tackle, working through different baits. It was where I first used my Cadence CP2000 Competition Pole, in this instance bagging lots of good-sized skimmers and roach. Sadly, the site was sold and fenced off, left in limbo awaiting planning consent for a new venture.
Birch Pool
Another winter hotspot came in the unlikely form of a small carp pool, tucked away over the back of the Woodland Waters complex at Ancaster. During the summer, Birch Lake would get packed out with holiday makers catching loads of carp, but come the cold weather, a different picture emerged. This compact, shallow water would often be deserted during off peak periods, due to the carp going into hibernation. I quickly discovered it was full of roach and skimmers, providing great fishing when everywhere else had switched off. I mainly used pole tackle, although light waggler tactics with a 11ft CR10 Match #1 or #2 rod worked too, providing loose feed was kept neat and tidy. If you fed too heavily, it would wake the carp up and destroy the silver fish action. A few perch turned up, along with rudd and hybrids, plus odd proper bream.
New Method
Pete, the bailiff at Woodland Waters seen in action here, introduced me to using helicopter rigs with maggot feeders. What a revelation it turned out to be in the depths of winter, capable of conjuring loads of bites when normal methods were failing miserably. I liked it better after refining things. A small feeder cast out even more regularly worked a treat, combined with a rotating 5inch fluorocarbon trace, leaving the hook bait dangling just below the blockend on the cast. A pint of maggots was normally enough for a session, resulting in loads of quality roach, skimmers, hybrids and perch. I took on board Pete’s trick of flavouring the bait with curry powder, which seemed to attract bigger sized fish. I actually started looking forward to icy days on the bank with this technique, when more sensible people were keeping warm at home.
Moving On
Living in fenland now, it didn’t take long to find yet another favourite winter venue, in the shape of Kingfisher Lake on the Townsend complex near Wisbech. This is the largest water on the site, with a big overgrown island at one end and a sunken one at the other. The place is full of carp, but also offers silver fish matches when the latter quieten down a bit. There’s plenty of small rudd and roach, but you really need to find the skimmers to do well. That involves a game of cat and mouse to try and avoid too much carp interference. The skimmers love grubbing around over a mix of groundbait and micro pellets, but you need to feed small amounts to try and bypass the species you can’t weigh in, especially numerous F1s. Dinking in loose maggots on the pole is another option, while the waggler also catches plenty when the fish back off.
Trying Things
On a recent visit to Kingfisher my brother-in-law cast a small in-line feeder over to the dense cover on the big island, finding plenty of carp and F1s with brightly coloured wafters. He caught a few nice skimmers too, but already anticipating the silver fish matches, I was trying out a different approach. I started with float gear, not feeding anything. To my amazement I got bites straight away. A carp resulted first cast, followed by a string of small roach and rudd. It was just like I would expect when loose feeding regularly, but the only bait going in was a single red maggot on a 20 hook. Although I was catching, the desired skimmers didn’t materialise. I had to put in a mix of small sinking expanders and maggots to eventually tempt those. It was another interesting winter outing, one of those days when everything worked. I left happy but confused.
Ice Fishing
Several years back I joined Dave Eastwood on a frozen lake he had discovered in the wilds of Lincolnshire. It was mainly fished by carp anglers, but he said it also held a good head of silvers. It was artic conditions and it took some time to break the ice. A bailiff dropped by and looked a bit guilty after taking our day ticket money, but by carefully cupping in soft groundbait and loose feeding over the top, it didn’t take long to get a response. Small roach turned up first, giving very strange slow-motion bites, even on delicate pole floats. It was an eerie experience with the sound of the surface ice cracking as it warmed up by a couple of degrees. A couple of equally madcap carp anglers were just around the corner, where they had smashed out long narrow channels in the ice using a small dingy. They had to be extremely accurate when casting!
Playing Eskimos
Although it remained numbingly cold throughout the session, we enjoyed catching plenty of roach and skimmers. Dave used a small cad pot installed on the end of his top kit to dribble in regular feed, while I employed a bigger cup to put in a loose mix of baits less often. Our results were remarkably similar. It might be painful on your hands when it’s this cold in winter, but keeping busy tends to negate the worst of it. I remembered a similar experience during a cold snap many years previously. It was on an Oxford Canal match, where after we had broken through thick ice, a boater operated a lock in the distance. The water started flowing and all our carefully crafted openings in the frozen surface shifted along several metres, ending up exactly between where all the pegs were. We had to start the whole process all over again.
Same Again
I’ve enjoyed countless winter experiences on frost covered banks and still love that time of the year, but as you get older it becomes more difficult. I often walk the banks of the Old River Nene in March, watching in awe as hardened match anglers take on the icy conditions, donning chest waders and bravely struggling to set up platforms in the freezing cold water. It chills me to the bone just watching! It’s a project I’m still working on and learning about. I’ve finally obtained better kit to master some of the awkwardly steep flood banks on the fens. There have been successful sessions, but also some disasters. Getting to know the various moods of winter hotspots is always challenging, trying to keep track of where the fish are. Get it wrong and it’s like watching paint dry, but get it right and catches like this make up for all the pain and effort.
