Hats off to anyone fishing nights at the moment!!

[smufter]

Came out of work and jumped in the car last night to head home. It was absolutely freezing.

Instead of thinking "I'll be home soon, nice warm house and a meal waiting for me" for some reason I thought about the true, out and out carpers, who would be bivvied up somewhere hoping for a take.

Would I have been out there last night??? Not a chance.

Gentlemen, I salute you.

I am truly a wimp!

[Gazlaaar]

Winter is by far my favourite time to fish, love it,

[smufter]

Winter is by far my favourite time to fish, love it,

 

As I said, I am a wimp!

14 hours of darkness and freezing cold?

Give me the Summer. Only 6 hours in the dark, wake up at 4am first light with the mist coming off the lake.

That's the best time for me.

Winter??? You can poke it!

[newmarket]

When my window of opportunity opens i'll be out there .

[Gazlaaar]

I wouldn't say wimp, but probably more sensible

[smufter]

When my window of opportunity opens i'll be out there .

 

When my thermometer hits 20 so will I

[johnplumb]

I would hope to do a few sessions over the winter but i always fish with my mate and we would be in a double swim or close enough to sit together, i have to say i wouldn't want to do the long cold nights alone .

( we do have seperate bivvies )

[newmarket]

I was gonna SAY

[grangemilky]

I've just bought a house, so fishing is taking a back seat at the minute, in fact I just turned down a winter ticket I was very exited to get

 

I like winter fishing, and used to do a much as I could, as I loved the feeling if being the only one stupid enough to be there. It was only when I read Dave Lane, whilst he was a full time bivvy tramp, say that he jut didn't see the point anymore of winter fishing, it's miserable and the fishing isn't brilliant.

[bones46]

I love winter fishing and do go over night, but 14 hours of darkness is sometimes hard to bear.

 

Many's the time that I've laid awake at 3 am and thought "I have a warm bed, a lovely warm girlfriend, in a nice house with all the comforts of home. What in all the hells am I doing here?"

 

Then I do it again a week or so later.

 

I do prefer winter days and summer nights though

[39bof]

It does have its good points though, if you can pick your days, (and being retired I can), you can get onto some waters that you wouldnt have a chance on, at any other time.

 

I'm lucky enough to have worked out a few places to go that give me a good chance of a fish. Ok maybe only the odd one or two in a session, instead of per day, (I'm not daft enough to fish rock hard waters in winter). But I still get that surge when the alarm goes and the bobbin flies up, even if its only a modest fish.

 

Plus often the weather often isn't as bad as folks think. Especially if you can travel to waters that are almost at sea level, and well sheltered by trees.

 

The main thing is being well set up to cope with the conditions, ie bivvies with Winter skins that allow you to cook or brew up in the porch area, sleeping bags and clothing that are really adequate for the coldest weather.

That goes the same for footwear too.

 

Those things are all obvious, but there are other little tricks of the trade if you like, that make the difference between surviving and being comfy.

 

First and formost I like to have a couple of inches of medium density foam rubber mattress between me and the bedchair, so no matter what, the cold cant strike through.

I also take a square of carpet for next to the bedchair. This allows me to kneel on it when rig tying, or sit on, whist cooking, etc.

Speaking of cooking make sure your fuel, whichever you choose, will work well at the temperatures you will encounter.

I use those Orange gas bottles to run my stove. Ok they are heavy, but thats what barrows are for, and it allows me to run a two burner stove with a grill for several hours a day all week, minimum.

Next little trick is entertainment, for those hours between dark and going to sleep. I take with me a portable DVD player that runs off a 12v leisure battery, minimum 75ah, but they can go up to 110ah if you are built like a brick outhouse and feel the need to take a 19" portable LED TV.

A lot of which run on 12v, or can be adapted to.

Just make sure the spot you are going to has good enough reception for the small portable aerials they run on.

Next lighting, again run off the 12v battery, its easy enough to get a caravan stip light that runs off 12v and consumes very little power so you can read all night if you wish, without straining your eyes.

 

Finally diet, unless you are a total massochist you will need to take some decent snap with you, and learn how to cook it. Main thing is to increase your Carbohydrate intake, (what we used to call stick to your rib stuff, or comfort food, in cold weather.

Try porridge for breakfast. BIG Soups or pasta for lunch, and finally there are lots of curries, stews, chilli type meals that come pre cooked and just need warming through. Serve them with tinned potatoes if you like, but I prefer those Veetee "Dine in" rice dishes, that again just need warming through.

 

You are probably bored stiff by now, so I will leave the Winter Carping sales pitch now, and wish everyone all the best for the Winter season, whatever you choose to do.

 

BOF

[bones46]

Excellent post!

 

Especially the use of the word "snap".

[salokcinnodrog]

Bof,

What a brilliant post. I wanted more

 

I will fish all the way through the winter, and even had the misfortune to be iced in with my lines trapped as the lake froze over. Fun trying to get them out, a whole lot easier when you are fishing close in

[newmarket]

[bones46]

Bof,

What a brilliant post. I wanted more

 

I will fish all the way through the winter, and even had the misfortune to be iced in with my lines trapped as the lake froze over. Fun trying to get them out, a whole lot easier when you are fishing close in

 

 

I've did that in February this year! I broke the ice with three half bricks, one for each line, then stuck the rod tip in the hole and wound in.

 

Then I went home and re evaluated my life!

[newmarket]

Now thats ingenious , worthy of a thread on its own .

[salokcinnodrog]

[newmarket]

[norfolkpiker]

Some good advice, thanks all.

Fished many a winter night for Pike, in a boat. Madness but I love it.

The long nights mess with my head a bit so a digital radio helps keep sane.

A good lump of vaseline rubbed into your hands keeps the cold and wet out.

[39bof]

There is a point as the temperatures drop where the surface of the water starts to get.... "thicker" is the only way I can describe it, maybe like watery jelly going up and down in the ripples.

It doesnt take long from that point for the surface to begin solidifying, just minutes in some cases.

So you do get some warning to remove the tackle, just not much.

Fortunately the initial ice coating is thin "cat ice" that will break up quite easily when you pull the tackle through it. But if you will take a bit of advice if the water is looking a little "thick" dont mess about reel in, and get a good nights kip. If at first light the water is still clear of ice then get cast in, and fish with a clear concience, knowing you will be able to get your hookbait out and not leave it to hook up a fish when you have packed up after pulling for a break.

 

BOF

[welder]

I would hope to do a few sessions over the winter but i always fish with my mate and we would be in a double swim or close enough to sit together, i have to say i wouldn't want to do the long cold nights alone .

( we do have seperate bivvies )

 

I know what you mean, John. Shared misery is halved misery .

 

If I'm honest, I don't enjoy winter night fishing. I've done it in the past but less and less now that I'm very, very old.

 

Ian

[beza26]

It is a bit depressing when it goes dark at half 4. I think the likes of Mick have got it right with a tv etc it makes been zipped up bored a lot better.

[39bof]

Yup with you on that, if any other members of the syndicate are not available my will to go over to the lake for the weekend is dimmed....... a lot.

In fact I struggle to raise the enthusiasm to even go to the lake on the other side of the village for the day. Especially when the water temperatures are, and look like staying around 4 degrees C. for the next month or two.

 

So it looks like I will be baitmaking for the next eternity. That or going Chub fishing for a while.

 

BOF

 

PS Yes its definitely official, I am a wimp.

[pkf]

In my opinion I much prefer fishing the winter months not so many anglers on the bank and at one with nature and hello to all members I am new to the forum great forum

[newmarket]

Welcome to the forum mate