17/10/2025 - A Thermometer in your tackle bag will help your winter angling

Chub 7lb 10 ounces caught when water temperature was 34 degrees with ice down the margins of the river

As the water temperature goes below 40 degrees F, bites can often be hard to get, after a few days of low water temperatures, you will find chub, roach, dace and even barbel will pick up a bait, Without a thermometer, you won’t realise what is happing in the water

Cold frosty nights with clear skies usually coincide with a high-pressure zone over the country, I don't fish long sessions. More so when it’s a bright sunny day, it’s usually it’s a waste of time until the angle of the sun has dropped below ten degrees. I choose to fish in the afternoon usually arriving at the waterside around 1500 to 1600 hours, often staying until very late in the evening. It’s surprising how during the day, you cannot get a bite, but often all that changes at dusk.

The water changes its consistency, as the water temperature reaches 39.2 degrees F, the viscosity of the water, it’s like the oil in your car, as the water temperature drops, the fish become sluggish in their movements, their digestive rate slows down. An important reason why we shouldn't dump free offerings into our chosen swim, when we arrive at the water’s edge.

Fish often move into the still or very slow areas of water, often the temperature on a bright sunny day with no cold wind to chill the water, the temperature can rise two- or three-degrees F usually between 1400 and 1500 hrs, the fish will often move into slightly more flowing water. Without a temperature reading you wouldn’t know what is happening in the aquatic environment.

After the water temperature has been below 40 degrees F for several days fish will certainly feed. I and many other anglers have had some great catches when the water temperature has been very low for a long period.

Martin Salisbury of Leyland and I were taking part in filming project on the River Kennet. I was asked to catch a fish; the water temperature was 43 degrees F ideal conditions. Within thirty seconds of dropping a bit of crust into a likely looking spot I had a barbel, in the next swim I had a chub, during the session we caught barbell to 9-14-0 and chub to just over 4lbs.

Next day it was a different story, we fished the River Loddon, where the water temperature had dropped overnight to 39-40 degrees F, the wind was blowing from the north east, I didn't have a bite. The following day after a night when the thermometer had plunged to minus 8 F we fished the River Kennet. The water temperature was down to 36-37 degrees F Within an hour I had a good chub on legered crust on a two-inch link, moving to a weir pool on a carrier stream I had a perch of two and a half pounds on lobworm, then another good chub on crust. I called Martin, suggesting he come and fish the weir pool. I vacated my swim, leaving it to Martin. Half an hour later he had a personal best bream of 5-4-0. These fish were caught on a day when we really did think we might struggle for a bite.

When chub fishing on rivers such as the Kennet, Aire, Nidd and Calder and rivers of a similar size, I would advise you to fish every likely looking spot. Spending five or ten minutes in each swim. My baits would be lobs, cheese paste and bread fished on a leger rig using the lightest weight possible. I use an Avon action rod, designed for 4-6lb lines, centre pin or fixed spool reel and 6lb line with hook sizes 2's 4's and 6's. Keep it simple. Don't worry about using fancy rigs. Just pinch one, two or more LG shot lightly on the line. The distance from the hook will depend on the bait being used. I have no more than two inches between crust and hook. When fishing flake, lobs or paste it’s no more than twelve inches, often six.

In cold water fish want often chase a bait They want it on the bottom and on their nose.

Remember how ever tough the conditions are, you can't catch if you don't have a bait in the water, or you’re sitting at home.

I well remember some years ago fishing the River Ribble upstream of Mitton Bridge the river had some five or six feet of ice down the margins. The water temperature had been 34 degrees F for ten days; the thick ice had a covering of snow. I fished legered crust catching 26 chubs averaging some three pounds.

On another occasion back in the 1960's I fished the River Thames near Goring catching some super roach, including three two pound plus fish best at 2-6-0 all on legered lobworms. Again, there was thick ice down the margins, a water temperature of 34 degrees F.

There is plenty of documented evidence of big fish and big catches of fish being taken when the water temperature is below 40 degrees F. Recently Dave Pickering of Blackburn was chub fishing on the River Ribble where he caught a super barbel that was in perfect condition. One could see by the thick girth of the fish, that despite the cold water it had been feeding.

Recently I had a good catch of chub including three five pounders 5-2-0 5-7-0 5-8-0 fishing double lobworm as bait. Again, I could see by the firm stomach that all my fish had been feeding.

In cold water conditions, many writers suggest using small baits, they write about gentle taps on the rod tip. I don't expect either, my bites are usually a small pull, then a whack round of the rod tip. Sometimes the tip will pull round slowly, all I do then, is tighten into another fish.

I certainly don't use small baits, its chunks of crust, flake the size of a match box. Cheese paste, sausage meat or luncheon meat paste the size of a bantam's egg, sometimes as big as a chicken egg on size 2 or 4 hooks. I reckon you have a far better chance of catching fish on big baits, more than small baits. Remember small baits, equal small hooks, which equal fine lines. Not the best of tackle when hunting big fish.

Having said all that, if I don’t have a bait in the water however poor the conditions look, I want catch, but the thermometer gives me a good idea of where the fish might be and what species are likely to feed. In angling one must never say Don’t do that or do this as the fish will often prove you wrong

Martin Salisbury with a 5lb plus bream caught when water temperature was around 36 degrees F

Myself fishing a half-frozen river catching chub

My Thermometer

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