Has Winter Gone?

It was very tough to say the least over December, with snow, frozen still waters and freezing rivers, but there were still fish caught. Chub were the main target, but even they were difficult to tempt. I have a feeling the bait had to almost drift into their mouths for them to be bothered eating! Big chunks of crust with a cheesepaste mix was the order of the day on most sessions. Fished with a small link ledger set up and light Drennan Series 7 Avon Rod, combined with light quiver tip section. Due to using such hefty baits, the hooks (Kamasan B982) were fairly hefty too, going up to size 6. This not only ensured good hooking, but that the bait remained on the hook as it bumped around in the gentle freezing flow.

When bites did eventually occur, they started with tiny movements, but generally the tip was pulled right round, and the bites were easy to hit, if you weren't trying to drink hot soup from a flask, or taking a pee!

Here is one of the frozen bars of gold I managed to tempt..... Looking at the picture makes me shiver! Brrrrrrrrrrr!