like so you won’t have realised you have spooked them

If you’re planning a trip to the river this week go out and purchase a thermometer. There are two types of thermometers; the normal mercury thermometer and the new types which give the air and water temperature, these also run off a small battery usually available from shops selling electrical goods televisions and radios etc. I have used both types but have now reverted to the mercury thermometer as I find they are more accurate. Having purchased your thermometer go out and check the W/T at your local fishing spot before you start to fish. If it’s below 40 degrees Farenheight then expect to find the fish in the deeper quieter water.For the first couple of winters keep an accurate record of your days fishing, the temperature changes and your catches making sure you log the time of the day when you have had the best sport. With this knowledge you can fish at what you feel is the best time of the day. Why spend all day at the waterside, biteless, when you can go for the last two hours of daylight and catch a dozen fish. Some angling writers have told us to fish the deeper pools where the W/T will be a few degrees higher. I say utter poppycock! In fact I often wonder if they ever carried a thermometer with them. From my experience of fishing various rivers over many years and taking the water temperatures on various stretches of running water from fast shallows, slow medium depth water around seven or eight feet deep and the deeper pools, I have not found the water temperature changes by more than two degrees F at the most. What we must realise is that flowing water gets all mixed up so the temperature changes are negligible. My experience has been gained from many years of being at the waterside under very cold conditions and not from the armchair. Don’t take my word for it. As I have said previously, go out with a thermometer and check the water temperature yourself. I don’t have any scientific evidence of the following, only my visual and fishing experiences gained over the years to give me the following reasons why chub are often found in the slower deeper water.(1) When we have a high pressure zone sitting over the country with clear skies and frost, we get plummeting air and water temperatures with crystal clear water. Under these conditions chub no doubt feel more secure in the sanctuary in the deeper water. (2) Another reason is whenthe water temperature drops the fish will not be inclined to swim around fighting the current but laying dormant in groups at the bottom of a pool where they can be found in, or close to snags, especially trees or bushes that have been dumped over a period of time. Also fish of different sizes from 2lbs to 5lbs will be grouped together. That’s the reason why we can take a couple of fish around the three pound mark then catch a five pounder. (3) Remember that for the first few days of low water temperatures the fish won’t be chasing around for food, they will want it dropped on their nose. They will also take longer to digest any food they take. In fact it’s interesting to note that some very experienced barbel anglers feel it might take a barbel twenty four hours to digest a small cube of luncheon meat. One more reason for not introducing any loose feed into a swim until you have fished a baited hook. How long will it take a chub to digest a cube of meat? Does anyone know that answer? Finally, when the water temperature has been very low for a few days you can expect the fish to move around in the faster water and chase food. It’s all about knowing what your quarry is likely to be doing under a given set of conditions that helps you catch more fish. Most of my winter chub fishing experience over the past fifty or more years has been gained mainly on small rivers or the upper reaches of the bigger rivers. I am also fortunate to be able to fish the upper reaches of several game fishing rivers that contain chub. When talking of small river chub fishing, I am thinking of rivers such as the Teme, a very underrated chub water in my book that could produce a seven pounder. The river Ribble upstream of Dinkley through to Sawley can offer lots of good chub fishing but sadly a lot of this water is private fishing. I feel the chub fishing downstream of Ribchester, on what I call big Ribble, demands a different approach to small river fishing. The Clitheroe area downstream of Edisford bridge is an excellent stretch of water where you have a good chance of five pound plus fish and this water can be fished on a day or season ticket available from the Ribble Valley Borough Council offices in Church Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire. Though this stretch of water only averages three feet deep, if you’re prepared to work for your fish you can get half a dozen good ones in a session. One of the best swims is situated downstream of the caravan park. The local ladies come down and feed the ducks which also attracts the chub into the area. Be careful of the dog dirt as many irresponsible people allow their dogs to foul the footpath. The river Hodder in Lancashire is well-known for its sea trout, salmon, grayling but not for its chub fishing. Only a handful of anglers really bother about this species. Those game anglers in the know realise it can and does produce chub over five pounds. Fish of this size have been caught by anglers targeting the chub and also by anglers fishing for the sea trout. Also by salmon anglers when they have been worming. The river Aire without doubt is an underrated water, especially from Kildwick downstream below Keighley. You don’t have catch a lot of chub to catch a big one, as witnessed in the match weights, where the average weight of the chub is very high. In some matches the fish are over 4lbs. Lancashire Calder,Nidd, Wensum, Suffolk Stour and Waveney. You will find small river chub in ice cold, gin clear water are often very spooky so tread the banks with extreme care. In fact try to be as quiet as a mouse and keep below the sky line. Just because you cannot see them, they can probably see you and get all spooky and disappear. Chub will fade away ghost-like so you won’t have realised you have spooked them – when we spook most of our other coarse fish species they show us they have been spooked by creating quite a disturbance as they swim off. Under the conditions of a high pressure zone sitting over the country with bright sunny days and cold frosty nights, I don’t bother to get out of bed in the early hours of the day. It’s better to go to the waterside after lunch, then fish the last couple of hours of daylight. From my experience I feel the best time is after the sun has dropped below the ten degree mark. At this time of the year you can go all day without a bite but as the sun drops the chub often feed with a vengeance. I have seen this happen to many anglers on the river Ribble. Often I have been arriving as some anglers have been leaving. They have said to me “Fish ain’t biting today Martin”. Half an hour later I have a bent rod and pulled string and as I look up or downstream I can see another angler with a bent rod. I have often found that in ice cold

weather and water conditions, the chub will often give savage bites, pulling the rod tip right round, even when there has been thick ice down the river margins, snow on the fields and a gale force easterly wind. I have often had ice forming on my tackle and clothing but still the chub fed with a vengeance. Go out and give it a try.