KEEP CATCHING IN THE COLD
When fish are hard to find, here’s how to increase your chances of success
Top tactics to bag your share of winter fish.
SEA ANGLERS tend to think of winter starting in November when the cod hopefully arrive. We forget that sea temperatures are still in double figures then until roughly December when short daylight hours, storms, flood water and colder air temperatures start to take their toll and the inshore sea temperature really drops. It reaches its lowest level around late February.
That said, in these climatically changing times with winters seemingly running around a month late generally, sea temperatures may not begin to show a definite rise until late March or early April. This natural cycle makes late January through to mid-April our least productive time currently, with most sea species well offshore and spawning. This period also sees a low ebb in inshore food availability. It begs the question how do we keep catching in the cold?
WHERE & WHEN
This might surprise you, but I don’t find deeper venues, such as steep-to beaches and rock marks, that consistent overall. Storms and big swells push most fish out into deeper water well beyond casting range. Piers and breakwaters can be okay, especially for dabs and whiting, but at this time of year they won’t produce the numbers of fish, nor the variety.
I prefer to target the shallower surf beaches, which offer real advantages. Firstly, the shallow nature of these beaches sees the tide push out a fair way. If low water falls mid-morning to early afternoon, then any sunshine has a chance to put a little warmth into the sand, and this will transmit into the flooding tide.
Sand is a fair conductor of heat (think about bare feet on dry sand in the summer) and the same influence is still there in the colder months, especially as the daylight hours lengthen and the sun rises higher in the sky during February and March.
The second factor is food. Deeper venues see food washed out if there’s a really good swell. If the sea is fairly flat, then little if anything gets displaced, so available food is minimal, and catches will follow suit. The surf beaches, carrying even a light surf, flush and wash out food from the sand continually as the tide advances, and this makes it easier for fish to find something to eat. The metabolism of fish at this time certainly declines, but they still need to eat, and the surf is the best place to find some food.
During the cold months I find tidal size less important. As mentioned, the bigger tides strip a long way and give the sand that time to soak up a hint of heat, which is important, so bear this in mind if the weather is sunny. In these conditions I like to start about low water and fish right up the flood. During neap tides the depth of water out from the low tide mark is usually a little deeper. With the tide going out less distance, this sees a greater number of fish stay close to the low tide line and is less inclined to move as the sea temperature is more consistent here.
There is some merit then, in fishing the bigger tides by day right up the flood, but choosing to fish a neap tide if low water falls in the dark. This can be overly precise, but does have some merit when I look back at past catches.
Wind direction and strength also has a lot to do with what we catch in the colder months. Light offshore winds if they blow for a day or two, won’t hurt the fishing too much. If we get strong offshore winds that last for a few days, it flattens the surf, pushes potential food items deeper, and the bulk of the fish move way out. Ideal conditions are winds from the south and south-west that bring warmer air with them. If you have a beach that faces directly into a south or south-west wind, then these are the ones to fish in those conditions. If those winds don’t hit your local beaches, then look for wind directions that do produce a surf and fish those.
GROUND FEATURES
As ever, ground features play a major role in influencing where the fish are located. I’d avoid beaches that have small estuaries at one end. They bring cold and often acid flood water with them that cools the inshore sea temperature, again pushing fish further out. I also avoid areas where there are streams or small rivers flowing across the beach.
Good spots to try are the ends of beaches where clean sand meets rocks. Flounders, early plaice, school bass and late codling seem to like this ground. Areas where there are patches of stone can be good. These will hold and collect food, but also the stones soak up any of the sun’s heat and again warm the water fractionally. It does make a difference.
As always, pinpoint any deeper gutters or shallow sandbanks because fish will visit these as they push inwards with the tide. On the smaller neaps, make a note of where the low water line is found. This is usually marked by a change in sand pattern. Above the average low tide mark the sand is usually flat and smooth. Below the average low tide mark the sand pattern will be small ripples that hold bits of water.
If you look for this definite demarcation line on shallow beaches, you will find it. Aim to put baits on to this patterned sand as the tide floods in for as long as you can.
STAY MOBILE
Something else that makes a big difference to catching in the cold is to keep your gear to a minimum and be willing to move.
During the colder months the fish do not group up as much as they do in warmer sea temperatures. Food items are few and far between, so hunting alone gives a fish a much better chance of finding something to eat. This means that fish are more widespread. If I catch a couple of flounders and then all goes quiet, it signals a time for a move. This might only be 25 yards down the beach, but it is new ground and often produces a fairly quick bite.
I take a seatbox containing my gear and bait, two rods to mix things up a bit regards casting distance, ground covered and presentation, and a rod-rest. A small, zipped cool bag is excellent for holding just enough bait for a normal session.
On sandy beaches, two or three spare lead weights are enough. I have a small box for spare hooks and links, plus pliers, scissors and bait elastic. I take the box because it keeps my gear dry as well as providing a seat.
RIGS AND TACTICS
Your rigs should be two-hook and threehook flappers tied with short 10-inch 15lb fluorocarbon hooklengths. I reckon 15lb is the go-to breaking strain for general conditions. It tangles less, presents well and is more than strong enough.
However, in calm conditions and daylight, I regularly drop down to 10lb, 8lb, or even 6lb line for short hooklengths. This makes it less easy for a shy fish to see in daylight, and helps the bait move more naturally.
Short hooklengths are important. Longer ones tend to tangle, short hooklengths don’t. They also present the bait hard on the seabed when you fish a slightly slack line and watch the line bow for lift bites. Cold-water fish will not move far to catch a moving target because it expends too much effort and energy. The more static a bait is, the more likely it is to be taken. Drop the rod tip as low as it will go and have it parallel to the surf for the best bite detection.
This suggests that it’s better to anchor baits with grip-wire lead weights. For the majority of the time that’s exactly right.
However, if all else fails and you’re struggling for bites, change to a light nonwired weight and let it roll around in the surf. If you cast, say, 30 yards out and slightly in a downtide direction, let the line come tight, and allow tidal pressure and the push of the surf to wash the lead weight and bait downtide and around in a short arc. This allows you to cover a lot of ground, especially if you move a few feet along the beach each time and can locate solitary fish waiting for just such a morsel to wash their way.
Keeping catching in cold water needs to be a choice of mind. If you’re happy to blast out a large lug bait and live in hope of a sizeable cod, then that’s fine. I’ve done it myself in the past at this time of year when I think there’s a chance. That said, when I know I’m up against it, I’d rather be catching something. The surf beaches at very close quarters with small baits and a mobile approach give the very best opportunity of doing just that.