It goes without saying that whether you’re on a tough canal catching roach, looking for bream on a lake or maybe carp on the commercial scene, any kind of fishing during winter is not easy.
Often even described as an endurance test by some, a cold session out in winter on any venue, especially when hit by a surge of severe weather during it, can be nothing short of gruesome.
We all know it can be tough and even on experiencing many episodes, in truth, it’s a position that’s even seen yours truly saying ‘never again’ – but we all still go back out.
However, no angler can tempt fish into feeding if they don’t need or want to at this time of year.
After speaking to a number of fellow anglers who are constantly looking to get out onto the bank now the festive break is over, on the balance of things, setting a lower weight target may be not be so disapproving.
READ MORE: Angling: 'Keep it simple, enjoy the ambiance and never be afraid to ask for support'
So with that said, it was no surprise to see that on both counts, this past week has not only seen some very cold weather but also some very low catches recorded.
Starting on the canal, through the match length out at Lydiate scout huts on Sunday, Thornton’s Paul Charnock took the top honours with a weight of just 1.12.0.
That weight just edged Roy Spendlove’s close 1.10.0. Phil Walters rounded off the top three positions with 1.9.0.
On summarising that match with fellow L&DAA regulars, even as the day was described as ‘brutal’ given the weather, many anglers targeting the small roach and perch saw catches surprisingly even across the board when it came to making bites.
On Carr Mill Dam, Moreton, Wirral rod Derek Bennett once again made his regular visit across the Mersey and up East Lancashire more than worthwhile last weekend.
Backed by Preston Innovations, Bennett is certainly no stranger to success on the dam and even under this current cold spell he made it again to the top position.
Sunday’s match saw him take the honours with a very low weight of small skimmers and roach from peg 157.
Opting for pole given the tough conditions, Bennett took just 5.10.0 that edged ex-Saints team mate Danny Sixsmith.
Sixsmith took 5.8.0 with St Helens rod Steve Mitchel taking 4.6.0 of tip caught small skimmers.
Bennett rounded of the weekend with another win on Monday’s members match. A popular one even given the harsh weather, Bennett was again in the top position.
Here he took just 4.4.0 for the honours from peg 69 on the steep drop. St Helens rod Phil Holland took 3.10.0 for second and Maghull’s Ken Dooley took third with just 3.0.0.
On the club scene, visiting Mescar Fisheries Green Lane Ponds on Saturday was the Mersey Dockers AC.
This one was the first of the club’s six matches held on this delightful little venue that saw 12 members competing.
Kirkdale’s Jay Richards took the honours with 50.10.0. Steve Boyd Junior took second with 49.4.0 and Gavin Charnock third with 35.2.0.
