Angling guru Adam has advised not to wait until spring to head to the lakes and rivers of the UK – instead providing a list of species you’re most likely to catch during the cold
If you’re contemplating a fishing trip this winter but have concerns about the weather impacting the pastime then fear not, for one angling expert has said this season can be a great time to give it a go.
Fishing guru Adam insists there’s no need to delay your trip to the river or lake until the warmer temperatures of spring – as there are plenty of common fish to be caught during this season. He took to TikTok to share his top five fish to aim for in the coming weeks.
Here are the five fish he claims you should be on the looking to cast for during the coming weeks, counting down in order to the species he believes will be easiest to catch.
Chub (Squalius cephalus)
“These things will feed all winter long,” Adam started. “They’re really great fish to target during the cold months.”
Fisheries adds: “In short, you can catch chub almost anywhere. They happily inhabit rivers of all sizes and can also be found in lakes, reservoirs and canals. However, chub are essentially a species that seems to thrive best in flowing water with some of the biggest, and probably consequently the oldest, coming out of quite modest small rivers.
“The prevailing theory is that chub always require flowing water to breed, with gravelly rivers providing the optimum conditions. However, chub also seem to thrive in some still waters and in order to breed in those still waters they must apparently make their way to the feeder streams that provide an incoming flow.”
Bream
“In at four is Bream,” Adam shared. “These will feed in the river all year long and I’ve seen some of the biggest bags of bream ever caught in the winter months.”
He pointed out that after a “bit of a flood” is the best time to catch bream as they “feed hard” once the river level recedes.
Fisheries states: “Natural water anglers will enjoy catching large bags of bream from big lakes and reservoirs, whilst specimen hunters have the opportunity to catch bream that are well over twenty pounds, and we may even see a twenty-three pounder soon.”
Roach (Rutilus rutilus)
“This is just a notorious fish to catch throughout the winter months,” Adam explained. “In fact I’ve had some of the biggest bags of my life with these fish.”
Again, Fisheries is on hand to advise: “One of the attractions of roach fishing is that they can be found almost anywhere. From the smallest of farm ponds to great lakes, canals and rivers, roach are ubiquitous and will often take a bait when other fish are proving fickle. Even small streams can often turn up fish of surprising size and numbers.”
Perch
“Being a predator fish, these will feed all year long,” Adam said. “Especially during winter, they’re a really great species of fish to target.”
Fisheries explains: “Perch, similar to roach, are found in nearly every body of water – lakes, ponds, canals and rivers, although they’re not too keen on fast-moving water. Small perch move in large groups, but as they grow, their shoals become smaller, often consisting of just a few fish. The largest perch tend to be more solitary.”
Pike (Esox lucius)
“Obviously at number one is the pike,” Adam closed. “These fish feed all winter long, and some of the biggest ones are caught during this season, which is why it’s one of the best fish to target when it’s cold.”
Sportfish adds: “Pike are found in almost all bodies of water – from lakes and reservoirs to canals and rivers. Anywhere that holds bait fish will have a population of pike. Many of the UK’s most famous trout reservoirs hold some monstrous pike that have enjoyed a diet of both coarse fish and trout alike; for many years the British record has come from one such lake.”
Adam concluded: “So don’t sit at home – if you put in a bit of effort, you can be as successful in winter as you are in summer.”
One of his followers responded: “Speaking of pike, I caught one yesterday – it was about 9-12 pounds on dead bait.” Another follower wrote: “I only started fishing this year and I’m hoping to go out and catch some pike this winter.” And a third added their own tip: “You can also catch trout during the winter.”
