What fish can you catch in winter in the UK?

The trick is knowing that cold fish are slow fish. They eat less, move less and gather in a few sheltered spots. Find those spots, scale your bait down and you'll do far better than people who fish the way they would in summer.

The fish that feed in winter

Freshwater

• Pike. Winter is the classic pike season. They hunt in all temperatures and are often heavier now. Deadbaits such as sardine or smelt fished on the bottom work well, as do slow lures. You need a wire trace, because pike teeth cut through normal line.
• Perch. Striped, bold and willing to bite in the cold. Look near features: bridges, reeds, sunken branches, boat moorings. A lobworm or a small lure fished slowly is a good start.
• Roach. The bread and butter of winter fishing. They shoal up in deeper, slower water. Maggots, casters and small pieces of bread flake catch them.
• Chub. Chub feed in water that would put most other fish off. On rivers, try cheese paste, bread or worm in slacks behind snags and under overhanging trees.
• Grayling. A river fish that's at its best in winter, often in clear, cold water. They're usually caught trotting a float with maggots or worms along gravel runs.
• Dace. Small, fast silver river fish. They feed through winter in shoals and will take maggots under a float.

Sea

• Cod. The headline winter fish from beaches and piers. Rough seas and coloured water often bring them close in. Big baits of lugworm, squid or crab help.
• Whiting. Common from autumn through winter, especially after dark. Strips of fish or worm on smaller hooks work well.
• Flatfish and others. Dabs, flounders and rockling also show up in cold months, often in sheltered bays and estuaries.

Steps: how to fish in cold water

1. Pick your day. A mild, cloudy spell after a cold snap is often best. Clear, frosty mornings with a bright sun are usually slow. Check the forecast and, for the coast, the tide times.
2. Fish the warmest part of the day. Late morning until dusk is the window. Many fish feed hardest in the last hour of light.
3. Find the deeper, slower water. On stillwaters, fish gather in the deepest areas or near features. On rivers, look for slacks, eddies, the "crease" where fast water meets slow, and the inside of bends.
4. Go small. Use smaller hooks, lighter line where it's safe, and less bait. A single maggot or a pinch of bread flake can outfish a big ball of groundbait.
5. Feed little and often. Cold fish don't need much food. A few maggots every few minutes keeps them interested without filling them up.
6. Fish on or near the bottom. In cold water most fish stay deep. Set your float so the bait is just touching bottom, or use a light leger.
7. Watch closely. Winter bites are often tiny. A float that dips a few millimetres or a rod tip that nods once may be a fish. Strike gently.
8. Move if nothing happens. Give a spot 30 to 45 minutes. If there's no sign of life, try somewhere else. Moving finds fish.
9. Handle fish carefully. Wet your hands first. Keep fish low over a mat or the grass and get them back quickly. For pike, use an unhooking mat and long forceps, and ask an experienced angler to show you how before you try alone.

Tie your hooks and swivels with care too. Cold fingers make for sloppy knots, so see the beginner fishing knots guide and test every knot before you cast.

Rivers after rain

Winter rivers rise and fall fast. A river that's high, brown and rushing is dangerous and hard to fish. Wait until it starts to drop and clear a little. A river with a tinge of colour and a bit of extra flow is often very good for chub and roach, because fish pack into the slack water near the bank.

Rules worth knowing

In England and Wales you need a rod licence if you're 13 or over. The rod licence guide explains which one and what it costs. You also need permission from whoever owns the fishing, usually a day ticket or club card.

The coarse fish close season on rivers in England and Wales runs from 15 March to 15 June, so the whole winter is open. Most stillwaters and canals are open all year. Local byelaws and fishery rules can differ, so check before you go. Salmon and trout seasons vary by area and are often closed in winter.

Staying safe in winter

Winter fishing is about being comfortable for long enough to catch. It's also about getting home.

• Never go on ice. Not for a snagged float, not for a lost lure, not to rescue a dog. Ice on UK waters is rarely thick enough to hold anyone. If someone falls in, call 999 and don't go in after them.
• Watch your footing. Frosty grass, wet clay and mossy stones are very slippery. Wear boots with grip, keep back from the edge and don't fish from undercut banks.
• Mind the daylight. It can be dark by mid-afternoon in December. Pack a head torch, know your route out, and start packing up before it's fully dark.
• Dress for sitting still. You get cold faster sitting than walking. Wear layers, a hat and gloves, and take a flask and something to eat. A foam mat to sit on helps a lot.
• Tell someone. Say where you're going and when you'll be back, especially for coastal trips. Keep your phone in a warm, dry pocket so the battery lasts.
• Respect the tide. On the coast, know when the tide turns and never fish anywhere you could be cut off. Rough seas are good for cod but stay well back from breaking waves.

For groups, keep a ratio that lets an adult watch every young angler near the water. Agree a meeting point and a finish time before anyone starts.

Common mistakes

• Fishing like it's summer. Big beds of groundbait and large baits often scare cold fish or fill them up. Scale everything down.
• Sitting in the wrong spot all day. If a swim is dead, move. Fish group up in winter, so most of the water is empty.
• Arriving too early. First light on a frosty morning is often the slowest time. You'll enjoy a mid-morning start more and miss little.
• Missing tiny bites. Shot your float so only a small tip shows, and watch it.
• Getting cold and giving up. People rarely pack enough layers. Cold anglers fish badly and go home before the best of the fishing at dusk.
• Fishing a flooded river. It's dangerous, and the fish won't be where you expect. Wait for it to drop.