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End of Year Round-Up – With Ade Kiddell
With only a few days left of what has been a very eventful 2020, we can only hope that 2021 brings us all a much better year than 2020, that has certainly tested us all.
December Fishing in France
The last few weeks the weather has turned a bit cooler so for a few days the fishing was much harder, however, I did manage a couple of very nice chub. The barbel on the other hand just refused to feed, but it is always difficult to catch barbel when the water temperature is dropping.
Top Winter Barbel Fishing Tips
1) Water Temperature Trends
I often get asked; What is the lowest water temperature in which its possible to catch barbel? I don’t actually think there is a minimum. I am more concerned about what the water temperature trend is. If the water it is falling then expect to struggle, but if it's been steady for a few days or even better is on the rise, even by a few points of a degree then I expect the fish may well come onto the feed. Even if it is only for a short period, at some point I am confident I will catch one.
2) Best Time of Day for Barbel Fishing
The best time for barbel summer or winter is always the last hour of daylight and the first hour of darkness, that’s the time to be on the bank if your fishing time is limited. So by restricting my times to late afternoon sessions I have had a good few barbel in the last couple of weeks, the temperature has edged up a bit and the barbel has come onto the feed.
3) Best Winter Barbel Bait
This time of year with the river clearer and cooler, fishing with bread as bait can be very rewarding, I have spoken before of a few occasions of the methods I use, with rolling the bread and using a punch to get a nice hook bait.
I decided Saturday to get my bread head-on for the first time and see if I could find a few chub or one of my sought after Common Nase. The session went well with over 50 fish caught, mostly small chub of only a few ounces but 2 nice chub and my first nase of the winter season.
Fishing in Europe in 2020
This year has been great for me from an angling point of view, with travel restrictions limiting the number of anglers travelling over to fish in Europe I have had much more time to fish on my own rather than helping others to locate and catch their fish of a lifetime. One thing of real note is I have not fished at all in the UK during 2020, it’s the first time for 50 years I can say that thankfully I have made up for it with trips to Holland, Belgium and Germany with of course loads of fishing in France.
That long sought after 40lbs river carp has still eluded my net, but I am pleased I managed a new PB with the carp I caught from a French lake in September. That fish will be lodged in my memory bank forever. A memorable week spent in good company with some great fish caught being the icing on the cake.
Barbel fishing has been exceptional this year. To date, I have caught just short of 500 barbel in 2020 with some very good fish amongst them. Of course, November was the best month for the size of the barbel fish and October for numbers of fish with over 100 barbel taken.
Self Challenge Success: I am pleased to say I am still maintaining my record of catching at least one barbel in every month of the year with the number now at 47 consecutive months!
Keeping Positive with Fishing
Personally, it has been a tough year for me, with only limited possibilities to see family and friends and the sad loss of friends and family to this dreadful pandemic. The one thing I am sure that helps me deal with difficult times is time spent fishing. The peace and solitude of time spent by the waterside is so important in life’s balance.
I think it is easy to tell I am not the only one who uses fishing of whatever discipline as a pastime as it’s a way of getting into the fresh air with friends and family this past year. There seems to be a big increase in the number of anglers on the bank and its great to see many of these are youngsters starting on the road to hopefully a lifetime of angling addiction!
I feel lucky and privileged of what I have achieved and past on to others during my angling career, from those early days with my father to 50 years later being recognised all over Europe for my angling achievements.
Over the last few years, I am lucky and privileged to say I have been helped a lot in my fishing by some companies without whose support I would not be able to continue to pursue angling at the same level I currently enjoy. So, a huge thanks to Preston Innovations and Sonubaits for their continued support.
I am also really pleased I can continue to write this blog, keeping you up to date with the support of the best and that’s Angling Direct. Also, thanks to each of you that take the time to read my blogs. One other organisation I am pleased to be an ambassador for is the Barbel Society a great organisation for any keen barbel angler.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a good Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Let us hope 2021 brings a change for the better, for all of us and most importantly stay strong and healthy.
