Grantham Journal angling correspondent says break the ice and fish 'Eskimo style'

Most venues were frozen solid in mid-December but that did not stop local anglers from catching plenty of fish, especially from the Fossdyke Canal in the Lincoln area, writes Journal angling correspondent Dave Coster.

Competitors found the match stretches near Saxilby heavily ice bound, but after some discussion it was decided to go ahead with the Grant Butterworth Memorial event.

The best way to break out a decent sized hole in thick ice is to use a heavy lump of metal attached to several feet of chain and a long rope.

Throwing the weight high in the air smashes through to the water underneath, and then by using a sawing motion when retrieving, the chain cuts through thick ice on its way in. It is a clever trick that saves a great deal of time and effort, but it is still active enough to keep you warm!

After ice breaking you might think all the noise and commotion would frighten off anything underneath, but fish are inquisitive creatures. Water disturbance stirs up natural food, so the inhabitants of the canal responded surprisingly well and provided great sport in the Arctic conditions.

The bridge section was once again the best area to be in and all three top anglers came from there.

The eventual winner was John Barningham, who alternated between using punched bread for roach and worms for perch, keeping a steady stream of small fish going into his keep net. He weighed in a creditable 8lb 12oz, which would have been classed as a respectable catch under normal conditions, let alone when fishing Eskimo style!

Match organiser John Blades was a close runner-up, finding 8lb 2oz of mainly roach, using pinkies and groundbait. This was the same bait combination that gave third placed Mark Giggs a creditable 7lb 2oz.

Now the canal has thawed out, it is expected to fish even better over the Christmas and New Year holiday periods.

Small baits like squatts, pinkies and punched bread are a good way to wake up cold water fish, trying bigger offerings like maggots, casters or worms as sessions progress. This is how match anglers often conjure out such impressive catches in tricky wintry conditions.

Another Individual Fossdyke League series is being run by Lincoln Angling Club in the new year and details can be found on their website. You do not need to be a member to fish the league, or to fish these matches as one-off Open events.