Jim, I’m wondering what type of gas you are using? The blue refillable camping gas bottles are terrible in the winter and so I haven’t bothered with them for ages. I use the smaller disposable butane/propane cannisters and they work fine. In fact they are designed to operate in colder conditions. You can get various attchments for them that make them more stable and easier to cook on. Check out the Sunngas Duo double burner for a complete cooking set up. Oh and yes, warming your socks on a hot water bottle Jim is good. Putting your feet onto the bottle is even better! I thought I was the only sad old git who did that?!

Elie G

This gives you the advantage of being able to put the canister into something warm, you can buy neoprene pouches for this, or put it under your sleeping bag etc. The other advantage this gives you is being able to turn the gas canister over so the liquid runs through the hose and the stove runs perfectly well on this. It will use more gas doing it this way as it is burning neat fuel but we naturally use more in the winter anyway.

One thing to note though is when you turn it off it tends to keep going for a short while because of the fuel left in the hose. I just turn the canister back upright when the water is almost boiled to combat this.

One particular cheep but very good quality stove comes to mind and thats the GO-Gas one. (around £20)

Hope that helps.

I find that my gas cooker doesn’t work very well in the winter. What I do is heat some water up in a pan until it is tepid and then put my cooker in the pan and it works brilliantly. I only have about an inch of water in the pan and I am very careful not to heat it too much as I am concerned about the gas expanding and causing too much pressure. However, with care it is fine. Has anyone got a better metod of improving the efficiency of a gas cooker in cold weather?

One thing i feel worth mentioning is the importance of eating reasonably well whilst you are on the bank. It’s ok having all the best gear to keep you warm and dry, but you will also feel a lot better just by cooking yourself some decent meals. I still find it quite surprising the amount of anglers that seem to live off stuff like ‘pot noodles’ etc (even whilst fishing abroad). You will feel far better after a nice cooked breakfast and a nice cooked evening meal before settling down for that long winter night. After all the more contented you feel the better you fish.

Cheers,
Pat

Thanks for the positive responses to the blog and for mentioning the bivvy overwrap, 5 season sleeping bag and the bedchair cover. When I wrote the blog I assumed anyone going winter fishing without those basic essentials is either completely bonkers or in for a very rough time! I guess I intended to give a few extra tips that make my life on the bank more comfortable in the depths of winter, above and beyond what I consider essential equipment.

You are spot on – without an overwrap and groundsheet you will get huge amounts of condensation inside the bivvy and the whole camp will be much much colder. I also have a trakker pertex big z sleeping bag which I rate very highly but on really cold nights I use a fleece lined bedchair cover as well.

Hasn’t it been cold again over the festive period? I’m looking forward to getting back out again as soon as I get the chance.

Happy New Year.

Elie G

Like you I love my winter fishing and love that early morning frost with mist hovering around the lake and ice hanging off my rod rings.

Another thing to mention and something that I still see a lot of people not using is a winter wrap. They give that extra layer and trap the warmer air in better.

I was fishing in Lincolnshire a few years ago and got myself caught in the first heavy frost of the winter (minus 6) without a wrap and the bivvy froze solid.

Also remember to keep mobile phones in pockets close to your body as the batteries drain themselves when cold and in an emergency this could be a nightmare.

I also always take a thermal bedchair cover in the winter too.

Cheers

Jamie