WHEN a river goes bottle green in winter you know there have been a few hard frosts, most of the weeds have died back and the fish are hungry.

For the Wye this January there has been a tinge of green for two days and that's the lot. The rest of the time it's been up and down with just a heavy rainstorm or the melting of a heavy frost on the Irfon catchment throwing the level up and making the usually slack water of pike swims unfishable.

When the current is welling up off the bottom it makes it hard for the fish to rest or hold station. They constantly have to work and this is not what pike want.

A winter fish wants to conserve its energy for what could be weeks of flood and cold when food is more scarce than usual.

A high river will push all the bait fish to the bank, into fallen trees where the current is at its slackest and they are safe from predators.

Pike will rest downstream of these areas, making it easier for anglers.

Top tips from Adam Fisher, from the Wye and Usk Foundation, when looking for pike include:

Waterproof trousers – great for sliding up and down the banks, sitting down, kneeling, dealing with unhooking a fish, and, of course, keeping you dry and warm.

Stick with one bait – just sardines for pike; cheese paste for chub; worm for perch. This takes an extra element of doubt out of the equation. When there are so many other variables to consider I'd rather move swim than change bait.

Give yourself a set time in each swim – 20 minutes, half an hour, whatever you want, but stick to it accurately. For added drama you can count from 10 to 0 before lifting the rod and reeling in – it's a great feeling when a fish takes in this time.

Travel light – no chair, just a good unhooking mat to sit on and a net. No rod rest either as there's very little vegetation so your rod can lie on the ground.

Try everywhere – keep it brief but have a cast in that spot you would normally say doesn't look fishy – you may be surprised.