Two weeks ago, every river around Oxford had an Environment Agency 'Flood Watch' on it, but now the weather has changed from being mild to freezing, writes ANDY WEBBER.

This cold spell could last up to Christmas and possibly beyond, which means it is going to be hard work for anyone venturing out over the holiday period.

As air and water temperatures drop, a lot of fish go into a sort of hibernation and in these conditions I like to target chub as they are so obliging and will take an assortment of baits.

I normally go down to 4lb Maxima straight through with a simple link leger made of swan shots.

The hook size will vary depending on the bait I am using, but with bread and cheese it would normally be a size 8 or 6.

Chub don't normally mess about and bites can be quite savage.

With these fish getting larger all the time, you never now just what you might catch.