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| This 28" rainbow works just as good as a set of hot hands! |
Fly-Fishing in the winter can be one of my favorite times of the year to visit streams that are overpopulated over the spring/summer/fall months. For numerous reasons anglers do not want to spend time out on the streams during the "dead months" of the calendar year.
With a little proactive research an angler can follow forecasts and take advantage of the the winter warm spells where water levels are fishable and temperatures elevate above the mid 30's. My general rule on trout tactics in the winter is to fish a variety of fly patterns (woolly buggers, slump busters, leeches, sucker spawn, hare's ear, muskrat nymph, pheasant tails, san-juan worms and even the occasional little blue-winged olive or a midge dry fly pattern).
I will mix and match my strategies but I usually start with pitching and casting large streamer patterns to entice those large more aggressive trout. The water temperatures play an important factor in how active the fish are and an even more important factor of whether or not the water temps are on the rise or the decline. If the water temperatures are rising the fish will be more likely to feed than if the water temperatures are falling. Articles are written about optimum feeding temperatures between 50 - 68 degrees but I've been able to land fish over twenty inches when the air temperatures were in the teens. That being said it's obvious that the fish will still feed when the temperatures fall below the optimum feeding zones but it's important to think about the overall water temperatures trends.
With a little proactive research an angler can follow forecasts and take advantage of the the winter warm spells where water levels are fishable and temperatures elevate above the mid 30's. My general rule on trout tactics in the winter is to fish a variety of fly patterns (woolly buggers, slump busters, leeches, sucker spawn, hare's ear, muskrat nymph, pheasant tails, san-juan worms and even the occasional little blue-winged olive or a midge dry fly pattern).
I will mix and match my strategies but I usually start with pitching and casting large streamer patterns to entice those large more aggressive trout. The water temperatures play an important factor in how active the fish are and an even more important factor of whether or not the water temps are on the rise or the decline. If the water temperatures are rising the fish will be more likely to feed than if the water temperatures are falling. Articles are written about optimum feeding temperatures between 50 - 68 degrees but I've been able to land fish over twenty inches when the air temperatures were in the teens. That being said it's obvious that the fish will still feed when the temperatures fall below the optimum feeding zones but it's important to think about the overall water temperatures trends.
To all the naysayers who keep telling me, I hate dipping my rod into the stream to unfreeze my eyelets. My hands get so cold even when I wear gloves, I feel like Ralphie from A Christmas Story when I put on all my extra layers. Well suck it up for the couple hours you are out on the stream and think about all the fish that haven't watched 1,000's of wishful casts go by due to lack of fishing pressure!
Be sure to think about looking at the weather, putting on a few additional layers and be ready to dip your rod into the stream to battle those freezing eyelets and entice those lethargic trout to feed (They have to eat too!). On a side note, make sure you are cautious about wading because the cold air and water temperatures can be a daunting feeling if you accidentally take a plunge. Be smart about wading and do not put yourself into the dangers of not being able to get safely back to your car to avoid hypothermia.
Here's another look of the big rainbow pictured above, caught by Jeff Scipione on February 18th, 2012.
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| Jeff, we get the idea, it was big and couldn't fit into the entire shot. Thanks for the submission! |
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