If you're a die hard fly-fisherman like me and the fellas at TOSFly, you can't help but eat, drink, sleep, and dream about fly-fishing. When you are so passionate about something, you can't go without it for 4-6 months out of the year while the snow falls and the flows drop. You have to find ways to go out and fish the winter water to catch some fish!
The problem with winter fishing is that it is completely different from any other time of year. With temps dropping and flows at all time lows, the fish are less apt to feed, and they are easier than ever to spook. When you sight a fish in the summer, you match the harch, throw a good cast, and hook the fish. In the winter, there is no hatch, and the fish are on the bottom, barely moving. These big guys will let the fly hit them in the face before they will even think about eating it.
Here's the good news. WIth the right technique and a change in your normal fishing routine, you can catch some of the biggest fish of the year; and you will land them with greater success then other times of the year, namely summer.
I'm going to give you 5 tips to help you catch trout during the winter. So, read this over, bundle up, grab your de-icer and nymphing box, and go catch that HOG!!!
- Fish with more weight
It's a common mistake for most fishermen to not fish with as much weight as they should. In the winter, those fish are not willing to move. You will have a tough time finding the fish during the winter if you're not on the bottom. Weight you fly taking into consideration the depth and current, then adjust your leader accordingly. Because the water is typically warmer neat the bottom, the fish cling to the bottom, and weighting your fly will put it in the strike zone where it needs to be.
- Fish with longer leader
It's typical in Colorado to fish with only a 7.5 to 9 foot leader. However, in the winter I would highly recommend fishing with nothing less than a 10 foot leader. I personally prefer the 12 ft. 6X leaders, and I have fished some up to 16 feet. I do this for several reasons. First, the flows are typically lower, and the fish will be spooky. Using a longer leader will help your presentation. Secondly, it is important to set your rig deeper when winter fishing. I have fished my rig as deep as 7 feet before and pulled some pigs out of it. Fishing with a longer leader will help you get to those type of fish.
- Fish SLOW, I mean VERY SLOW
I have fished the same hole for an hour, and caught nothing on my first 500 casts. Then, on number 501, that 18-inch brown finally decided it was hungry and took a bite out of my midge. Maybe all those casts simulated a hatch, maybe I made the perfect cast that set the fly in his house, either way, fishing slower and working every inch of the water will help make the difference between a successful day, and a cold one.
- Fish smaller flies
Simply said, pretend everywhere you fish during the winter a tailwater. Sizes 18 to 26 are the flies I am talking about here. If you need to buy old man glasses, don't feel bad. It is tough to thread those small midges when it's 15 below and your hands don't seem to be working. Small midges, san juan worms, egg patterns, scuds, and streamers are 99% of the active food in the water at that time. Using these patters but going up 2-3 sizes will be the ticket. The winter weather doesn't allow for the growth of larger bugs, and the fish know that and stay keyed in on those smaller patterns.
- Watch that indicator
It's just the cold (sometimes VERY cold) hard fact that not every fish is going to feed during the winter. A lot of times you will see a fish, spend all day casting to him, and the big guy doesn't take a single thing. He just sits there, and you have to foul hook him in the mouth to land him (which is really not fishing in my opinion). If the fish do eat, it is just a slight movement and an opening of the mouth. You will not see the indicator go under water as your line screams out; instead, you will see a slight hesitation in your indicator. It will look exactly like your fly got stuck on the bottom for just a quick second and then return to normal. If that happens, set the hook; you probably have a fish.
My final piece of advice is this: if there is a hatch, fish it! You rarely will have a better time dry fly fishing than on the right day in the winter when the trout are rising to those wonderful blue-winged olives ever so gingerly. It is a real joy and rarity to experience, and it is a moment that our wonderful God blesses us with only on the rarest of days.
So find a local tailwater, or any stretch of open water for that matter, remember what your friends at TOSFly told you, and get out and fish!!!
Float Em high,
Dry Fly or Die --- Allen Gardner
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