Winter Fly Fishing Tips
By Frank Landis
TCO Fly Shop and Relentless Fly Fishing Guide
As we head into December, I thought it would be a good idea to share some thoughts on winter fishing. There is a little bit here for everyone whether you’ve spent some time fishing in the winter or if it's something you plan on dabbling in for the first time this year. The winter season, though a little harsher on the body, provides some under-appreciated opportunities that can be outright awesome when you hit it right. Coupling the great fishing with the lack of crowds, we think this is something everyone should try their hand at if you’re up for bearing the cold! Check out the tips below!
Eggs for Breakfast
I love a good omelet, and apparently, so do our wild brown trout. It is hard to deny the winter egg bite and how effective it really is. These fish have been seeing eggs in some capacity since the spawn began in October, and will continue to see them throughout the winter even up until the sucker spawn in early spring. From my experience, eggs are maybe the most effective pattern to use from the brown trout’s post spawn until bugs become more available. They are a great source of protein and nutrition that’s hard for a fish to pass up when there is less overall food available during the coldest months. Sometimes as midge/insect activity picks up mid day, you may find the egg less effective as fish begin to key in on something different. On the other hand, when there is less bug activity (very often), the egg will tend to shine. Sometimes the egg bite can be extremely easy and predictable, to the point where I switch to a more challenging technique like streamer fishing just to keep things interesting. If you’ve never had success in the winter though, going to the egg is certainly a great way to find some willing fish. All of your normal dead drift nymphing techniques will be the ticket here, and for beginner fly tiers, it doesn’t get simpler.
Understanding Your Options
This section of the Yellow Breeches has enough spring influence to keep it ice free throughout the entire winter. Other sections are more susceptible to air temps and will more quickly form shelf ice.
Pennsylvania as a state is one of the better locales in the country when it comes to trout fishing any given day of the calendar year. If you understand our waterways, it really is as close to a 365 trout fishing state as you get. Though we have harsh days, our seasons are more mild compared to the Rocky Mountain west in severity. Compared to other east coast states, we have an abundance of spring creeks and limestone fed streams that have groundwater influence, helping to regulate water temperatures regardless of air temps. Having more mild seasonal conditions and places with more stable water temperatures is a great mix for winter fishing.
Understanding some basics about where the water in your local river comes from is a must. For example,in the Cumberland Valley we have some true spring creeks that have water temperatures in the 50s every day no matter how hot or cold it's been. There are a number of spring creeks throughout the state, some with varying sizes of springs, and many mixing with runoff. Our Central PA limestoners are a good example of places where runoff and groundwater mix, but still have less volatile conditions. In the winter, you may see streams with partial spring influence stay in the low 40’s dropping into the 30s only at the coldest of times. On the opposite side of the spectrum, freestone rivers are completely fed by runoff, and thus bend to the will of the seasons. These rivers could freeze over entirely in the winter or become too warm in the summer. Tailwaters, with bottom releases at their dams also provide stable conditions similar to spring creeks, though these are a little less common in PA than in other states. Knowing where your rivers fall on this spectrum will make them more predictable. Sometimes, a river will change character the further you go downstream. One river might have a smattering of small springs throughout, while another might be sourced by one big one. This is all vital information for winter fishing. Though any river can be fished at times in the winter, many of our spring influenced waterways are reliable and predictable. A thermometer and a little bit of research about your region can provide some hints to figure out what your options are throughout the state in winter the months.
Water Type Matters
The water pictured produced some decent fish, but we skipped over much more of this section that I typically would fish in the spring. The slowest pockets here were the more productive zones.
As the trout’s metabolism continues to shift in the winter, so do the places you’re most likely to catch them. Generally, I like to fish water that is a speed or two slower than my favorite spring and summer water types. There are exceptions to this, as even in the winter fish will hold near fast pocket water if they have a reason to. Generally though, the softer water is the ticket. When I say soft, I certainly do not mean dead. Especially in our rivers with considerable spring influence, there is no need to find the slowest water possible. If fish are actually feeding, they will hold in slightly faster moving water and sometimes they may even surprise you where you find them working. That being said, it's probably prudent to skip over the fastest riffles, very tight and turbulent pocket water, and anywhere that a fish would have to expend excess energy to hold in. Instead, look for areas with a slower steady current where a fish could slide left or right to pick up an egg or small nymph with little effort. Also, larger trout are often found in classic “ambush” spots. This is simply somewhere that is easy to hold in, with some type of structure to hide under or behind. These fish are waiting for unsuspecting prey to pass by and will capitalize on the larger meals when available. Using a streamer in these places is a great idea.
Avoid the Melt
Shelf ice as pictured here will quickly melt into the river, dropping water temps on warmer days.
A lot of conventional wisdom will tell you to fish the warmest part of the day during the winter. This makes a lot of sense, especially in freestone rivers. A trout’s metabolism will often be most active when water temperatures are warmest, and day time warmth can certainly influence this. Keep in mind though, there are many circumstances where this is simply not the case. One very common winter scenario that I think everyone should be aware of is the impact of snow and ice melting into a system. Here is a very common situation. Lets say there is a few inches of snow on the ground and night time temperatures are well below freezing. In the morning, the snow and ice will be stable, and won’t really influence water temps one way or another. As the day warms, you could see air temps rise into the 40’s and later into the season even into the 50’s. If this happens, that snow will melt rapidly and will basically put a huge shot of ice water into the system. From my experience, there is no worse time to be on the water. You may feel comforted by warming air temps, but the trout won’t agree. Even if snow melt brings a river from 42 to 41/40 degrees, that one to two degree drop is enough to give every fish in the river lockjaw. There are times where this happens every day for many days in a row. A cycle of freeze, melt and refreeze. When fish get used this daily pattern, be sure to fish from dawn to lunch time and avoid the late start.
Icy Guides? Use a Fixed Line
On the coldest days, ice forming in your guides is a massive pain. The colder the air temps, the quicker and more often this happens. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of different remedies to treat your guides to make them ice proof, such as putting chapstick or other water repelling substance on your guides. Though this might work for a little while, it will eventually fail and you are either back at square one or constantly reapplying to no avail. My solution to this is more related to the techniques I use rather than relying on temporary fixes. The real culprit for icy guides is pulling water through when retrieving line. Whether nymphing, dry fly fishing or streamer fishing, line retrieval is a huge part of many effective techniques.To work around this, I prefer to limit myself to presentations that use a fixed amount of line. This means I’m essentially never pulling water through my guides so the ice never forms to begin with. Doing this will limit you in some ways. For one, it will force you to fish at closer distances. For nymphing techniques, this is mostly not a problem, but you may simply need to skip over water that needs to be fished at a distance. For streamer fishing, this means you will rely more on rod tip movements to animate your fly instead of stripping line in. Once again distance will be a limiting factor. Using mono rigs over fly line is often ideal in these conditions, simply because less line is ever touching the water. If you carefully select your water types and stay disciplined, you can continue to fish even in very harsh conditions that turn many people away.
Dressing for Success
Protecting yourself from the elements on days with inclement weather is critical to enjoying yourself. A wading jacket is a great investment for this.
Staying warm is critical to actually feeling the joys of winter fishing. This is tied closely to your apparel choices. Layering the right way is important. You need to have enough insulation to stay warm, but not so much that you sweat when walking in. Sometimes that involves adding and removing layers. You also need outerwear that protects you from rain, wind and snow. Maybe most importantly, you need to maintain good circulation in order to stay warm. Putting on 3 pairs of wool socks and jamming them into the same boots you normally use would be a highly regrettable decision.
For baselayers, modern thermal and wool blend products are great. Something that is moisture wicking is helpful. Mid layers provide your first strong piece of insulation. This could be fleece or other synthetic blends. Today most companies make some very good low profile mid layers that don’t add too much bulk. For your main insulation, a puffy down or synthetic jacket should do the job. Lastly a shell in the form of a good wading jacket will be critical, especially anytime the weather takes a turn. A rain jacket can suffice here but spending the money on a good wading jacket is a great investment for the winter angler. For socks, a liner paired with a medium weight wool sock should be all you need. If your feet are still cold, try loosening your boot laces or switching to a larger boot altogether. Circulation is far more important than layers on your feet. Hats and gloves should also be on hand. Hats are straightforward. I prefer gloves with fingertips open to aid in line handling and knot tying.
Fish Handling on the Coldest Days
Keeping fish close to the water for pictures and limiting air exposure is best practice, especially on frigid days.
There are a few worthwhile considerations once we do catch fish on the very coldest days. For one, be considerate if you are wearing gloves and holding fishing. You should probably already know to handle fish with wet hands to avoid pulling off their slime coating. This issue is exacerbated with gloves on. It is way worse to handle fish with wool gloves than with dry hands. If you must handle fish, remove the gloves or use a non abrasive glove such as nitrile gloves. Another thing to consider is that very cold air temperatures can harm fish if they are exposed for too long. Imagine how quickly your guides freeze when it’s 20 degrees out. That same thing is happening to a fish that is cold blooded and dripping wet when you hold it out of the water for more than just a few seconds. Specifically, damage to their gills can occur quickly. Consider skipping the fish pics and using your net to keep fish submerged as much as you can. For that special fish that you must have a picture of, you can do it responsibly, just limit the air exposure to no longer than it takes to snap a quick shot. Do your phone and camera handling while fish are safe in the water or have a friend handle the camera work if possible.
Avoiding Old Redds
Another situation that we should all be aware of is stepping on redds that are no longer fresh and obvious. Though redds are made and eggs are laid during the fall, the fry do not hatch until early spring. Being aware of where you’ve seen spawning fish in the past, as well as looking for evidence of spawning, is important when wading. The fish are off redds in the winter, but we can do potentially more damage by walking through them than even the sin of catching an actively spawning fish. If you make a mistake don’t wory, I promise you won’t cause your local river to have a mass extinction event. Regardless, we want to limit our impact on the resource as much as possible. I believe fishing during the spawn in the fall while practicing restraint is the best way to prepare you to wade responsibly until spring. Knowing what to look for, especially as redds become less obvious, takes some time and experience on the water, but is something we should certainly keep in mind.
We hope you guys find some value in these tips. If you’re interested in really learning more about winter fishing, we have some great options to get some awesome detailed instruction. On January 5th, Frank Landis from Relentless and Sam Galt from TCO State College are teaming up to offer a comprehensive winter fly fishing class (currently sold out) which will include classroom time, fly tying demos, and some time on the water fishing Spring Creek.
We also run guided trips during the winter if you want something more one on one.
Reach out to any of our guides or shoot us an email at relentlessflyfishing@gmail.com to set something up.
Guides typically have a lot of winter availability and there are a lot of predictable and awesome opportunities for winter fishing.
Thanks for reading!
-Frank Landis
Instagram: @frankflyfishes
Email: franklandisflyfishing@gmail.com
Photos: Frank Landis, Neil Sunday
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