winter techniques

[primitivepete 0]

The usual stuff ain't working. Any ideas? I usually like to get into fish subsurface with soft hackles and streamers. I'm a terrible dead drifter of nymphs under an indicator, although I have caught a few that way. Usually I like slow moving water less than waist deep, and a long leader with a tool fly to get the smaller ones down. Saw a guy catching a lot of them right below a riffle...looks like same nymph set up as me, but the area had a nice transition area from fast to slow water along the sides. I'm thinking that was where the party was hanging out. What type of water/ techniques work for you?

[Toirtis 0]

All depends on the water you are fishing, and your locale. Here, on the Bow river (where the water is usually just above the freezing mark most of the winter), one is looking at nymphing as deep as possible (4'-8') with heavier flies (stones, worms, streamers, clousers) usually combined with some caddis larvae or midges 12"-18" up the rig, in slower water.

[Druce 0]

well i will give my 2 cents. Its cold right now...and its getting colder! So if I was swimming around all day and it was cold and I happened to be cold blooded I think id move pritty damn slow. So if im moving slow, I need my food to move slow and depending on what I am I might like my food small and easy. Im probably very weary of what I im locking jaws onto as the water is clear as day. Where I live we get both large deep river fishing and clear waters river fishing shallow zones on rivers with deep pockets. When salmon are up in cold winter water they seem to dip into the pools rather than rubbing bellies on the gravel strips, so I drift a sink tip with a big annoying aggrivating streamer on it right past them untill I feel a hit. I drift it from the front and it almost goes completely still once it hits the mid point of the pool..hold it there and let it flutter to the bottom when you figure its on bottom just strip once or twice and recast. depending on run off throughout the random thaws that canada can get in the winter the water conditions can very like crazey, sometimes its high as ever and sometimes its super low...Now salmon aside theres all the trout and walleye that lurk the rivers, I find for them sink tips with small streamers and almost dead drifts are perfect (the walleye), I really let it sit there for a long time and just recast, specificly trout though, i almost exclusivley use big freekin heavey a*s stone flies with a strike indicator. and that gets them. I dont like to switch up presentations in the winter, its really cold and my hands are wet, and im most likely wet as well, so in order to get the best out of my presentation seeing as there is no way im switching it in -5 -10 c weather I just walk a hell of alot, every hole, any place that even looks like a fish could hug bottom I will drift the nymph, and i only use 6-10 pound floro tippet, yeah thats right THAT THICK its because the stuffs pritty much invisible so you can get away with it more aaaaand its stiff and sink fast, you dont want pesky wind knots in -10 c weather, your poor poor hands will suffer...and winter is windy if im looking dup a river. I dont know if any of this "all over the place" paragraph will help you but I really think the best thing is to have a few staple patterns, mabey some guide recommended onse and being warm enough to stay nimlbe and focused; when your cold you get lazey and dont do as much because its uncomfortable, mabey you wont wade out to that prime looking honey hole because you dont wana get colder or you can tye on a new fly you think is killin'em on that day. blah blah blah.

 

Druce

[planettrout 0]

What Aaron Jasper suggests...

 

Egg patterns, scuds, sowbugs and midges...

 

PT/TB

[narcodog 0]

This time of year I put away my western gear and start using my Tenkara. For s/h's and nymphs it can't be beat. High stickin through the riffles or deeper slower water where you can "work" the fly has proven very successful even in the coldest conditions.

For the most part I will use a 13 1/2 ft rod with either a furled line or a Florocarbon hi vis line.

[primitivepete 0]

Thanks for the replies. Good ideas. I'll play around with it a little more.

[H.Champagne 0]

I agree with druce. I fish the winter season in minnesota and it gets so damn cold. The slower I fish the better i do. I tie hi-viz scuds in pink, tan, amber and tan, and amber & olive. Add a touch of flash, but not much. I fish like i mow a lawn, in rows. If you dont put that thing right in front of them they wont bother touching it. I make a ton of casts from 9 oclock to 3 oclock and from 10 feet in front of me to forty feet. And you just move down the river, and eventually, bang!. Try to be super low profile, and make sure your fly is running along the bottom. If that doesnt work for me, I go get drunk. Good luck!

[Toirtis 0]

I agree with druce. I fish the winter season in minnesota and it gets so damn cold. The slower I fish the better i do. I tie hi-viz scuds in pink, tan, amber and tan, and amber & olive. Add a touch of flash, but not much. I fish like i mow a lawn, in rows. If you dont put that thing right in front of them they wont bother touching it. I make a ton of casts from 9 oclock to 3 oclock and from 10 feet in front of me to forty feet. And you just move down the river, and eventually, bang!. Try to be super low profile, and make sure your fly is running along the bottom. If that doesnt work for me, I go get drunk. Good luck!

 

Same thing for here in Calgary (most of our winter fishing is in water just a hair above freezing), but swap the scuds for worms, stone nymphs, caddis nymphs, and midges. casting in in rows as mentioned, completely cover an area, take a step or two up/down stream, and repeat, high-sticking all the way.