Trout Fishing and Winter is Not a Bad Combination at All
 by Ted Patlen

Medium to stiff wind, air temperatures in the upper 30's, bright midday sunshine, and clear running 39 degree stream water; beautiful conditions for a few hours of mid winter trout fishing.

When the bug hits you, the "I just got to get out and fish even though I'll freeze my buns off" bug, take the plunge and hit the river. All you really need to remember is that it is not summer and the fishing will be different but the nature of the sport is the same.

Grammar school science taught us about metabolism and how it affects animals. Trout are cold-blooded animals so their metabolic rate slows down towards both ends of their natural temperature range. They do not need to feed as much because they are not as active. They become extremely efficient about food intake and expending energy. This physical/physiological slow down prompts them to find a softer, quieter environment. They still need food, oxygen and shelter, just as they do during the other months of the year and will position themselves in such places where there is easy access to all three. During the summer trout will station themselves at various locations that have all three of these essentials. Fast flowing riffles, and boulder strewn pocket water are just two of the many places that the summer fish feel comfortable in but during the winter these spots are normally void of fish simply because they cause trout to expend too much energy to hold in these lies. Slower pools and lazy runs just down stream from the aforementioned spots are prime locations to find winter trout. The deeper pools give them their likely shelter while they are just a tilt of a fin away from the food chain.

How much do they eat during the winter, and when does this major feeding period occur? How long does it last? The need for nourishment diminishes with their metabolism, but they still need to eat. There are a few factors that affect the feeding habits of winter trout, but the most important concerns water temperature. Fluctuating temperatures caused by passing fronts will cause the fish to vary their feeding patterns, so look for consistent weather patterns. After one to three days of consistent weather you can expect a better than average feeding period. The durations of this feeding time differ from, and these times are approximate, one hour to four hours, and I have already found feeding fish, during a February thaw, which lasted almost six hours. I have also seen the feeding stop abruptly when cloud cover rolls in.

A rise of water temperature of 1 to 3 degrees will often ignite this event. Most of the time this will occur during the middle of a sunny afternoon. Think of it, sleep late, eat a relaxed proper breakfast, leisurely drive to the river, fish all afternoon and be back home for a refreshing supper at a human time. Very tasteful and distinguished fishing indeed!

The river that you select is also an important factor. Pick a stream that harbors a good number of wild trout or holdover fish. You do want to catch a fish or two so a healthy river gives you a much better chance.

How do you fish the river? Remember that this is not fast paced fishing. Because the trout are lethargic a more persistent approach proves to be more efficient. A basic rule of thumb is to fish slowly and methodically. I don't care what fly you choose, any of the standard patterns will suffice, but it is necessary to put the fly in front of the trout at the speed that they're expecting their food to be moving at. Your chances of hooking fish will improve significantly. Fish the fly how you feel. If it's cold and the water is off color slow down the pace of the fly. Trout are inherently lazy creatures to begin with and will not expend unnecessary energy, especially so during their inactive times. If conditions are better and insect activity occurs, and this is not an uncommon affair, then you can change your approach slightly. There are too many variables to contend with and to list them all would be foolish, but to reiterate, the closer you get the fly to the fish and it is presented at the appropriate speed, the better your chance to catch a winter trout.

I've caught trout during the winter on the same flies that I've fished during the summer. Size, color and style of pattern are purely a person's whim. Over the past 40 or so years I've learned that presentation and fly speed are much more important. Experiment and you'll be happily surprised. Of course there are times when you need to match something that is smaller than a mosquito's small body part but most times a fly, let's just say a standard pattern in "average" size will work if the presentation is first-class. I live in New Jersey and we are blessed with a lot more trout fishing water than one would think. We also have a huge population that puts many fishermen into our rivers. People say that we have an attitude...well buddy, so do our fish!

All fish adapt to their environment, which also includes the hordes of fishermen. I've seen trout feeding, then swim out of the way of a passing fisherman only to return with-in minutes to it's original position and continue to feed. My point, these so called "educated" trout have adjusted to many of the conventional wisdoms that we throw their way. So the inquisitive fisherman, the person who is not afraid to experiment can (and will) have much success over this/her traditionalist counterparts. Use completely irrational flies, fish extremely slow, keep the fly in the water, resist the urge to cast repeatedly, approach a popular "hole" from the harder, more difficult side of the river, reach under over hanging branches with the tip of the rod; challenge yourself. These tidbits of wisdom have been around for a very long time. Ray Bergman said it 50 years ago, and I'm sure that he just passed along what he heard.

What about tippets and leaders? The diameter and the length of the tippet/leader combination are critical. Extremely small flies float better; that is they float more naturally; with an extremely fine and longer tippet section. I normally use 8x and 9x tippets when fishing midges and the like and I believe that they give me an advantage over the majority of other anglers. Most people fish the same way with the same flies, techniques and terminal gear. Tippets sizes in the diameters that I have stated are NOT part of their standard arsenal thus the fish see something "different", which is a huge advantage in very hard fished waters.

I suppose that there is a need for fluorocarbon materials, but I don't use them mainly because I haven't felt the need to. I have experimented with them and in all truth I didn't notice any difference from them and the normal stuff. The brand of material that I use (Varivas) also manufactures tippets measuring down to 12x! I haven't used that either, I don't have the guts to. Dressing for winter fishing is simple; dress warm and wear layers of wool or polar fleece. Fingerless gloves are useful (extra pairs are a godsend too). One very important thing, do not dress tightly. Clothing that is too restrictive inhibits circulation thus you get colder. That goes threefold for your feet. A thin pair of polyester, nylon type dress socks under a pair of 80 to 100% wool socks is all I use. I've fished for up to four hours, in an ice filled, freezing stream, during February with this clothing arrangement before I needed to move around. Air pockets between the looser layers of fabric will greatly assist you in keeping warm. Now, let's see...sleep late, fish slowly, dress warm, catch fish, then go home early and eat dinner. Is this fishing or what!

© Ted Patlen, 2002