Beating The Cold On A Trout Stream

If you want to catch trout in the winter, you might as well accept the fact that some of your spring and summer tactics might not work. Start off by checking local regulations and make sure that fishing season for trout is open in the winter. It may be that it’s open, but catch-and release. That’s okay with most folks just wanting to beat the cabin fever and enjoy the invigorating crisp winter air. If you are going, here are some fishing tips to help you get started.

One certainty is that to be successful is that you will need to adapt to the idea that you need to slow your fishing down. Fish slow down in the winter with the lowered water temperatures. When they do this, presentations of everything from flies to spinners to bait need to be adapted. Generally speaking, fly fishermen do better with nymphs and streamers, but there are winter hatches where dries can work too.

Unlike the times of year you are used to fishing more than likely, you will need to fish the warmer parts of the day. Yes, that’s right. No getting up at 4:00 am and hitting the stream. Here, it all gets started later and ends earlier. In many cases, that is okay because the light is shorter and you will be getting cold as it fades in the evening.

As you start making plans for a trip, keep some simple basics in mind. First, fish the naturals that occur near stream bottom. These will be things like crustaceans and nymphs. These are the natural foods on which the trout subsist through the winter months. Nevertheless, you will always have some luck if you are a bait fisherman and use night crawlers, salmon eggs, or some of the commercially prepared baits. Spinners can work as previously mentioned with a caveat. Because the fish are moving slowly, your presentation is delicate. Cast slightly upstream, and retrieve only fast enough to barely spin the spinner. Allow the spinner to spin a moment in the downstream current before you retrieve. This will often be where your winter takes occur.

Winter trout fishing will never be the most popular time to fish. However, it’s a fun way to get out during some of the nicer winter days. It’s sure a better option than just thinking about trout fishing. Hopefully these fishing tips are just what you needed to get out there.

By: Paul Marsh

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Paul Marsh is an outdoor writer sharing insight for families and individuals-novices to experts- in the subjects of fishing, hunting, and camping. His website, Family-Outdoors, is a comprehensive and unbiased source for outdoor educational information.