Just a thought as I look at the pictures, could there be a small underwater cave there that would provide a place for the fish to be during the harsh winter? If there is, the water temperatures would be warmer there which could also provide more food. Just thinking out loud......
Warren
Fly fishing and fly tying are two things that I do, and when I am doing them, they are the only 2 things I think about. They clear my mind.
Couple points.
Not catching a fish there does not equal no fish there, although for someone of your skill level it would be hard to imagine not catching fish if they are there. But the only way you will really know is to snorkel the hole or run a camera through it. To me it looks like a perfectly good spot for fish to hold in the winter. Maybe there is something in there that eats all the other fish, like one of those leg-long brownies waiting for a fly the size of a muskrat.
Water only gets "too cold" for trout when it becomes frozen solid. I have caught fish (and not one or two but hundreds over the years) out of pools that had ice shelves out from the edges, slush floating down the thalweg, and/or anchor ice on the rocks in the shallows. We have resident trout here in creeks that are frozen completely over, then covered with several feet of snow, for several months out of the year. They manage.
At cold temps oxygen is not going to be a problem unless there is some chemical reason it is being lost. There is enough surface area there to oxygenate the water.
Silt is not a deal breaker either. Lots of inverts use silt, and whatever is UPstream of that is providing food as well.
I would be looking upstream for answers. Effluent from a cattle operation, little rainbows in the water from some old dump site, acid runoff, or a warm spring that draws in fish from downriver. Maybe in March all the fish are up on spawning areas elsewhere in the river.
Let us know what you figure out. Cause that spot screams trout to me.
To illustrate Dennis' point ...
... a couple weeks ago this stretch of water was completely iced over. Above it were patches of open water, but there was serious anchor ice in most places. Today, after a few days of warm weather ...Originally Posted by DG
... this guy was the second fish hooked and first one landed out of that spot ...
... out of a dozen plus hooked and seven or so in hand.
This spot, several hundred yards upstream, was also all but completely frozen over and studded with anchor ice at that time ...
... and today gave up this guy ...
... and two more nice fishies, including another 17" bow.
In between the above two spots, was a riffle that slowed just a bit ( not nearly so slow as the ice that choked it a couple weeks ago ) and had an extra foot of depth and gave up four more trouts today, three mid-teen" bows and a smaller brown.
On a quarter mile of recently all but completely frozen water, between shelf ice, anchor ice, and surface ice cover, I hooked over 20 resident trouts ( one brown, a half dozen plus cutts, and well over a dozen bows ) and landed around fourteen.
John
P.S. Did I mention that getting the fly down was, on and off, rather difficult because of all the slush ice in the creek ??
The fish are always right.
just upstream of the rock face.
I did catch trout in these two holes.
When you arise in the morning, think of what a
precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think,
to enjoy, to love.
- Marcus Aurelius
The obvious answer to the question, to me anyway, is it's in Wisconsin where it's too cold to fish and the season is closed.
Want to hear God laugh? Tell him Your plans!!!
Does the rest of the stream fish well? If not, there might bea water chemistry problem, perhaps something as simple as pH. If so, then you might see if some twigs and leaves, of a less acid nature (maple instead of oak or pine) might create a patch of cover that draws invertebrates. Does the pool scour regularly? If so, then there might never be enough food for the bugs to live there and attract fish. Does it fish well at times of day when the sun isn't on the water, scaring off the fish? There are many reasons why it might not fish well. I can only guess at a few.
Ed
it is a feast or famine stream
When you arise in the morning, think of what a
precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think,
to enjoy, to love.
- Marcus Aurelius
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