Winter fishing
I really like winter fishing in the rivers.
Studded felts are really handy to have, as ice can be a problem, or studded hard soles. If you don?t have those then there are several companies that make strap on ice chains for boots.
Depending on what river you are on, most likely you will be fishing differently than during the spring/summer/fall times. Hatches of insects are very short lived, mostly midges and some BWO?s, again depending on where you live. The hatches usually come off around mid-day and often the fish don?t key in on them.
Nymphing is the main style of winter fishing, that or chucking streamers. The fish are mostly feeding on nymphs that are down right on the bottom or on sculpin or smolts. Nymphing with a strike indicator is a great way to go, keeping your nymphs drag free and right on the bottom. Many stone fly nymphs are moving around and a good dropper would be a midge nymph emerger, or a San Juan Worm, or a BWO Nymph emerger.
Streamers tossed slightly upstream, with a reach cast and then a mend up stream works great in deeper water, with a slow strip retrieve, like a slow 2 foot strip, pause a second and do it again.
With both, once you have drifted totally down stream, let the flies climb up towards the surface, that is also a good time to get a strike.
Work the soft seams and the ledges under the water.
Larry
Organizations and clubs I belong to:
Fly Fishers International Life Member
FFI 1000 Stewards member
FFI Presidents Club
FFI Fly Tying Group Life Member
Washington State Council FFI
V.P. Membership
Alpine Fly Fishers Club
President & Newsletter Editor--The Dead Drift
North Idaho Fly Casters club