What about lakes near you Rcassady? I mean for me when the rivers are blown and lately mostly frozen and if i was going crazy wanting to cast a line then i head up to the nearby lake and i could care less if i catch anything but sometimes i do. Just the fact that i leave the house, drive to the lake, see the water and cast for a while is good enough for the moment.

And, if you can do that, you might try big unweighted leech patterns first on a rod length tapered leader, cast as far out into the lake as you can, then give it a countdown of say 25 for starters, then make slow strips back towards you with the rod tip quite low to the surface of the water and be ready. After that you could try a 10 or 12 foot sink tip with a 5 ft leader and the same unweighted leech pattern and give that a count appropriate for the depth of where you're flyfishing and strip that back.

Also with both ways, you can try different stripping methods i.e. slow, erratic, fast or even combinations. Again, be ready as one never knows what crazy starving fish of any kind will do next.

Lastly, if nothing else, you will have 'gotten out there' and enjoyed some fresh air and gotten in your casting practice especially with longer casts plus you'll sleep like a baby that night.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

Quote Originally Posted by Rcassady View Post
As a new fly fisherman, I'm not sure to do with myself right now, as I see rain and snow-swollen rivers become unfishable, dawns that come too late and nights that come too early, and temperatures just getting too cold to really invest too much time out there.
So ... my question is really pointed to all my fellow Central Appalachia fly fishermen. What to do now? Anybody got any tips about what works for them during the late fall, early winter, fly-wise and otherwise?
Any tips that would give me an excuse to get out there would be greatly appreciated.