Should of gone out last week while it was still hitting the mid 60’s on the thermometer. Now it is supposed to get down to the 20’s tonight . This afternoon I took all my rods and waders and other gear out of the trout wagon… It is time to start doing the shows, time to tie flies: to watch others fish on my videos and DVDs.
I had left it all in the SUV all through October and into November in hope I could get in another day or two…
Trout are my only quarry. I do not like to fish in the cold… But today was the day. The day it went back down to the fishing room. The fishing room where it will stay till Spring. A melencholly three step process: from the vehicle, to the garage, to the fishing room. All of it. It is done!
How about you? You Southern and warm climate guys I would expect to continue on, but what about the rest of you?
winter fishing is a “PRIME” time of the year… it quite, peaceful, and you dont have many people around…
and also… in snow storms the fish really get turned on… and really start to feed… Just dont get caught in a blizzard or a ice storm… get some chap stick…
chap stick… can be used on your lips (a very smart thing to do)… and use it on the eyes of your rod… it keeps your eyes clear of ice build up
oh… the main thing… dont fall in, in 15 degree weather… your waders will turn to ice (not thats it ever happened to me)… YEAH RIGHT!! LOL
I do believe… when I hang up my waders… I’ll have to be 6 foot under…
Are you serious? Winter steelheading is just around the corner. What more could one ask for? Standing in forty degree water with thirty-five degree air temp hucking flies for a fish that most think doesn’t exist.
My fishing is pretty well finished till mid April next year. We have one pond which is open till the end of November, but because it’s dark when I get up and it’s dark when I get of work, the only time I might get a chance is on the weekend. I did finally take all my gear out of my 4-runner last weekend, with maybe a chance of putting it back for a day. I would love to live in an area that had winter fishing for steelhead and sure wouldn’t mind standing in a river with 40 degree water, I think I would be in dreamland. Some of you guys are so lucky to live in an area that has winter fishing. Maybe when a guy retires in about 15 years or I win my lottery I will be able to travel to some of these rivers and enjoy them to.
Have a GREAT WINTER fishing,
Alan Mills (salmonguy)
Nope. I?ll get into inland trout water (that stays open ? that is from ice and as allowed by the regs) as well as the Great Lakes tributaries all year. The water is usually warmer than the winter winds anyway. Just have to watch out for the icebergs?.
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care
Finished, now way, no how. There’s still salmon, winter steelhead and sea run cutts in the salt. Over? When I can be standing in freezing water, ice in the guides so thick a fly line can’t budge, fingers and ears turning various shades of blue, casting the long spey lines. You gotta be kidding?
Are you joking?? I’ve had some of my best fishing ever in the winter. Winter steelhead are right around the corner. Midge fishing is just getting going. I fish 365 days a year and only wish there were more hours of daylight in the winter.
Same as you I cannot fish in the cold . I used to sit for 8 hours in a wet cold boat and think nothing of it . Even tried Ice fishing once , didn’t like it . But osteoartritis in both knees just doesn’t allow me to get cold knees anymore. I was just getting started casting practice 1/2 hour per day for about 10 days in a row when a cold front came down and chased me indoors it hasn’t been warm since then . 40km winds today brrrr. I guess I’ll have to hunker down ties some flies and covet those warm waters that grace the southlands . See you in March that glorious month of spring thaws !
I could be wrong , It seems unlikely , but I suppose it could happen.
No Way. It is supposed to hit 65 here in South Central PA on Sunday and I will be on the Yellow Breeches looking for a few cooperative trout. I still will fish year round but as I get older I tend to say, I will fish when it rains and fish when it’s cold but don’t fish when it’s raining and cold…lol.
With a plethora of limestoners at my disposal and an internal body temperature my wife claims is 200 degrees; I’m at it through the winter. All I need is a ski cap, scarf, one glove, a sweatshirt over my fishing shirt and a pint of Knob Creek and I’m there .
I was on the Letort yesterday kneeling in 50? water on a very nippy and windy day and managed 4 fish on #20 BWO dries & emergers.
What I don’t do that much of when it gets really cold is wading because I don’t have to with some of the streams I can get to within a short drive.
While I HATE the place; if you ever saw the crowds at the Little Lehigh Heritage stretch or the “Run” at the Yellow Breeches; in the dead of winter with a foot or two of snow on the ground; you’d see that there are many of us crackpots out there.
Today, Veterans Day, is the last day of my offical, personal season.
I still will go out when I can, but I look at it this way.
There is two seasons to the year, fishing season and college basketball season. They fit nearly perfectly together.
Basketball season runs from now untill the first weekend in April. Fishing is ripe the rest of the year.
Synchronicty, it’s a beautifull thing.
I had to chip the ice off my kayak this morning before I put it on my truck. Plan on chasing some late season stripers this afternoon. I plan on doing so until they are completely gone.
Who has time for stress when there are fish to catch.
Nick
Fishing over? Not till my Sweetheart says it is…and she saying let’s keep it to less than 3 times a week. I hardly missed a day (except Sundays) since the first of October and fished last night.
Too dark? Last nite the wind finally died enough at sunset and around 530 PM it was deep into dusky when BAM! a bass come to hand, two casts later BAM! a bigger one gets on my 4 wt. 5 minutes later Wham! -#3 gets on board and at that special moment of the “very last cast” BAM! number four hits my little white rubber legged spider and he does an “LDR”- Long Distance Release. That one fouled my tippet and leader into my flyline and I made the call. Four fish in twenty five minutes, in the dark, brand new self built 4 weight rod, Big Smiles. One of the southern climes benefits: year round fishing.
But I certainly appreciate Mantis’s viewpoint - a seasonal fishing cycle for his circumstances and targeted Trout gives him an off the water period to replenish the store, maintain the gear, and recharge the “I’m-going-fishing-batteries!”
Otherwise, I’m with a bunch of you guys…FISH ON!
I fish, therefore I swam.
[This message has been edited by featherchucker (edited 11 November 2005).]
.