The Post about flyfishing in Colorado got me thinking, is there anyone out there that has used Snow Shoes or Cross Country Skis to fish a stream in the winter??
Thanks,
Doug 
Mr. Doug, you will pardon my inability to resist, but do you mean water skis? Sir? :))
Cheers !
MontanaMoose
Thatâs another POST!
Doug
Most definitely. I rarely have fished while on skis but I do use them to get to specific locations that are not easily accessible without.
jed
No, have never used either, but, with I had snow shoes on occation. Snow accumulates on felt, and soon you are six inches taller. Not the safest thing. I hear rubber soles donât do this. Any thoughts?
Wow, Memories!
Back a âfewâ years ago fishing the small streams in the Snowy Range outside of Laramie Wyo snow shoes HAD to be used. A tear fills my eye when I remember the high white snowy banks and the stream meandering and bubbling between them and the balsams straining to hold up their burden of snow. THAT was fly fishing at itâs BEST.You could struggle/walk for an hour before you realized you forgot your fly rod. I remember feeling guilty that my tracks were spoiling these scenes. Oh, to be young again in the Snowy Range.
Mark
My new skis have SNS bindings
My wading boots are 75mm
Bad planing
D
If you havent been on skiâs and you aint youngâ get lessons before you even think it. Cross country will kill ya if youâre out of shape to start with .If you smoke its pure suicide. Alpine skiing wont come into play here.
Snowshoes are another matter altogether. You have to have a rough idea of the terrain that youâll be getting into. A decent outfitter can get you going.
Both types of travel offer different challenges and are both a lot of fun.
I grew up in Vermont and spent enough time on top of skiâs and 'shoes. Wasânt cold enough there so I went to Alaska, it was cold enough.(ok, that was sure cold enough for me.)
A very strong sugjestion, take off the skiâs or 'shoes before getting in the water, it has a tendency to diminish the fun( it does add a new dimension to the excitement though).
Perch
p.s weight is very important , youâll see if you get heavyweights. :shock:
Perch, I cross country skied for many yrs and it is a tremendous workout. I was lucky that I had some natural ability to do it.
For those that know lakes in Oregon, I skied across Diamond Lake and also at Odell Lake.
I have never flyfished in the snow and I think that it would be a very peaceful experience.
Doug
Dear chewydog,
Get yourself some boots with studded Aquastealth soles. You wonât pick up the snow like you do with felts and the studs really help negotiating icy spots, as well as giving you a much more secure grip when wading on slippery rocks.
Best Wishes,
Avalon
About your title , fish the water not the snow. there are more fish in the water. :?
I have fished in the snow using snowshoes and cross country skis.
My daughter against my advice decided to take off her skis and sit on a log. She was 12 and at that know everything stage. I yelled at her NO! which she took as a signal to do exactly the opposite and took one ski off. She promptly sunk up to her waist in the snow one ski on one off. There she was one foot deep in the snow the other supported by the ski. Her face buried in the snow unable to get up. She couldnât even get the other ski off. She couldnât get back on Her skis without help. My wife and I laughed till It hurt. LOL. :lol: :lol: It still makes me chuckle now and then.
One thing about snowshowing to be aware of . Donât go at it too hard the first day no matter what shape your in. You use different muscles for snowshoeing and can cramp up bad enough that you canât get back to where you started from . Bin dere done dat. The voyagers ( A canadian thing ) called this cramping âmal de raquet.â After the first few days of taking it easy your muscles can then handle it.
I used to love the quiteness and sheer beauty of it. alas I am now too old to cavort in the snow.
You go outside RIGHT NOW! and make a SNOW ANGEL!!
Doug
Perch I can understand your attitude about thecold. Imoved from Northern Vt. to Minnesota in December. All my friends thought I was out of my mind. Now Iâm back east in Massachusetts wishing I lived a few hours North where the snow cover is better.
jed
No snowshoes or skiis involved, but a friend and I thrashed our way through waist deep snow for about 40 yards, to get to the Henryâs Fork. Fished until we were numb, and went back to where we had crashed into the river. Neither of us would have made it out of there without the other helping to negotiate the bank. Good way to get into trouble if you do that alone, especially when youâre half frozen already.
Fly fished for steel all day today while walking on snow. Loved it. Fishing bud loved it. I was never all that cold. Not the first time Iâve done so and Iâll do it againâŚmaybe even tomorrow.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose