Ok, I have been fly fishing just a year now and I had been catching fish during the late spring and summer (trout), but I still cant seem to catch any trout during the early season. If I dont see the trout I dont seem to catch them. For instance, today I went to one of my regular spots the water was a bit cloudy from melting snow I suppose but not completely mucked up. I was hitting all the spots that looked like it should hold fish, I ran small nympsh, emergers, midges, then I switched to a larger stonefly nymph and larger emergers. Now I did see some bwo’s and some small dead bugs midges I assume. I just dont seem to even get a strike. I even tried working the water like I read in articles, by casting a few feet in front of me then a few feet further breaking the water into sections to cover more of the water. Still, nothing not even a bump. I dont exspect to catch fish all the time but dang it I want to at least some of the time :roll: Any input, other than (only fish dries lol) would be greatly appreciated.
“Earleyseason” is really a extinct civilizations (word) term for a time of the year when the only thing fish eat is bait. Originally it was "nosaesyelrae’ (nose’-ee-el’ray) and corrupted by the foundling fathers who got many things wrong ( the use of English flies for instance). Careful observation over many eons has further refined it to more specifically mean worms. Actually, smallish red ones are often favored over the more common crawly things.
Oh yes, go deep.
I concur with the Grand Poohbah. Early season ya gotta drag bottom. Basically ya wanna bounce a fly off there nose and tick em off. When all else fails be patient. Good weather is coming and then you can start with drys. It also helps if ya have a Boo rod :lol:
wire guy - Therein may be part of the problem. Fish tend to get lockjaw when facing a sudden temperature drop, such as caused by rapid snow melt. Even though the air was kind of warm today, the water temperature took a nose dive from all the snow melting. Take a thermometer with you and check the water temperatures (heck, at least it gives you something to do!).I was on a limestoner today, and even though that type of stream has a fairly consistant good temperature for the fish, the water temperature was affected by the melt. Several really good fishermen I know were visited by the skunk today.
Hang in there - better days are ahead. If you are the same wire guy that is going to the PA Fish-In, we’ll help you out up at Happy Acres for sure…Ed
March is by far the hardest month of the year to catch trout in New England. Cold water and few hatches. wait another 6 weeks or so, you will notice a huge difference.
Fish are ‘cold-blooded’ and when the water gets very cold for a type they do not feed as the food will putrefy rather than digest. If they feed at all it must be small stuff, unless they just pick something up and move it out of a red like steelhead etc.
Funny, I’ve caught fish in rivers where you had to knck off for a couple hours midmorning to let the slush float off downstream. And I have lost fish to floating ice shelves. So I know you CAN catch trout in water that is barely above freezing.
But, the colder the water, the less energy they expend to eat. They tend to collect in deep dark holes, school up, and move little to feed. But they WILL eat, if you can find em. I agree with the bottom dredging philosophy, although streamers work for me even in icy waters. And although these purists above me might squeal a bit, I am going to suggest that you try an egg pattern or a red san juan worm for a dropper. Some of the other fish species that share the river with your trout lay eggs in the winters, and right now the rainbows should be getting ready to spawn, if they are not already, so they will recognize eggs as food throughout the winter.
Ditto on everybody’s comments and a quick question:
Stocked stream or wild trout stream?
I fish mostly wild trout streams and winter can be trickier because of lack of cover. Stockers TYPICALLY are less paranoid. In other words the fish see you long before you see them. Not to mention the water temps & snow melt Heritage mentioned that can put them off. Persistence and trying LOTS of different patterns, sizes, presentations, and varying your tippet size MAY help. After that the Bourbon, cigars and scenery help to make it an enjoyable day.
I’m heading up to two wild streams today. Maybe I’ll get skunked just so you don’t feel so bad!
