fall/winter fishing

[gfig19]

i want to sneak in a few hours of late fall fishing this friday. any idea what flies to use? never fished in this time of year. its raining in this part of pa so i'm thinking it will be muddy...a more experienced fly fisherman told me to use dark flies like streamers? would a nymph (prince) also do a good job? i'm willing to try anything just to have fun out there.

 

[Fishidiot]

gfig,
Your question is an awfully broad one and answers could be more specific depending on the type of stream you'll be fishing; whether it's wild fish or freshly stocked; and the clarity of the water and weather conditions.
Nevertheless - as a general rule, subsurface stuff usually catches more fish this time of year and your friend is correct that when the water is stained or cloudy, larger flies in darker colors tend to do well. I tend to like streamer fishing, esp this time of year. When the water temps are cold and flows heavy, trout tend to lay right on the bottom in the deeper pools and runs.
Good luck.

 

[troutslammer]

for now its a mixed bag in my opinion , streamers work well if fished slow , midges will take risers if they are rising , nymphs will work (traditional mayfly patterns ) of course egg and sucker spawn always work post spawn , they are all looking for that last egg to gobble up. just have to get out there and try things till u figure it out , like fish said , pretty broad question

 

[Rkey530]

I'm usually on tailwaters, this time of year is tougher than spring / summer. About now I start looking to fish sections of stream that offer say knee to thigh high braids and channels in otherwise calf deep riffly water with a rocky bottom that are oriented to recieve morning and early afternoon sun. That way the bottom warms up and the bugs get active and the fish end up there and feeding. If there are some blue winged olives present in the stream start with a matching nyph and move to a dry if conditions seem to warrant it. Also keep an eye on slower pools nearby in case the dries become important there and you want to give that a try. If there are no larger mayflies present I usually go deep with whatever nymphs are normally prevalant, possibly a caddis or two or a caddis with an emerging midge dropper.

 

[wetnet]

I fished last Saturday and the water was high and off color. Nymphs still work in the riffles and water with character but in deeper water you'll want some streamers in your box. I don't worry about hatch matching, pick something weighted with a hot spot. The fish are a bit sluggish so take your time on the retrieve. When you usually cast 4 times, cast 12 times and enjoy ....the browns have great color this time of year.

 

[AlwaysWading]

Here is a tidbit our club guide told me about four years ago and it has been a goldmine. Once it gets nice and cold outside, and you find yourself with lots of room (if you fish a stream that gets used hard), throw a San Juan behind a nice big winged dry or an indicator and have at it. For some reason the colder it gets the more trout love that pattern. I tie it in red, pink, bright green and brown. I tie them with and without beadheads, with or without dbl tails, and a few others with gold tin wrapped bodies.

When nothing else seems to work, reach for that pattern this winter and have fun. Once it warms up the pattern basically dies out, although every now and then in the summer you can entice a trout to chase and grab it.

 

[3wt7X]

I've come to really enjoy throwing streamers in the colder months. If an obvious hatch is going off, which it does from time to time. I'll will switch over to dries, but for the sake of frozen fingertips and the difficulty of tying knots. I try to keep it as simple as possible with a small streamer. Streamer fishing is very effective too. I think that the larger fish are looking for one good meal on cold days and a nice looking streamer fits that bill.

 

[troutslammer]

ay men 3 wt , minnow immitations dead drift right now are smoking , and they are even chasing a slow strip too ,

 

[gfig19]

thanks for tips gentlemen.

i just did some fly fishing down here in lancaster/chester counties and i didnt fare well. in fact, if it wasnt because i love fishing i would've given up and went spinning(cast). i saw some more experienced fly fishermen grab these stockies like it was nothing....i wonder what they were using. i was using nymph, streamers and some white minnow that actually got me a fish but lost it.....i cant wait to one day catch a trout on the fly!