Fly Fishing in the Winter

B

Boomer

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Dec 15, 2014
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So I have been fly fishing for about a year now and this is my first winter that I can fly fish. I spent the spring, summer and early fall fly fishing for bass. Now that the winter is approaching it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find fish. I fish western PA, with Pine Creek in Allegheny county and Little Sandy, Big Sandy, Neshannock so on being my most frequented spots but not exclusively.

The questions I have are:
-the past few trips I haven't seen many fish let alone hook even one. What is the best way to find the holes that have fish in them?
-What flies should I be using most in the Winter?
-Are there any other considerations that I may be overlooking?
-Is there anything I should do different for the health of the fish in the winter due to the cold?

Thanks for your help guys.
 
Depends what type of fish/stream you are in. You want your flies to mimic whats in the water, eggs/spawn type patterns, stone flies, nymphs, midges, wooly buggers all can work well depending on location and temperature etc. If you are fishing stocked waters you might have trouble because of not many fish holding over. If you fish a stream that supports some natural reproduction or is a wild/native stream, you will likely see more fish.
 
Very good questions and a lot different approaches to winter fly fishing depending on the stream and conditions. Trout really slow down and congregate in deeper slower pools. They are trying to not exert a lot of energy and only go after known and easy food opportunities.

Fish starting late morning and make sure you have polarized sunglasses if it is sunny out. Don't rush into the stream and scout out the sections before you start casting. There are probably more trout in the streams than you may think, just not as easy to see or active.

I like swinging streamers when I hit any stream in the winter and especially ones I am not familiar with the local trout habits.

Nymphs will likely get you your best results. There are plenty of popular and successful patterns that work, again depending on the stream. I always make sure I have Pheasant Tail Nymphs, bead heads, walt's worm and copper johns. Be sure to use a strike indicator and vary your split shot to get the nymph right into the lane of the trout. They don't want to move much the colder it get's.

You might get lucky on dries. Small #20 Blue Winged Olives (BWO) and midges can work if fish are rising.

You'll hear a lot of varying ideas from plenty of smart anglers here.
 
Being a dry fly snob, i don't fish in the winter - mainly because I also live in western PA. And it just isn't very likely for me to find rising fish around here now.
However, if I lived closer to a good limestone stream, it would be a different story. Much better chance of finding some hatching and rising on those streams in the winter - although it would likely last for just a few hours during the warmest part of the day.
Unfortunately, the nearest limestoner to me is 2.5 hours driving time away - making it a 5 hour round trip. For - if I'm lucky - 2-3 hours of fishing. That makes it hardly worthwhile for me now.
So, I just put my rods away for about 3 months. And wait for better times to come.
 
If your willing to travel a bit, consider trying some tailwaters like the yough, good practice waters for winter fly fishing in western PA.
 
Some of the streams you mentioned may have very few trout in them at this time of year.

It's not just about flies and techniques. You have to go where there are trout.



 
robkonowitch wrote:
Anyone have good luck in CPA?
Click to expand...

The Central PA limestoners should fish well year round. Compared to a freestoner, which is likely to be frozen over, water temps on a limestoner will always be closer to the mean annual temperature.

Fish are generally not as active, but I've had surprisingly good days in the wintertime. I've always felt that in wintertime, just getting the chance to be out is the reward; the fish are a bonus.

To the OP, when asking about doing anything differently for the health of the fish, be mindful of the air temperature and snow on the ground. Think about what happens when you pull a fish out of the water into freezing air - you can possibly freeze their skin. And lying a fish on snow with a rod and reel makes for a potentially nice composition, but can also have the same effect. I'm not in the camp that thinks that looking at a fish crosswise will make it die - they are hardier creatures than most anglers believe they are. But those are things to be aware of that could cause some harm.
 
I agree with Troutbert, above that you must fish where the fish are..

Most of the stocked freestone streams have not been stocked since April or May and the number of trout in those streams are at a season low. There are some suggestions posted above on some of the better places in the SW to fish in the winter.

As far as the how-to part of your question, here is an oldie but goodie post I wrote way back in 2006 that may answer some of your questions:



No magic tactic or fly in the winter, but to sum it up fish….."low and slow."

I generally use small generic nymphs like the BHHR size 16-18. In mid-winter / early spring I will use tiny black stonefly nymphs if I see them along the banks or know they are present in the stream. On rare occasions trout rise to drifting stoneflies in the winter and I use dry flies. I don’t like fishing streamers much, but sometimes a drifting or slowly retrieved bugger saves the day.

I fish nymphs very close to the bottom. I cover every inch the water very slowly and carefully since trout in the winter won’t travel very far for a fly. I find most fish in the slower deeper water in the winter.

I use midges if fish are rising, but find tiny midge pupa fished just under the surface to be most effective. The best midge pupa patterns I’ve found are tiny bead head thread midges in the appropriate color tied on pupa/scud hooks (like TMC 2487 or 2457). When you put a bead on them they ride hook point up like a natural pupa. I use 1.5mm beads. When fishing midges I use a small but visible dry as a strike indicator in rippled water, or in flatter water I use a small pinch of strike putty on the tippet knot to track the tippet. In a glassy water, like near the dam at the Yellow Breeches, you can “grease” all but the last foot of your leader and tippet and just watch your tippet.

In the winter, no need to get up early, the best time to fish is usually mid afternoon, when the water is warmest. I have noticed that during a warm spell with snow on the ground, the water temperature actually goes down due to the snow melt. I still catch some fish, but I usually don’t have a great day fishing when the water temp is below 40*. The fishing usually improves at 40+.

I look forward to fishing this winter. Good luck – stay warm.


Read the entire thread, there is some good info on winter fishing -
Link to source: Winter Tactics Thread
 
As troutbert said, you have to fish where the trout are, but I'll add to that, trout in pools are either stressed or resting during the winter, so what you want to find is where they are feeding. I find trout usually feed at the heads and tails of pools, or in the riffles in between.
There will be hatches during the winter but they are very unpredictable. Hatches to look for are small stone flies black midges, and BWO's. If you want a relatively easy selection of flies use the nymphs of these patterns fished deep in the riffles, heads, and toilets of pools and you'll catch trout. OR a black woolly bugger.
 
thanks a bunch for the responses guys. That really cleared up a lot of confusion I was having. The only other question I am left with is why don't stocked trout hold over? I understand why the feeding habits are different but the where they go is what i'm confused about.
 
Boomer wrote:
thanks a bunch for the responses guys. That really cleared up a lot of confusion I was having. The only other question I am left with is why don't stocked trout hold over? I understand why the feeding habits are different but the where they go is what i'm confused about.
Click to expand...

I think those streams you mentioned in your original post still have trout in them - provided they received a fall stocking ,of course.
It's just that the fishing will be slower and tougher now IMO.
Certainly not my cup of tea
 
I plan on getting out Monday or Tuesday, and probably Christmas day at my mom and dad's house.

Fly selection beyond pheasant tails, hares ear, and midge larvae/pupae might depend on where you'll be. I size down during winter, except for stoneflies or scuds/cressbugs if present. If you catch a warm day you might get midges coming off the water.
 
I've been catching the most fish on wooly buggers, pheasant tails, prince nymphs, and egg patterns. Will vary by stream and weather conditions.
 
'go where the trout are" is always good advice - more so in the winter.

myself, i look at three types of fishing in the winter :

1. tailwaters - the constant (and higher - 45-50 as opposed to 33-35 degrees) temperature will ensure fish are there and feeding.

2. spring creeks or limestoners - particularly those with high rainbow populations. again water temps should be higher and contrary to popular opinion, rainbows are active all winter and will often hold in deep riffles and runs if there is enough food. be careful wading in such rich streams in winter - as sometimes on cloudy days big bows will sit in as little as a foot of water if there are enough bugs (midges and scuds) in the drift.

3. wild brown or brookie freestone streams - typically small to medium. wild fish have a higher tendency to feed in the winter than stockies IMHO. its not as easy as stockie bashing bows in a deep bridge pool but just one fish can make your day.

i typically use one of two set ups, depending where i'm going to fish - for tailwaters and deeper runs/riffles i use a 9ft rod with an indicator, a #12/14 PTN or stonefly nymph, and tied to it on 12" of 4X a 18/20/ 22 zebra nymph or serendipty.

for shallow water and spring creeks i use a 9ft rod still, with one nymph - a 18/20 scud, midge or serendipty on 5X or 6X. if i cannot see the take i will typically use a small indicator in a natural colour 5-6ft above the nymph, the key being to keep the line short and tight, otherwise i do it old school.

imho a sunny winter's day fishing is the best you can have unless you live right by a stream with evening hatches. but for us weekend warriors it brings quiet, solitude and good fishing if not always good catching.

tightlines.

Mark.

 
Spring stockies normally do not make it through the summer water temps as trout prefer cold water. This is not 100% accurate because some will find holes/pools that are well shaded and deep enough that they do manage to survive.

I would go to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat website to find out when/where the Fall stocking occured as an option to locate possibilities for catching trout.

Some cabin sites and Fly shops may be able to provide you with information for the local area that may not be listed elsewhere's for wild ones. I have been to Pikes

This time of the year I fish the Pennypack (which is stocked) catch and release only - that way I can return the following week and hit the same trout pools.

Don't expect large numbers during the winter. The water will be much clearer, fish will be down deeper and when there is no rain the trout will scare easier.
 
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